Bobby was five. He had curly red hair and a chubby face full of freckles. He loved football, hide and seek and chocolate ice cream but most of all he loved Spiderman. Every wall in his bedroom had Spiderman posters. Spiderman was his absolute hero. He watched the movies with his Dad, Bobby’s eyes growing bigger at every amazing thing Spiderman did to save the world. On his birthday, the most favourite present was from his best friend Charlie. A Spiderman football, covered in pictures of his hero. Just yesterday, the two friends had played with it together.

This morning he was out in the garden kicking the football against the wall of Dad’s shed, when suddenly the it flew off at an angle. It missed the shed wall completely and disappeared under a space in the hedge. The hedge separated their garden from neighbour Mr Jackson’s house and Bobby was too small to see over it. He looked around for something to climb on, but there was nothing to get him up high enough to see where the ball had landed. Mum’s sun lounger was there, but it was far too low.

“I’ll just have to crawl under the hedge…” he decided.

On hands and knees with his head down he pushed himself through the space between the ground the the bottom of the hedge, feeling his hair and jumper being snagged by prickly bits. Pushing harder to get past them, he hoped they wouldn’t make holes in his jumper. At the other side, Bobby found himself on the garden path leading to the back door of Mr Jackson’s house. There was no-one about and he scanned the garden for his ball. It was sitting on the lily pads in Mr Jackson’s pond. Wiping the dirt from his hands on his trousers he tiptoed towards the pond, noticing that the curtains were still closed on the house. Good. He would be able to get his ball and crawl back under the hedge without anyone knowing he had ever been there.

Mr Jackson’s garden was much bigger than his. It had a washing line which stretched between two metal poles at either side of the grass. Bobby’s mum didn’t have a washing line, she had a whirly thing that spun round in the breeze to get the clothes dry.

There was washing pegged on Mr Jackson’s line this morning and as he crossed the grass, Bobby recognised the colours and pattern on the clothes that were hanging there. Tight trousers and a top, soft boots, gloves and a face mask. Could it be? Bobby stared in disbelief as he realised that his all time hero’s outfit was hanging on Mr Jackson’s washing line!

Was Mr Jackson Spiderman?

The curtains on the kitchen window moved slightly. Mr Jackson had been watching the little boy, saw him stop in his tracks and stare in disbelief at the washing line. He knew Spiderman was Bobby’s hero and wondered how he would deal with this situation. He had been at a charity fancy dress evening earlier in the week and his wife had washed the Spiderman costume. She must have forgotten to take it off the line in the evening. Opening the back door quietly, he walked up the garden path.

“Hi Bobby, can I rescue your ball from the pond for you?”

Bobby turned to look at him with eyes like saucers.

“Mr Jackson…” he stuttered

“Mr Jackson…are you…are you Spiderman…?”

Not wanting to ruin the little boy’s hero worship, Mr Jackson knelt down and whispered

“Would you be disappointed if I said I was?”

Bobby whispered back “Well no…but…”

Still whispering, Mr Jackson explained that sometimes, Spiderman needed helpers. Sometimes he just couldn’t be in two places at exactly the same time, when something or someone needed help.

“…so you see, I am one of those helpers. But you must never, ever tell anyone or I will lose the Spiderman powers.”

Still slightly shocked at this revelation, Bobby nodded giving a double thumbs up sign.

“Oh I will never, ever tell Mr Jackson, your secret is safe with me, that’s for sure…”

Mr Jackson handed him the football.

“Thank you Bobby, now off you go and I will take my suit indoors…before anyone else sees it…”

Reaching the hedge, Bobby turned back and with a beaming smile gave Mr Jackson another double thumbs up sign, just to confirm, his Spiderman secret would always be safe with him.