The Sleuth's Apprentice

The Sleuth's Apprentice - Part 7 of 17

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The Sleuth's Apprentice - Part 7 of 17

Superboy, Superman, Batman and Robin are Copyrighted and owned by DC Comics.

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Later on that afternoon, the boys went out to go to the ice cream place. Robin rode on his motorcycle, and Jamie flew behind him, as Superboy. Robin wasn't sure if he wanted to go in his super hero persona, or just to change clothes and go in his every day clothing as Dick Grayson, but Jamie actually pleaded with him and asked him to let him go to the fair in his Superboy outfit.

Jamie had mentioned that he wanted to keep his uniform on, so that he wouldn't have to worry about changing clothes at the fair, in case he would see or hear anything that might seem useful or helpful in the case that they were trying to solve at the moment.

The two boys stopped at an ice cream place, which was on the way to the fairgrounds. As soon as they had purchased their cones with ice cream, they rode to the fairgrounds, where they were greeted with large crowds of people who had come there to enjoy the rides, games, and prizes which could be won at the fair.

After having wandered around the fairgrounds for awhile, Superboy pulled out the three small beanbags, which were neatly kept in the pouches on the inside of his long, red cape. As soon as he got them out, he stood off to the corner of a large, open grass field, where a large number of people were walking.

Most of the people there thought that Robin and Superboy were two local kids, who had dressed up especially to be at the fair. They were unaware, of course, that the heroes were real!

Superboy casually started to perform his new trick, while standing at the outer end of the field. Several kids walked by him, thinking that he was actually part of the attractions of the fairgrounds. Since there were numerous artists and performers, who were walking around the fair, most people thought that the juggling Superboy was just another act, which was part of the show.

'Hey, look at the juggler in the Superman suit!' one kid exclaimed.

'Check out the juggling Superboy!' another one cheered, while pointing at him.

Jamie found the attention amusing, and continued to perform his act while wandering around the large, grassy areas of the fairgrounds. He had mastered the skill of juggling the bean bags well enough, that he began to feel comfortable with walking while juggling the three little bags. He had to keep his concentration, while he remained focused on the point which was right above his line of sight, where the three bean bags were reaching the highest point, before coming down so that they can be tossed back into the air again, after having landed in either one of Superboy's hands.

Several kids walked past him, pointing at him.

'Hey! Look at the kid! The one in the Superman costume!' one of the girls said to the rest of the group. A small crowd had gathered before him, as he continued to juggle the three little beanbags.

'The kid in the 'Superman suit'?' Jamie chuckled to himself, in silence. 'Time to have some fun''

Now that Jamie had mastered the art of juggling well enough, that he could feel comfortable about walking while he was juggling the three little beanbags, he decided it was time to try juggling while flying.

Suddenly, Jamie began to rise up off the ground. At first, none of the kids had noticed it. Finally, one of the boys, who was standing right in front of him, looked down and gasped. He tapped on his friend's shoulder and pointed at Jamie's red boots, which were floating in the air without touching the grass.

'L-l-look' Look at his feet!' the boy exclaimed. 'He's not standing on the grass!'

'No way!' the other boy replied skeptically. 'That's gotta be some sort of trick''

Jamie began to slowly rise up further from the ground. At first, he was about a foot off the ground, now he was hovering three feet from the grassy field. He was high enough, that more people began to notice that the little Superboy was in fact flying while juggling at the same time!

'That must be an illusion'' one boy said.

He walked right up to Jamie and he was practically staring right at Jamie's feet. He then extended his right hand, and slowly reached out, just below the soles of Jamie's boots. He had expected to touch some sort of glass or wire, but he was astonished when he swung his arm several times. There wasn't anything that was holding Superboy three feet above the ground!

'Guys! Check this out! He's real!' the kid shouted at the others.

Jamie just looked down and chuckled, when he realized that the kids were desperately trying to find an explanation for why he was able to hover in mid air, while juggling three little beanbags.

'No way'' the other kid said, who also reached out with his arm, and swung his arm below Jamie's boots, hoping to find something that would be holding him up.

The third boy was a little more courageous, and he grabbed hold of Jamie's boots. He gave a soft pull on Jamie's leg, forcing him to lose concentration, and Jamie dropped all three beanbags.

