Flight

It was the first time I had seen flying man before and it was not what I had imagined. In movies and comic books, they soared majestically, aerodynamic and confident. The man I saw by the bridge did not soar so much as he dropped, tumbling and freewheeling. He was not dressed in spandex and a flowing cape, but just a shirt and pants--disheveled, sure, but not so different from your average guy. When he got near the water's surface, I almost expected him to kick it into gear, skim the river's top and then blast off upward like an Apollo rocket. But none of this happened. He just fell and the splash was no spectacular. It was normal, like a big rock in a lake. No special effects, no dramatics. A few minutes later, his body floated to the top and I wondered where the superheroes were when you needed them.