Chapter 16 – Green Wisdoms When Blake started his shift that afternoon, a safety lock was attached to the door of room 4.11. One could hear the hysterical screaming from behind the door through out the entire ward. After a quick look into the documents, Blake also knew why. “Hmm." He put the case sheet aside and looked at his colleague. “Who is this guy who brought him back?" Theodore Schmidt sipped at his coffee. “Well, I assume it was Mister Kinney. He visited him once in a while." “Justin had a visitor?" “Two or three times during my shifts." Teddy shrugged. “Didn’t you ever seen him? He’s cute." Blake shook his head. “And the little one simply strolled out of here last night?" "Apparently not only last night. Dr. Marcus said he went on regular excursions." “Hmm." Blake got up. “How long has he been screaming like this? Have you tried talking to him?" “Sure." Ted got up as well, clearing his cup in the process. “He wailed and blubbered something about wet butterflies in the basin." Blake raised his eyebrows. “Wet butterflies." Male nurse Schmidt shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe it was wet bees.” “Ok." Blake rubbed his forehead, inhaled deeply and took his keys off the board. “I’ll go and look after him." “Need any help? The kid can really freak out if he wants to." "Teddy. It is only Justin." Hmm. Ted looked after his colleague and popped a peppermint between his lips. Nobody could say he hadn’t warned him. ””””””””””””” Justin didn’t know where the prince had gone, the door was closed and all the pulling and rattling wasn’t helping. Sometimes people would come in, but if left, the white door was a thick wall again and remained closed forever. Justin didn’t like it and had to cry a little. Of course he was captured now and the prince wasn’t in his bed anymore. Although he was sure that Prian had slept in it that night. He knew it for sure. With a clumsy hand, he wiped over his moist eyes and then plodded to his bed and curled up under the thin blanket. He closed his eyes and felt new tears running down his face. Everything here smelled of beautiful prince and almond cake. The mattress, the pillow and even the book hidden underneath it. Only the treasure jewellery had disappeared. Exactly like Prian. Blake unlocked the door and smiled slightly as he heard the sobs under the blanket. “Hello Justin." He put the cup he brought in down on the bedside table, sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the corner of the blanket back. “Why are you laying here? It’s not bed time yet." Justin tried to be quiet but the noises came out of his mouth anyways. He knew that it wasn’t bed time yet, but he didn’t want to open his eyes either. Blake stroked the fair hair. “Don’t you want to see what I brought you?" Justin sobbed somewhat quieter but kept his eyes shut. The male nurse took the cup. “Look? Chocolate milk. It’s still warm." Justin liked milk. Especially with cookies. “You want to try it?" Did he? Justin sniffled and rubbed his nose before raising his head. Yes, he wanted to have the milk. He was very… “…thirsty." Blake smiled, wiped Justin’s face with a handkerchief and held the cup up with his other hand. “Here." “Yes." The blue eyes were wet, red rimmed and looked at the male nurse only briefly before ten thin fingers took hold of the cup. Justin knelt down on the mattress and sniffed curiously into the cup. Hmm. The milk was... “…of course all dirty." Blake shook his head. “There’s chocolate in it. It makes the milk brown." “Yes.” Justin looked back at the milk and then with disinterest to the side. “Certainly all dirty." Blake sighed and put the cup back on the bedside table. “Doctor Marcus said you made an excursion last night." Justin's eyes wandered up to the ceiling. “Over, on the other side of the street. To the big mansion." Justin curled his nose. Of course the prince’s castle was rather big and also really beautiful. “Do you know the man who lives there?" Did he? Yes, of course. They had introduced each other. Justin Taylor and Prian. With a big P like Prince and Pudding. Justin smiled. He liked Prian. Blake smiled too. “Is he nice? Nurse Schmidt said that sometimes he paid you visits." “Yes." Justin started to rock back and forth softly and twisted a finger into his blond hair. Of course the prince came to save him with the red cup and the shiny... “…silver sword." “He has a sword?" Did he? The boy wrinkled his forehead. Actually Prian didn’t have any swords. Only foamy soap and delicious... “…water." “He has water?" “Yes." “He gave you water?" “Yes. My Prian." “His name is Brian?" “Yes. Prian." "He walked you home last night, right?" “Yes." Justin rubbed his ear. “Of course don’t cross the fucking…fucking street alone. Prian says.” “He takes you across the street?" “Yes. Holding hands with Prian." Blake smiled. “He takes you by the hand, hmm?" Justin smiled too. “Yeah." The nurse’s face grew serious