'Awwww! Look what you made me do!' Superboy exclaimed, as he looked down at the boy.

Superboy extended his arms and allowed his body to get into the horizontal position. Next, he flew in a wide circle around the three boys, before he dove down to the grass and picked up his three beanbags, which had fallen to the floor below him.

Then, he landed before the three boys, while holding the beanbags in his hands.

'So' How are you guys doing tonight?' Superboy asked the three boys, with a smile on his face. 'Are you guys having a good time?'

All three of them gasped at first. They were completely astonished, and they stared at him with their jaws open wide.

'We-We thought you were a fake'' one of them said.

'Oh, no!' the Boy of Steel laughed. 'I'm real, trust me!'

'How is it possible' that you're able to fly like that? You were flying while you were juggling at the same time!' the tallest boy replied.

'Sure, I can fly! That's all'' Superboy shrugged.

'I thought' Only Superboy could do that'' the shortest boy reasoned.

'You're right!' the caped boy responded with a grin. 'I am Superboy!'

The youngest boy slowly approached Superboy cautiously. He was nervous and scared, but he decided that he was going to get close enough to him, so that he could touch him.

'You can touch me' the hero chuckled. 'Don't worry; I don't bite!'

The boy was obviously feeling afraid. However, when he realized that the strange boy just continued to stare at him with a wide grin on his face, he began to feel confident enough to touch him, knowing that the blue boy wouldn't hurt him.

The curious boy gently ran his fingers along the edge of Superboy's long, red cape. Then, he stood right before him, and gently placed the tip of his index finger and traced the letter 'S' which was embroidered on Superboy's chest.

'You're for real'' was the only thing he could say.

'But' If you're Superboy' Then, what are you doing here, at the fairgrounds?' the taller boy wondered out loud.

'I just happened to be in town' Superboy shrugged. 'I'm visiting a friend of mine, and we decided to come here tonight to hang out, just like you guys are doing!'

'You're the last person I would expect to see at a fair!' the boy commented. 'Wouldn't you be out chasing the bad guys, tonight?'

'Sure!' the caped boy replied. 'But, I don't chase bad guys all day long! I'm a kid, just like the three of you, and I like to have some fun now and then too!'

'Wow'' the boy exclaimed.

'May I join you guys, for a few minutes?' Jamie asked them.

'Sure!'

The four boys just strolled around the fairgrounds for a few minutes. Jamie decided to stay with the three boys for about ten minutes or so, until he said goodbye to them. Then, he flew back to the large open field, which was located near the entrance, so he could continue his juggling act.

After spending a few minutes juggling before a small crowd, Jamie decided to wander around the fairgrounds again.

As he was walking around the area where all the food stands were located, he suddenly ran into two familiar characters: Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson!

'Hey! What are you guys doing here, dressed up like that?' he said to the two men.

'Shh!' Bruce replied. 'We're keeping an eye on things, but we're undercover. Just continue to do whatever you were doing, and don't talk to us. You know how to fly home on your own, right?'

'Yeah''

'Okay. Well, have fun. Just enjoy yourself tonight. We'll have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so take this as your day off!' Dick replied quietly.

'Alright! Well, I guess I'll see you guys later, then''

Superboy then continued to walk towards the candy stands, and the booth where cotton candy was sold, had caught his eye. He walked up to the person, who was standing behind the counter, and he handed him a Dollar bill. The person, in turn, handed Jamie a large bag containing cotton candy. The Boy of Steel then strolled around the fairgrounds, while enjoying his cotton candy. Within moments, he had finished all of it, and he tossed the paper bag in a large garbage bin.

When Superboy arrived at the games section, he came to a booth, where there were several dart boards, which were hanging from several, metal pillars. People could buy tickets and exchange these tickets for three attempts to hit the bull's eye while playing darts.

He handed a Dollar bill to the lady behind the counter, who had looked down and gasped, when she noticed his familiar, blue costume.

'Well, I must say'' the elderly lady grinned. 'You have a very nice costume, young man!'

'Thank you, ma'am!' he responded politely, as he took a few steps back.

'Now, just aim for the black dot in the middle of the target' she instructed to him. 'For every dart that you throw in the middle, you will receive ten additional scripts!'

He tossed all three darts at the bull's eye of the dart board, and all three darts made the small, black circle on the middle of the board!

