"Mama!" Jimaine ran into trailer, her brothers on her tail. "Stefan pushed me!"
"Nuh uh, she pushed me first," he said, looking angrily at his sister.
What Margali wouldn't give for a quiet night. They'd spent the day out playing amicably, so it was only a matter of time before one did something to the other. "Alright, both of you in time out. Opposite corners please!" They whined as they went to their respective corners in the trailer.
"I didn't do anything Mama!" her youngest argued, pulling on her shirt.
"I know that, liebling," she said, taking his hand little three fingered hand. "That's why I didn't punish you. But I think it is time to relax, ja? Come." She led him to the couch for some quiet time. This one was the easiest going of her three, but was also apt to get over stimulated and then he had a hard time settling. They'd all be off to bed soon enough, so it was wind down time.
"How come Kurtie doesn't have to be in a corner," Jimaine whined.
"He didn't do anything," Margali told her. "Now hush. When time out is over we will talk about this." She took a seat, pulling the little blue boy into her lap. He was so cuddly, since he was a baby, he was the one who always wanted to sit with Mama. It was difficult at times, especially when he was younger, to accommodate, though as he got older, she appreciated more and more that he wanted to spend time with her. Her elder two were less inclined.
His nose wrinkled at what played on the tv. "News?" he sighed. "I wanna watch Bugs Bunny."
"It's not on," she told him. "And it's important to know what's going on in the world." She rubbed his back, barely paying any attention to the television. "Tell me about what you did today." She listened as he went on about his day, and about everything they did.
"Look at her!" She snapped her head to Stefan, who had interrupted Kurtie. She was about to remind him he was in time out, when the boy in her lap jumped down and moved to the television.
His eyes were wide, his mouth open. "She's blue," Stefan continued. Jimaine turned her attention to the television as well. Margali reached over and turned up the volume, hearing the end of the story. Something about 'mutants' and America. The story ended and the picture left the screen.
Kurtie's brow furrowed. "Bring it back," he said, turning to his mother. "Put her back on!"
"I can't liebling," she told him.
"She's like me, Mama!" he said, excitedly. "She's blue and she's like me!"
Margali had not seen Kurtie so excited in a long time. He buzzed, bouncing on his feet, his tail swaying as he still stared where he'd last seen the woman on television. "She is," she agreed, though Margali knew nothing about this woman and didn't want to encourage anything. But she couldn't help but feel happy for her son in that moment.
~&Q~
She'd expected him to forget about the blue woman in the next few days, but he didn't. He'd managed to collect newspapers and magazines that were left behind, with her in them, and hoarded them in his room. He cut her out and pasted her on the wall in his bunk. To an extent, Margali worried he was obsessing. His focus was on finding out as much information as he could.
"Look Mama!" he came home with another few magazines. "Hans said he found these in town and he brought them for me!"
"How nice," she said, as the boy went straight to his bunk to read and clip. "Where are your brother and sister?"
He shrugged, his tail tapping as he worked. "At the river I think. Stefan said that they were going to try to catch bullfrogs."
"That sounds like fun!" she said, kneeling down to speak eye to eye. "Why don't you join them?"
He shook his head. "I'm working," he told her. It was cute, a seven year old claiming to be working.
"Don't you think you have enough?" she asked. There were only a few distinct pictures of this woman, which were reprinted in every periodical. He now had many multiples of the same images and it seemed unhealthy.
"Mama, nein!" he shook his head. "Look!" he pointed at another copy of the same picture they'd already seen. "See?"
She raised a brow. "See what, liebling?"
"She has eyes like me too!" he said happily, clipping that out with his scissors.
"It's all very interesting," she admitted.
He nodded. "And her name is Raven," he told her. "That's what the papers say. And she can change how she looks, but she looks like me."
Margali furrowed her brow. "Liebling, I know you are excited," she started.
"Can I write her a letter?!" he asked her, eyes full of hope.
"I don't know where to send it," she told him. His expression fell, and she reached a finger to caress his cheek. "Write it, liebling, and I will try."
He smiled again, jumping out of his bed to the kitchen table, grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil on the way. His tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth, he went to work and spent the rest of the afternoon carefully crafting his letter. He started and restarted, wearing down the eraser on his pencil and having to dig out another one. He had to stop several times to ask her for spelling. As it was getting late, and she was starting on dinner, he brought it to her triumphantly, asking for an envelope. She took the letter from him, promising she'd do her best, then ushered him out to play with his siblings for the last remaining moments of daylight.
As soon as he was gone, curiousity got the best of her. She sat at the kitchen table, unfolding the letter, and smiling at the childish handwriting. Kurtie's handwriting was especially difficult, given the odd orientation of his hands. She knew this was an invasion of his privacy, but she couldn't help herself as she read:
Dear Mrs. Raven,
Hello. My name is Kurt Wagner and I am seven. My birthday was only two weeks ago. I saw you on tv and I saw you are blue and I wanted to tell you that I am blue too. Just like you! The only difference is I have a tail and I am a boy.
I live in Germany with my mama and brother and sister but none of them are blue like us. I want to meet you, but you are busy saving people and that's good. If you ever come to Germany you should come to meet me please.
Love,
Kurt Wagner
PS: Mama said I may get a puppy when I turn eight, so if you visit I will let you play with him.
Margali smiled sadly, folding the letter and stuffing it back in the envelope. She was happy her son had found someone he had this in common with. Though the obsession was much, it was important to him. And that made it important to her.
She stuffed the envelope in her drawer. She had no idea if she could ever find a way to send it, but she would try. If it was her baby boy's wish to meet this woman, she would do what she could to make it happen.
~&Q~
Yeah this is the third fic I have done on this. I can't help myself!