4-5 narrative legacy of courage

4-5 NARRATIVE: LEGACY OF COURAGE ©2021 Safe Kids Inc.

Chapter One

Metro City H.E.R.O. School Year: 2155

Mr. Rapid sighed as he packed up his desk. He thought to himself: Has it already been 40 years?? He filled a cardboard box with his favorite things – pictures of him and his students, pictures of him and his family, and a shiny metal trophy shaped like a heart. The Heart of Courage. He gazed into the trophy, squinting at his wrinkles in its reflection.

He remembered the day he earned The Heart of Courage… many years ago, before he was a teacher at Metro City H.E.R.O. School, he was a student at the school, learning his superpowers alongside the other Young Heroes.

One day, Mr. Rapid saved the school from Invader, a villain who hated Metro City, the Young Heroes, and himself. Invader attacked the school, using his blaster arm to take revenge.

But Mr. Rapid and the other Young Heroes knew how to stay safe from Invader… they used the H.E.R.O. skills their teachers taught them:


HIDE!

ESCAPE! RUN!

OVERCOME!

Mr. Rapid overcame Invader by throwing one of his boots at him and running away. Invader was arrested by the H.E.R.O. Squad, and his blaster arm was removed and melted into a trophy, which Mr. Rapid now held in his hands.

His memories were interrupted as one of his students, Illumina, came bursting into his quiet classroom.

“Mr. Rapid!” she said, “Come with me, right away! There’s a leaking pipe flooding the gym and we need your help!” She grabbed Mr. Rapid by the hand and tugged him toward the

door. He didn’t even have time to put the trophy down!

Mr. Rapid and Illumina jogged toward the gym and went inside. Suddenly, Mr. Rapid was overwhelmed with noise!

“SURPRISE!!!” he heard a hundred voices shouting happily. He looked around at the gym and saw all the Young Heroes and teachers standing on their feet in the


bleachers, clapping, shouting, and throwing confetti.

“HAPPY RETIREMENT, MR. RAPID!” they cheered, “THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!”

Mr. Rapid was stunned! He smiled at Illumina, who gave him a shy smile and laughed.

“Mr. Rapid!” the Headmaster’s voice boomed from a podium at the center of the gym, “Come up, give us a speech!” Mr. Rapid walked shyly to the podium as the crowd cheered.

Mr. Rapid hugged the Headmaster and stood in front of the microphone, still clutching his trophy. “Thank you, thank you…” he raised his hands to the crowd. Happy tears began to fill his eyes. “It’s so hard to say goodbye…” the gym grew silent. Suddenly, a deep voice growled from the rear of the gym, “YES… SAY GOODBYE TO MR. RAPID!”

Everyone turned to the source of the voice – a tall, frightening man in a long, black coat. His robotic eye glowed, and a mechanical blaster arm stuck out from the baggy sleeve of his coat. The stranger raised his blaster… BOOM!!!


Mr. Rapid saw the blast coming directly at him. He was older than he used to be, but he was still the fastest hero in Metro City. He zigged and zagged away from the blaster as fireballs erupted behind him.

His mind raced as fast as his feet. He recognized the violent stranger immediately… it was Invader! Somehow, he got out of jail and built himself a new blaster arm!

Mr. Rapid drew Invader’s

attention from the Young Heroes. He zigged and zagged across the gym, one step ahead of the blasts. Meanwhile, the Young Heroes ran and escaped from the gym as Invader focused on his main target… Mr. Rapid…


Chapter Two

When the blasting started, Illumina

followed another group of students as they escaped from the gym and hid in the nearest place they could – the Practical Powers classroom. She and the other Young Heroes knew what they needed to do – HIDE and build a barricade!

There was only one door at the front of the classroom, so the Young Heroes began stacking desks and chairs in front of the door. They piled them high in a big, tangled knot, then hid in Safety Triangles so Invader couldn’t see them and hurt them through the door with his blaster.

They hid just in time. The sound of Invader’s blaster echoed nearby and shook the walls. The Young Heroes were as quiet as they could be – the only sound in the classroom was their own breathing and the muted boom of Invader’s blaster.


