Four Wheeled Hero

Copyright
© Malcolm Brown 2015

This book is
sold subject to the conditions that it shall not, by way of trade
or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated
without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or
cover other than that in which it is published and without similar
conditions this being imposed on the subsequent publisher.

The moral right
of Malcolm Brown has been asserted.

Published via
Smashwords Inc 2015

FOUR WHEELED
HERO

By

Malcolm
Brown

Tommy and
Smithy were two typical ten year olds, mad on football and super
heroes. Tommy was confined to a wheelchair after suffering a
terrible accident two years earlier, but this did not stop him from
joining in all of the fun with his mate Smithy.

Their daily
life was one of adventure created by their own imaginations, until
one dark Thursday night when Tommy’s life would be changed
forever...............

Four Wheeled
Hero

Chapter 1

The Gift

‘Yes! Yes!,
shouted Smithy as he celebrated scoring another goal before being
mobbed by his fellow players, just before he rushed over to give
his best friend Tommy Clark a big hug in celebration. Tommy sat in
his wheelchair with a grin on his face that showed his pleasure in
his mate’s achievement.

‘Go get us
another one Smithy’, he cried as his team rejoined the other side
to finish the game. ‘Ain’t they great Dad’, he said to his father
who attended every school match with him. ‘I do wish I could be
with them just once more’, he added before letting out another yell
as the ball bounced off their opponents cross bar.

‘Never mind
Tom, you can help them celebrate their win’, his Dad replied.

Tommy was just
eight years old when he fell down a flight of stairs and damaged
his back which left him paralysed from the waist down. Many a lot
older than himself may have given up and just accepted their fate,
but not Tommy. Over the following two years he had astounded
everyone, trying anything and everything that came along that was
within his ability. Now at the age of ten he was one of the most
outward looking young boys that anyone would wish to meet.

His best mate
Smithy would involve him in all sorts of activities, at times
forgetting that Tommy was in a wheelchair. They had grown up
together and were never far apart. Smithy had bright ginger hair,
wore horn rimmed glasses and had a face covered in freckles,
whereas Tommy looked more like a shaggy Old English sheep dog with
his blonde hair, which at times covered his eyes making it
difficult for him to see. He too wore specs which gave him an even
cheekier grin.

The final
whistle blew and Tommy and his school team celebrated with a meal
at Mc Donald’s, before making their way home. Tommy’s Dad dropped
Smithy outside his house before driving the 200 metres to where his
parents lived in a large bungalow that had been adapted to allow
Tommy free movement inside and out. His Mum was waiting on the
doorstep to welcome them home.

‘Come on you
two’, she said wrapping her cardigan around her to keep out the
chilling wind that had sprung up. ‘I’ve a nice cup of hot chocolate
ready for you’.

They went in
and Tommy told his Mum about the game and Smithy’s two goals while
he drank his hot chocolate.

‘By the way’,
his Mum said. ‘I nearly forgot, there’s a parcel come for you. By
the looks of it, it’s from your Uncle Bill’.

Tommy’s Mum
left the kitchen to get the parcel. Tommy’s Uncle Bill was an
archaeologist who was part of an expedition looking for the lost
tribe of Kataka in the Brazilian rain forest. Whenever he went away
he would always send Tommy something for his rock collection,
something out of the ordinary.

Tommy’s Mum
came back into the kitchen holding a rather battered parcel wrapped
in brown paper tied tightly with string. Tommy rushed to open the
package ripping off the paper as if it was a long awaited Christmas
present. Inside was a small wooden box with a little silver catch.
Tommy pushed open the catch and lifted the lid.

Inside was a
bright orange pebble like stone with patches of gold and silver
that caught the light and sparkled like diamonds. Neither Tommy or
his parents had ever seen anything so beautiful. Beneath the stone
there was a letter from his Uncle Bill. Tommy unfolded the letter
and started to read.....

“Dear Tommy.
Just a quick line so that I can give this parcel to the boatman
who’s going down river to post it for me when he gets our supplies.
About a week ago while pushing through an unexplored part of the
rain forest we came across a young boy who had injured himself
badly and was unable to make his way back to his village.

We managed to
set his broken leg and dress the gash in his side after which he
directed us back to his village many miles away that took us over a
day to reach. My was his father glad to see him, as he had been
missing for a week. That night they held a feast in celebration as
the boy was the only son of the tribe Chief and thanks had to be
given to their gods for his safe return.

What ever we
drank that night made us sleep like logs and it was late in the
afternoon of the following day that we prepared to leave. The Chief
came over to me and gave me the stone you now have. He told me it
had great powers and would help me achieve great things. He then
said that I should carry the stone with me wherever I go or the
power will not work. It’s most unusual looking stone so I thought
you would like it for your collection.

I must go now
or I’ll miss the boat down river, Give my love to you parents. Best
Wishes, Uncle Bill”

‘Well isn’t
that nice of your Uncle Bill’, said Tommy’s Dad. ‘If it’s got magic
powers, maybe you should ask it for that new fishing rod you keep
pestering me about’, he added with a broad grin on his face.

‘No’, said
Tommy laughing as he placed the stone in his pocket. ‘I’d wish for
it to make my wheelchair into a magic machine that would do as I
commanded’.

