Ok, so I've finally finished this part. I'll keep the note very short; this was a hard chapter. I may go back and edit it later, but for now it'll have to do. Enjoy!
Please Review if you'd like.
July 1992
(Pt. 1)
"Germany Germany! Can we go pet the Sheep Germany! Please, let's go pet the sheepies! Baa!"
The red headed tugged his tall friend's arm like a little kid. Even though they were both adults, the short Italian always acted like a child bothering his mother. His friend did not appreciate being the mother.
"Nein, you dumkopf! Ve were just there five minutes ago!"
It was tiring, having to put up with Italy for the entirety of the Scottish Games. It was a festival hosted by America, and Germany just wanted to look around and experience the entire thing. So far, aside from the Shetland Ponies, all he had seen were those damn sheep!
"Oh come on Doitsu!"
"Don't call me zat! And by ze vay, we're supposed to be incognito. Call me Ludwig." He growled as his companion started playing with his hand.
"Ve~ Ok Loodwig! Can we go pet the sheepies now?" He grinned up at his friend who clenched his teeth and snarled.
"How about this, you go play with the sheep and I'll go do what I want to do vithout jou pestering me!"
Before the redhead could respond, his friend had pulled his hand from his grip and was walking briskly toward the medieval weapons display.
"Ve~," He sighed sadly, then his eyes brightened and he was off back to his sheep "I'm coming Sheepies!"
(pt 2)
She was sipping her coke and minding her own business, when a man about her age nearly slammed into her.
"Hey!" She yelled after him, sputtering through her drink. "Get back here and apologize!" She put her hands on her hips and pointed at him. The man turned around for a brief second, but just turned and ran faster, waving his arms in a panic. Sabrina sighed and chased after him. He would apologize, whether he wanted to or not.
It took her ten minutes of wading through sheep and their droppings to finally find him sitting on a bale of hay stroking a lamb. There was a girl next to him, but her back was to Sabrina, so she couldn't see her face.
"Hey you! Why did you run off like that? What kind of guy bumps into someone and doesn't at least apologize?" She asked in a huff.
The man freaked out and pulled a white flag from nowhere; waving it desperately.
"Ve! I'm-a so sorry! Please don't hurt me I.. I'm just clumsy is-a all!" He started crying and spazzing which earned him a laugh from the girl next to him.
"Hey, take it easy friend!" She stood up and faced her sister. "It's OK, dude, Sabi won't hurt you. She's just a little gruff is all!"
Sabrina rolled her eyes at her twin sister. They looked similar, but easily differentiable, since Sabrina had long, straight hair in a ponytail, and her sister, Anita, had short curly hair. Their eyes were different too (one had brown and the other blue) as were their personalities.
"Ok. You apologized. Sorry for scaring you. The cranky twin grumbled, cracking a smile at the look of relief on the man's face.
"Thank you… uh uh.."
"Sabrina." She shook his hand and nodded to her sister to do the same.
Something strange happened as Anita and the boy locked eyes. Sabi had read about love at first sight from fiction books, but she had never really believed in it. She and Josef had taken years to even hook up, let alone profess their love for each other. But nonetheless, as she watched her sister and the young man shake hands, there was something different in the air. Call it superstition, but she could have sworn the noise level of the stinking barn dropped to a hum. She shivered at an unknown chill and broke the silence.
"So, what's your name?"
The man blinked, but wouldn't tear his gaze from her sister. Kinda creepy.
"I.. I'm Feliciano Vargas." He stuttered.
"Anita."
"Anita, that's a pretty name," his face unfroze and he beamed at her, his eyes squinty slits. "I'm Feliciano!"
"Uh, you just said that."
"I did? Hmm… oh well! Do you like pasta?"
Sabrina smiled to herself. Those two would keep each other company. Now she could go meet up with Josef and try teaching him English. Yeah, that would be fun. She looked at the smiling couple one last time before leaving them to their sheep.
It's silent. Quieter even then when we were in that car.
The hospital has never been a place I've felt comfortable, it feels like fear and smell like death here, the white white walls hurt my eyes and the odor of disinfectant stings my nose. I especially hate this waiting room with the close chairs and tight spaces. Everyone aside from our group is talking either loudly and giddy in their discomfort, or in hushed, nervous tones. This only makes the room feel more silent.
Our group, a motley crew of people I know and people I don't, sit hunched close together; winging glances at the hallway into which that girl disappeared. I heard her name was May and I recognize her from HistoFreaks, but I do not know her on a personal level. Even so, what she is going through must be hard.
