خاطرات گمشده

Chapter four

Lost memories

Peter held the door open. Harry came slowly into the hall of his amazing home. He looked around as if he was a stranger. He couldn’t remember much about anything.

‘Thank God you’re all right, sir,’ said Bernard when he saw Harry. Bernard had worked for the Osborn family for many years. Harry remembered Bernard, but he didn’t remember that he, Harry, was the New Goblin. Or that his best friend, Peter, was Spider-Man.

Peter was so happy to have his old friend back. He had brought him a present.

‘It’s your old basketball,’ said Harry. ‘Thanks!’ Harry threw the ball a couple of times against the floor, then shot the ball at Peter.

‘It looks like money isn’t a problem,’ Harry said, looking around the place.

Peter laughed as he caught the ball. ‘Harry, you’re super rich!’

Slowly, Harry walked towards a painting of his father, Norman Osborn.

‘I can’t remember much about him. I’d really like to know more.’

‘He loved you; That’s the most important thing,’ Peter replied, feeling uneasy. He threw the ball back to Harry, but he threw it too hard. Harry moved with amazing speed. He caught the ball before it broke anything expensive. Harry looked at Peter with surprise on his face.

‘Did you see that,’ asked Harry.

Peter tried to act cool. ‘You were always a fast mover,’ he said and smiled.

‘Don’t let one bad review stop you,’ Mary Jane told herself as she walked to work the next day. She tried to walk proudly into the theatre. She pushed open the heavy door and was surprised to hear someone singing her song. Suddenly, the music stopped and everyone turned to look at MJ. For a moment nobody spoke.

The director turned to his assistant. ‘Didn’t anybody call her,’ he whispered.

MJ’s heart stopped.

‘You dropped me after one bad review’ she said.

The producer stepped forward and said coldly, ‘All the reviews were bad.’

Mary Jane could hardly breathe. Fighting back the tears, she turned and ran out of the theatre.

It was a very special day for Peter. The city of New York was giving Spider-Man the key to the city. Peter thought about all the bad stories the Daily Bugle had printed about Spider-Man. For a long time the people of New York thought Spider-Man was a criminal. But over the years, he had saved many lives. And now everyone knew he was a hero - everyone except Jonah Jameson.

A big crowd of people had come to see Spider-Man. Peter looked at all the excited faces. Just then Peter saw Mary Jane. He pushed through the crowd to reach her. He smiled at her excitedly. He didn’t ask why she wasn’t at the theatre. MJ really wanted to tell him. But this was his moment. ‘I’m proud of you,’ she said.

Peter pointed to a tall building at the corner of the square. ‘I’m going to swing in from there.’

‘Give them a good show,’ Mary Jane replied.

‘You, too,’ Peter said with a smile. ‘And don’t worry about that review. We’ll laugh about it tomorrow.’

Flint Marko was back in Manhattan. He was walking down a street when some police officers saw him. He hid behind a truck. The officers ran to the truck, but Marko had disappeared. They looked under the truck but he wasn’t there. Then one of them climbed onto the back and pulled off the cover. All he found was sand.

Suddenly, a sandy hand shot out and threw the officer into the air. Sandman rose out of the back of the truck. The other officers started to shoot at him. They made holes in his body and grains of sand flew from the holes. But the gunshots didn’t stop him.

And then, with a terrible cry, Sandman flew down the street like an angry sandstorm.