Chapter 26:
Noah’s blue potion turns...
Constantine:
Alfred and Gabriel leave, and we are allowed to go inside the house. Noah is bundled up in blankets on the couch. There is a blue moon with blue clothes on the table, and a blue potion next to it.
“I tried to bottle something up quickly, but...” the boy sniffs, and I go to him.
“Hey, buddy. That is ok. Let us see what we can salvage. Does the moon have a name?” I ask. He shakes his head.
“It doesn’t need one because it will be stolen,” he tells me. Something tells me, that he is not speaking about the moon.
“There is something important that you will need to do,” I tell him, and get the first picture that he ever drew for me out of my breast pocket. I unfold it, and take the eraser. “You have to start, by fixing the frown.”
“I don’t want to,” Noah yells, and whips his tail at the couch. Daniel takes the picture and the eraser from my hands, and goes to sit by his side.
“Would you like me to tell you what I think about the two moons?” He asks. Noah sniffs again, but scoots closer to Daniel. He must have taken that as a good sign because he lays the two pictures side by side.
“The old moon is the moon of the past, while today’s moon is sad because it thinks that nothing it does matters,” Daniel says.
He looks at me, and nods towards Noah’s other side. I slither around the coffee table, and sit by the boy. Reaching out, I take Noah’s hand in mine, and give it a little squeeze. He looks up at me, and I smile.
“There is nothing wrong with you, Noah,” I hear Daniel say. “It is not your fault that Hugo went to Wendel. He would have still gone there, even if you were not born. To support your mother, to have a good life.”
“Why didn’t he just bottle happiness? He sends me orange bottles,” Noah protests. Daniel hugs him close to him.
“I bottle happiness too. Yet, I do not sell it,” Daniel begins, and I look into his caramel eyes. This is it. He is finally going to tell me why he doesn’t cash in on his orange potions. “Do you want to know why?”
“Is the story sad?” Noah asks. Daniel chuckles.
“It is a clumsy tale of love, and other grown-up things you associate with cooties,” he jokes. I smile at that, but Noah just ends up confused.
“What are cooties?” the boy asks.
“Well, things like germs, that end up with the birth of children,” Daniel says with a devilish grin on his lips.
“If you try to give me the talk, I will demote you to annoying uncle,” Noah threatens. Daniel fakes fear, and I play along.
“We’ll leave that to your mother. Just let him tell the story, oh, merciless one,” I say, and Noah nods.
“It all started with this obnoxious man, who claimed that he can bottle happiness. He was on the Dark Web, and had the audacity to use his real name,” Daniel snickers, when I swat him on the hip with my tail tip.
“I was very bubbly, while I was in the forum,” I defend myself. Noah looks between us.
“Yeah, I can see uncle Tine as obnoxious,” the boy has the gall to say.
“Traitor,” I tickle Noah on the stomach, and he tickles my nose with his tail. Daniel clears his throat, and continues.
“Anyway, he opened a door to a bright new world, but I was not invited in it. He spoke of snakes and other things, that were hunted to extinction, and of a planet where there were houses in the shape of onions,” Daniel shakes his head.
“That one is true. Prime happiness bottling planet,” Noah says.
“Oh, I am not arguing. I just find it all strange,” Daniel tells him. “Now, where was I?”
“You were annoyed at uncle Tine, but fell in love?” Noah asks. Daniel blushes at that.
“I have to admit, that he was the one bright spot in my life,” he says. My eyes soften at that. “He was this...curiosity. This never ending well of information about the Cosmos. Now that I think about it, it must have taken a lot out of him, to gather all that information.”
“I do crossword puzzles,” I tell him.
“Yes, I saw them lying around in the living room,” I blush at that, as Noah takes the headset in his arms. Loading up a solvent on the other end, the little boy snuggles between us. “Anyway, then, he told me about magic. I am a wizard, Noah!”
“Shaman,” the boy deadpans, but he giggles, when Daniel huffs.
“I know, but I wanted to say I am a wizard, ever since I turned thirty. Although, I lacked one of the main requirements to be called to Hogwarts,” Daniel winks at me, and I swat him on the arm.
“I don’t get it. Didn’t you say you had magic?” Noah asks.
“Hogwarts doesn’t exist,” I say. Both Daniel and Noah look at me with betrayal in their eyes.
“That is like saying Illity never existed,” Noah says.
“Or that Santa is not real. He was very real, but the story involves debts, and Anatolia,” Daniel says, and I blink. What does that red man with the beard has to do with debts?
“Wait, wasn’t he the one that gives presents to the earthling children?” I ask.
“Huh, so that is how you feel, when I am out of the loop?” Daniel teases. I swat him on the arm.
He spends the next hour answering questions about Santa, which turns into a discussion about the pros and cons of keeping elves the size of a dwarf as slaves. When the timer beeps, Noah has an orange potion.
