My Hero: Barnell Bohusk
The Chapter
“I'm useless!” he yelled suddenly during our lunch break.
“No you’re not Barnell.” I said.
If I had a penny for every time I’ve had this conversation with him, I’d be fucking rich. You see, we are mutants. I have the power to control peoples dreams and sometimes even slip into them, but Barnell on the other hand…. Well he just looks like a chicken. He has a beak, talons and feathers. The only reason why he’s here at the Institute is because he has nowhere else to go.
“Gina?” he asked suddenly.
“Barnell.” I said.
“Why are you friends with me anyway?” he asked.
“Beak are you serious?” I asked.
“Yeah.” he said.
“Come on Beakie. You’re a great guy. Why shouldn’t I be friends with you?” I said.
“Because I am useless! I’m no hero!” he said angrily as he slammed his head onto the lunch table.
“Beak 3/4ths of us aren’t heroes! Look at me! I can’t be a hero! There’s only few of us who can be! And most of them are the professors. Come on Beak.” I said.
He just sat there with his head on the table and said nothing. It honestly was beginning to make me angry. He did this so many times.
“Beak…grow up!” I yelled as I got up from the table and walking back into the school.
After my classes I went for a walk. I was feeling bad about yelling at Barnell earlier. Why did I snap at him? It wasn’t like me to yell at Barnell. I’d snap at other people (I have anger issues) but never once before had I snapped at Barnell like that.
I sighed and walked down a dirt path that led through the woods. I walked on for a while until I reached the clearing where people would make small fires and hang out. On one of the logs around the circle of ashes from the last fire sat Barnell. He was sitting with his back to the path so he didn’t see me coming. His headphones were over his ears and were so loud that I could hear them from where I stood. He just sat there playing with the baseball bat that he had brought with him when he first showed up at the school.
I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He let out a squawk of surprise and dropped the baseball bat. I sat down next to him. He didn’t turn down his music, he only moved away and avoided looking at me.
I reached over and took off his headphones. “Look Barnell.” I said “I’m sorry about before. I don’t know why I snapped. Please forgive me?”
“But what you said was true wasn’t it?” he said.
“Barnell.” I said.
“I’m going back to Rotterdam.” he said.
“What? Why?” I asked.
“Well I got treated no differently here than there so why not.” he said.
“But what about me?” I asked.
Tears formed in his eyes and he turned away from me.
“Everyone here, well anyone who’s not a mutant, expects us to be heroes, and when we’re not then they hate us for being different. We all have some power that could help us save the world…but me…” he turned to look at me again, but then quickly turned back away, “me…I’m no ones hero.” He got up and started to walk away.
“You’re wrong.” I said with my eyes now threatening to let tears fall.
Barnell stopped walking and turned around. Tears were running down his face.
I walked up to him and said “You’re my hero Barnell Bohusk. Don’t you ever doubt that.” I then kissed him. I have to admit that it was a little weird what with him having a beak and all, but at the same time it felt right.
He stopped crying and was now staring at me wide-eyed. He was in shock. Once the shock wore off he was so happy that he started running around and rambling something about this being the best day of his life.
“You have no idea how much you mean to me.” he said when he finally calmed down.
I smiled at him. “And you have no idea how much you mean to me.” I said back.
“Am I really your hero?” he asked.
“Hell yeah.” I said then kissed his cheek.
The two of us then walked back to the school hand in hand and very happy.
“No you’re not Barnell.” I said.
If I had a penny for every time I’ve had this conversation with him, I’d be fucking rich. You see, we are mutants. I have the power to control peoples dreams and sometimes even slip into them, but Barnell on the other hand…. Well he just looks like a chicken. He has a beak, talons and feathers. The only reason why he’s here at the Institute is because he has nowhere else to go.
“Gina?” he asked suddenly.
“Barnell.” I said.
“Why are you friends with me anyway?” he asked.
“Beak are you serious?” I asked.
“Yeah.” he said.
“Come on Beakie. You’re a great guy. Why shouldn’t I be friends with you?” I said.
“Because I am useless! I’m no hero!” he said angrily as he slammed his head onto the lunch table.
“Beak 3/4ths of us aren’t heroes! Look at me! I can’t be a hero! There’s only few of us who can be! And most of them are the professors. Come on Beak.” I said.
He just sat there with his head on the table and said nothing. It honestly was beginning to make me angry. He did this so many times.
“Beak…grow up!” I yelled as I got up from the table and walking back into the school.
After my classes I went for a walk. I was feeling bad about yelling at Barnell earlier. Why did I snap at him? It wasn’t like me to yell at Barnell. I’d snap at other people (I have anger issues) but never once before had I snapped at Barnell like that.
I sighed and walked down a dirt path that led through the woods. I walked on for a while until I reached the clearing where people would make small fires and hang out. On one of the logs around the circle of ashes from the last fire sat Barnell. He was sitting with his back to the path so he didn’t see me coming. His headphones were over his ears and were so loud that I could hear them from where I stood. He just sat there playing with the baseball bat that he had brought with him when he first showed up at the school.
I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He let out a squawk of surprise and dropped the baseball bat. I sat down next to him. He didn’t turn down his music, he only moved away and avoided looking at me.
I reached over and took off his headphones. “Look Barnell.” I said “I’m sorry about before. I don’t know why I snapped. Please forgive me?”
“But what you said was true wasn’t it?” he said.
“Barnell.” I said.
“I’m going back to Rotterdam.” he said.
“What? Why?” I asked.
“Well I got treated no differently here than there so why not.” he said.
“But what about me?” I asked.
Tears formed in his eyes and he turned away from me.
“Everyone here, well anyone who’s not a mutant, expects us to be heroes, and when we’re not then they hate us for being different. We all have some power that could help us save the world…but me…” he turned to look at me again, but then quickly turned back away, “me…I’m no ones hero.” He got up and started to walk away.
“You’re wrong.” I said with my eyes now threatening to let tears fall.
Barnell stopped walking and turned around. Tears were running down his face.
I walked up to him and said “You’re my hero Barnell Bohusk. Don’t you ever doubt that.” I then kissed him. I have to admit that it was a little weird what with him having a beak and all, but at the same time it felt right.
He stopped crying and was now staring at me wide-eyed. He was in shock. Once the shock wore off he was so happy that he started running around and rambling something about this being the best day of his life.
“You have no idea how much you mean to me.” he said when he finally calmed down.
I smiled at him. “And you have no idea how much you mean to me.” I said back.
“Am I really your hero?” he asked.
“Hell yeah.” I said then kissed his cheek.
The two of us then walked back to the school hand in hand and very happy.