We wait in the chilly, uncomfortable room for half an hour before I notice the Muslim girl stir and sit up straight. We all follow her example as May walks dreamlike into our midst. Her eyes are red and as she opens her mouth, her lip begins to quiver. We can see her shaking as she tries again. It fails. Instead, her eyes burst with tears and she runs toward the exit with her face covered.
"Wait, May!" The Muslim, Sandy runs after her and the rest of us stare dumbstruck.
"So, I guess this would be a bad time for a dead baby joke?" Ally punches Kevin on the shoulder, hard.
I get up, unable to stand the depressing silence, and make my way over to the window, watching the cars speed by on the highway at the bottom of the hill. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jonas, Ally's friend, get up and walk after the two girls. Now only four of us remain in the waiting room, none of us looking at each other.
Someone is standing next to me; a little girl of about five. I look down at her and she looks up at me and turns away shyly.
"Sorry, mister. I was just watching the fire dancers."
"Huh?"
"Nevermind… you can't see them either." She said the last bit quietly, almost silent.
I smiled at her and knelt down to her height, a long way for me. I'm really tall, mother says I get it from my father; a scum I've never had the pleasure of meeting.
Now, kneeling next to this little girl, I think of my cousin Anna. The girl is about her age, but her hair is white blonde, not brown like Anna's or black like mine.
She looks at me and smiles shyly.
"You look like that tall man."
"What?"
"The tall man at my playground a year ago. Mommy couldn't see him. Mommy never sees what I see."
"Uh, okay?"
"Emma? Sweetie, we can see grandpa now." A woman with an African American boy next to her called over to us.
The girl ran off, but turned around and waved nervously before following the woman I assumed to be her mother. I turned back to the window and thought about what she had said.
I was watching the fire dancers…. The tall man at my playground… mommy never sees the things I see…
I turned to call after her, but her family had disappeared. That girl needed help and, if I was right, her problems would only get worse.
It was unreal. Watching May come in with that pained expression on her face broke my heart. We all knew it must have been the worst from the way she had broken down in the car, but now I could tell it was more than that.
I reached her at the steps of the building, sobbing up against the brick wall. I reach out to touch her, but it falls at my side. Instead, I sneak up behind her and grab her from behind, tickling her into submission.
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh God Sandy Stop it! Stopit!" She laughed through her tears, sliding down into a sitting position.
I stop my assault and sit next to her. She sniffles and I hand her the tissue box I swiped from inside.
"Tissue?" I ask innocently. She takes it and stares at it then a tiny grin breaks through.
"Tissue? I hardly know you." she whispers in an exhausted tone.
We look at each other then crack up. Unfortunately, this only causes her to start crying even more than before and I hold her against me silently. We just sit there for awhile, not saying anything, just crying. Her and I both. She cries for her family, and I cry for her.
It takes a long time, but we eventually run out of tears and just sit there.
"They were murdered, Sandy," She said exhaustedly, unable to cry, just numb with sadness.
This shocked me out of my Reverie, "What?"
"It was a planned attack. Auntie was outside, taking her break with her friend Rosaline when this guy pulled up and tried to grab Rosa. Aunty tried to tackle him, but he hit her over the head with something and she could only scream for help before she passed out. Uncle tio and the other guards came running, but the man pulled out a knife and used Rosa as a hostage while he tried to back away. Tio saw Aunty on the ground and lost control of himself. He apparently rushed the guy with his nightstick and the man went to stab Rosaline but… but tio threw himself in the way. It went straight into his troat. He… he managed to punch the guy in the face before he lost consciousness. His loss of blood and his wound killed him quickly but aunty…." May paused, chocking on her words.
I knew it must be painful so I tried to quiet her.
"Shh… shh. It's okay, you don't have to tell me."
"No, I have to," She took a deep breath and continued, "Aunty was alive until I got here. She suffered internal bleeding of the skull. She… she only hung on to… to see me again. She died right in front of my eyes."
May lost herself again and buried her face in my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. Jonas sat on May's other side and put one of his large hands on her shoulder. May turned to see him in surprise.
"Huh?"
"I did hear all you said. Sorry. I did not want to… inject"
I had to chuckle at this and May released a weary smile.
"It's "interject" Yo-Yo." I snorted, my dirty mind betraying me in the worst of situations.
"I am sorry," He shrugged "My English not so good… but May Alex if it helps, I have doubt it will, I know what you go through." His face fell and he blinked hard.
