"Wow, he's dead. Definitely dead."

"Be quiet, Susie! James! Jaaames! Are you okay?!"

"Dead. Dead as a doornail. Get the coffin ready, because-"

"SUSIE, WILL YOU STOP?!"

"I think we need to get daddy."

"Joanie, we need to-"

"I should get maman."

"Did you see that? Amazing. I've never seen a dead body."

A hand was thumping me on my back. The wet smell of dirt after a not too far away rain was in my nostrils. Scratchy leaves on my face, pressed to my cheeks and forehead and everything. My arms were splayed maybe ten feet over that way. My legs were nowhere to be found. My head must be on Jupiter somewhere. Wherever that was.

"James! Oh my goodness- are you breathing?! Jaaames!"

I'd been fine just a little bit ago. I'd watched all three of them swing out on our new rope swing. Our friend Nathan had come over from the farm on the left of us. They grew lemons and oranges, all kinds of trees. We usually got our Christmas tree from them. He was fourteen. He'd tied up the rope swing for us in the woods. It went over the hill and everything.

"James! Answer me! Oh my- I told him it was a bad idea!"

I'd geared up for my turn. Elaine told me no, that I was too little at five years old. Susie argued with her, saying she wasn't too little at seven, so why was I? Joanie hadn't wanted me to, either. During this argument, I'd taken a running leap like Superman. I liked Superman. 

I didn't anymore.

"Oh my- oh my- Joanie, I think you do need to get maman! He went really far! What if something broken?! What if-"

"James! Hey, James! Are you dead?" Susie. Asking the important questions.

"SUSIE!"

I'd managed to grab the rope, triumphant. It swung me really far, over the hill. The ground looked to be about a thousand and one feet below. I was the King. I was a superhero. 

Then, I let go.

My head was a split open watermelon. My lungs were under water. I weighed a million pounds. 

"Yes, Joanie. Go get maman. I think she was um, she was- she was cleaning up in the church!"

"Ughhhh..." Mysterious noises from my mouth. It filled with dirt, just like my nose was.

Elaine gasped so loud. "James! James! Are you okay?!" More patting on my back. Air was returning to my lungs through the drowning. Wheezing. "Did the air get knocked out of you?!" Poking and prodding at my sides. Slowly, I was being raised up. 

As this happened, something shiny and silver glinted under my face. As it got further away, it materialized into magic. Tucked in the brown and red leaves, catching the sun. 

As I sputtered and wheezed, my suddenly working arms scrambling for it, my skin met the silver metal and my fingers fell over it. Disbelief. A miracle. Like the Tooth Fairy came. Like Santa Claus had swooped in. The Easter Bunny must be hopping away.

"I found-" I coughed, clutching it tightly in my hand. "I found- a quarter!"

"What?" Elaine was breathless, holding me on her lap now. "Did you just say you-" Confusion, one of her eyes pinched.

"I found a- a quarter!" Wheeze, gasp, cough.

"What? Let me see it," Susie said, grabbing my hand. My hand was a tight fist. There was no way she'd get my quarter. I'd never see it again.

"Well, that's..." Elaine was in shock, checking me over quickly. Joanie was just standing there in shock in general. Susie wrestled with my hand as I held it over my head. 

"It's a miracle is what it is!" Susie yelled, still trying to disassemble my fist. "Give me it, I'm going to buy a million pieces of candy!" 

Beyond us, Elaine and Joanie just stared at each other like they couldn't believe it. Because, Susie was right. It was a miracle. We'd hit the jackpot.

Red Hots. Bit-O-Honeys. Tootsie Pops. Candy buttons. Beeman's Gum. Candy cigarettes. Charleston Chews. Reese's peanut butter cups. Rock candy. Pralines. Babe Ruths. Or two brand new comic books. 

There was a wealth before us behind the counter of the Pop and Stop. Old Leonard was staring at us like we were crazy. He'd been here for twenty minutes already. 

"Get wax lips!"

"No, no, if we get that then we have to sacrifice the Red Hots!"

"I just want Bit-O-Honeys."

"Ewww, Joanie."

"If I get a Tootsie pop, then you can't get your gum. You found the quarter, so you should get it."

"Oh my God, I don't know how money works!" Susie spread her fingers out on the counter, truly crazed. A frenzied look in her eyes. "Leonard! Help us decide!"

"Susie! He's Mr. Leonard!" Elaine was horrified. "I apologize for my sister, sir! And don't use the Lord's name in vain!"

Leonard just burst into his warm laughter. "How about some candy cigarettes?" He brought down a box of the stuff, long white sugar sticks inside. "There's lots of them in there. You can share. Only five cents per box. You can get five with this." The quarter in question was on the counter like a holy object.

