Chapter 33:
Getting things in order
Daniel:
It will be a busy week. For today, we have to go and check up on Noah. He needs to get proper instructions about what sort of exercises he has to do, to be able to bottle happiness for his father.
There is a slight nip in the air. It is strange, that there are seasons on an alien planet, is it not? Tine told me that Ursula 590 is much like Earth. There are different climate belts, with their own seasons.
The Republic of Magaza, yes, the berry that has enough alcohol to put you under the table after a sip gave the country its name, is in the Temperate Climate Belt.
So, it has four seasons, with winters which last from October, to March. It is strange that the people of Ursula 590 use the same names as the ones we do, for the months. I really should ask Tine about that, but maybe later.
Currently, we are nearing the Daniels’ household. Constantine has a bottle of happiness he bottled, after watching all episodes of a show called: Ursula Stand-up. A Comedy Central, with stand-up comedians.
I watched it while he was watching it. Mostly, I was out of the loop, not understanding half the jokes because, well, my knowledge about the Cosmos is limited. Still, one of the comedians told a joke about how he used to eat Caltea leaves when he was small. As someone who used to eat sweet grass, while I was young, it got a couple of chuckles out of me.
I am broken out of my musings, when we stop before the door of the Daniels’ house. Constantine rings the doorbell, and we have to wait a couple of moments, for Angelica to open the door. She doesn’t look very ecstatic to see us.
“Oh, hello. Noah has been throwing the worst tantrum that he has ever thrown. You two don’t suppose you can tell him that you are not leaving for Ursula 589, and skipping out on his happiness bottling sessions?” She asks, as she slithers to the side, to let us in.
“We have to go, for as long as it takes us to do our job,” I say. Personally, I still think that the plan to catch the thief is half-baked, and too dangerous by far. Yet, Constantine is dead set on going. I can’t let him go there, on a moon, that has oxygen only in domed areas, all by himself.
“You’ll have to explain it to him. He thinks that you will never come back. Just like Hugo,” she sighs, as she leads us up the ramp, and before Noah’s room. I send her a questioning look. “He is bundled up inside his covers, and refuses to get out of bed.”
Constantine and I share a look. I decide that, as he is a Naga, and therefore can understand Noah better, that he should take the lead.
“Well, the floor is yours,” I tell him. When he sends me a panicked look, I place a hand over his shoulder. “I will butt in, when you need it.”
“You better,” he says, and knocks on the door.
“Go away, mom,” we hear Noah yell from inside.
Constantine looks at Angelica. There is an unspoken apology in his eyes. She nods, and slithers away from us.
“Noah? It is uncle Tine, and uncle Daniel. Your mom left to check up on some things. Do you think you can let us speak with you?” Constantine asks. Then, he begins to knock on the door in a rhythm of the same song, as his alarm on his phone. Soon, the door is yanked open, and I see Noah.
His long brown hair is sticking in every direction. His eyes are puffy; his pajama has tear stains on it. Constantine bends, and hugs him tightly. They stay there for a while, until Noah pats him on the back.
“I am not a baby,” the Naga boy mumbles, when Constantine scoops him up.
“No, but you are one of my friends. Besides, you are still the right size to be carried. Right, Daniel?” Constantine turns to me.
I can’t get the picture of him with a child in his hands out of my head. He looks like he is made to care and nurture a miniature version of himself.
No matter what happens, I will make sure that he gets a child to baby. And soon...
“Right,” I say, after a minute of silence. “Hey, champ. Do you want to talk about what is bothering you?”
“What do you mean, what is bothering me? Nothing is bothering me,” Noah says. I can see that he doesn’t want to share his emotions with the two of us.
Which is precisely why we should get to the bottom of this.
I rest a hand over the boy’s head, and pet him gently.
“We will be back, before you know it,” Constantine says. Noah shifts in his hold, and hides his face in Constantine’s nape.
“Dad said the same,” he murmurs. My heart breaks a little. Here is this wonderful child, who is left by the people he is closest to. It must feel like he is under a curse.
Or, at the very least, he must think something similar.
“I shouldn’t tell you that, but we are not going to move to Ursula 589. We are going over there to catch the thief who stole your happiness potion,” Constantine says, as he slithers inside the room. He makes a show of checking if we are being listened to, which makes Noah giggle.
“You don’t have to lie to me,” Noah says, when Constantine sets him on the bed.
“But we are not lying. In fact, we need your help,” Constantine tells him. I wonder where he is going with this.
“We can’t put him in danger,” I don’t want to be the boring uncle, but the thief could be dangerous.
“We won’t be putting him at risk,” Constantine’s eyes are twinkling, as he says that. “What we need from him, is to bottle the best potion of happiness there is, was, or will be.”
