Gloves of Creation

Alex jumped from rooftop to rooftop, each breath feeling laboured and ragged. His feet were heavy, and his arms dragged as he scurried atop the buildings.

I can’t let them catch me!

They weren’t really after him, but what he had taken – The Hands of Creation. It wasn’t like he wanted to steal the most priceless invention mankind had ever created, but he needed them.

With these gloves he could create anything that his mind could imagine. They were a true work of art, as well as a feat of engineering. Alex had no idea how they worked and get didn’t need to. All he needed to do was escape the several dozen security and police officers chasing him, should be simple, right?

***

“Pretty awesome, huh?” His voice came out slurred and his posture was sloppy, he was clearly drunk. 

Alex just sighed and remained silent. The drunk man didn’t take the hint and leaned on the wall beside him. Both of their attentions were on SAFCO’s newest invention.

“I hear they’re calling them The Hand of Creation. Kinda a cheesy name, if ya’ ask me, but hey.” The man shrugged and nearly lost his balance on the wall. Then, he got serious and leaned in toward Alex. In a whispered toned he spoke. “Imagine if someone managed to steal them. Why… They’d become the king of the world.”

Alex turned his neck to face the man. He looked at the man with cold, steely eyes.

“Back away from me.” His words came out infused with as much venom as he could manage. The man did nothing really wrong to deserve such treatment, but Alex was dealing with more than this man could understand.

“Whoa, whoa, no need to bite my head off.” The drunk man said and back away. “Only making conversation.”

Alex snorted at the man and turned back toward the gloves. 

***

I’m not going to make this jump!

He leapt off the building, soaring through the air. For a moment he felt weightless, however, it didn’t last long, and he came hurdling back down to earth. Fortunately, he was saved from being splattered on the pavement by a few inches.

THUD!

His feet hit the rooftop and dust shot up into the air. He tried to roll as he landed by the messed up and he felt his ankle twist in a way it was never meant to.  

“AHHHHHH!” Alex shouted out loud. He cursed at himself for being so loud.

Shut up! Are you trying to help them find you!?

He looked down at his ankle. It didn’t feel good and it was already starting to swell.

There’s no way I’m going to be able to run on this thing! I need to find some place to lay low for a bit!

The sound of the sirens kept getting closer, soon they would be on him. His plan was good, but The Hand of Creation were heavily guarded. It didn’t take them long to learn that they had been stolen. As he searched the rooftop for a place to hide, his mind kept going over the past.

***

“Mom! That’s not fair! Why does Ashley always get the last cookie?” A young Alex said in a whinny tone.

“Because my love, you always take the first one. Life is all about balance and you need to learn how to share.”

Alex grunted and slumped down into his chair. He looked over to his sister, who was enjoying the last cookie and giving him a righteous look. Then, her face softened a bit, and she broke the cookie in half. Without their mom seeing, she snuck him the piece under the table. He took it from her and ate it quietly. Alex tried to mime the words “Thank you” to his sister, all she did was giggle in return.

I sure am lucky to have such wonder family.

***

“HELP!!! Somebody, HELP!!!” Alex screamed until his throat was horse and sound wouldn’t come out anymore. Then, he screamed some more, but it was pointless because not a note came out of his mouth, only silence.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Day had turned into night, and back into day countless times. Alex tried not to look to his left because he knew that was where his mother and sister were. Their bodies were too much for him to handle seeing in their current state. So, he just waited. 

They had been driving into the mountains for a hike. Their mom always like to go far out of town when they went on hikes. Now, he wished they never left the house. When his mom had hit the guardrail, Alex had been asleep. He woke the second the car started going over the side. Just in time to see the terrified looks on the faces of both his mother and sister. 

He closed his eyes and shook his head hard, so hard he saw stars. His eyes began to feel heavy again and was tired of resisting.

If I just close my eyes maybe I can see them again…

“Hello? Is anyone down there?” The voice sounded distant and he was tempted to ignore it. 

It would be so much easier to just close my eyes…

“Hello!” The voice was becoming louder. Alex realized that it must be a person. Maybe someone that saw the hole in the guardrail and came to investigate? 

He mustered up all the strength he had left and hit the side of the van with a rock he had beside him.

BANG!

He heard the footstep stop for a second, then they started to approach rapidly. Alex blacked out after that, the effort of hitting the van being too much for him.

What came next was a series of doctor visit, meeting with psychiatrist, and, eventually, foster care. The rest of his life after that day felt like a blur. In a lot of way, he still felt like he was trapped in that van.

