By Jill Szoo Wilson
“My superpower is not flying,” Mr. Bird squawked as he wondered where this lady hailed from. “Flying is just my thing. It’s what I do. If I had a superpower, it would be something no other bird could muster. The dogs don’t refer to their barking as super, nor do the mice think themselves superior for eating cheese.”
“Mussster?” hissed Miss Snake. “That is a big word for a bird. Got any more in there? Or was that the only big one you know?”
“Let’s get back to business,” said Dr. Chipmunk, who had a milk mustache and probably should have used a straw. “We are gathered together today to discuss the topic of young Micah’s new glasses. You see, he cannot see . . . wait a moment. I said something funny just then. Did you hear? I said, ‘You see, he cannot see!’ Ha! I don’t usually crack hilarious jokes but . . .”
“You didn’t crack one this time either, Dr. Chipmunk,” said Mr. Bird.
“Come now. Be nice,” hissed Miss Snake. “Go on, Dr. Chipmunk.”
“I will say it in a different way so we don’t all get caught up in giggles and forget the importance of the day,” Dr. Chipmunk once again overestimated his comic genius. “Young Micah was having a hard time reading his books at school and, as I overheard his brother saying to a friend, he was even beginning to have difficulty seeing the games on his XBox. So, Micah’s father had a wonderful idea, as Micah’s father is wont to do. He has decided that young Micah will get glasses.”
“Glasses?” asked Mr. Bird.
“Glasses?” asked Miss Snake.
“Yes, glasses,” answered Dr. Chipmunk.
Miss Snake rolled onto her back and looked toward the sky. “Oh my! Glasses! What a lucky boy he is! I have always wished I could wear glasses but, as you can see, my face is too small and my eyes sit too far apart. But, oh my! Glasses look so handsome on our human friends.”
Mr. Bird, reluctant to agree with Miss Snake, chimed in, “I must say, Miss Snake, you and I have something in common. Perhaps only this one thing: I, too, find the human folk look rather charming when they don glasses atop their noses. Especially the little ones. Why, glasses make the young ones look debonair, charming, and, dare I say, dashing.”
“Oh, please,” cried Miss Snake, “ssstop with the big words! And for the love of all that is good, please come to your point much quicker!”
Mr. Bird lifted his beak into the air and flapped his wings twice, too quickly to fly. “Miss Bird! I will thank you not to critique my every word! I am simply saying that glasses are quite pleasing to the eye.”
The milky-faced Chipmunk giggled. “Glasses? Pleasing to the eye? Oh, now you’ve made a joke, Mr. Bird!” Dr. Chipmunk continued giggling while Miss Snake rolled her wide-set eyes in his direction and Mr. Bird stood staring at the sky, wondering, “Why?”
Realizing he had begun to lose control of the meeting, Dr. Chipmunk cleared his throat and began again. “The problem, friends, is this: Micah feels, well, a little embarrassed about wearing his new glasses to school. He isn’t sure the other children will like them, so he is refusing to wear them.”
“Well, that is preposterous, Dr. Chipmunk!” squawked Mr. Bird. “Glasses not only look dashing, but they are also quite helpful. In fact, they offer superpowers to all who wear them. That is really quite amazing!”
Miss Snake raised the top half of her body. “Now I must agree with Mr. Bird for the second time in one day, which is certainly a record. Sure, glasses look great but they are also . . .” Miss Snake’s voice trailed off and then she whispered, “powerful.”
Dr. Chipmunk shuddered at the word itself and answered, “Both of you are right. Contained within the lenses of young Micah’s glasses is a special potion, concocted by our Greek friend, Mikanos the Mouse.” Now it was Dr. Chipmunk’s turn to whisper. “Within the potion are elements that dance together, as the Lords and Ladies once did in the great halls of the most prestigious castles, and then the dancing elements tiptoe into young Micah’s eyes, giving him the superpower of . . . seeing as far as the birds can see.”
Miss Snake rolled around on the ground while Mr. Bird flapped his wings so hard he flew straight to the tops of the trees. “Amazing!” said Mr. Bird from his leafy perch. “So, you are telling us that young Micah will be able to see far and wide? He will be able to discern all the bright colors in the world, pinpoint every detail from miles away, and see his prey in ultraviolet hues?”
“Now, now,” Dr. Chipmunk said in an effort to calm Mr. Bird. “Young Micah will not be able to see ultraviolet hues but . . .” his voice grew with excitement, “He WILL, however, be able to see far and wide! He will be able to discern all the bright colors in the world and pinpoint every detail from miles away!”