Suddenly, the door handle began to shake! From their hiding spots in Safety Triangles, the Young Heroes saw Invader’s shadow through a small window in the door. I wish we blocked that window! Illumina thought…

And then, in a sudden rush of heat, a blaster ray exploded through the window, smashing glass, and scorching the metal frame. The blaster ray cut through the room in a brilliant flash, searing a smoking hole in

the back wall of the classroom. Luckily, the Young Heroes were safe in their Safety Triangles!

“I know you’re in there!” Invader growled furiously. He reached his hand through the broken window and began feeling for the door handle. After a moment of fumbling, he found the handle and opened the door from the inside. He grunted as he tried to force the door open, pushing hard and struggling against the barricade…


Chapter Three

“ESCAPE! ESCAPE! ESCAPE!” Illumina shouted as Invader tried to struggle through the barricade. The Young Heroes didn’t have a teacher with them, but they knew exactly what to do. It had been a long time since a villain attacked the H.E.R.O. School, but every Young Hero was taught what to do, just in case:

HIDE! ESCAPE!

RUN! OVERCOME!

The Young Heroes acted

quickly, knowing the classroom was no longer a safe place to stay. They ran to the windows furthest away from Invader and began opening them. Luckily, they were on the first floor of the H.E.R.O. School, so they were able to jump out safely.

Soon they were all outside, and the rest of the school seemed deserted. “RUN! RUN! RUN!” Illumina yelled. Suddenly, she noticed the other


Young Heroes who hid in the classroom with her were from the younger grades. It didn’t matter. They all knew what to do!

They ran to a fence at the back of the H.E.R.O. School and knew they’d be safer if they got to the other side. Of course, they weren’t normally allowed to leave the school without permission, but they knew that it was ok to break the rules during an emergency. The only problem was they were too short – especially the littlest Young Heroes! Invader’s blaster continued to boom inside the school building.

Illumina got down on one knee. “I’ll give you a boost!” she said, “Quickly now!” The littlest Young Hero got a boost and made his way to the top of the fence. He held himself up, but his little legs kicked at the air like he was trying to swim. Illumina pushed him to the top of the fence, then helped him down the other side.

They all made it over the fence and hit the ground running. Metro City Bank was across the street, and they could see a guard posted at the front door. “To the bank!” Illumina said as she ran, “We’ll be safe there, and they’ll call the H.E.R.O. Squad!”

The guard looked at them with concern as they came scrambling up the sidewalk. “Quick!” Illumina ordered him, although he was much


older than her, “Call the H.E.R.O. Squad! The Invader is back at our school and he’s got a blaster!”

“Yes ma’am!” the guard replied immediately, “Get inside! I’ll keep you safe in the meantime!”

As the guard hustled them inside, Illumina could hear Invader’s blaster echoing from the school…


Chapter Four

Oliver couldn’t believe this was happening. He had heard the stories about Invader, and he’d learned what to do if Invader or another villain showed up at the H.E.R.O. School. After all, you can’t have heroes without villains, right?

Either way, it was really happening. Oliver had super running powers, just like Mr. Rapid. In fact, he beat Mr. Rapid at a race earlier in the year… barely. It was such a close call that the coach had to watch slow motion video of the finish line five times to decide who actually won! The whole school had cheered for Oliver, but they were still impressed that Mr. Rapid was that fast – even 30 years after he left the H.E.R.O. Squad!

Now, Oliver found himself at the end of a hallway, looking out at the same field where he’d beaten Mr. Rapid just a few months earlier. Only this time, his running was going to be a whole lot different. Across the field, a group of Young Heroes were jumping the fence and running off campus.

Good idea… he thought. But before he left the building and ran across the field, he thought it


would be a good idea to find somewhere closer to hide. He was really fast, but the field was big, and he’d be out in the open for a long time.

Not a good idea when a super-villain with a grudge is running around campus with a blaster arm… he thought.

Maybe it would be better to hide in one of these classrooms… He pulled on the door handles of a few classrooms, but they were locked, just like all the others.

That settles it… he thought. He knew it was no use trying to get inside a locked classroom. That would be a waste of time, and time was very important.

