So, a few days nothing written. It's good for a change. But the price for that are new ideas. That's why I don't want to keep you long with useless talk. Have fun with chapter 6.

Greetings Petit Erik


30.12.2021

For three days Jenny went back to work. And because her brothers were eager to see Paris, the Phantoms would be alone in the house again today. At 7:30 Jenny took the metro into the city. She worked in a facility with disabled people. Some might find this work too hard but Jenny loved her job. She was a trained special needs nurse and enjoyed working with disabled people. But she was especially fond of the deaf-blind. She admired how these people could understand and find their way around despite their limitations. And because she also liked learning languages, she had voluntarily taught herself the Lorm alphabet and sign language. Although her work was exhausting and also tiring, she enjoyed it to the fullest. So while she was at work, her brothers were watching Paris and there were 20 maestros sitting in her house, not really knowing what to do.

"Well, we could go out in the snow again. Personally, Erik enjoyed it very much. He felt like a child, which was finally allowed to let out once" spoke up the same.

"Hm yes, I see what you mean," Crawford replied, "I felt the same way. That we were finally allowed to do what we had been denied for so long."

Suddenly Panaro jumped to his feet.

"So it's decided," he said, "we're going out. Gentlemen, please get your coats!"

And already he had disappeared upstairs to the second floor and the others also quickly ran to their rooms and took out their winter coats. Then everyone went outside and it could finally start.

Already Erik made a few snowballs and fired them mercilessly. Each ball hit its intended target and a wild snowball fight ensued. Anyone watching at that moment would have seen 20 grown men chasing each other in the snow like toddlers. After returning the favor to Erik, the men split up. Each side ten of them. Then each side had quickly built a castle of snow to protect themselves and the snowball fight continued. And because Jere and Dominik stayed away until the afternoon or early evening, they could take their time. But after a while everyone was frozen through, even Erik, who had an antipathy to heat and cold, was cold. So they all went back inside to warm up.

They hung up their coats to dry and put their boots under the heaters.

"Now you'd need a nice hot bath to relax in," Gerry said, to which he received murmurs of agreement.

"Didn't Jenny mention that this house doesn't have a pool in the basement?" asked Mackintosh.

Borchert then spoke up: "Sure there is. Two floors below us there's a huge pool where everyone would have room in it, even if the ladies came too. And it's always well heated," he added with a wink.

When the word 'heated' was mentioned, everyone in the room was alert and stood up. Then they all marched briskly toward the third basement floor. Kari opened the door and let out a whistle.

"Wow," he said, "this is huge. And warm it is, too. Gentlemen, I'll get my clothes and be right back."

With that, he was gone. The others, after a brief inspection of the room, also made the same decision Kari had made.


A short time later, the opera spirits were sitting or lying enthusiastically in the huge pool. Lerik had even brought his snorkel with him and was now making his rounds underwater in the large pool. Grinning, Kerik stood up and put a hand on the hole of the snorkel. Suddenly a bony hand shot up and dragged him away. Laughing, he lowered himself back onto his heel under the water. And even the others couldn't hold back their grins. So the OG's relaxed with relish in the huge pool in the second basement of Jenny's house. And one has to admit that even Jenny had already used this service of relaxing.

Soon it was 16:30 and Jenny had finished work. Done but happy she got on the train and went home. Then take a hot bath in the pool, she thought to herself with pleasure. Soon she was home and could hardly wait to be in the house. She quickly looked in the mailbox, where there was a letter today. She quickly took it out without looking where it came from and went into the house. After hanging up her coat and putting down her shoes, she went into the living room to check on the opera ghosts. But there was no sign of them. Instead, she saw all the coats and shoes, which were spread out under the heaters. So they had been outside and now they had certainly discovered the pool. Jenny went downstairs to the third basement and leaned her ear against the door. From inside she clearly heard men's voices and it was clear that these voices belonged to the 20 maestros in her house. Quickly she ran to her own room, got her bathing clothes, changed and then quietly ran back downstairs. Then, as quiet as a mouse, she opened the door, closed it again, and approached the still unsuspecting opera ghosts. Then she took a running start, did a somersault and jumped into the water.

The gentlemen were so surprised and shocked that they were speechless at first. Then, when Jenny emerged from the water, grinning broadly, they all looked at her in total bewilderment. But when she still did not stop grinning, at some point the others grinned, which then broke out in a resounding laugh.

"So guys, which one of you came up with the idea of down here?" asked Jenny.

Mackintosh answered her: "Well, I remembered that you had sort of mentioned something like that once, and when I asked, Borchert confirmed it."

