Rocket Fox

Billy looked at the cover of his Rocket Fox comic book longingly, imagining Rocket Fox breaking free of its 4 colour panels and flying into his grey, miserable world.

Rocket Fox was Billy's favourite superhero of all; everything about him was so cool like the flaming rocket tail that came out of the back of his armour plated Fox suit so that he could fly across the sky to rescue people or catch criminals or his fox powers of super agility, speed and fox like cunning.

"If only he could fight my stepdad", he thought.

Billy's stepdad was the most evil person he knew. He was always getting drunk and hitting his mum.

But Billy knew that Rocket Fox only went after big time criminals like the evil Dr Pterodactyl and his army of Dinomen.

"Rocket Fox doesn't help people like me", he sighed

Billy listened to the sound of his mum and his stepdad arguing from downstairs. He hated hearing his mum cry. He wished he was big enough so that he could hit his stepdad back but his stepdad was this big ex-amateur boxer. He kept all the trophies he had won around his mums bedroom and he always liked to remind Billy how tough he was.

Just then however, to Billy's amazement, he thought he heard another voice downstairs besides his mum and dads; a mans voice, but it wasn't the voice of anyone he recognized; not one of his stepdad's awful mates; it sounded kind of posh and heroic almost.

He opened his bedroom door and went to the top of the stairs and listened.

"I hate men like you", said the voice, "You're not fit to be anyones husband or father".

Then he heard his stepdad swearing at the man and telling him to get out.

And then, suddenly, making Billy jump, he heard a loud crash.

"My stepdad must have hit him", thought Billy running downstairs to see.

But to Billy's surprise it was his stepdad that was lying, knocked out cold across the kitchen floor and then, the boys eyes lighting up, he saw the other man and instantly recognised his fox faced mask and bright orange suit.

"Rocket Fox", said Billy running towards him excitedly, "You did come to help us".

"I was just testing my new mind scanning device", said the man in the Fox mask, "Its meant to pick up the thoughts of crooks who are planning crimes but instead it picked up the unhappy thoughts of a little boy called Billy".

"That's me", said Billy.

Rocket Fox pulled up a chair and sat down so that he was at eye level with the boy; then he lifted up his mask and looked deep into Billy's eyes.

"I had a stepdad just like yours when I was growing up", said the Superhero.

"You did?", asked Billy.

"Yes, that's why I became a superhero. When I left home, at 18, I swore that I would fight bullies like that and protect people like you and your mother", said the Hero.

"Oh but you're really smart", said the boy, "You built a rocket suit and everything".

"You are smarter than you think", said Rocket Fox, "And you can be anything that you put your mind to".

But then the Fox head insignia upon the breastplate of the superheros suit started to flash on and off and he said he had to fly because he was needed elsewhere but he gave Billy a special badge to wear that looked just like the insignia.

"I will talk to your community police officer about your fathers offences against you and your mother but if the police won't do anything or can't then you can use this badge to contact me. You only have to press it", he said, "It will light up and I will know that you and your mother are in trouble and one way or another, I will get to you and help you".

Then, walking with him out into their front garden, they saw him ignite his rocket fox tail and, waving to them, go soaring up into the night.

"I want to be a superhero, just like him", said Billy to his mum as he watched his hero flying away into the distance.

"You will be", said his mum, smiling and rubbing his head, "I'm sure of it".