Free Something Like Lightning by Jay Bell

them common choices; the complete Harry Potter series, a dictionary that looked like it had never been opened, and some collected editions of Calvin and Hobbes. A selection of DVDs filled out this row and kept the books from toppling over.
    The rest of the shelves were filled with the little souvenirs of life. And a large number of plastic animals. A rhino hung out with a gorilla, a rat, and a cheetah. This was a fairly normal gathering compared to the next shelf up, where a tyrannosaurus kept company with a giant spider, an even larger scorpion, and a surprisingly small pterodactyl. The models weren’t at all realistic or in scale. In fact, they appeared to be nothing more than toys. Kelly grabbed a falcon and held it up, turning to William for an explanation.
    “Oh,” he said, as if embarrassed. “I’ve had those since forever. They’re actually robots.”
    Kelly blinked. “You mean like Transformers?”
    “Yeah,” William said, joining him at the shelf. “But not like the crazy movie that came out earlier this year. These are from when we were little. Do you remember Beast Wars?”
    Kelly shook his head. “I was into Power Rangers'”
    William grimaced as if this was distasteful. “I could never get into that show. Beast Wars was so much better. It was all CGI, which was rare at the time, and the plots were amazing.”
    Kelly took in how excited William was getting and smiled. “Wait, do you collect these?”
    William made a face, like he was trying to be cool. “Nah, they’re just sort of around. I’ve had them since I was a kid. Don’t know what to do with them now.”
    Kelly glanced back at the display. The carefully arranged figures were dust free. And they were numerous. More than most parents would buy their children of any one toy line. “You know,” he said, “my kid brother is still young enough to appreciate these. I’d be happy to take them off your hands for you.”
    William’s eyes went wide in panic. Then he realized he’d been caught and his shoulders slumped. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said. “It’s my deepest darkest secret.”
    “I can only imagine the scandal this would cause at school,” Kelly teased. “So show me how this one transforms.”
    William took it from him and happily demonstrated. “The falcon is actually female. I know what you’re thinking, how can robots be male or female? I don’t know either, but I think it’s cool. In the show she’s actually dating the white tiger over there. It’s sort of romantic, especially what happens to them in season two.”
    Kelly raised an eyebrow and tried not to laugh. He failed.
    “Don’t judge,” William said. “At least not blindly. We could check out some episodes together. It’s not like there’s anything else to do.”
    Kelly glanced over at the cookies and milk, at the toys, then at William himself, who sort of had that big-kid vibe. He found himself matching William’s smile and nodded in agreement. Soon they were sitting side by side on the bed, watching computer-generated animals have serious conversations or do battle. The show wasn’t bad. Some poor writer had surely been hired by a toy company to come up with a reason why a bunch of robots would need to disguise themselves as animals, many of which were already extinct. And somehow the end result was compelling. Maybe a little campy at times, but he soon found himself concerned for the welfare of the characters.
    “I can tell you like it,” William said after the third episode. “Go on, admit it!”
    “My expectations were low,” Kelly said. “It’s not exactly a Pixar movie.”
    “The animation was groundbreaking at the time,” William insisted. “You at least liked the story, right?”
    “Yeah,” Kelly said. “I did.”
    William beamed. “If you want, we could watch a few together now and again. It doesn’t take long to get through the series. And just wait until you get to a certain episode in the next