"And then you all marched down here, huh?" asked Jenny to the group, which just grinned at her. So they all stayed down there for some time, and when their brothers came back, they also went downstairs, because of course they also knew about the underground pool.

Some time later, they all went back upstairs to dry off and put on new clothes. Then they all returned to the living room.

"We should do something like this more often," Crawford said, "especially after composing, it can be nice and relaxing."

"I think so," Dominik said, "or after a stressful day at work it can help too."

"Then I'd have to do it every day," said Jenny, who then received only laughter from the group.

Gerry then said: "Or you'll build something like that into everyone's bathroom?"

"Well, sure something else. And next we'll add a diving tower and slide, right?" shot back Jenny.

Gerry pondered. "Hmm, why not actually? It's not a bad idea. Hey!" he shouted as a pillow came flying from the opposite sofa, which he immediately threw back.

Jere meanwhile asked Jenny: "Say Jen, did you actually open your letter?"

"Nope, not yet. Why?" "Well, because it looks like something important."

"Well, I'll go get it then," Jenny grumbled as she stood up.


A short time later she returned with the letter. She opened it and read through it, growing paler with each piece. By the time she finished, there were tears in her eyes. She slammed the letter down on the table and ran upstairs to her room. Meanwhile, the others looked at each other in surprise and shock.

"What does the letter say?" asked Jere Dominik. The latter took the letter and read it to everyone else, because the opera spirits were also curious about it, which brought tears to Jenny's eyes.

"Dear Ms. Stefanová,

we are pleased to inform you that we have found a follow-up appointment for you. Your appointment will be Monday, September 12, 2022. Please be there at 10:00. Your exam will be approximately 4 hours. Please bring plenty to drink for this. Also, please bring your ID and documents from your surgery to this appointment so we can compare it to our records. We wish you and your family a good start into the new year. Your University Hospital Dresden."

After Dominik finished reading, there was a dead silence in the large living room. No one dared to say anything.

After a while Piterman said: "That's what she had meant a week ago when we arrived. When she had said that she didn't burst into pity at her fate either. Maybe that fate was her surgery. Do you know anything about it?" he asked the brothers.

They looked at each other briefly and then explained: "When Jenny was 17 years old, she found out that she had a crooked spine. After first seeing an orthopedist, we were then referred to the university in Dresden. And he then determined that her spine was curved to 52° and that only surgery would help there, not a medical brace."

Dominik ended his speech with a sigh to hand over the floor to Jere.

The latter said: "Of course it was a shock for everyone, especially for Jenny. After she found out that she could be in a wheelchair at the age of 25 if she doesn't have surgery, it was pretty intense for her. She never would have thought that things would be so bad for her health."

Dominik continued afterwards: "The doctor had given her a short time to think about it and left the room. Then, when I saw Jenny sitting there like that, it really almost brought tears to her eyes and mine. At that moment you really felt how all her dreams had collapsed. But she had made her decision for herself. When the doctor came back in, she had told him that she wanted to have surgery."

Jere took his word for it: "She didn't want to have the operation right away, but in the summer when there were long vacations and she could recover during that time then. The doctor agreed and her appointment was set for July 4. After everything was settled, we were allowed to go home after that."

When everything had been told, there was silence in the living room. Everyone had to digest this information first.


"That's why she doesn't treat us with compassion. Because she didn't treat herself with compassion," Lewis said.

"That's right," Jere said, "she kept going just like she was before. She didn't let it get her down. And then when it was her surgery day, she sent us a photo early on where she was smiling broadly. And after her operation was over, she had a very strong will to be able to do everything again that she could do before. And she did it, which we and our parents are totally proud of."

"I remember the first time we went to see her and mom said, "She's not out of the hospital in a week." And we had thought the same thing too but when we came back Saturday, she could already stand on her own. That's when we really saw her iron will. And when it was Wednesday the following week, we picked her up. Although she still had to recover and rest a lot, but with time she got stronger and stronger and was able to do all the things again that she used to be able to do. And because we couldn't go on vacation in the summer of that year, we went in the fall instead."

'Dome' finished his narration with a proud sparkle in his eyes.

Jere continued: "And when she happily finished her education this year and moved here, which had always been her dream, and then she met you rascals soon after," at this he sent a wink to the phantoms, who replied, "we saw that she still fulfilled her dreams, albeit with an impairment."

Dome replied: "Although she doesn't feel impaired. She works like a normal person who you wouldn't normally notice if you didn't know, and she doesn't want to be treated with pity because of it."

"She just feels like a normal person without any impairment," Gerry said.

"Exactly and I think that's exactly how she wants you to feel" the twins replied to him.