again. “Justin. Do you know Brian spoke to Dr. Marcus yesterday?" “Yeah." Justin liked the white ceiling and wanted to paint yellow butterflies on it. With a blue wax crayon. He giggled. Blue yellow-butterflies. “Brian’s worried because you leave your room without letting somebody know. He thinks you shouldn’t cross the street alone." “Yeah." Of course the prince always became… “… very angry." "No. He isn’t angry. He just wants us to take better care of you. So nothing bad happens." “Yes." Perhaps he also could paint the dwarf. Without a cap and beard but with many stones. “That’s why Dr. Marcus decided that your door should be locked with a key. See?" Blake held the keys up. “I put it into the lock on the outside of your door and can open and close it." Justin looked at the shiny bunch of keys closely. Of course Plake was the tower guard and would never let him free again because the princess had to stay in the tower forever and ever. He looked to the side and bobbed up and down a bit. His belly pinched terribly. "Justin. It doesn’t mean you can’t leave your room anymore." The nurse tried to touch Justin's shoulder but the boy flinched away. “You have an alarm button. Here, right next to the bed and another one next to the door. You push it and someone will come to look after you. If you want to go for a walk or into the community room, a nurse will go with you, okay? You just can’t go on your own anymore. It’s too dangerous." Justin didn’t want to speak with Plake and made an angry face. He started to count everything beautiful. Prian’s brown eyes, Prian’s strong fingers, the pear tree in the castle gardens and the green frog underneath. “Two, two…one." He counted loudly and angry and pushed Plake’s fingers away. He hated the shiny, tinkling key and he hated the alarm button next to the bed. "Justin." Blake tried to stroke the blond hair soothingly, but the boy turned his head and shouted at him. “Not Prian!" “No. Plake. We’re friends, right? Plake and Justin." Justin stared in the direction of the window and bobbed around on his heels for a little while, before giving a dark answer. “Blake." ””””””””””””” At 3 am, Brian couldn’t bear it any longer. Cursing, he rolled off the mattress, stomped over to the window, threw it shut, and stomped back to his bed to fling himself furiously under the blanket again. He sighed, waited a moment, then closed his eyes contentedly, and- ´Rebbit-Rebbit' “Fuck!” He opened them again three seconds later, as the ubiquitous frog croaking could be heard easily. Even through the tightly closed window. Ok, this was it. Kermit could make his appointment for the coroner’s inquest! Grumbling, Mister Kinney jumped out off bed again, trampled down the stairs with nothing on except really fantastic fitting boxer shorts, and started digging through the kitchen drawers in search of a proper murder weapon. The damn critter prevented him for the third night in row from getting his well deserved sleep and in the life of every man there was a healthy tolerance limit, which was exceeded at some point. His eyes sparkled evilly as he pulled a barbecue fork out of the cupboard and decided instead in favour of a big meat mallet, before heading into the garden. Fifteen minutes and an unsuccessful frog hunt later, the terrace door was thrown shut. The meat mallet landed with a clatter against the wall and Mister Kinney typed one of his emergency numbers into the buttons of his telephone. It tooted three times before a young voice in correct Oxford English snuffled through the receiver. “This is the Institute for biological pest control, you’re speaking to Michael Thomas E. Davis, how may I help you?" Brian was a little irritated by so much politeness at half past three in the morning and grumbled somewhat mistrustfully into the mouthpiece. “Hhm. Kinney here. You do home visits, too?" At the other end of the line a short typing could be heard. “But of course Mister Kinney. The customer comes first at our company. May I assume that there is an infestation on your private property?" “You bet your ass it is!" Brian immediately felt 50% better and really well supported by this company. “I haven’t gotten any sleep in past three nights because of all the fucking noise in the garden." Typing could be heard again. “I see. Has the infestation expanded into your home yet?" Brian blinked and then wrinkled his forehead. He surely hoped the damned toad didn’t have any plans so far to set a foot/paw/fin/whatever into his house. But you could never know… “Not yet! How fast can you be here?" "Well, Mister Kinney, of course none of our employees are in the office at this hour, but, if you consider your situation quite urgent, I will execute this assignment myself, if you would be kind enough to confirm your personal information." “Hh." Brian grumbled again and passed his address to the friendly British guy at the other end of the connection. “And