The Heroine
Cassidy awoke in the night. She squinted at the luminescent green letters. 10 o'clock. The air hung, enveloping her. Cassidy stared into the velvety blackness. Was she hearing things? Well, what she did hear were small voices shouting.
"Help!"
"Save me!"
"I need you!"
Sluggishly, Cassidy trudged downstairs. She tiptoed to the front door. She left the house and entered the crisp of the night. Cassidy was able to pick out a voice. She followed it. She followed it out across the sea. Suspended in air, the supernatural girl watched in shock at what lay below her. Cassidy hovered above a small village in eastern Africa. It was a city called Darfur in the country of Sudan. There is genocide.
Do you, reader, know what genocide is? I'll tell you. Genocide is like a war, except one side is very powerful, and the other side is completely innocent and helpless.
Cassidy watched in horror as children were taken from their parents, houses were burned down, and much worse things that I can't bring myself to mention. Cassidy tried to shuttle people to safety, but alas, her powers only affected one person at a time. Instead, Cassidy got the government of Sudan to quit stabbing their citizens with evil and injustice.
She placed one of the people in charge--someone who would be able to lift the veil of evil from not only that city, but as far as the eyes could reach. She created a democracy and got the people back on their feet by building houses out of the debris lying around. By this time, the sun had just peeped its golden eyes on them.
Cassidy left the villagers with their newfound knowledge. She heard more cries for help. Some small, some large. She ran. On her way to the next voice, Cassidy came across a man who didn't ask for help, but needed it. (Sometimes, people who really need help are the ones who don't ask for it.) He was choking. Cassidy did the best she could, but then she remembered her powers. The magical girl sputtered some words, perhaps a spell. The man gasped.
"Oh, thank you!" he breathed. "Here, take my stand!" He rolled a chrome cart to her.
"What's this?" she asked baffled. She lifted the lid to find frozen hotdogs and buns.
"Oh, thank you!" she squealed.
As Cassidy flew off, she heard the man's faint voice saying, "No! Thank you!"
By then it was noon. Our heroine landed in southern Asia. There were children there. Children who claimed they had no food because their parents died of AIDS. Cassidy glanced at the silver cart.
"Well..."
She gave into the fact that she had just ate the night before and that these kids haven't eaten for months.
One by one, she heated the cold cylinders of meat and handed one to each child. Now all she had left was one defrosted bun. It was 6 o'clock. Oh, how time flies! Cassidy had to get home.
Cassidy landed at home from the midnight blue sky. As she was about to walk through the door, Cassidy felt something tangling itself in her legs. She looked down to find an emaciated, striped tabby. Cassidy held out her palm. In it was a bun--her last bun. The cat gobbled it down and purred.
Cassidy walked inside and trotted up the stairs. It was 10 o'clock, and her powers were gone. Cassidy crawled into her welcoming bed.
* * *
Cassidy woke up to the sounds of puttering life outside of her room. She skipped happily downstairs. Worry then painted Cassidy's face. She thought of all the people that still needed saving.
Cassidy then planted trees, volunteered, saved up money to send to others, and even did the simplest things like recycling and turning off the lights. Why did she do this? She did it because Cassidy still has her powers, and so do you.
Together, we can donate money, organize food drives, donate toys, volunteer, and even do the smallest thing like turning off the lights or just being nice. It's all about helping and caring for others as we would do for ourselves.
As for me? This is just the beginning.
