Chapter 4 - I am Spider Tobey

Queens, 1988.

Hello everyone, my name is Peter B. Parker, and I am currently 4 years old.

Right after my mother's death and that liberating cry, I stopped overthinking and started living normally. The manual of the 7th wish became extremely useful—I don’t seem like an anti-social child, I’m healthy, and above all, people don’t think I’m an adult in a child’s body. Another usefulness of the manual was that I could show my genius in a natural way without being scary. Now, they know I am very intelligent, but within a human measure, hahaha.

With the help of the AI chip, I reorganized my mind, archived my knowledge, processed it, cleaned out the trash, and optimized the rest. Now, I am a super-genius with a fast mind and eidetic memory due to my great intelligence and the AI chip’s database. I am also immune to mental attacks and readings. In addition to that, I am a very handsome child. The last one being the most important... just kidding, hehe.

Knock knock I hear someone knocking on the door and speaking loudly.

“Pete, breakfast is ready, get yourself ready and come down,” said Aunt May, this being the normal routine in this house.

“I’m coming, Aunt May!” I shouted back.

I get up, go through my morning ritual, and head downstairs.

Entering the dining room, I see May and Ben Parker having breakfast and getting ready for the day.

Aunt May is a woman currently 54 years old. She is a beautiful woman, but the years are starting to take their toll. When the “canon” begins, she will be 68 years old. Aunt May has black hair, with her roots turning white; soon, her hair will probably turn completely white. She has a maternal and kind aura and likes to wear lady-like clothing—I have never seen her wearing pants, haha. Although she says that when she was young, she used to wear swimsuits to swim with Uncle Ben… well, in her mind, that is probably already crossing the line of indecency.

Uncle Ben is a typical strict man but extremely kind and responsible, loving to help others without expecting anything in return. Uncle Ben is currently 55 years old and has been the chief electrician of a small company for 22 years. He likes to dress in serious, elderly clothing—I have never seen him in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts, haha. But Aunt May says that in his youth, he looked really good in shorts when they used to swim. Ben is immensely caring, with a great sense of justice, occasionally being very strict. Aunt May often calls him stubborn, but I can see the care and love they have for each other in their eyes—a love that extends entirely to me. I can only be immensely grateful for the family that "Thor" has given me.

“Good morning, Uncle Ben, Aunt May,” I say to my aunt and uncle, who are at the table.

“Good morning, Peter/dear,” Ben and May reply with smiles.

I call them aunt and uncle, even though I consider them my parents, because since I was a baby, they never told me to say “Mom” or “Dad,” but rather “Aunt” and “Uncle.” Maybe it was out of respect for my parents, wanting to never replace them in my mind.

I approach and sit at the simple wooden table. Actually, the whole house is simple. After all, my aunt and uncle’s financial situation isn’t the best. My parents left me a small inheritance—not much, as my parents weren’t geniuses like in many universes, they were just normal people with an average financial situation. Uncle Ben and Aunt May don’t touch the inheritance, and I understand that it must be for when I go to college. Even so, the house is very cozy, probably because of its owners—Ben and May Parker are the best and kindest people I have ever met. Maybe that’s why Peter Parker is who he is.

Well, back to the main topic, I have many plans that I have been organizing with the AI chip, but for almost all of them, I need the hardest thing for Peter Parker to obtain across his various multiverses—something that few Peter Parkers manage to get... money.

I am only 4 years old now, but thanks to my meticulous work, I managed to show great intelligence, so I don’t hesitate much about what I am about to do.

“Uncle, Aunt, I have something I want to show you,” I say when I realize that everyone has finished eating.

“What is it, Peter?” Uncle Ben asks curiously, with a smile on his lips.

“I’ve been working on something, and I’d like you to see it and help me with something after you do,” I say, taking a book out of my blue and red backpack.

“Hmm? Beauty and the Beast?” Aunt May looks curious.

“Yes! It’s an illustrated fairy tale book that I created. Please read it and tell me what you think,” I say with a smile.

“Haha, you seem very confident, young man, because if you were nervous, you would start talking non-stop, hahaha.” Uncle Ben says with a jovial laugh. Aunt May can’t resist and joins in.

“Uhh, okay, stop embarrassing me and read the story,” I say, my face slightly red due to my stained history as a chatterbox, which only makes them laugh more.

Then they start reading.

And from their expressions, they liked the story.

“Wow, Pete, I’m still amazed by your drawings and creativity, and the story is so fun and beautiful! I’m so proud of you, my little boy!!” Aunt May, after reading, pulls me into a hug and starts kissing my cheeks. Uncle Ben also joins in, and we start having a warm family moment.

Back to the topic of my drawings—they are quite beautiful. Using my super-genius mind, the AI chip, and hard work, I can create stunning works. But of course, I can’t show everything, only what is enough. Naturally, it wasn’t sudden—I have been preparing my foundation since I could control my body as I wished. Most of my drawings and other works were done through AI chip simulations, so I left no proof of my abnormal genius. One example would be me drawing with an unsharpened pencil, but in my vision, the AI chip could simulate the strokes.

From time to time, I made some real drawings, using little skill to show a false progression to my aunt and uncle—all leading up to this day.

Actually, here’s a fun fact—the original Spidey-Tobey also used to draw; he was the one who designed his own suit.

“So, what is it that you wanted our help with?” Uncle Ben asks about what I had mentioned earlier.

“I’d like to find a publisher and sell the book,” I say directly.

Ben and May were surprised but also started to consider it. After a few minutes, Uncle Ben finally spoke with a serious face:

“Look, Peter, we can find a publisher and ask them to publish your work, but if they don’t agree to distribute it with a guarantee on sales and it requires our money, we simply can’t afford to fund the publication…” Before Uncle Ben could finish, I interrupted.

“It’s okay, Uncle Ben, I know, but I’m confident. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just try again with more determination, right?!” I say with a smile.

“Hahaha, yes, Peter, you’re right. Sometimes in life, we may fall, so we just have to clench our fists, lift our heads, plant our feet firmly, and stand up again,” Uncle Ben says with a proud smile. Aunt May also has a warm smile as she watches us laugh together.

‘Mary, Richard, I wish you were here to see your son,’ Aunt May thinks with a pang of sadness and longing.