Miss Snake composed herself. “That IS a superpower, Dr. Chipmunk! You were right! The dancing elements inside young Micah’s glasses will allow him to read all the books he’s ever wanted to read and to see all the details in the world so he can draw them, or paint them, or even write about them himself!”
Mr. Bird energetically tweeted, “And what if one of our animal friends falls into trouble? Like the time Katherine the Kitten was trapped on top of the slide at the playground. Why, young Micah would be able to see that she was in need and run to help her! That IS a superpower, indeed!”
“Yes,” exclaimed Dr. Chipmunk. “Now you’ve got the idea! Young Micah’s glasses will not only make him look handsome but will also help him become a hero!”
All of the animals cheered together.
“There is only one problem,” said Dr. Chipmunk as he looked toward the ground. “Remember, young Micah doesn’t really want to wear his glasses.”
“Not wear them?” Miss Snake slithered closely to Dr. Chipmunk. “But he must! He can become a hero, and the world desperately needs heroes, Dr. Chipmunk. Don’t you agree? Young Micah has a heart of gold, and I know that if he could see all the details of the world, he would surely help lost kittens, or help his friends at school if their expressions looked sad. He may even create new things and bring more beauty to the world! What can we do to convince him?”
“I am glad you asked,” said Dr. Chipmunk before he took another drink of his milk. “I have written an itinerary for the two of you.” Then Dr. Chipmunk burped and continued, “Here is the plan! Miss Snake, I would like you to retrieve the glasses from our Greek friend, Mikanos the Mouse. He has prepared the potion, placed it into the lenses, put the lenses into the frames, and now they are ready for young Micah to wear. All you need to do is pick them up. Can you do that?”
Miss Snake squinted her eyes as though a great amount of focus had fallen into her mind. “Yes, sir! I will retrieve the glasses at once! Right now!” Miss Snake slithered away as quickly as her slim body could go.
Dr. Chipmunk turned to Mr. Bird. “And you, Mr. Bird. When Miss Snake returns with the glasses, I would like you to deliver them to young Micah as swiftly as you can. The quicker he puts them atop his nose, the quicker the world will become a safer place to live.”
“I will do as you ask!” Mr. Bird felt proud of his assignment.
After receiving his mission from Dr. Chipmunk, Mr. Bird flew straight to his nest, which sat in a tree overlooking a beautiful lake. He retrieved his backpack, a sleeping bag, and his magical Smart Wand, which could work as a GPS to guide him wherever he needed to go. The backpack was large enough to hold young Micah’s glasses, and Mr. Bird figured the sleeping bag might be useful if he grew weary after his flight and needed to rest atop a tall tree.
At about the same time, both Mr. Bird and Miss Snake returned to Dr. Chipmunk, who was blowing bubbles in his milk.
“I got the glasses!” Miss Snake said, a little out of breath. “As you can see, I wrapped the lower half of my body around them and slithered back as quickly as I could.”
Mr. Bird, who did not often compliment Miss Snake, replied, “Good work, Miss Snake.”
Miss Snake blushed. But only a little bit. “Thank you, Mr. Bird.”
“Now we are ready to move forth with the mission!” Dr. Chipmunk jumped up and down, as much as a chipmunk can jump, and said with elation, “Mr. Bird! The mission is in your hands. Miss Snake and I know you will do your best to deliver young Micah’s glasses safely.” Dr. Chipmunk thought for a moment. “I do have one extra request, Mr. Bird. Now, I don’t want to burden you with too much, but if you could take a photograph of young Micah wearing his glasses, I would love to see it. I would like to know what he looks like as a superhero!”
Mr. Bird thought it a reasonable request and thought of his Smart Wand, which could also take photos. “I will do my best,” he replied.
Mr. Bird prepared himself for flight. First, he entered young Micah’s address into his Smart Wand so he would know the way. Second, he shook his tail feathers behind him and flapped his wings slowly to stretch the muscles he would use. Third, he began to tweet into the air. “I am ready to go,” said Mr. Bird with confidence and determination.
Mr. Bird lifted himself into the air, following his wand. He soared high above the trees, above buildings and cars, people and trains. His focus was fierce, and his wings rested on the currents of the wind, which carried him higher and higher. Mr. Bird sang hello to the other birds he passed along the way (though he had to sing out of the corner of his beak so as not to drop his Smart Wand), and when his mouth became dry, he lowered himself to the puddles and streams below—but not for long. He continued on until, finally, he arrived at young Micah’s house.
Mr. Bird looked for a soft spot to land and chose a patch of fluffy grass in Micah’s backyard. He peeked through the windows of the house to see if he could spot young Micah. He looked through the basement windows, then the main floor—the kitchen, the living room, the dining room. When he did not see Micah there, he flew higher, to the second floor. “There he is!” Mr. Bird squawked to himself.
