Except from “A few moments with Plainville’s new hero…Spud”, by Penny Waits, Plainville Gazette. 

Spud: Before you ask, yes I WAS born this way. Since I was young I could fly like the wind and I was always stronger than the average Joe. It ’s always been really hard for me to get hurt too. But being different is not necessarily a good thing, especially when you’re only four feet tall and living in a world full of cloud grabbers. That’s what we call tall people in my world. So I kept it all a secret. I had to.

But then there I was. A normal short order cook just living my life like everyone else. And then BAHM! That meteor comes out of nowhere. Did I want to be a hero? Did I know how people would look at me and treat me or that some deranged lunatic would suddenly come after me? No, of course not, but what was I supposed to do? Let that stupid thing kill everyone and turn this town into a smudge on the map? No way, I did what had to be done and here I am. A hero. How do ya like that? But I don ’t really know who you are. Are you doing anything after this interview? Cuz what they say about short people is all BS, you know.

Penny: Can we get back to you and who you are? For instance, tell me you name.

Spud: Sorry honey, I ’d rather keep my name to myself.  For now, you can just call me Spud.

Spud: I can ’t say I know much about Amanda, except that she’s a lot taller than me, super hot and the first and only person to treat me like a real human being after the meteor thing happened. I had no idea when I met her, but my neighbor Yorgi told me she’s the Mayor’s daughter. I don’t claim to be the best judge of character, but everyone knows that guy is just about the dirtiest crook you’ll ever meet. So I’m thankful that she is nothing like him.

Penny: So you ’re dating the Mayor’s daughter?

Spud: Nah, we ’re just friendly. It’s hard to have friends when you’re like me. You have to keep your guard up all the time. But somehow, she gets me. She’s seems like a girl that can just sit back, pop a brewskie with ya and chill in front of the tube for a while. Only thing is, I don’t think she’s happy living here. She seems a lot smarter than I think people give her credit for and I can tell she’s got dreams that this dinky town won’t ever fulfill. She says she wants to be a nurse, but I think that’s what her Dad wants. I know she can truly be someone if she break free from him. I’d hate to see her leave, but I know she’ll never really be happy if she’s stuck here for the rest of her life.

Spud says: Take one part sleazy used car salesman, add an insane mental patient with a dash of wannabe evil mastermind and you end up with something resembling this guy. Whatever happened to make him a walking, talking vacuum wearing nightmare is beyond me. Unfortunately, he seems to have made it his mission to pester this town with his lame brain evil schemes. And me being a “hero” now, I’m the one who has to deal with him.

People have called him Mr. Dark because no one can ever seem to get a decent look at the guys face. Every time I ’ve come across him, he’s always talking about himself in the third person and when he wears that maid-on-the-go vacuum doohickey he calls himself “Dr. Sucky, the human suck machine”. He doesn’t need to remind me that he sucks. I like to call him the sultan of suck! That makes people laugh.

For the people of Plainville USA, every day is ordinary. But that all changes the day a meteor comes streaking down from the heavens and an extraordinary new hero reveals himself. Only there's more to this hero than meets the eye. Or should that be less?

Spud stands a mere 4 feet tall. But what he lacks in physical height he makes up for with unique, super-human abilities. The instant he leaps into action, these abilities are laid bare for all to see and a new reality takes hold of his life. To his own distress, the little hero becomes the biggest thing to ever happen to Plainville. For better or worse, life in this little town is changed forever.

Despite his good intentions, Spud inadvertently creates a nemesis for himself in the form of the mysterious Mr. Dark. After losing a cherished possession in the wake of Spud's heroic act, Dark is pushed past the edge of insanity and embarks on a misguided mission of revenge. With an army of mysterious miniature minions, he'll test the new heroes resolve in the face of constant, if less than competent, adversity.

The Adventures of Spud will be appeal to readers young and old with its fun characters, sophisticated storylines and tongue-in-cheek humor. It will take a light hearted approach at following Spud's unique journey from living as an ordinary short person in a normal sized world to that of a larger than life hero...in a normal sized world. The Adventures of Spud: big adventures do come in small packages.