May looked up at the boy in mild irritation.
"No offense, Jonas, but I doubt you do."
"I do in fact, you are lucky in a way," he sighed "My mother I knew for long time. I lose her three month past."
"Oh I'm sorry…" May looked surprised and sad. She also seemed a bit guilty for her past comment.
"It is, OK. I… I watched her die as well only… longer time. She was sick for long time. It was pneumonia, her heart weak, she stop eating, suffered much. I take care of her, read her stories. She was brave woman. Your aunt and uncle, I can understand your feelings. It is very, very sad."
He looked sincere. Both May and I looked at him in a new light. Someone who could watch life drain from a loved one like that, and still be as cheerful as Jonas, they had to be strong. Then May did something unexpected; May-like, but unexpected.
"Waaaaa! I'm so sorry I said you couldn't understand! You can you are so brave be strong! You are so kind!"
She launched herself on Jonas' neck and hugged him, sobbing. Jonas' face was priceless. I wanted to sketch it so badly, but nothing could capture it; not even a camera. Then May unlatched herself from him, her eyes shining.
"You gave me what I needed, thank you."
"Eh?"
"You reminded me that other people have problems too. I can't just stay sad when others need me to be strong. Thank you so much…. Oh hey!"
May fiddled with her cross necklace, unhooking it from her neck. The rosary was a gift from her father she'd never met, and one of her most prized possession. She looked down at it now and, after giving it a kiss and murmuring some words, she hung it around Jonas' neck. He stared at her, speechless.
"It's for you, to give back what you've given me."
"Vat eez zat?" He looked at her in puzzlement.
She beamed her May smile, "Hope, of course."
(In German)
America Log ; Month 3 day 9
I'm writing from the waiting room of the Capital Health complex just off the highway about ten minutes down the road from our school on the edge of town. May's uncle and aunt were murdered today. I talked to the doctor and he said that her aunt Sabrina died of a hemorrhage, or internal bleeding of the brain. Her uncle was stabbed, which I picked up from a conversation she was having with Sandy.
May is a strange girl. She was sobbing when I came over, but as soon as I tried to tell her about my mom in an attempt to show her that I could relate, she turned around and comforted me. My mother died three months ago, her family was taken from her less than two hours ago. I am not the one who deserves comfort right now. Even so, I still can't help but be strangely emotional about this whole thing.
Until today, I never cried tears for my mother in front of any other soul. Only when she died did I allow myself to weep. She had needed me to be strong, and I have always been stubborn about this kind of thing. But when May kissed that cross and put it over my head, I started sobbing my eyes out. I tried to not let the two girls see… it didn't work.
So that was how, after going outside the building to give support to a hurting peer, I wound up being fussed over by two very different girls. It was embarrassing to say the least. Actually mortifying, really. Especially with the looks I was getting from old people entering the building. Mein gott! It was like being smothered by two mothers! But still…
After finally getting control of myself, I knew what to do.
"Oh!" I remember saying to May.
I rummaged around in my camera bag, something I always keep with me just to get that perfect shot. I pull out a manila envelope, old and faded from my opening and closing it so often. But the picture inside is what really matters. It's the picture I took of our little cottage in the country outside of Munich. In the photo it's winter and the pond outback is frozen over and a layer of snow covers the trees and garden. My mom's back is to the camera in the picture and she's watching the geese taking off from the water while sipping a steaming cup of hot chocolate. The snow sparkles, and you can see the sun rising from behind a few trees. It was her favorite picture of mine. When I had to leave hurriedly, this one of the few things I had scavenged from our house. The rest I will most likely never see again, though our neighbor was supposed to take care of our house. It belongs to my father. My father.
What was he doing at Ally's yesterday? Why had he suddenly showed up, after me not having had contact with him for over three years? He left so suddenly, I didn't get a chance to talk to him. It was strange…
Anyway, I've kept the photo with me since I rescued it from its frame. It's a bit folded and worn, but mom used to say that it only made it seem more loved. When she was on her death bed, I brought it to put on her nightstand. She always said it made her smile. So it's almost as though, by keeping it with me, she's there by my side. But now, some strange force made me take it from the camera bag and hand it to May Alex. I felt a warm breeze ruffle my hair and smiled.
"For you. A photo, my mutti's favorite. It is my house, in the picture."
She looked at it, then at me, then flung herself (once again) around me sobbing.
"It's so beautiful!"
I saw Sandy looking at it in awe.
"Woah, Jonas did you take this? It's spectacular."
