It is another average day in the life of another average person. You are going along your way, minding your own business, when it happens. Time stops. Everything around you seems frozen. The silence is overwhelming.
Suddenly, you see movement out of the corner of your eye. You turn, and standing beside you is a small child. She couldn't possibly be any older than 4. Her blonde hair falls in tight curls around her cherubic face, and her eyes are the deepest blue you have ever seen. In her hands, she holds a small black velvet sack tied closed with a golden cord. She removes the cord and holds the sack up to you as she whispers, "you can only choose one."
"One what?"
"One power, of course. This sack contains every power under the sun. Time will remain frozen until you have made your decision, so take all the time you need."
Every power under the sun...and you can take your pick. Slowly, you sit down on the sidewalk, mind racing. The child places the sack in your lap and sits next to you. "Go ahead," she says. "I'll be right here in case you have any questions."
You slowly open the sack and look inside. Hundreds of small white discs lay waiting. You reach into the sack and pull one out - it looks and feels just like an ordinary poker chip. For one short moment, you think this is some kind of a prank. But as you hold the disc in your hand, golden letters begin to form in the center. You watch as the word FLIGHT appears on the disc. You suddenly realize that you are literally holding the power to fly in the palm of your hand! Intrigued, you lower that disc to your lap, mentally listing it as a maybe. You reach in the sack and take another. TELEKINESIS. That would be interesting. INVISIBILITY. Definitely has potential. ELASTICITY. SUPER-SPEED. FREEZING BREATH, ACCELERATED HEALING, GOLDEN TOUCH, POWER ABSORPTION, METAL SKIN, X-RAY VISION, TRANSMOGRIFICATION, WEATHER MANIPULATION, FORCE FIELDS, ENERGY MANIPULATION, REALITY WARPING, TIME MANIPULATION, TELEPORTATION, ASTRAL PROJECTION, TELEPATHY, MIND CONTROL, DUPLICATION, IMMORTALITY.
Suddenly, a line from a movie you once saw afixes itself to your consciousness - "With great power comes great responsibility." The excitement you felt just a moment ago fades as you soberly close the sack. You wonder, "do I have the strength of character to use ANY of these powers wisely?" The girl stands up and puts her hand on your shoulder as she whispers, "you would not have been chosen if you did not already posess the ability to shoulder the responsibility. But if you feel you are not ready, there is also a disc in the bag that reads NO THANK YOU. You may choose to not choose. You will return to your normal life and I will erase your memory of this encounter. You must be aware, however, that I cannot return to you again. This is the only such opportunity you will be given."
After much self-reflection, you open the sack again. Reaching inside, you retrieve a single white disc and close the sack. You stand and hold the sack out to the girl. She smiles as she ties the golden cord around the sack and takes it in her arms. "What did you decide?" she asks.
You open your hand and hold the disc out for her to see. NO THANK YOU. Her smile becomes even bigger as she says "That is the disc He had hoped you would choose."
"He? He who?"
And in a blink of an eye, the child is gone. Everything around you returns to life. The noise is deafening.
You have the strangest feeling that something profound and life-changing has happened to you today, but you can't for the life of you think of what it could have been. In your hand is a plain white poker chip, and you can't recall how it got there. You shake your head to clear your thoughts and continue on your way.
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Well, that's my attempt at fiction today. Now to really answer the question - if I could chose one super power from the grab bag (and to not choose is not an option), I think I'd go with telekinesis.