you should bring the poison for big animals. The fucking thing is really persistent." “I can assure you, Mister Kinney, here at Biological pest control we are absolutely up-to-date with the scientific research. Don’t you worry." “Hmm." “Wonderful. Thank you very much for your call. I’ll be on my way." “Great.” Brian mumbled what could be interpreted as ´Goodbye ' for answer, before he put the receiver down. Damn Englishmen. So much fucking politeness couldn’t be healthy by any means… ------------------- Fifteen minutes later a young man in a tweed jacket entered Brighton’s courtyard on a dark green Dutch bike, took his wooden box from the carrier and cleaned his polished shoes on Mister Kinney’s doormat. “Mister Kinney, " He said with a firm handshake and small nod of his head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. May I say, I’m really impressed by your stately home." “Yeah." Brian examined the skinny guy in the doorframe more critically. Perhaps he should’ve asked Santos with the big spade to come over to help. After all, the fucking toad under the pear tree wasn’t one of the small kind. “If you could point me directly to the affected areas in your garden, please?” “Hh." Brian closed the door behind him and led the vermin exterminator around into the dark garden. “It was over there the last time I saw it. I know it’s dark but perhaps I could-" “Oh, that should be fine, Mister Kinney.” The busy Brit rummaged with both hands in his wood case and in the next moment, switched on a handy 500 watt searchlight. "I am very well prepared for situations like this. You wouldn’t believe how often I'm stuck in some dark place." “Damnfuckingshit!” Mister Kinney stumbled haphazardly over a neglected garden hose and rubbed his eyes. "Upsa-daisy! See? This is exactly the reason why I always use to say,” A smart forefinger rose into the cool night air. “A tidy house, a tidy mi-Oha!" The young man stopped abruptly and whispered. “Did you hear that? A pond frog. Rana esculenta. My guess, it’s a fully-grown female." Brian couldn’t see any reason for the lowered volume. “That’s really fascinating. You have the poison gun in your fucking wood trunk now. So what’s the hold up?! I’d like to see the damned thing dead before sunrise!" “Sssh!" Mister Davis brought a finger to his lips and shone his lamp as he searched for the frog, while carefully stepping over the expensive lawn. “Perhaps you would prefer to wait in the house, Mister Kinney? Amphibians are very sensitive creatures, you know?" “Sensitive my ass…” Brian mumbled and trudged in the direction of the terrace door. Kermit better enjoy his last three minutes on earth, because frog legs were definitely on the menu tomorrow. ------------------- "Hello? Mister Kinney?" At 4.20 am, a British vermin exterminator knocked at Brian's terrace door and tried to peer through the mirrored glass. “Are you in there?" Brian rolled his eyes, stubbed out his cigarette and rose with great effort from the sofa to open the door. “Is it dead?" Mister Davis looked around in alarm. “What?!" “The fucking frog. You got it, or what?!" “Oh," The Brit smiled, blushing. “But yes of course! A lovely specimen. Dark skinned and a very distinctive back line. These are extremely rare." Brian raised his eyebrow and looked around. “Hmm. And where is it? Buried? Burned?" “Of course not, sir. The Rana esculenta is protected by the conservation of nature." “Protected.” Mister Kinney wasn’t really fond of a term like that. “That’s right. These species are extremely rare in our country and worldwide. They are threatened by extinction. Therefore I suggest," The young man entered unasked and opened his wood case. "You lay out a species-appropriate pond. Here are the schemes." He pushed a couple of paper sheets into his client’s hand. Brian blinked, unable to cope. “A fucking pond!?" “Well, a water place with sandy sub-ground, so the frog will have the possibility to hibernate and spawn next spring." Brian blinked once again before his eyebrows contracted darkly. “What the hell?! I will not dig any fucking pond for the fucking frog! I called you to dispose the damn thing!" Mister Davis remained completely calm, confronted with such an emotional outburst. “I’m really sorry Mister Kinney, but I am afraid I’m bound to the laws of conservation and the Rana esculenta is-" “What do you mean fucking bound?! You’re a goddamned vermin exterminator! It’s your fucking job to kill these things!" “Well actually,” A forefinger lifted for the second time that night, “I am not only an exterminator but also an honorary member of Pennsylvania’s biggest association for nature protection and landscape conservation." Brian growled. “And if you may excuse my bluntness,” The Englishman conjured a little business card out of his tweed jacket, "I am also the leader for the reduction of aggressions in your daily life. A tester hour is for free." Brian's death