Chapter 26:
Noah’s blue potion turns...
Constantine:
Alfred and Gabriel leave, and we are allowed to go inside the house. Noah is bundled up in blankets on the couch. There is a blue moon with blue clothes on the table, and a blue potion next to it.
“I tried to bottle something up quickly, but...” the boy sniffs, and I go to him.
“Hey, buddy. That is ok. Let us see what we can salvage. Does the moon have a name?” I ask. He shakes his head.
“It doesn’t need one because it will be stolen,” he tells me. Something tells me, that he is not speaking about the moon.
“There is something important that you will need to do,” I tell him, and get the first picture that he ever drew for me out of my breast pocket. I unfold it, and take the eraser. “You have to start, by fixing the frown.”
“I don’t want to,” Noah yells, and whips his tail at the couch. Daniel takes the picture and the eraser from my hands, and goes to sit by his side.
“Would you like me to tell you what I think about the two moons?” He asks. Noah sniffs again, but scoots closer to Daniel. He must have taken that as a good sign because he lays the two pictures side by side.
“The old moon is the moon of the past, while today’s moon is sad because it thinks that nothing it does matters,” Daniel says.
He looks at me, and nods towards Noah’s other side. I slither around the coffee table, and sit by the boy. Reaching out, I take Noah’s hand in mine, and give it a little squeeze. He looks up at me, and I smile.
“There is nothing wrong with you, Noah,” I hear Daniel say. “It is not your fault that Hugo went to Wendel. He would have still gone there, even if you were not born. To support your mother, to have a good life.”
“Why didn’t he just bottle happiness? He sends me orange bottles,” Noah protests. Daniel hugs him close to him.
“I bottle happiness too. Yet, I do not sell it,” Daniel begins, and I look into his caramel eyes. This is it. He is finally going to tell me why he doesn’t cash in on his orange potions. “Do you want to know why?”
“Is the story sad?” Noah asks. Daniel chuckles.
“It is a clumsy tale of love, and other grown-up things you associate with cooties,” he jokes. I smile at that, but Noah just ends up confused.
“What are cooties?” the boy asks.
“Well, things like germs, that end up with the birth of children,” Daniel says with a devilish grin on his lips.
“If you try to give me the talk, I will demote you to annoying uncle,” Noah threatens. Daniel fakes fear, and I play along.
“We’ll leave that to your mother. Just let him tell the story, oh, merciless one,” I say, and Noah nods.
“It all started with this obnoxious man, who claimed that he can bottle happiness. He was on the Dark Web, and had the audacity to use his real name,” Daniel snickers, when I swat him on the hip with my tail tip.
“I was very bubbly, while I was in the forum,” I defend myself. Noah looks between us.
“Yeah, I can see uncle Tine as obnoxious,” the boy has the gall to say.
“Traitor,” I tickle Noah on the stomach, and he tickles my nose with his tail. Daniel clears his throat, and continues.
“Anyway, he opened a door to a bright new world, but I was not invited in it. He spoke of snakes and other things, that were hunted to extinction, and of a planet where there were houses in the shape of onions,” Daniel shakes his head.
“That one is true. Prime happiness bottling planet,” Noah says.
“Oh, I am not arguing. I just find it all strange,” Daniel tells him. “Now, where was I?”
“You were annoyed at uncle Tine, but fell in love?” Noah asks. Daniel blushes at that.
“I have to admit, that he was the one bright spot in my life,” he says. My eyes soften at that. “He was this...curiosity. This never ending well of information about the Cosmos. Now that I think about it, it must have taken a lot out of him, to gather all that information.”
“I do crossword puzzles,” I tell him.
“Yes, I saw them lying around in the living room,” I blush at that, as Noah takes the headset in his arms. Loading up a solvent on the other end, the little boy snuggles between us. “Anyway, then, he told me about magic. I am a wizard, Noah!”
“Shaman,” the boy deadpans, but he giggles, when Daniel huffs.
“I know, but I wanted to say I am a wizard, ever since I turned thirty. Although, I lacked one of the main requirements to be called to Hogwarts,” Daniel winks at me, and I swat him on the arm.
“I don’t get it. Didn’t you say you had magic?” Noah asks.
“Hogwarts doesn’t exist,” I say. Both Daniel and Noah look at me with betrayal in their eyes.
“That is like saying Illity never existed,” Noah says.
“Or that Santa is not real. He was very real, but the story involves debts, and Anatolia,” Daniel says, and I blink. What does that red man with the beard has to do with debts?
“Wait, wasn’t he the one that gives presents to the earthling children?” I ask.
“Huh, so that is how you feel, when I am out of the loop?” Daniel teases. I swat him on the arm.
He spends the next hour answering questions about Santa, which turns into a discussion about the pros and cons of keeping elves the size of a dwarf as slaves. When the timer beeps, Noah has an orange potion.