'Wow! That was very, very good!' the lady announced out loud. 'You get thirty scripts, which you may redeem for prizes at the awards counter, over there.'

'Thank you!' he said to her, before he continued to walk around the fair.

Two pre-teen girls were standing in line behind Superboy, and they were chuckling at him. Neither girl really believed who he was. They figured that he was a kid who came to the fair while wearing a colorful superhero costume.

The shorter girl wanted to buy a small bracelet using her earned scripts, but she was just three scripts short. Jamie had heard the conversation between the lady behind the counter and the girl, thanks to his super hearing. He didn't walk too far away from the counter. He casually strolled around the area, acting as if he was glancing over the huge wall before him, which was covered with many prizes. He waited until the girl was done talking to the lady behind the counter.

'Hi there...' he said cheerfully, as he walked up to her. 'I couldn't help overhearing your conversation, but I just wanted to give you the three scripts you needed so that you could buy your bracelet after all''

The girl gasped at first. She looked down at the little Superboy, who was just a few inches shorter than her, before she called out to her friend. The taller girl joined her, and they both stared at the caped boy with curiosity.

'Wow' That is mighty generous of you, Superboy'' the taller girl replied. 'Thank you so much!'

The two girls turned around and walked up to the lady at the counter, where they handed in their own scripts along with the three that they had received from the Boy of Steel. The girl got her bracelet, and she immediately put it on her wrist. Then she turned and walked back to where Superboy was patiently waiting for her.

'Well, I just want to say that I really appreciate that!' the girl said. 'By the way, my name is Nikki. And, this here is my best friend, Jackie.

Jackie was the tall girl. She was slender and athletic. Nikki was the shorter one. She was a little pudgy, but she still had a friendly expression on her face. Both girls were African American, and they were both about thirteen years old.

'So, tell me: What's your name?' Nikki asked Jamie.

'Superboy' the caped boy responded. 'My name is Superboy!'

Both girls stared at each other in disbelief. They laughed, and then they acted as if they had decided to just play along. Neither had really believed him.

'Okay, Superboy' Are you pretty good in sports?' Nikki asked him.

'Of course! If he's really Superboy, then he must be very good in sports!' Jackie added on.

'Hey, Superboy' Could you win us a few extra scripts?' Nikki asked him.

'Sure! I can win as many scripts as I want! I'll give you all the scripts I win tonight, okay?' Superboy shrugged.

The two girls stared to face each other. They couldn't believe their ears. Was this kid for real?

The three kids walked over to a small, wooden bowling alley. There were three, wooden circles cut into the end of the alley. The circles were exactly the same size as the three rubber balls, which the participants were encouraged to try tossing through the holes. The first hole was worth about 100 points, the other was 200, and the hole, that was the farthest away, was worth 300 points.

Nikki inserted a token into the slot near the side of the machine, which had released three, wooden balls. The balls rolled into a small basket, where she could take them from. Nikki held the first ball in her hand and then she positioned herself right before the beginning of the small, narrow bowling alley. She took a moment to concentrate, before she rolled the ball down the alley. The ball missed all three of the holes, and rolled down the hole on the side. She didn't score any points.

On her second attempt, she scored 200 points. Finally, on her third try, she scored 100 points, for a total of 300 points. The machine then spitted out 10 scripts, since each script was worth about thirty points.

Jackie decided to try the game next, and she inserted her tokens. When she got her three rubber balls, she hastily rolled them down the alley, one following the other. She only managed to get one ball to go through the hole which was worth 100 points. She ended up getting only 3 scripts.

'You try it, Superboy!' Nikki cheered.

Superboy quietly walked up to the machine and inserted his tokens, which reset the score to zero and released the three, wooden balls. He then bent down and took one ball out of the basket. He positioned himself right before the alley, before he bent slightly forward, gently allowing the ball to roll down the long, narrow wooden floor. The ball rolled over the bump, which forced it to bounce once, and it landed in the hole which was worth 300 points.

'Wow! You scored 300 points on your first ball!' Jackie exclaimed.

Superboy rolled again, and he managed to repeat the first roll. The ball rolled into the exact same hole, giving him 600 points.

'You're on a roll! What luck!' Nikki shouted.

