Unlike Superman - a short story

Unlike Superman™ (Fiction 101 Series)

There was no point in striking the wall with my fist. The sheetrock had suffered a few hundred dollars, but no cash was found behind the wall for the repairman who’d been called by my wife. My wife. She wasn’t the focus of my target. Her cancer was. But how can one hit a disease? The supporting beam, fixed like Superman™ to my fist. Crack! And unlike the Man of Steel™, the beam displayed zero concern over a broken hand. My broken hand confirmed I was not a superhero™. I wasn’t the one who’d save her. And not with brute force. 

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"Superman" and "Man of Steel" are registered trademarks of DC Comics. Both these terms are referenced as a simile and not as a character. The word "superhero" is a shared trademark among DC Comics and Marvel Comics. This term is referenced as a metaphor and not as a character. 

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The 101-word short story is inspired by the annual Fiction 101 Contest hosted by the Boise Weekly (Idaho Press), which takes place every January. Click here to read the entries for 2025, including "Unlike Superman." (The views, opinions, subject matter and themes through the art of some of the entries do not represent or reflect the views, opinions subject matter and themes of the author of this blog.)