Your Advent Calendar 2021

Day 20

Ezim

Dear Corinne,
it's Monday and the 20. of December. So, only four days to go ...
Are you excited?

Just as I have done with the other two books, I always pick only short sequences of the Stories for the windows of your Advent calendar, and even those not quite original. It is only to give you a little insight, but not reveal everything.

So here is the next part of "Hello from the other side".

Takuyan, the alien doctor was amazed when he arrived at Taka's apartment. Some things had happened and he himself ... didn't bring good news either.

"I wish you a wonderful day. I have heard that someone here needs a doctor." With these words Takuyan greeted the brothers while patting the babies' cheeks in their arms. "Oh, they are so cute, these two." His gloved fingers tapped the nudging noses and elicited a few gurgling sounds from the little ones.
Taka's pout grew bigger and bigger. He was not at all pleased with the visitor, even though he owed a lot to the alien doctor, he never really warmed up to him.
"What are you doing here? Who invited you?" he asked sullenly, standing wide-legged in front of his self-created mural to avoid annoying questions.
"Oh yes, I asked him to get a picture of the current situation," Hichan admitted. "He is the only one we can trust in this matter, and besides, he was my teacher. Master Yamanak will be able to help us ... I think."
At first it looked like the doctor didn't want to comment, but then he glanced around and almost whispered:
"This doesn't seem like a coincidence to me that these things are all happening at once ... but ... we shouldn't talk about it here." It sounded unusually anxious, causing the brothers to stare at the doctor in bewilderment. What was he trying to say?
"Now don't look at me so clueless. ... Isn't it obvious?" The doctor frowned, trying to find the right words. It apparently took him a lot of courage to talk about it, and when he finally got around to enlightening the clueless men with babies in their arms, someone else helped them up.

Toru was suddenly standing in the doorway, white as a sheet and on wobbly legs, but now fully conscious again. A blond strand of his tangled hair covered half his face, and the clothes the two had put him in earlier were hanging down on him a bit disheveled and wrinkled. "It ... it's from space," he whispered. "The virus ... Corona ... is from your species." He said it in an icy voice and so matter-of-factly that it made the three in front of him wince.

Taka was the first to wake from his stupor and immediately wanted to deny it, to call it wrong and stupid, but the nod of Takuyan next to him, stifled his objections. He only looked desperately at his partner, who turned away and stared at the floor in front of him, as if he first had to realize what he had just said. Finally, the blond slowly sank to his knees, hiding his face behind his hands.
"And I ... I brought you to earth, ... all of you ..." His voice broke and he looked up with teary eyes. "And ... and now ... you want to ... eliminate us?" It was almost impossible to understand, but the reproachful look said it all.

"Holy shit," escaped Hichan, and Torio at his chest began to cry as if on command. "This puts us in a completely wrong light. No, no, no. We are not the villains. It has always been our goal to save people, to help them, to get them out of trouble. I can't believe ..." He could not continue speaking as the baby roared louder and louder and more demanding. It sensed the adults' tension as well and added a little more to the situation.
"Hand him over already," Takahiro demanded, taking Mina to one side to take the second child, but before his brother could pass him on, they heard a clear, "No."
"Toru?" The named man scrambled to his feet and approached them. "He is my son. ... And a human being," with that he took Torio and pressed him lovingly against his chest, "I won't let anything happen to him."
"We will all make sure you are safe," Takuyan said forcefully. "Our rules and resolutions have not changed. We will fight with you against this disease. The black sheep may be in our ranks, but that doesn't make us all criminals. And you know that. We should keep a cool head and think about how to fight it." At this, the brothers looked at the oversized red symbol on the wall behind Taka and a cold shiver ran down their spines.

Toru showed no reaction. He had put his forehead against the baby's and closed his eyes. His son had become quiet and seemed to be about to fall asleep.
"Honey, ... I ... I don't know what to say." Taka walked up to the two of them and tried to remain as calm as possible. "Believe me, I didn't know about any of this. Even though it seems like I'm ... a part of this ... fiasco, I have no idea what's going on. Please ... you have to believe me." Toru only lifted his heavy eyelids. Neither despair nor fear could be seen in his features. He just looked sad, infinitely lost. As if all life had gone out of him. His mouth opened, but no sound escaped his throat and Takahiro already feared his husband would faint again. He came even closer, raised his hand and wanted to stroke the blond's cheek with it, but before he touched him he flinched. He sighed in surrender, considering not to overwhelm his partner with it now and lowering his arm, but then he felt the soft lips on it. Toru leaned into the tender touch and began to cry.

"I'm so sorry," he sobbed softly. "All your life you've been struggling ... to become a simple, ordinary person ... for me. ... But ... as much as we wanted it, nature is not fooled, takes back what it has lost."

Oh, oh ... What on earth happened there!