Chapter 33:
Getting things in order
Daniel:
It will be a busy week. For today, we have to go and check up on Noah. He needs to get proper instructions about what sort of exercises he has to do, to be able to bottle happiness for his father.
There is a slight nip in the air. It is strange, that there are seasons on an alien planet, is it not? Tine told me that Ursula 590 is much like Earth. There are different climate belts, with their own seasons.
The Republic of Magaza, yes, the berry that has enough alcohol to put you under the table after a sip gave the country its name, is in the Temperate Climate Belt.
So, it has four seasons, with winters which last from October, to March. It is strange that the people of Ursula 590 use the same names as the ones we do, for the months. I really should ask Tine about that, but maybe later.
Currently, we are nearing the Daniels’ household. Constantine has a bottle of happiness he bottled, after watching all episodes of a show called: Ursula Stand-up. A Comedy Central, with stand-up comedians.
I watched it while he was watching it. Mostly, I was out of the loop, not understanding half the jokes because, well, my knowledge about the Cosmos is limited. Still, one of the comedians told a joke about how he used to eat Caltea leaves when he was small. As someone who used to eat sweet grass, while I was young, it got a couple of chuckles out of me.
I am broken out of my musings, when we stop before the door of the Daniels’ house. Constantine rings the doorbell, and we have to wait a couple of moments, for Angelica to open the door. She doesn’t look very ecstatic to see us.
“Oh, hello. Noah has been throwing the worst tantrum that he has ever thrown. You two don’t suppose you can tell him that you are not leaving for Ursula 589, and skipping out on his happiness bottling sessions?” She asks, as she slithers to the side, to let us in.
“We have to go, for as long as it takes us to do our job,” I say. Personally, I still think that the plan to catch the thief is half-baked, and too dangerous by far. Yet, Constantine is dead set on going. I can’t let him go there, on a moon, that has oxygen only in domed areas, all by himself.
“You’ll have to explain it to him. He thinks that you will never come back. Just like Hugo,” she sighs, as she leads us up the ramp, and before Noah’s room. I send her a questioning look. “He is bundled up inside his covers, and refuses to get out of bed.”
Constantine and I share a look. I decide that, as he is a Naga, and therefore can understand Noah better, that he should take the lead.
“Well, the floor is yours,” I tell him. When he sends me a panicked look, I place a hand over his shoulder. “I will butt in, when you need it.”
“You better,” he says, and knocks on the door.
“Go away, mom,” we hear Noah yell from inside.
Constantine looks at Angelica. There is an unspoken apology in his eyes. She nods, and slithers away from us.
“Noah? It is uncle Tine, and uncle Daniel. Your mom left to check up on some things. Do you think you can let us speak with you?” Constantine asks. Then, he begins to knock on the door in a rhythm of the same song, as his alarm on his phone. Soon, the door is yanked open, and I see Noah.
His long brown hair is sticking in every direction. His eyes are puffy; his pajama has tear stains on it. Constantine bends, and hugs him tightly. They stay there for a while, until Noah pats him on the back.
“I am not a baby,” the Naga boy mumbles, when Constantine scoops him up.
“No, but you are one of my friends. Besides, you are still the right size to be carried. Right, Daniel?” Constantine turns to me.
I can’t get the picture of him with a child in his hands out of my head. He looks like he is made to care and nurture a miniature version of himself.
No matter what happens, I will make sure that he gets a child to baby. And soon...
“Right,” I say, after a minute of silence. “Hey, champ. Do you want to talk about what is bothering you?”
“What do you mean, what is bothering me? Nothing is bothering me,” Noah says. I can see that he doesn’t want to share his emotions with the two of us.
Which is precisely why we should get to the bottom of this.
I rest a hand over the boy’s head, and pet him gently.
“We will be back, before you know it,” Constantine says. Noah shifts in his hold, and hides his face in Constantine’s nape.
“Dad said the same,” he murmurs. My heart breaks a little. Here is this wonderful child, who is left by the people he is closest to. It must feel like he is under a curse.
Or, at the very least, he must think something similar.
“I shouldn’t tell you that, but we are not going to move to Ursula 589. We are going over there to catch the thief who stole your happiness potion,” Constantine says, as he slithers inside the room. He makes a show of checking if we are being listened to, which makes Noah giggle.
“You don’t have to lie to me,” Noah says, when Constantine sets him on the bed.
“But we are not lying. In fact, we need your help,” Constantine tells him. I wonder where he is going with this.
“We can’t put him in danger,” I don’t want to be the boring uncle, but the thief could be dangerous.
“We won’t be putting him at risk,” Constantine’s eyes are twinkling, as he says that. “What we need from him, is to bottle the best potion of happiness there is, was, or will be.”
