The River creatureFranklin was a normal kid who loved to hang out, play with his friends, and enjoy nature. He excelled on the basketball court just the same way as he did in school. He always found time to walk across Anacostia to deliver groceries to his home-ridden grandmother. The boy was raised to treat others well and to never act unjustly. His parents instilled these values in him from the start. Unfortunately, Franklin was living only with his mother; his father was a victim to gun violence when Franklin was only five. Franklin behaved like a gentleman and a good samaritan every day because he knew that his father was looking down on him with a smile.
However, on that fateful day, Franklin was walking along the Anacostia River when he, like his father, fell victim to gun violence. Franklin collapsed into the river. While wading through the water attempting to crawl to safety, the chemicals within the polluted water of the Anacostia seeped into Franklin’s body, rearranging his biological makeup. Once on land, Franklin passed out because of exhaustion. Many hours later he awakens to find himself changed. Once a small man, he has now become the River Creature, an enormous being with great strength and immunity to any pollution. Franklin never saw himself as a superhero and was angered that he had changed because of the unfortunate events that happened to him. However, he thought of his father and knew that with such power he had a responsibility to make his community safer and stronger, and that would mea stopping violence and cleaning the river. From that day on, Franklin, or better known as the River Creature to all of his admirers and enemies, would use his strength and size to fight off violence within his community, making the streets safe for his local kids to play in. And those kids who now had a safe environment to frolic in helped the River Creature clean the Anacostia. In essence, Franklin, the River Creature, serves his public duty to keep what he used to love, play and nature, safe for the kids that he used to be like. And he knows that his dad is still smiling down on him. |