stare slowly melted a little hole between Mister Davis´ eyes. "Well then," The young man cleared his throat, adjusted his jacket, fetched his wood case and nodded politely with his head. “I think I’ll find the way out myself. And please don’t hesitate to consult me for any support or advice concerning the damp biotope.” Mister Kinney remained motionless, stared after the man till he had disappeared from the door, threw his pond plans on the floor furiously and slammed the terrace door shut. Finally, he slumped on the sofa for a necessary sedation-cigarette. …and it seemed to work wonderfully too, until a metallic sounding 'Rebbit-Rebbit' easily echoed through the mirrored glass doors. Damnedfuckingshit. ------------------------- On October the first there were oatmeal and raisins for breakfast and Justin threw both on the floor because he wanted toast with cream cheese. On October the second it rained in front of the window and Justin painted a beautiful prince with a water droplet on the nose. Miss Eterson wanted to hang it up but Justin tore the picture in half and furiously knocked over the box of crayons, before he hid under the table for three hours. On October the third it was Friday, there was pudding for dessert and Justin has thought about Christmas so much that he crawled under his bed to cry. On October the fourth he decided it was very comfortable under the bed and listened to the radio there the whole day. It was silver and the little buttons shined pretty in the darkness. On October the fifth two tall men came and lifted the bed up so that Blake and male nurse Schmidt could pull Justin out from under it. He screamed and wanted his butterflies and yellow wings because one didn’t have to use doors if they had yellow wings. He didn’t get any butterflies, but a syringe that stung and bit and made his eyes heavy like stones. Justin thought of Prian’s belly-button before he fell asleep. On October the sixth many people came. Dr. Bruckner, Miss Eterson and the man with the MARCUS nametag. Everyone chattered and chattered and nobody gave Justin the big key for the wall door. Justin looked out of the window and counted every white beet he ever ate at the prince’s beautiful castle. On October the seventh Nurse Sherman asked whether Justin had to do wee-wee into the toilet. Justin said "Fuck…fucking pissing." and made a big yellow puddle in the middle of his room. On October the eighth, Justin combed his blond hair for three hours; crying. Then he beat his head so hard against the mirror that it broke into a thousand shards. ----------------------- In the afternoon of October the eighth, nurse Blake didn’t go to his car in the parking lot after his shift, but walked across the street to ring the doorbell at the splendid door of a former Playboy mansion. It took almost five minutes until someone opened it for him. The man in the doorframe was tall, handsome and dirty from head to toe. “Hello. Are you Brian Kinney?" Brian looked at the blond man on his doormat critically. “Yes. What do you want?! I’m busy." “Yes. I can see that." Blake smiled. “Gardening? Looks like a …big project." Brian wiped a dirty hand across his forehead. “I’m digging a fucking pond." "Wow." Blake nodded and looked to the side. “Ah look…my name is Blake. I work over on the other side of the street." Brian's facial expression changed in a fraction of seconds, but he didn’t say a single word. “I am a nurse in Justin’s ward." “Hmm." Brian looked to his shoes and rubbed his neck. “Plake." Blake laughed briefly. “The former Plake. The P was revoked and I am punished with the bad B." Brian couldn’t find the humor in it. “But you…” Blake gestured a little nervously. “Ahm…you’re still Prian. Just in case you’re…well you know." He looked away and rubbed his neck too. Brian wasn’t sure what to say and wished he had his cigarettes. “I don’t know how well you know him. Justin I mean." Blake shifted uncomfortably from the right foot to the left. “According to what I’m told you visited him sometimes and I know the little one likes you. He smiles when he talks about you." Brian's face remained blank but he rubbed two fingers over the door knob. “And?" The nurse looked at the other man directly. “He’s not well. He’s suffering under the new… rules." Brian tore his head up sharply. “And what the fuck should I do about that?" “You could visit him." Brian held the look a moment before he looked away and shook his head. “I have to go now. I’d like to get done today." Blake pressed his lips tightly together and nodded. “Yes. Of course. I just wanted to…" He took a step back and turned to go. “Good luck with the pond." Brian slammed the door shut and cursed at the croaking frog in the garden for the next hour, while trying to lay out the gigantic black foil without any folds. -------------------- On October the 11th, Justin still had a big white bandage on his forehead and pushed Doctor