Page 183 of Two Marlboros

Neither have I, I thought, but held back the thought and laughter.

“Well, stories have to keep up with the times, don’t they? Anyway, the child had an idea. He thus mounted his dragon and attempted to reach the governor’s tower. The path, however, was full of obstacles: there were brambles and tree fronds guarding the forest, but nothing stopped the two little friends. As soon as they saw sunlight, they darted toward the tower. However, when the governor and his soldiers saw the dragon coming, they wasted no time in firing their cannons. BUM! The dragon dodged the shot and headed right for the cannon. The soldier then charged it again, and was ready to fire, it would hit the dragon squarely...!”

My brother’s eyes grew even wider. “And then what? Then what?”

“The dragon then charged its nostrils, took a deep breath, and with a huge puff launched a gigantic tongue of fire, so large that no one had ever seen one like it. He then destroyed the cannon, and all the others that were nearby, until they were smashed to a pulp.”

“Even the soldiers?” asked Jimmy.

I wondered for a moment what was more appropriate for a child of his age but tried to bring myself back to the realistic - as much as possible.

“Yes, even the soldiers! Then again, it was not possible to make a choice. As it turned out later, the governor had also been roasted by the dragon. But the most important thing was another: now the child, and all the other inhabitants, had access to bread and medicine. So, they all ran there, getting what they needed, until they were satisfied.”

“What about the tower?”

“Once everyone was out, the tower was destroyed by the dragon. And you know what? Over that valley the sun shone again - not a lot, maybe, but just enough to give everyone a little cheer.”

“And how does it end?”

“The child managed to save his family and was celebrated by all as a hero. The little dragon was also accepted in the small town and became very useful for a few odd jobs here and there. The end.”

“I liked this story a lot. Will you take me soon to pick berries and make dams and clear anthills?”

I smiled and stroked his head. That story was actually terrible, but the important thing was the enthusiasm I read in his eyes.

“Sure. Anytime you want.”

“Even tomorrow?”

I shrugged, trying to disguise my panic. “Yes, I think - I think I can do that.”

On Jimmy’s face broke out the only smile I had seen him make all that evening. I stroked him some more until, against all expectations, he fell asleep. I stayed there for a few more minutes, making sure he didn’t wake up at any moment; when I was sure he had fallen into a deep sleep, I crawled under the blankets with him, with the idea of keeping him company for a few more minutes before going home. If my father had caught me there, it would have been hell for everyone. I chased that prospect away by closing my eyes for a moment and carving out a corner of my thoughts for Alan.

We had never been so close to letting go completely, and not just to kissing as I had usually imagined, but to actually making love. If at the moment the idea had excited me, at this time it was a little scary, because I knew it would be very different from the more or less casual sex I had had in my life. For Alan was not only that, but it was also his concern for me and desire to keep his promise to get me out of that mess, it was his hands running down my back not to mark territory but to let me know how important I was to him.

I felt Jimmy’s little hand find mine in an instinctive gesture; I squeezed it for him, and my brother’s smiling face entered the sequence of images that populated my mind. They mingled with Alan’s face and the touch of his fingers, and alternated with the image of me getting out of that bed and going to the window to slip out and go home, but the weight of my body somehow was all still there, on the bed.

Yeah, it was all still there....

34

Brothers

(?Red Hot Chili Peppers - Otherside)

The alignment meeting with Ash and Church had lasted most of the night. It had taken me a while to get Nathan’s skin out of my head and focus on how to mesh the new information with what we already knew, until we had come to the decision to question Ryan Goldwin, an inmate at the Tombs. Ash and I had arrived at the prison early in the morning, with just a few hours of sleep behind us.

The atmosphere at the Tombs was as stifling as that of any prison, but the humidity added to the situation. As soon as I stepped into the interview room, the one that inmates used to talk to family members, I felt my bones stiffen.

The room was separated by a long glass partition, fogged in several places, while in others, those where the interlocutors likely sat, it looked much shinier. On the ceiling, flush with the glass, towered a row of neon lights. As I approached the chair that had been arranged for me, I looked up and noticed a spider web near the light. A small, black silhouette barely moved, perhaps disturbed by our movement.

We had had the entire room laid out for us, as a matter of confidentiality. The only person who was allowed to stay was the guard at the door located on the other side of the glass, so that he could supervise the prisoner.

I made to sit down when I heard a door open; I looked up and a haggard figure crossed the threshold. His head had been shaved; all that remained of old Ryan were his green eyes, which at that moment struck me just as they had struck Nathan thatfateful morning. His gaze was absent, no sign of tension on his face. Two guards escorted him to the chair that awaited him, seated him, and walked away. They exchanged a nod with the guard on duty and walked out, causing the door to slam behind them.

Ryan Goldwin looked up at us, and suddenly all the moisture of that room seeped into my bones: deep in those irises there was nothing, nothing to hint at what was stirring inside him, for nothing was there; I followed his weary breathing, punctuated by that half-open mouth, forlorn as if he had no strength to close it.

“Hello, Ryan. I’m Agent Scottfield and this is Agent Stoner,” I said pointing my chin at Ashton. Ryan did not react, except barely shifting his eyes as soon as I mentioned my colleague’s name, then returned to look at me.

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