Day had turned into night, and back into day countless times.

***

He threw his back against a corner and fell down. His breaths were coming in and out as fast as they could. There was nowhere for him to go now. Soon, they would be upon him and it would all be for nothing. Unless…

He looked down at the gloves in his hand. They were fairly unassuming, looking like regular gloves. Of course, they made of the best material and some called them beautiful, but Alex didn’t care about any of that. The whole reason he did this was because… He just hoped… No, he needed to bring them back!

They slid over his fingers with no resistance, almost as if they were made for his hands. Instantly, as soon as they were fully on, he felt a surge of knowledge fill his mind. It was as if he instinctually knew how to use them.

Before he had a chance to do anything with them, the first of the squad cars came hovering through the air.

“Freeze!” Alex heard being shout from above him. The entire rooftop was filled with flashing red and blue lights. Each second that passed, another squad car floated above him. They all had their spotlights on him. Alex knew he had to act.

If what I know about these is right…

With only a thought and a force of his will, the space around him changed. Suddenly, all the squad cars were trapped inside cages that were only big enough for them. These cages were heavy, and Alex watched as they dragged the hovering squad cars down. He smiled to himself and stood up, his ankle still bothering him, but he forced himself anyway

Maybe it will work then…

Using the gloves, along with his will, he started to extend upward the building he was standing atop. As he went high into the air, he looked down at the ever increasingly small buildings.

Too late to turn back now…

Once he reached a sufficient height, one which he hoped would buy him some time to do what he needed, he sat cross-legged on the roof.

With all the mental power he had left, he tried to imagine his sister and mother. It wasn’t hard for him because he had never stopped thinking about them ever since that day when he lost them.

It has to work!

Alex felt the gloves attempt what he wanted, then they failed. Undiscouraged, he tried again with more success, but again, they failed. He knew that he was close, but he felt like he was missing an important piece – life. Only life can bring back life. So, he made another attempt.

Every other time he had used the gloves, it was painless. It was almost like they were an extension of him. This time, however, as he used them it burned every inch of his body. For minutes, his entire being was in pure agony.

Almost there!

Sweat was dripping down his forehead and his clothes were drenched with the effort. Finally, it was finished. Alex let out a sharp breath and collapsed onto the ground.

When he came back from unconsciousness and opened his eyes, he was greeted by two people he had seen in years. 

“Don’t move honey! You’re hurt!” The sound of his mother’s voice was just as Alex has remembered it, although right now it was laced with worry.

“You stink like sweat.” His sisters voice was small and cute.

Alex’s eyes begun to fill up with tears as he looked at his family. The last thing he saw was their faces looking at him. As he slipped into unconsciousness, he had no regrets for what he had done.  

***

Alex slowly opened his eyes and immediately closed them when he saw the bright lights. 

BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…

He opened his eyes again and looked to his side. There was a machine that had lines and numbers all over it. 

Am I in a hospital?

Without thinking, he tried to get out of the bed, but he couldn’t. Chains connected to his arms and legs and were securely fashioned to the bed. That was when he heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. A woman dress in black entered the room a minute later.

“Ah, I see you’re awake.” She said to Alex in a casual demeanour.

“Where am I? I thought I died…” His words trailed off as he looked down at his hand. To his surprise, he still had the gloves on.

“Well, you did. At least for a time. However, we need you now. You see by putting on those gloves and bringing back your family, you have bonded them to you.” She paused and sighed heavily.

“We don’t know how it works exactly, but we do know that if we try to take the gloves off of you it will destroy them.” She continued.

Alex was at a loss for words. 

“…” 

The mysterious woman must of saw this because she kept talking. 

“You mother and sister are safe. A little confused, but safe, and as long as you do what we ask you to do then it will stay that way.”

Alex looked up at her and saw the cold look in her eye. 

I’ll do anything to keep them safe!

The thought boomed in his head.

“Don’t you hurt them! I’ll do whatever you guys need me to do. Just don’t hurt them.” Alex said.

She approached him and materialized a small brass key. Using the key, she took the chains off of Alex. He didn’t know why, but as soon as the chains were off, he felt a lot better. The woman then turned around and walked toward the hallway. Pausing just before she left the room, she looked back toward Alex and spoke.

“Follow me.”

Alex complied and felt his body protest. As he made his way toward the woman a sensation filled him, one which he hadn’t felt in a long time – hope. His childhood might have been forcefully taken away from him, but, from this day onward, he was going to create a new future for himself and his family.