Cameron’s bell again and again and again. He knew that there were far too many lines to actually build the word Prian but he didn’t like all the other words and rang and rang and called the prince name loudly until the syringe bit into his arm and his eyes grew heavy like stones. When they opened again, Justin wasn’t in the community room anymore and a big Tuna-Cheese Sandwich lay on his nightstand because it was, of course, supper time. "Yes…" Justin still felt tired and rubbed his left ear weakly. “Of course Justin hates… hates...tuna." And he looked at the stupid fish sandwich for a long time. Until his eyes were quite wet and blurred and he sobbed loudly. He then pushed his face back into the pillow but it didn’t smell like Prian anymore and of course he would never be able to eat meat from boxes and sit on a high wall again like the egg in wonderland. ------------------- In the evening of October the 11th, Brian stood on the terrace and smoked his second cigarette while Santos watered the last of the plants at the edge of the pond. And even though he hated the damn pond quite as much as the damn frog, which sat croaking in it’s middle, he couldn’t ignore the fact that together they looked astonishingly nice. Slantwise between the crippled pear tree and the stupid hydrangea. When Santos looked over to him and smiled seductively, Brian threw his cigarette away, went back into the house, put his jacket and shoes on, grabbed a box of pasta from the kitchen cupboard, and left his playboy castle to cross the street. Seven steps over black asphalt, through a big iron gate and a heavy entry door, 248 steps upstairs and straight ahead over the stinking corridor of ward four. Without looking to the left or the right, directly to a door that wasn’t green but was marked with the number 411. "Mister Kinney." Nurse Schmidt put a tray down on the cart and smiled broadly. “You haven’t been here in a while. It’s nice seeing you again." He brushed a hand through his dark hair. Brian didn’t even look at him. “Is his door locked?" “What?" Nurse Schmidt seemed a little confused. “Oh, you mean Justin's door? Yes, of course. Twenty-four hours as ordered. Only God knows what could’ve happened if it weren’t for you Mister Kin-" Brian didn’t have any desires to hear stories. Neither about himself nor about God. “You have the key?" “Absolutely!" The nurse smiled proudly. “Would you like to pay him a visit? It isn’t visiting time but I can make an exception if you would like to-" Brian rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Could you just open the fucking door?" Ted immediately unlocked the door and held it open for his favourite visitor. “There you are, Mister Kinney. When you want to leave, simply push the button right here next to the doorframe." “Hmm." Brian entered the little room with an ache in his stomach and closed the door behind him. It smelled of tuna, urine and Justin and all he could see was a big mess as far as the eye could see. He saw the slender boy sitting on the bed. Crying and wailing in front of a sandwich plate. Brian stopped in the middle of the room and didn’t have the chance to say anything before Justin looked in his direction with red rimmed eyes and a big bandage on his forehead. "Of course. Certain…” He sobbed bitterly and brushed a few blond hairs out of his face. “…certainly very hungry." Brian stayed where he was and pointed slightly forward with his hand. “Eat your Sandwich if you’re hungry." “No!" Justin cried more loudly and threw his right arm up in a defiant gesture, while his eyes showed pure despair. “Certain-nly Sat…Saturday!" Weeping, he let himself fall down, face first into a grey pillow. “Justin hate- hates tuna!" His voice was shrill and hardly understandable between deep sobs and muffled from the cheap cushion filling. Brian stepped closer, placed the noodle box he had brought on the nightstand, “Drama queen." Before he bent down a little to speak into Justin's ear. “And you’re also very rude. Aren’t you planning on telling me hello?" The boy listened to what he was told and pushed his nose deeper into the pillow with a loud wail. “The do-oor is closed!" “I know." Brian leaned his forehead against blond hair. “Certainly not into the castle!" Justin's voice once again changed into shrill tones. "Vis-visit!" “You wanted to pay me a visit?” “Ye-es!" Justin sobbed. „Of course…my P-Prian!" “Hmm." Brian watched himself as he wrapped blond hairs around his finger. “No. You can’t cross the street." Ten thin fingers cramped in the pillow on the left and right and pressed the soft material tighter against a puffy face. Brian stood upright and clapped Justin's head softly. “Stop it. You can’t breathe properly if you do that." But Justin was stubborn and didn’t change his position. Only when he heard Prian step away, did he turn his face a little to the side. The prince walked around the room, took a small silver box