The Boy of Steel did it again on the third ball, and he ended up winning 900 points at the game. The machine beeped a few times, before spitting out this long stream of scripts. He walked over and pulled them off, and he handed them to Jackie without even bothering to count how many scripts he had earned with his perfect game.

'You' You're giving me all your scripts?' Jackie wondered when she accepted the thirty scripts from the boy.

'Sure!' Superboy shrugged. 'I can get as many scripts as I want. It's no big deal''

The two girls were shocked. For almost a minute, they were left speechless. Finally, Nikki had the nerve to say something.

'Let's play something else, okay?'

They strolled around, looking over the many rows of games which were positioned on the fairgrounds, side by side.

'So, tell me your name again, buddy'' Jackie insisted.

'I told you, my name is Superboy!' the caped boy responded. 'Don't you like my name?'

'I like the name, I just don't think I like the character'' Nikki replied. Superboy stared at her in shock.

'Why not?'

'Well, I don't think Superboy really exists'' she explained. 'I know that there is a Superman, but I'm not so sure there really exists a kid who is just like Superman who can do all the things that Superman can''

'Yeah! I think a boy like that would be a real brat! He would think of himself of being a hot shot! I bet he'd be a bully, too!' Jackie said.

'Oh, really?' Jamie wondered.

'Well, I'm not saying you're Superboy, because you're not' Nikki added. 'I'm just saying, that I think that a kid like Superboy would be a little bit of a brat!'

'Why do you say that?' Jamie asked her.

'Imagine a boy who was strong and had all these powers' I think he would be a real bully!'

'That's not true!'

'On the other hand, I think if a real Superboy existed, he would be very good at sports and at games.' Nikki continued.

'Okay, then'' Jamie chuckled. 'What would you want me to do for you, so that I could prove to you who I really am?'

Jackie had just spotted the basketball hoop, in the far corner of the game room.

'Let's try that basketball game over there!' Jackie suggested, as she pointed to the large, tall hoop. The hoop was located behind a short, glass barrier. The balls were released from a cage in front of the hoop. Each participant would receive twelve basketballs so that he or she could attempt a dozen baskets in less than one minute.

Jackie inserted her two tokens and started shooting the balls at the hoop, one by one. She had eventually missed four shots, and she made six of them.

'If you were the real Superboy, then you'd make every single one of your shots!' Nikki said to him.

Both girls were still convinced that the boy in the colorful costume was fake, and they wanted him to give it his best shot.

The two girls just stared in disbelief when Jamie walked up to the base of the hoop, and easily tossed one basketball after the other through the hoop. After just fifteen seconds, he had managed to make all twelve of his baskets in a row! Not only that, but the machine had rewarded him with three scripts for every basket he had made. Jamie walked up to the machine and removed his scripts, which he immediately handed over to Jackie.

'There are the scripts for the 12 baskets I had just made for you'' he said, as he placed the scripts in her hand.

'Oh my God' This can't be true'' Nikki said.

'You mean to tell me, that you really are Superboy?' Jackie wondered out loud.

'Of course!' Jamie said out loud. 'Just look at me!'

Jamie suddenly began to rise up off the ground, and allowed his body to float six feet in the air for a few seconds, before he landed back down on his feet.

'Oh my God'' Jackie exclaimed. 'I'm sorry' I'm so sorry' I feel like I've just made a complete fool of myself''

'Oh, no! That's not true!' Jamie replied in all earnestly. 'You just didn't know who I was! It's not your fault!'

Both Nikki and Jackie stared at him in disbelief at first, although they were relieved when Superboy just smiled at them in response.

'Well, I guess I just need to pay you back for all the scripts you had won for us'' Nikki reasoned, while staring at the stream of scripts they had gotten from him as a gift. 'How much do we owe you for them?'

'Nothing at all!' the caped boy responded. 'I can always play some more games and win more scripts. Honestly, I can win as many scripts as I want!'

'That's for sure!' Jackie laughed, as she rolled her eyes. 'The way you play these games, I guess you must be perfect at everything you do, huh?'

'Not really' he shrugged. 'I make plenty of mistakes! I just don't make so many of them when I'm playing sports or games. But, I make a ton of mistakes every single day!' he responded humbly, with a wide grin on his face.

'Well, we really appreciate it, Superboy'' Nikki said, as she started to walk past the basketball game, where they had just played their last game.