I hate blushing.
After a while, Mr. Carpenter came to us and told us that wee would be "moving off" soon. May sniffled and nodded sadly, murmuring something with her eyes closed. We all went inside and Sandy called her mom and aunts. She's still talking to them even as I write this. She's speaking really soft, but we can still hear her family screaming at her in the background. Apparently they didn't know where we had gone… eh.
After she was on the phone, May asked if I could help her try to find the bathroom. It took us ten minutes to find someone on duty then five more to follow their heavily accented directions. Neither May nor I are great at navigating, it seems.
In the hall we ran into Kevin who looked like he was in trouble. The young African boy I had seen earlier rounded the corner after him.
"Hey you! Get back here and face me you stinking coward!"
"Sorry Yonaze, I'd love to chat, but as you can see, I seemed to have made a friend."
Kevin pushed me in the boy's way and took off sprinting down the hall. It's a miracle that the nurse he crashed into didn't drop a bedpan on his head which I admit would be hilarious. Then Kev was saved by the boy's mother who came running after him scolding in English to rapid for me to understand. May and I parted as she went to the lady's room and I went to yell at my cousin and write this entry, so I haven't seen her for a bit. Actually, it's been almost fifteen minutes… I'm going to go check and make sure she didn't get lost again. I'll finish this entry later.
It had taken a while to find the bathroom, so May was glad to see that it was fancy. Blues and greens with little fish tiles on the walls: cute. The patter of little feet alerted May of another person in the room and she smiled as she though of Sandy's little sisters and brothers. One of them was only five and he was so adorable.
She was washing her hands when the little girl came out of her stall and looked up at the older girl thoughtfully.
"Did your grandpa die too?" It was barely a whisper and the girl looked away as soon as she said it, reaching for the soap.
"No," May looked down at her new friend in surprise. "Why?"
"You have tear lines. I'm sorry to be a bother," the little girl looked down at her feet shyly.
"Oh. Do you need soap?"
May reached up and got some to give to the girl. The dispenser was high up, so a two foot tall munchikin had no hope of reaching it on their own.
"mmmm… thanks." It was soft and the little girl washed her hands silently after that.
May smiled at her with a "You're welcome" and exited into the hallway.
"Now which way is the waiting room…."
Five minutes later, the girl was wandering a lone hallway far from the ER in total despair. She turned around hopefully at a tap on her shoulder to find a man in a white coat holding some sort of cloth in his hands and smiling at her.
"Excuse me, Miss. We're conducting a survey. Does this rag smell like Chloroform?"
He handed her the rag which she sniffed innocently.
"I dunno. What does chloroform smell… like…" May's speech slurred as the man pressed the rag against her open mouth.
Something weird was happening, her limbs were growing heavy and she couldn't make out the details of where she was. In fact, she was actually very sleepy….
Jonas found the girl's room without much difficulty. Apparently getting so messed up the first time made retracing his steps very easy. Finding May, not so much.
He figured that she must have gone in the opposite direction of the waiting room after knocking and getting no reply, so he followed her probable path. After following it for some while, he found that he'd gotten lost himself. All the hallways looked the same!
"Excuse me sir," a thick accented man with a covered stretcher shoved Jonas out of the way as he rolled through.
Jonas opened his moth to say something, but stopped. There was no point, this man was probably going to the morgue anyway, what with the covered body and all. He turned to leave, but stopped.
The cart-like stretcher had hit a wall on a turn and something had fallen.
"Hey! Mister! You drop- vait a minute..."
It was a button. A button with a derpy looking George Washington waving a Canadian flag while straddling the globe. A club button. A HistoFreaks club button. May's HistoFreaks button. It had her name on it carved on the back. He looked at it, the at the hall where the stretcher had dissapeared, then made up his mind.
"Get back here! Hey! You!"
He ran, following the creak of stretcher wheels, which got louder as did the sound of boots on the floor. The man was running! Jonas couldn't let him get away.
The teen sped up, nearly sprinting. He rounded the corner and found himself in an atrium. The doors sung open as the man rushed to push the stretcher in front of him. Panting, Jonas sped up even more, not caring that his sides were cramping. He had to stop that stretcher!
But luck hated Jonas. There was a van parked right out front which the man hurriedly shoved the body bag from the stretcher into the trunk of and hopped in, yelling something in Arabic to the driver. They sped off, flooring it, as Jonas desperately chased the car, waving to get them to stop. He followed them fruitlessly until the van made the turn off onto the highway... and was gone.