Suddenly, Invader appeared at the other end of the hallway. He locked his mechanical eye on Oliver and raised his blaster.

Oliver knew what he needed to do – he trusted his instincts – he RAN!

Invader’s blaster shook the hallway, and Oliver felt the heat of a blaster ray as it slashed through the air, only a few feet from where he had been standing.

In an instant, he was outside, running with everything he had to get away from Invader as quickly as possible. He looked at the fence, but it was much too far away, and Invader was much too close. Plan B… he thought.


He switched directions like a lightning bolt and ran across the courtyard toward the gym. He knew he could get behind the gym to get out of sight.

As he ran, he heard Invader’s blaster thumping loudly behind him. Blaster rays kicked up dust and plumes of smoke all around him, but he was zigging and zagging and there was no way Invader could hit the fastest Young Hero in Metro City!

In a matter of seconds, he made his way around the corner of the gym. He skidded to

stop, almost running headlong into Mr. Rapid.

“Mr. Rapid!” Oliver wheezed, out of breath, “He’s right behind me!”

“Into the library!” Mr. Rapid said as he tugged Oliver by the arm, “We can’t stay here – we’ll be trapped!”

They raced toward the library, but this time, they weren’t racing against each other…


Chapter Five

Mr. Rapid and Oliver made it to the library in the nick of time. They burst through the door just as one of Invader’s blaster rays came sizzling over their heads. Inside the library, there were already several groups of students hiding in Safety Triangles and behind the librarian’s big, metal desk.

Realizing Invader was only seconds behind them, Mr. Rapid turned to lock the door – but there wasn’t enough time… “Get ready to OVERCOME!” he shouted to the students. But they were already prepared! Looking around the room, he saw Young Heroes holding books, staplers, chairs, and backpacks. The librarian was ready, too – she had a fire extinguisher pointed at the door.

Mr. Rapid looked down at his trophy. Even in all the commotion of the attack, he was still holding it! It was heavy in his hand, and it sparkled as brightly as ever. His eyes reflected fiercely in its reflection. He stood to the side of the door…

WHOOSH! The door swung open, and there stood the Invader – focused, and angry. His blaster arm rose as he scanned the room for targets.


“OVERCOME! OVERCOME! OVERCOME!!!” the librarian shouted with a booming voice.

Her voice was joined by the Young Heroes, who began shouting and growling like young lions. They knew how to Overcome – they were Young Heroes after all!

In an instant, Invader was peppered with books, staplers, and many other things you wouldn’t want thrown at you. Instantly, he turned and raised his blaster to cover his face. The librarian aimed the nozzle of the fire extinguisher at his

face and sprayed. A cloud of ice-cold extinguisher gas froze his eyes and made him groan in pain. He staggered back.

Behind him, Mr. Rapid raised his trophy high above his head. This would end now. He swung with all his might, motivated by the deep affection he had for the Young Heroes and their school. The Heart of Courage cracked into the back of Invader’s head, and he crumpled to the floor.


Chapter Six

Mr. Bump came running into the library, his huge, broad chest breathing heavily. Like Mr. Rapid, he was retired from the H.E.R.O. Squad, but he was still one of the strongest heroes on this side of the planet.

He looked down at the

unconscious Invader and scowled. He sat down on top of the defeated villain, exhaling a heavy sigh. He tore the battery from Invader’s blaster and pinned him to the ground with all his weight.

“Call the H.E.R.O. Squad…” he told the librarian. He turned to Mr. Rapid and said, “Nice job, buddy.”

Mr. Rapid stood sheepishly, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths. “Thanks, big guy. Just doing my job.”

“I thought you were retired!” Mr. Bump laughed.

“So did I…” Mr. Rapid chuckled.


“Say,” Mr. Bump asked, “Do you think you could find me a sandwich? Sitting on villains always makes me hungry.”

They laughed loudly together as the sirens of the H.E.R.O. Squad’s hovercars began to echo in the courtyard…

The H.E.R.O. School was safe once again because the Young Heroes knew how to:

HIDE! ESCAPE!

RUN!

OVERCOME!

4-5 narrative legacy of courage

Documents