Pillar's Power

By the time I stepped outside, the leaves were on fire! Pillar just stood there, in total shock while I ran to get the water hose to try to put the blaze out. She kept staring at her hands murmuring to herself “What happened? What did I just do?”. Thankfully, one of my neighbors, Patrice, who was also outside walking her dog saw the fire and immediately called the fire department. Within minutes, firefighters arrived on the scene and hosed down the tree in our front yard. I explained to them that I didn’t know exactly how the fire got started...that maybe it was due to it being so hot outside that day and that we would try to be super careful next time.

After they left, Pillar and I walked back inside the house. She started crying. I asked her “Pillar, what’s wrong?” She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said “Mom, I don’t know what happened. I was just playing. Then I shook my hands to try to shoo away the bird in the tree and POOF!, the leaves caught on fire. It happened so fast. Am I crazy? Is there something wrong with me?”

Right then and there, I knew it was time for ‘THE TALK’. I waited until my husband, Stephen, along with our other two children, Carrie and Liam, came home. Once they arrived, we all went into the den to watch some TV. Before Carrie turned the TV on, I said “Everybody, wait a minute. Pillar has something she wants to tell you.”

Pillar looked at us, and right away tears started welling up in her eyes again. You could hear her 10-year-old voice quivering as she spoke. “Guys, Mom wanted me to tell you that I set the tree outside in the front yard on fire today. I don’t know what happened. I was playing and waved my hands. Before I knew it, it was on fire.”

There was complete silence. No one said anything for about a good 10 seconds. Then Liam said “Wait, that’s all little sis! That’s nothing! My first time, I actually lifted up Mom’s car high up in the air with my bare hands. I was spooked by my own strength that I quickly turned around and ran back inside. I let Mom’s car drop back to the ground on its own, and totally crashed it.”

Carrie said “Yeah, and for me, my first time, I was 8 years old. Mom and Dad had me a birthday party here at the house. I went to blow out the candles on my birthday cake and blew them so hard that everyone flew back and slammed right into the wall. I remember a few people left with some back pain that day.” We all laughed. “We told them it must have been some sort of earthquake that passed through. Ever since then, everybody swear that we experienced some natural phenom together that no one else in town had, only us.” We all laughed some more.

Then Liam hugged Pillar. He said, “Pillar, we all got a special power. Looks like yours is fire which is so AWESOME! Just be careful with it. We’ll have to practice with you, so you’ll know how to restrain yourself from using it inappropriately.”

Pillar looked stunned. “What, ya’ll knew about this? Everybody has a special power?”

“YES”. We all said in unison.

“Except for me and your father”, I added.

Stephen chimed in. “Pillar, I didn’t want to tell you unless you were sure you had one, but since now, I know you do, let me tell you how you got it. Long story short, we come from generations of superpowers in our family. It all started back with your great, great, great Granddad Russell. He had the gift of healing and didn’t know it until one day he saw a kid in his neighborhood get hit by a car. He ran over to offer some help and when he touched the young man, he immediately felt an electric shock run from his body to the kid’s. Instantly, the kid opened his eyes and stood right up as if nothing ever happened. Everyone in the crowd was stunned, and Granddad Russell knew then there was something unique about himself. After years and years of going to numerous doctors to try to get help, he gave up and just accepted who he was. He believed he acquired the power, one day, after drinking some concoction his girlfriend back then made for him. He thought she was crazy, but he was so in love with her and drunk the drink anyways. Then a few weeks later, he found out about his gift. His girlfriend unfortunately died not too long after that. She was killed in a boating accident, but he never forgot her and felt in his spirit his power was the result of whatever special drink she created. Now, as a result, most of his descendants are born with a superpower. Carrie’s is wind, Liam’s is strength, and looks like yours is fire. Mine used to be flying but apparently when I was sick about 10 years ago with the flu, the doctors gave me some medicinal herb which also killed my power. I can’t fly anymore but that’s okay. I’m just happy to know that all my kids inherited one.”

Carrie interrupted “Enough with the history lesson, Dad! Pillar, let’s go outside and see your power in action!”

We then all got up and went outside. In the back yard, there was a pile of leaves that Stephen had raked up earlier that day. Pillar looked at those leaves, shook her hands, and just like that, nothing happened.

Liam said, “Pillar you have to focus. Close your eyes first. Then envision yourself burning the leaves. Think about only that. Then after a few seconds, open your eyes and try it again.”

Pillar did just that. She closed her eyes. She saw herself setting the leaves on fire. She re-opened her eyes, shook her hands in the same direction, and just like that, the pile caught afire. We all cheered, and Pillar beamed with joy. My baby girl was back to normal and already learning to embrace her gift.

From there, the weekend came and went. It was Monday all over again. I was back at work, and the kids were all back at school.

Now in the past, it took at least a week before someone from my kids’ school would call me and say that my child was in trouble, mainly due to the fact that they used their new power on somebody. Well, this was not the case for Pillar! She used her power on one of her classmates the very first day she was back at school. I was at work, and the school principal called me saying that a boy in Pillar’s class, by the name of Nicolas, was apparently teasing her during recess. According to the other kids in class, he kept pulling her hair. So, Pillar got tired of him and lo and behold what did she do? She set the poor boy’s pants leg on fire! The principal told me that the boy rushed over to the water fountain to put out the fire while the other kids in class laughed. Afterwards, Nicolas told the teacher what Pillar had done, and the teacher sent them both to the principal’s office. In the end, the principal decided to suspend Pillar for a week for misuse of fire on school grounds. Go figure! And the boy also got suspended but only for a day for his part of teasing her.

Well, I hung up the call, left work, and drove over to the school to pick Pillar up. When I saw her and that little boy in the principal’s office, I tried to hide my laughter. My baby was sitting there with a smirk on her face while the boy was sitting there with his head down and a burnt pants leg. Pillar and I shortly left the school after that, and when she got back into the car, I asked her before pulling off “Pillar, why did you do that? Didn’t we say don’t use your power in the wrong way.” You would not believe it, but my baby girl looked at me with the boldest look ever and said “Mom, that boy is always picking on me and a few other girls in my class. He deserved to be lit up a little bit. I wasn’t planning on hurting him, just only wanted to teach him to keep his hands to his self.”

I couldn’t do nothing but smile. I knew then my mini me was going to be just fine with her new power!