Pandemonium

Lew reached the boy. He breathed heavily, his face bright with sweat.

“Hey man, we’re looking all over for you,” he said. “Who were you talking to—did he bother you? Did he do anything to you?”

The boy shook his head.

“Okay, good.” He studied the spot where the man had disappeared, then looked down at the boy and noticed the present in his hand. “What do you got there? Did that guy give this to you?”

The boy handed it to him. Waited. Lew pulled off the wrapping paper.

“Fuck,” he said. It was a comic book. He studied the cover for a long moment, then looked up at the spot where the man in the ball cap had disappeared. Gone. The boy took the book from his hand. The cover showed a man in goggles shooting a bulky gun. He flipped it open, frowning.

“That’s RADAR Man,” Lew said. His voice sounded strained. Then he cleared his throat and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll read it to you. And there’s a ton of comics in the basement. They’re all yours.”

The boy took his brother’s hand, and they started walking back, the boy holding the comic open in his other hand as they walked.

“We gotta get you cleaned up, man,” Lew said. “But you know nobody’s mad at you, right? It was totally an accident.” The boy nodded absently. He was looking at the comic book. “And let’s not tell the Cyclops that I swore in front of you. She would so kill me.”