Smallville Torch — Season One

KIDNAPPING COP
Deputy Watts: Public Servant, Private Menace

By Chloe Sullivan

I recently visited a friend at the Smallville Medical Center and ended up buried in a coffin. Yes, it was just a typical weekend for yours truly. And, while I’m always the first to theorize that the bizarre happenings in this town are due to the meteor shower, for once, I don’t think this incident was caused by that phenomenon.

It’s been a freaky year. From being thrown out of a mansion window to being held hostage in a fertilizer plant, I’ve tried to remain unfazed–simply filing these experiences under “weird” and moving on to the next episode. But when one of Lowell County’s finest kidnaps you and buries you six feet under Smallville, it’s a little hard to brush off. Lowell County Sheriff’s Deputy Gary Watts almost silenced me–almost.

Early last week, I stopped by SMC to see Lana Lang, a victim of the gas explosion out by Route 12. After visiting, I left the medical center and walked to my car. A pair of gloved hands grabbed me. My attacker pressed a chloroform-soaked cloth against my mouth. I was out before I could bite off his fingers. When I woke up, I was blindfolded, bound with duct tape and gagged. I had no idea where I was. I managed to slice through the tape on my wrists and ankles. I was dead set on getting out of there. I found a door and bolted for it.

I thought I was home free until I was grabbed again. My captor threw me in a homemade see-through coffin and transported me to a freshly dug grave out by Chandler’s Windmill. Darkness came quickly as the shovels of earth landed on the lid of my coffin. I’m not so sure I’ll ever forget that sound. Then I heard no more–just the quick beating of my heart. With every breath, I was certain I was coming closer to death. So many thoughts raced through my mind–my parents, family and friends. And then, mercifully, the lack of oxygen made me lose consciousness.

When I awoke, I was above ground, out of my tiny prison and BREATHING. My rescuer, Clark Kent, was watching over me. The ordeal seemed finished. Or was it? I knew that monster was still out there. Why did he choose me? Was he still after me?

And then he struck again. He knocked out his partner, Deputy Sheriff Birdego, and then abducted Lana Lang. Watts told me the reason he had kidnapped me was to pretend he found me. He wanted to look like a hero in Sheriff Ethan’s eyes. Instead, Gary Watts’ ambition got the best of him. Surrounded by his own department with nowhere to run, Deputy Watts went down in a gunfight, the ultimate victim of his own scheme.

The irony of this story makes me shake my head in disbelief. After my hospital visit with Lana Lang, I was going to head up to Metropolis–the big, dangerous city. A few years ago, my family and I left Metropolis to escape the negative qualities of a huge city. Now we live in Smallville. Kind of makes one think.

RANDOM END-OF-YEAR NOTES

By Pete Ross

Yearbook Editor Stan Gibson tells us that yearbooks will be distributed on Tuesday, May 21, during homeroom. This year’s theme is “Something to Crow About,” and Gary Gregorian designed the cover. Gibson also announced that the SHS Student Store should be accessible online sometime over the summer, “Students should be able to purchase their SHS PE shirts via the virtual Student Store sometime soon.” When pressed for a specific date, the oft-animated Gibson replied, “I dunno, just sometime this summer.” If everything goes according to plan, a link from the Torch Web site will take you to the store.

In other news, members of our senior class won’t be the only ones leaving the nest this year. Some of our teachers will be departing too. Mr. Summers, who has taught geology at Smallville High for the past 15 years, will be transferring to Edge City, where he will take a post at Edge Community College. Also, math professor Mr. Stein will be retiring after 35 years of service.

For those of you planning to stick around, it is time to pick your classes for the next school year. Several new electives are being added to the curriculum after some lobbying by incoming class president Paul Chan. Students next year will be able to take courses in HTML, Computer Graphic Design and even Teenage Psychology. The guidance counselors tell us that students should sign up early, as they expect these classes to fill up quickly.