There was a church on the road leading to the school. Malcolm walked past beside it every day, but he never dealt with it particularly. His family wasn't religious, they didn't go to church or such things. However, in this afternoon en route to home he craned at the building. He was just observing the white coloured walls, after toke a few vague steps and pushed in the heavy wooden doors.
It was a typical old-style church, made of wood, and the paint wore off in few place well-observably. The orange sun shined through the high windows and showed the surging motes in the air.
Malcolm was strolling between the empty benches. A man appeared from the backpart of the church., he was wearing black shirt and glasses. When he saw Malcolm, willing turned to him.
„Can I do something for you?" He asked.
„Hmmm" Malcolm pressed his lips and scratched his ear. „In fact I have never been… "
„You have never been in church?" The priest finished his sentence.
„Well, yes." Malcolm confessed.
„Really, I have never seen you here yet. But you seem familiar." He brooded and set his glasses.
„I go home on this road, next to the church." Malcolm said.
„Really, I remember now. You have two brothers, a younger and an older, don't you?" He asked.
„That's why I… came." Malcolm stammered.
„One of them… my little brother had accident, and… and it's my false. " Malcolm hung his head.
„It"s a terrible thing." The priest said and scratched his chin. „Sit down, allright?" He said finally and showed at a bench. Malcolm toke place on the brink of it.
„Just tell me what happened." The priest smiled at him.
Malcolm told the all sad story, from beginning to the end. While he was watching the priest's face to see what's his reaction, but that just carefully listened him.
„Terrible." He mumbled when Malcolm finished. „So now you think that all happened through you. "
Malcolm nodded: „If I wouldn't have done, there would be nothing wrong. Moreover I was shouting at him, when we left. But… I really love him."
The priest set his glasses and started. „Many times we don't realise how important is something or somebody in the life and how much we cling to him. Only when he went wrong. Sorry, we can't turn back the time, we can just hope everything will fall out well."
„But what am I to do?" Malcolm asked.
„God always forgives and you also regret it. " He answered and looked in Malcolm's face. „I will pray for your brother to be better." He promised.
Malcolm was lost in his mind for few seconds, after he sighed.
„Thank you." He got out finally and stood up to go home.
„I'm happy, if I can help you." The priest smiled at him and escorted him to the gate.
Malcolm thanked once again and stepped out, to the autumn sunshine. His conscience didn't remit, and didn't feel himself much better, but he was happy of that somebody else cares Dewey too.

Reese was walknig toward the school with head down. He didn't like going here, he didn't reallya have friends. In the fourth grade they were friends with a boy, but that moved off soon and he remained alone again.
He turned on the corner and the blue gate of the school appeared in front of him, but he simply walked away. He was kicking a tin came his way, until it rolled into the canal. At home he often beat his brothers, but in the real they were who talked with him, and he really loved them. When Malcolm got in the Krelboyne class, he had business every day with who gibed at his brother. Whem Malcolm eventually knew the thing, and aggrated it smiling, of course Reese made as if he didn't understand the whole, deep in his heart, he was happy. He really loved Dewey, but as the oldest brother, at least at home, he could nver demonstrate it. Most times if his little brother needled him, he just beat him.
Before he would have known where he was, he was plodding along the downtown. Businessmen in suit were running beside him, impatient drivers were honking, while the crowded bus were laining in the traffic jam. But Reese avoided them as a deaf-mute. On the end of pavement he saw the white building of the hospital few corners far.
When the were able, either member of the family always sat next to Dewey's bed, but Reese was sure int hat his parents aren't there at this early hour. He walked through the stop-light compelling a driver to brake suddenly.
„Hey kid, are you crazy?" An suit-man shouted at him across the street, but Reese didn't hear him. He was walking forward as neither an army could stop him.
As automatic door of the hospital, he got a whiff of the corroding smell of antispetics. Not a solitary one was before Dewey's room. Reese was slinking to the door and entered silently.
Dewey was laying with vacat face, his chest raised at each breath.
Reese threw his bag into the cornerand flopped down one of the chairs.
„Hi Dewey." He said and stroked Dewey's blonde hair.

„Malcolm, Malcolm!" Reese's form master was running to the boy who was talking with Stevie on a bench.
„Good morning!" Malcolm greeted when the teacher stopped next to them.
„Don't you know where is your brother?" The teacher asked with black look.
„I think in the school, why?" Malcolm shrugged his shoulders.
„Reese didn't take part in the first lesson. Did you come to the school together?" He asked accusingly.
„No, he went away earlier." He said and threw his sandwich on the table.
„I have to speak your parents." He announced and turned on his heels.
„Wait!" Malcom gave a jump and ran after the teacher. „Can I go?"
„Comewith me if you want." He replied incidentally.
The school staff's room was almost empty. The most teacher went for an airing to the schoolyard like Malcolm. The form master reached for the phone, while Malcolm was watching him from a few steps apart.

