Think

The next morning, the sun was shining, birds were singing, and Lian was still grumbling about yesterday’s disasters. His backpack was full of half-eaten apples, empty jars, and one slightly squished muffin. “I can’t believe I almost climbed a tree just to get some stupid herbs,” he muttered, shaking his head.

Morwen, the witch, appeared suddenly in a puff of glitter that smelled suspiciously like old socks. She held a small, sparkling vial. “Lian,” she said, with a serious face that made her eyebrows do a funny squiggle, “I have finally made something… something that will help you discover your true power.”

Lian blinked. “True power? Like super strength? Or invisibility? Or the power to make muffins magically un-squish themselves?”

Morwen gave a small, mysterious smile. “Something like that. But… more sneaky. More… subtle.”

She handed him the vial. “Drink it.”

Lian hesitated. “Last time you tricked me into thinking I had to do everything alone, just for your amusement. How do I know this isn’t another joke?”

Morwen’s eyes sparkled. “This time, it’s serious. Maybe.”

After a long, suspicious stare, Lian shrugged and downed the potion in one gulp. It tasted like… very confused strawberries, or maybe someone had tried to mix glitter with toothpaste. He gagged a little, but then wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket.

Nothing happened for a few seconds. Then Morwen’s face got a bit more serious. “Lian… come with me,” she whispered, dragging him behind a large bush.

“What… what now? Is this a secret forest meeting? Are we going to sing the song of destiny?” Lian asked, nervously brushing leaves off his jacket.

Morwen rolled her eyes. “No singing. Listen carefully. You… have the ability to read people’s thoughts.”

Lian blinked. “What?”

“People’s thoughts,” she repeated. “You can hear what they’re thinking… but only if they are within ten meters of you. And here’s the important part: you can choose when to read them. If you want, you can turn it off completely. Only you decide.”

Lian’s eyes widened. “Wait… I get to choose? So… I don’t have to know everyone’s weird thoughts all the time?”

Morwen nodded. “Exactly. But… there are no countermeasures. None. Your power is already… tragic in its own way.”

“Tragic? How?” Lian asked, scratching his head. “I mean, this sounds kind of cool. I could know if someone’s lying to me… or if a muffin is secretly plotting to escape.”

Morwen shook her head. “No muffins. Tragic because… well… your life will become complicated. And sometimes… it might be sad. But also funny. Mostly funny. Learn to understand your power slowly.”

Lian nodded slowly, feeling a mix of excitement and worry.

Just then, Kael and Mira appeared. Kael was bouncing on the balls of her feet, grinning, while Mira stayed a little behind, peeking out from under her hair.

“So? Did you get a power? What is it? Tell us, tell us!” Kael yelled.

Lian froze. He could hear thoughts now if he wanted, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to yet. Mira’s thoughts were tiny whispers in his head. *I hope he’s okay… I hope he doesn’t get hurt… I hope he doesn’t hear me thinking about my lunch…*

Kael’s thoughts were loud and chaotic. *Yes! I bet he has super strength! Or fire! Or a super fast leg! Or… or maybe he can talk to squirrels!*

Lian swallowed. If he told them the truth, everything would get messy. They would ask questions, test him, laugh at him, and probably make him do weird experiments.

He smiled nervously. “Uh… actually,” he said, scratching his head, “I think the witch… um… made a mistake. I don’t have any powers at all.”

Kael gasped dramatically. “No powers? Are you kidding? That’s… that’s terrible!”

Mira looked relieved. “Oh… okay…”

The three of them walked home together. Lian could have turned on his power, but he didn’t yet. He wanted to learn slowly, just like Morwen said. He could hear snippets of Kael’s thoughts about snacks, and Mira quietly wondering if anyone noticed the muddy spot on her shoe.

Lian smiled to himself. This was strange, but… fun. He didn’t tell anyone the truth. He wanted to figure it out on his own first.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about what Morwen said: *“No countermeasures. Your power is already tragic.”*

“What does that even mean?” Lian wondered aloud. “Tragic… maybe it’s because I can hear all the boring thoughts. Or the weird thoughts. Or maybe everyone will start thinking about me too much. Or maybe… maybe I’ll find out secrets I don’t want to know.”

He shook his head. No answers. Nothing made sense. But somehow, it was exciting. The world suddenly felt bigger, stranger, and… more hilarious. Because even if it was tragic, it was *her* power.

And for the first time in a long while, Lian felt… a little bit like an actual hero.

He just hoped he could stop himself from accidentally reading Kael’s thoughts while she was brushing her teeth. That might be… awkward.