from his pocket, stopped and held it to his ear. “Yes, It’s me. Order me the usual from Kazuo and have it delivered to St. James. Yes." It made ´click’ and the prince put the box away again before sitting in the chair, over at the little table. It stood rather far away and Justin had to crane his neck to see Prian. It was difficult because he was still sobbing and sniffling and he didn’t want to actually move. Brian leaned back in the old chair and remained completely quiet, while staring at Justin directly. Justin stared back. With wet blue eyes, a thumb at red lips, and every few seconds sniffling sadly. It was really unbelievable what a princess the boy could be and after two minutes of silent staring, Brian raised his left eyebrow. “You know, if you get a visitor, you’re supposed to have a conversation with them." Was he? Justin sniffled again and let out a shuddering breath. Brian nodded his head in Justin’s direction. “What happened to your forehead?" Automatically, the boy turned his eyes up to be able to look at his forehead. “You have a bandage there." “Yes." Justin grabbed and felt it curiously. It was soft and stuck and stuck. Brian watched the boy for another minute before he said something again. “Come here. I want to see it." “Yeah." Justin looked up to the ceiling. “Justin." “Yes." “Get up and come over here." “Yes." A little awkward, the boy kneeled down, rocked in this position for a moment, rubbed his ear, and crawled backwards off the mattress. With little steps and his gaze held to the side, he toddled forwards and stopped right beside Brian's chair. Brian waved him closer with two fingers. “Show me your forehead." “Yes." Justin's look changed from the wall to the ceiling. Then he knelt on the floor directly in front of the prince’s legs and opened his mouth as far as he could. Brian smiled. “Not your teeth." He gripped Justin's chin, drew the thin face a little closer and used the other hand to wipe the long strands of hair to the side and examined the bandage. It was dirty and didn’t stick properly anymore. Carefully, he pulled at a loose corner and tried to look under it at the wound. It looked like a cut, not very big but quite deep. It seemed as if it had bled for some time and had now scabbed with reddened skin all around. “What did you hurt yourself on?" Justin still had his mouth wide open and tried to peer up at Prian’s fingers at his bandage. “Justin." Brian let go of the bandage and looked at the boy directly. “Did it hurt?" Did it? Yes, the mirror was rather bad and had… “…of course bitten." “What bit you?" “Yes. Certainly the mirror." Justin looked at where the mirror was placed on the wall. Now it was gone. “The mirror bit you?" “Yes. Of course always bites Justin…Justin Taylor." “Hmm. It’s called cutting. Mirrors don’t bite." “Yes.” Brian looked around the room. It was dirty, it smelled and he was beginning to wonder who was responsible for the room’s daily care. “When was the last time somebody came to clean your room?" When he didn’t get an answer, he looked at Justin, waiting. Justin stared back. With big, blue innocent eyes. “You don’t know?" Justin blinked twice. He thought the prince was so beautiful. Slowly, Brian was becoming slightly irritated by the boy’s position, kneeling on the floor between his legs. So he looked away in anger. “Get up. People don’t sit on the floor." "Yes." Justin got up clumsily and stood in front of the prince. Brian tapped his thigh. “Come here." Justin looked up. “Yes. Of course no…no free chair." He said and rubbed his nose. "Sit on Prian." Stiffly, he sat down on Prian’s lap. The older man looked at him in amusement and put an arm loosely around slim hips. “Hey." Justin looked blankly up to the ceiling. “Hello." He liked to sit on Prian’s legs. The prince was so warm and smelled of almonds and held him tightly and tightly. He wanted to sit here for ever and let out a little sigh before putting his head on Prian's shoulder. For a moment, Brian didn’t know how to react, but then forgot about his ´Mister Kinney doesn’t cuddle´ rule before bringing a hand casually to the back of Justin's head. And when the boy put one clumsy arm around him, he decided that it felt absolutely not lesbionic to sit with somebody like this. So he simply remained sitting with Justin's arm around his stomach, Justin's head on his shoulder and Justin's warm breath on his neck. Sometime his fingers began to stroke through blond hair and his own head tipped over a little to connect with the boys forehead. Justin was glad that the prince came to his tower and had broken down the thick wall door. He liked Prian so much. He tried to be quiet and not move because he could hear the even ba-bam ba-bam of Prian’s heart. And when the prince began to speak quiet words, it rumbled lovely in Prian’s throat and Justin thought of big purring cats, with brown silk fur and tickle-tongues. “You forgot your frog in my