The Mind Behind The Beanie || ✔

Meeting Emmerich Himmelbach

___

~~~~~ (*****^-^*****) ~~~~~

___

"Oh no!" Conner exclaimed.  "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Let's see if we can get a better look at the castle," Bree said.  "Maybe there's a window or something we could sneak into."

They walked down the road a little ways away from the village, and more of the castle's towers came into view. 

"It's no use looking at it from down here, we'll have to go up the hill and get a closer look," Conner said.

Bree tried to fight the disheartened thoughts creeping into her head.  ^They were going to get into the castle one way or another. Even if they had to wait until tomorrow.^

Something caught Bree's attention in her peripheral viewpoint.  A young boy, no older than ten, with dark black hair and pale skin was sitting in front of a cottage-like house on the side of the road. He was skinny although his cheeks were plump and rosy, making him look like a puppet that lived in a cuckoo clock. He was staring at them with excitement in his eyes and a smile on his face. 

"Hey, Conner," Bree whispered, nudging Conner.  "That kid over there keeps staring at us."

Conner looked towards the kid and looked him up and down. 

"Hi," Conner said and waved awkwardly at the boy.

"Hello," the boy said in a cute German accent.  "Are you guys American?"

"We are," Bree said, not wanting Conner to say something like 'No, we're fairytalian' or something. 

A big grin spread on his small face, and his cheeks became rosier. 

"Do you like the United States?" Conner asked him.  ^Maybe he was good with kids, but you can never be too sure.^

"Yes!" the boy said with an animated nod. "That's where all the superheroes are from!"

"Have you ever been there?" Bree asked. 

The boy's shoulders sank.  "No," he said.  "I go to school in Fussen down the road but other than that I've never been very far from here.  But I'm saving up all my money so I can visit Gotham City one day!"

Conner and Bree looked at each other like he was a precious puppy they wanted to keep. 

"What's your name?" Conner asked.  They walked closer up to his house so they could visit more. 

"My name is Emmerich," he said, he seemed happy to tell them more.  "Emmerich Himmelbasch.  What are your names?"

"I'm Conner and this is my friend Bree."

"What brings you to Hohenschwangau?" he asked.  "Oh, that was a silly question; you're here to see the castle, right? Everybody always comes here to see the castle."

"Yes," Bree said.  "Have you been inside it before?"

"Oh, many, many, many times!" he told them.  "My grandfather used to give tours of the castle and my mother works at a gift shop in the village.  So there isn't anything I don't know about the place."

"Well, we were here to see the castle," Conner sad dejectedly.  "we rode bikes all the way from Munich but the tickets are sold out."

This thought seemed to blow away Emmerich's mind and he almost toppled over.  "You rode bikes all the way from Munich?" he said with an enormous gesture. "Why would you do that?"

Conner looked at Bree with a look of 'just go with what I'm saying, okay' and Bree could see the light in Conner's eyes.  She nodded in the slightest bit and smiled.  She was prepared to go along with whatever Conner was going to say.