‘What’s the matter?’ whispered Falcon Boy, as if he suddenly knew that he needed to reach out to Ellis and reassure her at this particular moment in time. ‘Why are you worrying about where you stand in relation to a seemingly indifferent world?’ He paused reassuringly. ‘You do know that none of this is your fault?’

Ellis was about to reply when she stopped herself. Aside from the indifferent world thing – which hadn’t really occurred to her – she was very impressed that Falcon Boy knew exactly how she was feeling even though he didn’t know anything about her.

Somehow, and she wasn’t really sure how (but perhaps it was directly related to a gift for ‘empathy’ that Falcon Boy believed he had suddenly and mysteriously acquired), it felt like Falcon Boy was much closer to Ellis than when he had been speaking to her earlier. She thought for a second.

‘You sound like you are bit closer to me than when we were speaking earlier,’ she said.

‘I’m like that,’ said Falcon Boy proudly but mistakenly. ‘I seem to have suddenly and wonderfully acquired a real knack for feeling how people are really feeling.’

Ellis shook her head.

‘That’s not what I meant,’ she said.

Falcon Boy suddenly felt less proud.

‘Oh,’ he said, feeling slightly deflated. ‘You mean you don’t think I’m somehow closer to you emotionally now?’

Ellis wasn’t really sure what Falcon Boy was talking about. She thought he sounded confused.

‘Say something else but say something different,’ she said, looking up.

‘Why?’ asked Falcon Boy

Ellis looked around.

‘Keep talking,’ she told the superhero. Ellis had the feeling that Falcon Boy was very close.

‘What do you want me to say?’

‘Doesn’t matter,’ Ellis replied. ‘Just keep talking.’

‘Should I tell a joke?’ asked Falcon Boy hopefully.

‘I don’t mind,’ said Ellis recklessly. ‘Do whatever you like. Just keep talking.’

And so Falcon Boy cleared his throat and told Ellis one of his favourite made-up jokes of all time

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