I didn’t want to tell anybody about my newfound powers. The onlookers were sated with the explanation that the driver had hit the brakes just in the nick of time, but I had seen the drivers up close. The fear and confusion on their faces. The way they stared at me as if they had never seen anything like me before. If I were to keep my powers a secret, I would have to find them, and then convince them not to blab to the media. Or, worse, to a team of experimental scientists.

I sat down at my desk, watching a thin straw of steam rise from the coffee mug my wife had made. It seemed strange that only yesterday I was talking to the best clean energy solution providers Australia had to offer. Now, it seemed I was a source of energy. For if powers and magic truly did exist, what else could they be than a different way of manipulating energy? It was then that an idea came to me. Abandoning my mug of coffee, I shrugged on a coat and ventured outside. My house is in an estate – a newly built one at that – and although all the houses were designed differently so as to give the illusion of a naturally arising suburb, their one commonality is solar panels.

After my wife and I had bought the house, I watched as the commercial solar panel installations began on all the stores in the estate. It was fast and professional. I thought they were a great idea; I wouldn’t have been campaigning so hard for renewable energy if I didn’t truly believe in it. It’s affordable, convenient, and great for the environment. But could my powers impact it? I stepped into our yard and squinted up at the solar panels on the roof. The swirling flame was still in my palm, although it had dulled to a pale yellow colour. It was time to start testing the real limits of my new powers.