On a bright, sunny morning, with it being the weekend and no school to attend, a blond boy wore the new sneakers his father had bought him and walked toward a fast-food restaurant.
He had saved up some pocket money and planned to buy a combo meal at KFC.
Actually, the boy's family was fairly well-off, and he was not usually short on fried chicken. But the newly launched combo meal came with a bonus toy he wanted.
It was a pencil sharpener shaped like a white broiler chicken. All he had to do was stick a pencil into the chicken's beak, then twist its head, and it would sharpen the pencil quickly and perfectly.
Well, to mature adults, this toy seemed to reflect Colonel Sanders's twisted sense of humor, as well as his cruel and heartless mockery of poultry.
But for a ten-year-old boy, this weird toy was super cool, okay?
So after leaving home, the boy practically ran toward the fast-food restaurant. However, he had never been especially healthy. Being born prematurely had left his respiratory system somewhat weak, and after running two blocks, he gradually slowed down.
He puffed out his cheeks and tried to breathe as deeply as possible, but his head still swam with dizziness. He knew he was not suited for running, but really, he just wanted to test how his new shoes felt.
The shoes were great—red, lightweight, and stylish. He loved them.
So when he realized he could not keep running, he simply stopped and began imitating the marching posture of an american soldier, lifting his legs and feet high as he walked down the street.
Sunlight fell across the shoes, making them seem to gleam.
Showing off. This was pure, unadulterated showing off.
Unfortunately, Central City's public safety was far from