Noe: Just for all those "Non-Joly" people, which they shouldn't be
reading this story, he is a hypochondriac, and if you don't know what that
means, too bad for you, 'cause you won't get the story. Try reading Les Mis
before reading stories about the characters in the book, smart one. Geez, I
wouldn't have to write this if you knew about Joly. Now for the story. Oh, and
I don't own any of the charactors, and probably never will, and Victor Hugo
does, just so you know. I am only making them do my evil biddings.
****
The sun was just above his head as Joly walked down the street to the cafe. He
squinted, looking for the entrance down the road. There seemed to be a crowd
gathered around it. Probably another of Grantaire's doings. As he neared the
entrance he saw that his assumption was correct. Grantaire's was in one of his
drunken stupors. Grantaire saw him and waved. Joly ducked behind the crowd,
trying to avoid him. Several people stared at him and pointed.
Enjoras walked up from behind him, looked at his face, and asked him,
"What is that on your face? It's all black and nasty. Is it some kind of
disease?"
Joly felt his face. His cheeks were a little bumpy. He thought of all the
diseases that could have those symptoms. It could be leprosy, maybe the plague,
maybe even thallium poisoning. If it was thallium poisoning then soon his hair
would start to fall off! He felt his head and a few hairs fell to the ground.
"Oh my god! I've been poisoned!" he yelled as he ran down the street.
People stared at him blankly as they watched him retreat.
****
Joly walked over to the door. He had been in bed for four days now, and the
darkness under his eyes had gone away. His hair hadn't fallen out and he didn't
die. He probably was one of the survivors of the poisoning.
He headed back to the cafe pondering where he had got the poisoning. Maybe it
was that wine he had that same very day. Who would have poisoned his drink with
thallium? Who had access to it? These questions made Joly's head spin. As he
arrived at the cafe, he was even more confused. He had gone through the list of
students at the cafe, who had access to the thallium, and none of them could
have done it.
Enjoras motioned him to come sit at his table. Grantaire asked from across the
room, "What did you have this time? Leprosy? Cholera?"
"I was poisoned with thallium. It makes your skin all black and bumpy,
then your hair falls out, and then you die." Answered Joly.
Then Enjoras asked, "You still have all your hair. Where you of the lucky
survivors?"
"I think that I didn't take in enough thallium to make it progress to the
next stage, though I did lose a few strands of hair. Luckily I only turned
black under the eyes, so it must have been a small piece ingested."
Reasoned Joly. Enjoras muttered something and Grantaire, now standing next to
him, burst out laughing.
What he had said was, " Maybe not enough sleep, Monsieur Thallium
Poisoning." And what Joly caught was, "Maybe.....
sleep.......Thallium......"
That's when Joly started to suspect Enjoras. He tried to make the sentence make
sense. He thought of a sentence that would fit. "Maybe he will sleep for
ever when we give him more thallium stuff." The thought scared Joly out of
his wits. Why was Grantaire laughing at such a thing? Maybe they were in it
together. Meanwhile, back in the cafe, Joly had turned a ghostly white.
"What's wrong Joly? Have you seen a ghost?" Asked Grantaire. Joly
replied, "N-no-n-n-no sir." Enjoras then asked, "Do you need
some thallium, whatever it is?"
With that remark Joly got up and bolted out the door. As he was running he
thought about what was happening. Why were his friends turning on him? They all
had been very nice to him. He hadn't done anything to them.
****
Of course, nothing of what Joly suspected was true, and his reasoning just made
him worry more. He hid in his bed for a couple of days, until he got enough
nerves to go out on the streets. He remembered that Enjoras was the one who had
asked him about his face in the first place. Grantaire was there too, waving at
him, while in a drunken stupor.
So he went to the cafe.
He burst in through the door and, as usual, only a few people noticed.
Grantaire asked, "What did you have now? Ghost face syndrome?"
Someone put his hand on Joly's shoulder. It was Enjoras. Joly backed away from
him and bumped into Grantaire. "What was that for? Have you had too much
wine?" asked Grantaire. Joly ran and hid in a corner of the cafe. Enjoras
took Grantaire aside and talked to him in a low whisper.
After much talking, they brought over a wine bottle and offered it to Joly.
Enjoras said, "May the wine of friendship never run dry." Joly
thought about the wine. It could be poisoned with anything. He decided that he
would take a chance. Eyeing them suspiciously as he took a sip, he tried to see
any signs of mischief.
There were none. He decided that he would try another test. "Have some
too." Joly told Enjoras and Grantaire. They complied. Now all suspicion
was gone. He asked, "What was the joke you said after I got over being
poisoned?" Grantaire answered, "It doesn't matter anymore. Lets just play
dominos!"
****
"4"
"6"
"5"
"3"
"No! Can't play!"
"4"
"2"
"6"
"Pass."
"Yes. Pass me the wine too."
This continued through the night, and after getting hopelessly drunk, they left
to their homes to get some rest, but before leaving a song ensued;
"The wolves suspect
The martyr's glare
And the flare of guns
Shall bring dark and death
The night is coming fast
The bears confide
The martyr's pride
And the falcon's blight
Shall bring sleep and make
The dawn is coming fast
The oyster's tear
The martyr's near
The end of days
The metal rings
With evil and good
Until he falls upon
The pile of people
Growing fast
The dream for him is over."
For them the dream was starting. As the remainder of the people in the cafe
left, Joly left with them, staggering from side to side, rubbing his forehead
with his cane.