Tuesday, August 21, 2012

A Birthday Story

My nephew in Canberra turned 9 yesterday. He's a big superhero fan and had previously sent me a story about Iron Man and Doctor Doom interrupting, of all things, a Canberra Raiders game. For the record Iron Man (and the Raiders) won.

For his birthday I thought I'd try my hand at a little "fan fiction" in response. It was quite the hit... I love positive audience feedback! :-)

So here, immortalised now on the interwebs is...

Iron Man and the Case of the Stolen Birthday Cake

(A Story For Giovanni by his Uncle Richard, 20 August 2012)

It was a crisp Canberra day when all the children came together to celebrate a special boy’s birthday. There was plenty of laughter and smiles with lots of balloons and good cheer as everyone gathered around. This was going to be a day to remember!

They were all excited but none more so than the birthday boy, Giovanni, who wore his favourite superhero t-shirt. He could hardly contain his joy at having all his friends there. Soon it would be time to cut the birthday cake but little known to all of them Doctor Doom had others plans in mind.

There was a scream from the kitchen! Mama came rushing out, an accusing finger pointed up in the air. “He took your birthday cake!” All eyes turned skywards and sure enough there was Doctor Doom hovering above them with his distinctive green cape and metallic mask. In his gloved hand was a beautifully made cake – Giovanni’s birthday cake!

“Give that back, you!” Giovanni demanded but Doctor Doom only laughed and zoomed off higher. “Papa, do something”, the birthday boy insisted but his father had no way to chase after the super villain. “If only Iron Man were here”, Giovanni muttered to himself.

His eyes suddenly lit up. “I know!” He rushed inside the house and soon returned with his Mama’s mobile phone. He quickly dialled a number. “Who are you calling, G?” his Mama asked. “The special Avengers Hotline”, was the immediate reply. All the children fell silent – the special hotline! This was serious indeed!

Giovanni waited patiently then: “Iron Man, please.”

In a whoosh of jet exhaust there was a loud thud followed by, “You rang?” There Iron Man stood, his suit gleaming in the winter sun. His visor popped open and Tony Stark peered out at all the balloons and streamers.

“Someone having a party without me?”
“Iron Man, it’s Doctor Doom, he’s stolen my birthday cake!”
“Don’t worry, G, I’ll get it back for you. On one condition.”      
“You can’t play with the Wii, you broke it last time.”

Iron Man looked very sheepish until Giovanni remembered time was a wasting.

“What about you can have some cake if you get it back in one piece?”
“Deal!”

And with that the visor clicked back into place and Iron Man rocketed off in pursuit of Doctor Doom. The villain wasn’t expecting any company as he tasted the delicious cake. BAM! Iron Man thundered right into him, knocking the stolen prize out of his grasp. As the two began to fight the cake tumbled back towards Earth at an alarming rate.

From the ground, Giovanni and his friends watched the titanic struggle as Iron Man and Doctor Doom exchanged awesome blows. Iron Man was gaining the upper hand but the cake continued to fall.

“Iron Man!!” Giovanni shouted, pointing to the birthday cake.

With one final, almighty punch, Iron Man sent Doctor Doom hurtling into space. Neighbours would later say that the clang of metal on metal could be heard for miles around.

With a burst of acceleration he hit the afterburners and swooped down to rescue the cake just before it hit the ground.

“Thanks Iron Man!”
“No problems, G.”

Everyone burst into cheers as Giovanni’s birthday cake was returned to a grateful Mama.

Later, after the cake had been cut, everyone sat in a circle and munched away happily. There, seated next to Giovanni, was Iron Man with his visor up trying to stuff cake into his mouth.

Giovanni laughed and simply said, “Best Birthday ever!” to his proud Mama and Papa who watched on.

The End

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