"Well, I don't know. That's half a comic book," Susie said, seriously considering this. Her elbow dropped onto the counter, her chin in it as she stared down into the clear glass, the more expensive candy down there. All that chocolate. It was much too expensive. Pralines were out of the question, too. At five cents per piece, there just wasn't a lot of value in it.

"That's a good point, Mr. Leonard," Elaine said, wondering herself. "But, I don't think our daddy would want us to eat candy cigarettes. He says cigarettes are for adults."

"Well, they're candy, surely. He'd understand-"

"How about candy buttons?!" Susie steered me toward the corner of the counter, pointing upward at a jar that was more neglected. All those rainbow colors were enticing, it was true.

"A good suggestion!" Leonard exclaimed, going over with a show like one of those salesmen we sometimes saw come up our drive who tried to sell our maman things like a brand new knife set or the best sewing machine in the world. He extended his arm to the rainbow cacophony of candy drops on wax paper strips. He opened the jar and brought it to the counter. "A bargain, three cents each. You can each get one and still have money left over. There's plenty of candy here. You can eat it for hours if you suck on them."

"I don't know, I don't want them eating paper," Elaine said worriedly. She had a good point. The paper always came with them. You never could get it completely off. I didn't want to eat paper, either. It took hours just to get enough paper off of them.

"Hmm, you are a shrewd businesswoman, Ms. Elaine," he said, playing along. He pointed at another jar behind him, this one full of colorful sticks with a striped swirl on each of them. "How about the peppermint sticks? Once again, three cents each. They'll surely last for hours. No way to just chew them. You want to get the most for your money, this is it."

"Ooh, peppermint sticks!" Susie gasped, jumping up and down with her fists in the air.

"I think we have a winner!" Leonard called to her, pointing at her and making her dance in glee.

"Can I have a blueberry one?" She asked, rushing the counter.

"Yes, you can!"

"Yay!"

"Are you sure about that? If you get it, then you can only get one thing," Elaine was still on the fence. If Susie got a peppermint stick, it threatened whatever else we were getting.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Her hands went out already. Leonard happily fished out a blue one for her. She grabbed it from him and immediately stuck it in her mouth, sucking away at it. That was it, three cents down. No going back.

"Susie! We didn't pay yet!" Elaine was horrified again.

Happy noises just came from Susie. Leonard burst into his warm laughter. "Consider it paid from your quarter," he said. "Now, what else would you like? James? It's your quarter. You've hardly said anything. Don't you get first pick?"

That was true. I wasn't sure. There was so much candy. I'd been kind of sure about a Babe Ruth, but that was too expensive at five cents. If I got that, then Elaine and Joanie wouldn't be able to get much. If we all got candy that was a penny each... I couldn't do the math.

"James." Elaine's hands were on my shoulders and suddenly her face was in front of mine. She was smiling at me gently. To be honest, my belly was hurting. My joints were aching, too. I was feeling my fall now. "James, it's your quarter. What do you really want? We're only here because of you. He's right, you should get what you want. You've been very nice to let us share your quarter, but it's your quarter. Do you understand? You should get what you want. What do you want?"

It was silent for a few moments except for Susie dancing around and humming as she sucked on her peppermint stick. Joanie was being quiet as always, in her own world. Leonard was letting us consider, knowing this was an important moment. All the while, I had an idea in the back of my brain, but I hadn't been sure.

This idea. The one and only. We wouldn't be here if not for him. No, it wasn't me. I wasn't the reason why we were here. 

After a long minute, my finger extended. Pointing at my heart's desire. Elaine's face brightened, happy for me. "Yeah, is that what you want? Go get it. You deserve it. Don't worry about us. There's still some money left after. Go on, grab it."

"Oh, a prime choice. A very, very good choice." Leonard crossed his arms, beaming like sunshine as I walked across the Pop and Stop, going to my favorite place on earth.

As we walked home, Elaine was playing with her wax lips. Joanie had a small bag full of Bit-O-Honeys. Susie's peppermint stick was now a dangerously pointy weapon. And open in front of my face was Action Comics no. 16. I'd forgiven Superman, because without him we'd never have found our bounty. 

But, as we walked, Elaine patted me on the back. I looked up briefly to see her proudness in me. Patting me for a job well done. She stuck her wax lips in her mouth, looking like maman with her red lipstick. It was so funny. Made me want to laugh. But, instead I was walking too wonderfully. Flying too high. 

Because, I really was like Superman. I was the hero, right here. 

As we walked home up the long dirt road, I may as well have had a long red cape as my sisters ate their candy and were so happy about me that it was like we were walking up the steps of heaven instead.