Author: Pam Jernigan
Email: chiefpam@lcficmbs.com
Rated: PG
On Zoomway’s message boards, there was issued a challenge: write a complete vignette in 30 minutes or less. This was my entry…
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Lois stared at the contraption Herkimer Johnson had built to control people’s minds. When it was turned on, most people turned into highly-suggestible zombies. But in her case… “Once we’ve got this guy locked up, we can use this machine to get my memory back.” Excited, she turned towards her trusted therapist boyfriend, Dr. Max Deter.
For some reason, though, he was looking alarmed. “No,” he hastily vetoed the notion. “It’s too dangerous.” Before she could even start to argue, he grabbed a wrench and moved towards the machine’s control panel, whacking on it. This, ironically, served only to turn it on.
“Max, no! What are you doing?” Memories flooded over her, memories that made her realize that Max wasn’t quite what she’d thought. The machine stopped, and she looked up, dizzy but still annoyed. “Go to France?!”
An ugly interlude with the villain was stopped by Superman, but not before the machine had been turned on once more, unleashing another host of memories. Earlier, she had seemed to recall that Superman had been in love with her; now she saw that it was true. She looked up at him. “Superman? I … I remember!”
Superman looked cautiously hopeful at that, and she smiled. “Wait one moment.” She turned to face her, now, former therapist. “Doctor, I believe our time is up.”
Max was still reeling from the aftereffects of the machine, and didn’t seem to comprehend what she was saying. So she clarified it for him, in the form of drawing her arm back and punching him square in the nose. He folded satisfactorily, and she smiled, exhilerated. At last, she was in control of herself again. She turned and grinned at Superman, pointing both index fingers towards him for emphasis. “I’m back!”
He grinned as well, and moved forward to enfold her in a hug, but she sensed a continued hesitancy. She drew back and looked at him. “What is it?”
He half-shrugged. “Lois, I’m delighted that you got rid of Deter — in your own inimitable way. But … what about Clark? I mean, don’t you remember, you and he were engaged, and–”
Oh, so that was what was bothering him. Clark had told her earlier today that he loved her, and she had panicked, fleeing first to Max, and now, apparently, to Superman. No wonder he was still a little worried. She smiled conspiratorily, and leaned in close. “Honey,” she whispered, “You have *got* to stop talking about yourself in the third person.”
As that sunk in, he grinned broadly, scooped her up, and flew her off. They had a lot of lost time to make up for.