Unbeknown to
all, the stone in Tommy’s pocket started to glow for an instant
before returning to normal.

Tommy’s Dad
started to tickle him making him slide down his chair in a fit of
laughter after which he felt quite exhausted as they sat together
watching TV.

He was a little
more tired than usual and he decided that he would have an early
night, so at around 8.30 he kissed his Mum and Dad goodnight and
went to bed and dropped off almost immediately.

The next
morning he woke bright and early. He got dressed and joined his Mum
in the kitchen to have his breakfast.

‘Are you all
right’, she asked. ‘You looked exhausted last night, your not
coming down with something are you’, she enquired.

‘No I’m fine’,
Tommy replied.

She came over
and put her arm around Tommy giving him one of those squeezes that
only a mother can give.

‘I’ll get the
car out while you finish your breakfast’, she said as she grabbed
the keys off the top of the kitchen unit and headed for the door to
the garage.

Tommy finished
eating and put his bowl in the sink before collecting his bag
containing his school books and heading out of the front door. His
Mum stood by the front passenger door of the car to take his
wheelchair once he had transferred himself to the car. With it now
loaded on board they left to collect Smithy on their way to
school.

As usual Smithy
was stood balanced on his garden wall pretending that he was either
walking a tightrope or about to rescue a maiden in distress from an
evil villain who lived in a castle at the top of a mountain where
the only way in was over a rope strung over a cavern. His eyes
closed he would walk along the wall wobbling from side to side
before falling with a crash into the small hedge surrounding his
garden.

‘Come on
Smithy’, Tommy’s Mum cried as she stood with the car door open
watching Smithy’s legs sticking through the top of the hedge.
Within seconds the legs disappeared and the bedraggled Smithy
appeared clutching his school bag.

‘Fell off the
cliff again’, enquired Tommy’s mother.

‘I can never
make it along that wall with my eyes closed’, answered Smithy.

‘Then why do
you try’, Tommy asked.

‘It’s the
challenge’, replied Smithy.

The journey to
school was uneventful and they waved goodbye to Tommy’s mother and
headed into the playground. They went over to the bike sheds and
Smithy slid down the side wall to sit on his school bag.

‘What are we
doing this weekend’, asked Tommy.

‘Nothing by the
looks of it’, replied Smithy. ‘My horrible uncle is coming over so
we will have to stay in and talk nice to him as usual. No one in
our family likes him but because he runs my Granddads business and
holds a lot of power over him and my Grandmother, we have to treat
him as one of the family and smile all the time, even if it makes
your face ache’.

‘Does that mean
we can’t see each other’, enquired Tommy disappointed with the
thought of not seeing his best mate.

‘I suppose so’,
replied Smithy.

With that the
school bell rang and they filed into school with the rest of the
children. The day dragged on for Tommy, and not even the extra
sticky toffee pudding could bring him out of his deep depression.
Even Smithy left some of his chips as the two friends sat almost
lifeless over lunch.

Friday was
early finishing at Tommy’s school so he was pleased that they could
spend a few hours together before the day was out. They spent their
time in Smithy’s garden where his dad had built a large shed to
take Smithy’s train set. Tommy would have his tea at Smithy’s which
would allow them an extra bit of time together before it was time
for him to go home. As always his mother would collect him at 5.30
and wheel him along the road to his home.

‘That’s funny’,
said Tommy’s Mother as they approached their bungalow. ‘Your dad’s
not home yet. He’s never late on a Friday’.

They entered
the house and Tommy put the TV on to watch the Simpson’s on Channel
4. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the front door.

‘I’ll get it,
cried’ Tommy to his Mum in the kitchen.

Tommy opened
the front door to a very large man who pushed past him and headed
for the kitchen. Within minutes he was back dragging his mother
with his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming. He told
Tommy to go back into the lounge and he followed behind still
dragging his Mother.

On entering the
lounge he threw Tommy’s Mother onto the settee and told them not to
make a sound or else. Tommy joined his mother who clutched him
towards her looking quite terrified.

‘Don’t give me
any trouble and you won’t get hurt’, said the evil looking man. ‘If
you behave yourselves this will be over in a couple of hours’.

Tommy sat
silent with his Mother studying the villain just in case the police
wanted a good description like they do in the movies. He was very
tall and broad and dressed in jeans and a red tee shirt. He had a
scar across his left cheek that looked as if someone had cut him
with a knife. His eyes were deep and menacing and he kept winking
his right eye every few minutes.

Tommy was
building this mental picture for further evidence when a mobile
phone suddenly started to ring. The man took the phone out of his
jeans pocket, said a few words in a low voice, which Tommy could
not hear, and handed the phone to Tommy’s Mother.

‘It’s for you’,
he said giving Tommy a glare as he did so.

Tommy’s Mother
placed the phone to her ear and almost broke down in tears
immediately.

‘Yes, yes’, she
said. ‘Please let me talk to him so that I know he’s ok’.

There was a
short pause before his Mother spoke again.

‘Have they hurt
you’, she said just before the man grabbed the phone out of her
hand.

Tommy’s Mother
started to cry again and Tommy moved closer to comfort her at the
same time as being concerned about his Dad.