garden." Justin smiled. He liked the frog and the blue well water. Brian felt the boy grin against his neck and started to caress the soft hairs on Justin’s neck. “You like that, do you? Do you have any idea of the horrible noise the fucking toad makes all night? Some people need their beauty rest, you know?" As if testing, Justin poked his tongue against the nice smelling skin in the crook of Prian’s neck. It tasted like prince and sugar. Brian's eyes closed unconsciously for almost three seconds. “Fucking frog." Then he tore them up again and clapped Justin on the bottom. “Come on, get your jacket. We have to go outside for a little while.” “Yes." Justin didn’t move one millimetre. “Of course going for a walk. Many stones." Brian nevertheless shoved him off his lap. “Come on, where’s the jacket I’ve given to you?" "Yes." Justin didn’t want to stand. “Certainly very warm." “Hmm." Brian opened two closet doors, found what he was looking for and helped the kid to put it on. He closed the zipper, checked his own jacket for all his important things and pointed to a couple of old gym shoes under the shelf. “Put them on." “Yes. Of course into the castle. White beet with toast." The blond needed almost three minutes to put his shoes on. Brian waited patiently, took the plate with the tuna sandwich in one hand and held the other one out for Justin. “Press the button." “No." Of course Justin didn’t like the bell button and looked up to the ceiling uninterestedly. “If you don’t push it, we can’t go out." They couldn’t? Justin looked nervously to the window, then to the door and finally pressed the little button without looking at it. Brian squeezed Justin’s hand. “Good boy." “Yeah." Justin's belly got quite warm. “Justin." “Here I am." A voice could be heard, the tinkling of a key, and then the door was open and Nurse Schmidt stood broadly smiling in the corridor. “You want to go Mister Kinney?" “For a short walk." Brian explained, pushed the plate into the nurse’s hand and left the room with Justin in tow. “We’ll remain in the area and be back in fifteen minutes." “Okay." A little perplexed, Nurse Schmidt looked from his favorite visitor to the sandwich plate and back again. “No Problem." "Great. And who knows maybe you’ll even find someone who’ll clean Mister Taylor’s room in the meantime and pick up the dirty laundry." Theodore blinked. “Well…" “Oh and...” Brian turned around a last time and raised his finger in warning. "Nobody touches the book as long as we’re gone." “Yes.” Justin smiled blissfully as he held Prian’s strong hand and wound his hair around his finger with the other. He liked his book. “Of course Mister Kinney." Nurse Schmidt said slightly guilty and disappeared to find Isabella with the cleaning cart. ””””””””””””” The prince had walked down the stairs with Justin, over the long court entry and through the high iron gate. But right behind it they had stopped. On the sidewalk with the slit-stones. Justin wailed a bit and pulled on Prian’s hand. He really would’ve preferred to go… “…across the street." Brian lit a cigarette, took a long drag and shook his head as he blew the smoke out again. “Not today. We’re waiting here." Justin wailed louder and tugged even harder at the prince’s fingers. But they drew themselves only tighter around his hand. “Are you hungry?" Was he? Justin stopped wailing and looked down at his belly. It was hidden behind the thick silver jacket but he could feel it nevertheless. It was empty and rumbled and he really would’ve preferred to have… “…white beet.” He looked at the prince with big eyes. Brian blew the smoke aside and pointed with the cigarette in his hand to a car in the distance. “Yes. Your meal is being delivered by a car." It was? “Oooh." Fascinated, Justin watched as the little red car got closer and stopped rattling exactly in front of the tower. “This is Kazuo." The older one stuck his cigarette between his lips and used his free hand to pull his wallet out of his jacket. A slim man with black hair and thin eyes got out and held a bag up. “Kong Paow chicken? It’s twelve dolla´ and sixty cent, please." “Ha!" Justin laughed enthusiastically and grabbed for the bag. He knew exactly what was in it. White beet and meat in boxes. He liked box food! Brian nodded while paying and giving a generous tip before he let Justin carry the bag back into the tower. “Watch out, it’s hot." “Yes." Justin held the rustling bag very carefully and walked the whole way in a bent position, holding Prian’s hand because he wanted to sniff at the wonderful boxes somehow. “If you don’t look forwards, you’ll fall down the stairs." Brian pushed the glassy ward door open, walked with Justin through the long corridor and stopped in front of the nurses room. Immediately Nurse Schmidt appeared. “Mister Kinney! How was your walk? Isabella just finished Justin’s roo-" “Hmm." Brian grumbled and waved impatiently with his hand. “We