Micah was sitting at his desk, drawing a picture with both markers and colored pencils.
Mr. Bird landed softly on the windowsill just above Micah’s head. He put his Smart Wand in his backpack and lifted the glasses with his beak. He tapped on the windowsill, and Micah looked up.
“What a silly bird,” said Micah as he exchanged his red marker for a blue one. “Go away, you silly bird!”
Mr. Bird would not be deterred. He flapped his wings hard and tapped again.
Micah ignored him at first, but as the tapping grew louder, he looked again. “This bird is the rudest bird I have ever met!” he said to himself. Then he spoke to Mr. Bird, “Excuse me, you rude bird. I am trying to draw a picture, and I cannot concentrate because you are making too much noise! Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?”
Mr. Bird shook his head and opened his beak. The glasses fell onto the windowsill.
“What the?” Micah noticed the glasses for the first time. He squinted and leaned in close to the window. Then he opened it. “How did you get these, you silly, rude bird? These look like human glasses. In fact, they look like the pair my father wants me to wear. But . . . how did you get them?” Micah was puzzled and a little amazed.
Mr. Bird tweeted a song to Micah. The melody was slow and calm, and it filled the room with a light-hearted mood.
“Hm,” thought Micah. Then he said, “Though our meeting was strange, and you did distract me from my drawing, I like you, little bird. You have a nice voice, and your colors are pure. Black and blue, like a raven. I can see that you want me to wear these glasses, but I just . . . well, I just don’t want to.”
Mr. Bird continued to sing. First it was a beautiful aria, filled with melodies so graceful that Micah almost fell asleep. When Mr. Bird saw Micah’s eyes begin to close, he changed the song completely. The second song was loud and energetic, filled with rhythms that caused Micah’s toes to start tapping. Soon, Micah was dancing around his room and jumping on his bed.
“Okay, okay, you little bird. I can see you are not going to leave me alone until I do as you wish. I will put the glasses on my face. But I assure you, I will not like them!”
Micah stepped to the windowsill, reached for the glasses, and placed them atop his nose.
Suddenly, Micah’s lips turned into a broad smile. He looked around his room and saw details he had never seen before. Then he ran back to the window and looked out into the world.
“I can see far and wide! I can discern all the bright colors in the world! I can pinpoint every detail from miles away!” Micah looked here and there, up and down, side to side. “It is all more beautiful than I had ever realized!”
Mr. Bird tweeted and hopped along the windowsill. He was proud of Micah and happy for him, too.
As Micah ran around his room looking at everything as if for the first time, Mr. Bird tweeted his good-bye and began to fly away. Micah saw that the bird was about to leave and stopped him.
“Wait, little bird!” Micah picked up the drawing he had been working on when Mr. Bird first interrupted him. “Please take this drawing. I would like you to have it, as a thank-you gift.” Mr. Bird was touched. He felt one teardrop well in the corner of his eye and fall onto the windowsill beneath his feet.
Mr. Bird tweeted, “Thank you, young Micah,” and then lifted his wings and flew away with the drawing in his beak.
Micah ran to the kitchen where his father stood cooking.
“Dad,” said Micah. “Look!”
Micah’s father turned and smiled a big, beautiful smile. “My boy! You are wearing your glasses! I am so proud of you!” Micah felt proud, too.
“May I go outside to play now, Dad?”
“Of course you can, son. Have fun.”
Micah stepped through the front door and into the sunshine. He could see the edges of the clouds above and the silhouette of each blade of grass below. He giggled as he walked down the sidewalk and noticed the bricks in the houses and the spokes on the hubcaps of the cars that drove by. Micah could see the whole world, and he was amazed by it.
Suddenly, Micah heard something crying. The cry was high and loud.
“What the?” said Micah to himself.
As he ran toward the sound, the elements in the special potion concocted by Mikanos the Mouse began to tiptoe from Micah’s lenses into his eyes. He could see that a puppy was trapped under a bush near the entrance to the park. Micah ran to the puppy and saw, quite clearly, that its paw was wrapped around one of the branches. Micah lay on the ground, unwrapped the paw, and pulled the puppy to safety.
Mr. Bird, who had not yet flown far, stopped to watch Micah’s heroism from atop a nearby chimney. He snapped a photo with his wand, as Dr. Chipmunk had asked. Then Mr. Bird said to himself, “Micah’s first act of heroism. The first of many, I am sure.”
With that, Mr. Bird turned toward the sky and began his flight home, as Micah sat on the grass, comforting the puppy and giggling as it licked his neck and cheeks.
© Jill Szoo Wilson, 2026
Jill Szoo Wilson 