Lois should have worked in the afternoon today, so she would have liked to visit Dewey in the hospital. He already grasped his reticule when the phone rang in the kitchen.
„Yes?" She answered the phone, while her other hand was delving in the bag for the keys.
„Good morning! Excuse me for interruption, I'm Reese's form master. I called you beacause Reese didn't appear in the school today."
„Sorry, I didn't understand." Lois' eyes narrowed.
„Reese isn't in the school." The teacher replied again.
Lois toke a deep sigh and stroked her nape.
„However he isn't at home either." She said.
„I understand Mrs. Wilkerson, but I have to warn you, if Reese skips the school again, he has to stay in a form for a second year."
„I can guarantee, he will get his gruel, when he arrives." Lois said urgently.
„Allright. Goodbye Mrs. Wilkerson. " The teacher hung the phone.
Lois slapped the phone down furiosly. Sheforgot what she wanted to do before the talking. She had only Reese's punishment in mind. Then suddenly a thought srushed into her mind.
Ehat if Resse got injured. If she will lose her other son too. He flopped down to the kitchen table. She saw ahead as Reese is lying in the hospital room next to Dewey. She was obsessed by the desperation and her anger slipped away in a tick.

Malcolm didn't meet with Reese's teacher in the rest of his day, and he totally forgot it slowly, after all he knew Reese well.
But arriving home he found his mother and father worried in the kitchen.
„Mom, what happened? What's wrong with Dewey?" He asked quickly and throw his backpack onto the chair.
„Your brother disappeared." Hal answered instead his wife.
„I know, his teacher questioned me too. I'm sure he just skipped the school, as usual." He shrugged his shoulder and stepped to the fridge to drink some milk.
„No! I know something happened with him." Lois faltered out.
Malcolm realised know that thereis no trace of the customar anger in her voice.
„Calm down honey. He will go home. It's not the first case." Hal triedto comfort her.
„We must call the police." Lois said and suddenly jumped to the phone.
„Are you sure it's a good idea? You know how the police handle Reese." Hal camebefore his wife.
„hal, what do you think what should I do? My little baby is in trouble." It seemed, Lois would be able to lacerateanybode who holds her up, tears were already gathering in the corner of her eyes.
„Okay." Hal groaned and stood away.
Malcolm was backing out from the kitchen toward their room almost on tiptoe and closed the door silently. He heard her mother's ravaged voice outside yet.
„Yes, I'm again, but now it's something else."
Malcolm toke a deep breath and laid on Reese's empty bed. He felt like he wouldn't have slept for days. What if Mom's fear proves true, and he will remain alone. Reese disappeared, Dewey will never wake up, Francis is in the military school. He will be alone forver.
He rolled on his side and closed his eyes. He had a lot of homework for tomorrow, but he wasn't interested. He heard his parents' talking yet, when he fell into a slumber.

He was roused by his mother's yell.
„Reese!"
He quiclky looked out the window, it was pitch-dark in the street. He sneaked to the door and peeked out. His parents were standing in the kitchen, but the previous worry disappeared from their face. Hal leant onto the tabletop nervous, and he has never seen Lois so angry. Reese in his green coat, was standing next to the coach, in semi-darkness of the kitchen lamp.
„Are you crazy?!" lois shouted, her fingers were spastidally grasping the chair-back, her head turned red.
Hal stroked his messy hair.
„We were scared you injured. "Hal interrupted.
„Do you think that you can skip the school? Do you want to chaw up your future? You are lucky you weren't expelled."
As Reese wouldn't have heard his mother's explosion. He was rivetting his eyes on the wall, keeping a stiff upper lip. Lois toke a deep breath. It already seemed she finished, but she didn't.
„Just tell me, are you interested in your future. Isn't it enough which happened with your little brother, neither you can be good."
Now Reese raised his head and looked at his mother with red, heavy-eyed.
„And what will be with Dewey's future? " He said, evidently on the edge of crying. As Malcolm watched his brother's face, he tought that Reese will start to yell with Hal and Lois. But Reese gave them the slip, whom words stuck in their throat. Reese tossed away the eavesdropper Malcom and closed himself into the bathroom with a loud bang.
Lois turned away and gazed out to the backyard mutely. Hal was pulling his blue tie.
„I talk with him." He groaned.
„Go to the living room, son." He asked Malcolm who was lurching in the door. Then he closed the door and fluttered to the floor leaning against the door of the bathroom.
„Reese?" Hal said faintly, but he heard only his son's sniffle and gasping.
„Just liten son." Hal continued, however he couldn't know if Reese heard him or not. „Thi.. this is a hard time for all of us. For you, for Mom, for Malcom, for Francis… and for me."
He paused for a moment, the crying whited in the bathroom, Hal know that Reese is attending to him.
„Which happened with Dewey, that's a terrible thing. But int he life, you mustn't let anything crash you."
Why you said that, as you neither believe it. – It crossed his mind, but Hal banished the thought.
„You must know, we will always be with you. We will never leave you alone." The tears sprang to his eyes, he dried them up and continued.
„Anyway, it doesn't necessarily follow that Dewey… he might be better now. We didn't visit him today."
The door handle turned down and the peaky-faced Reese appeared in the hole.
„But I did." He said and wiped his dripping nose.
Hal answered nothing, simply hugged his son tightly, and they were just sitting for minutes.