need the jailer." “Jailer-Ah!" The nurse laughed and took the key off the board. “Always at your service, Mister Kinney!" “Great." Brian presented a fake smile and followed the nurse while rolling his eyes. Justin toddled away behind him, his full attention turned towards the bag. “There you go.” Schmidt held the door open with a big smile. “Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you, sir." Brian pushed Justin into the room and took the bag away from him. "You can have the food when you’re done taking off your jacket and shoes." The boy looked shocked for a moment, but then bent down to untie his shoes. Brian addressed the male nurse with his best business tone. “Are you authorized to change bandages, Theodore?" Full of pride, the nurse grew up two sizes. “Yes, of course Sir. That is one of my many jobs here." “Good. Then you’ll surely agree with me that Mister Taylor’s bandage should be changed." Schmidt looked from his favorite visitor to Justin's forehead and back again. “Absolutely, sir. I’ll arrange that immediately." "Not immediately. Mister Taylor will eat first. You can do it afterwards." Brian decided and turned his attention back to Justin to help the boy with the zipper of his jacket. “And leave the door open. I’m on my way home." This wasn’t Mr Schmidt’s favorite thing to hear but he nodded anyways and pulled the door shut only halfway when he left the room. “Of course, Sir." “Into the closet." Brian held the jacket out for Justin, pointed to the wardrobe and started to unpack the plastic bag on the table. Justin needed two minutes to put the big silver jacket on the hanger and close the wardrobe doors. Then he stopped uneasily next to the table. Three white boxes stood there and smelled like wonderful prince food. Full of hope, he looked up to Prian. Brian pointed at the chair. “Sit down. You want to use the chop sticks?" "Of course. Certainly wood." Justin really didn’t want to eat with wood sticks and put a finger into an open box. “Ooh." The food was soft and all warm. He licked his finger and smacked his lips noisily. Brian smiled. “Good?" Justin dug excitedly for a white beet, fished it out and carefully licked the brown sauce off while looking at the prince attentively. Brian nodded and pointed to Justin's bedside table where he had put the noodle box. “See what I’ve brought?" The boy followed with his eyes. "Ha!" He laughed happily. “Butterflies!" It was so nice in the tower today! The prince was there and so many boxes! Food in boxes and butterflies in boxes. He wanted to go and look whether all of them were yellow or not. "Sit down and eat." Brian held him by the shoulder. “Tomorrow I’ll come back and bring cord." Justin said nothing. He only looked up to Prian, held a white beet in front of the prince’s mouth and poked his own tongue out in expectation. Mister Kinney looked down at the greasy soy sprout, critically. “It’s unhygienic to eat with your fingers." But opened his mouth anyways and ate out of the boy’s hand. Justin stared at Prian’s mouth fascinated and tried to push his finger between the closed lips. He wanted to see where Prian’s tongue was. Brian turned his head away. “Your necklace is gone, Justin. You know where it is?" “Yes." Justin concentrated on his boxes again and found a piece of meat. Of Course his beautiful treasured jewellery was… “….not under the pillow anymore." "Yes, it’s in the trash because it was wet and disgusting. You puked all over it.” "Hh!" The boy’s head jerked up alarmed. “I’ll bring cord tomorrow. Then you can make a new one." Could he? Justin looked at the prince suspiciously. Of course it was very… “…very difficult." Brian bent down and whispered in Justin’s ear. “If you promise not to tell, I’ll help you." Attentively Justin listened to what the prince said to him. "Yes." And nodded then seriously. Brian kissed his temple and whispered once again. “That’s my boy." “Yeah." Justin leaned proudly into Prian’s touch. “Justin." “Look at me." The boy turned his head and looked at Prian with big, blue eyes. Brian smiled "Later." Before kissing Justin directly on the mouth and walking away. Justin looked after him, surprised and a bit frightened. He didn’t want the prince to go. He would’ve preferred to… “…sleep with Prian.” Brian stopped in the doorframe and turned around. “No sleeping. Eat." “Eat with Prian?" Brian really hated the innocent hopeful eyes that stared at him and looked down to the floor, before he shook his head. “I have to go. Eat your white turnips." “Yes. Certainly white beet." “What ever.” Brian rubbed his neck. “When’s visiting time?" “Yes. Of course two…two pm." Brian nodded. “I’ll be back tomorrow at 2 pm." Justin looked a little worried from Prian to his blue magic alarm clock. Of course it was a very long time until tomorrow. When he looked back to the door again, the beautiful prince had disappeared. …and all that was left was a thick, cold wall.