Hasi

A possible/partial Athenized version of "I'll Protect You Until My Last Breath"
Date/Timing: 3 April 1995
Setting: Gottlieb home; Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
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== Revised text (Dietrich's POV) ==
Father steps into the sitting room, says, „Come along. /Quietly.“
Dietrich, Karla, and Manny slide from the sofa, follow Father on their tiptoes down the hall and up the stairs and into Manny's room.
The crib's been set up in the corner and Mother sits in the rocking chair near the window with a bundle of cloth in her lap.
Father takes a deep breath. „Children, meet your brother, Bastien.“
Dietrich and Karla exchange a Look.
Karla bows her head and picks at her buttons.
Dietrich takes a tiny step nearer to Mother, holds out his hands. „May I?“
Mother settles the bundle in Dietrich's arms—
The baby grunts.
—then sits back in the chair and smiles.
„Hello, Bastien,“ coos Dietrich.
Bastien giggles.
Manny goes up on tiptoes and leans closer, wings fluttering under his shirt.
Dietrich tilts the bundle so he can see Bastien's pudgy little face.
Manny smiles and asks, „Wings?“
Karla eeps and Dietrich gasps.
Manny curls, wings drooping. „I'm sorry.“
Father clears his throat. „No, Hermann, Bastien does not have wings. He's a normal child.“
Manny curls in on himself, 
Karla's shoulders drop tension.
Dietrich exhales.
Bastien makes a grumpy sound, then smacks his lips.
„I think he's hungry,“ says Dietrich.
Father grunts, beckons Mother to follow.
She stands and nearly floats from the room.
Bastien wiggles, makes an even grumpier noise.
Dietrich bounces him gently.
Bastien cries.
„Shhh ... Mother and Father are getting your bottle,“ begs Karla.
Bastien cries.
Manny reaches out, strokes Bastien's scrunched nose.
Bastien whimpers.
Manny strokes.
Bastien snuffles.
Manny strokes, smiles.
Bastien grumps, wrinkling his nose.
Manny pulls his hand back. „He looks like a bunny,“ he giggles.
Dietrich grins. „Should we call him 'Bunny', Manny?“
Bastien smiles.
„He likes it!“ says Karla.
„Manny?“
Manny smiles so widely his face must hurt and nods.
„'Bunny' you are, Bunny!“
Bastien works his lips and tongue again.
Karla looks over her shoulder toward the door. „I hope Mother and Father are back soon.“
„Let's sit down while we wait.“
Manny grins and leads the way to his bed and they all plunk down on its edge, Dietrich and Bastien in the middle.
Bastien grumps.
Manny strokes his nose.
Bastien calms.
„Good Bunny,“ coos Manny.
„You've got a magic touch with him.“
Manny glows.
Footsteps in the hall.
„Dietrich, Karla, Hermann,“ says Father, „make yourselves ready for bed.“
Karla and Manny slide to their feet and tiptoe out.
Dietrich hesitates, then places Bastien in Mother's waiting arms and stands. 
Mother eases herself down in the rocking chair, presses the bottle to Bastien's lips.
Bastien nurses hungrily.
„Goodnight, Bastien,“ Dietrich murmurs and heads out, passing Father at the doorway.
He brushes his teeth alongside Manny and Karla. When they finish, he kisses Manny's forehead and sends him down the hall to his room, then he and Karla tiptoe into Dietrich's room and close the door quietly.
Karla perches on the edge of the bed, croaks, „Dee, what's ....“
„I don't know.“ Dietrich folds to the floor, crosses his legs, takes a deep breath. „It's just like with Manny, except ... Father says he's normal and Father doesn't lie.“
Karla picks at her buttons. „What do we do?“
Dietrich runs a hand through his hair. „Bastien's our brother, so we'll take care of him.“ Lowers his voice, „And hope he really is normal, for his sake.“
Karla bites her lip, nods slowly.
„You should go to bed. I'll keep an eye on Bastien and Manny overnight.“
„Alright.“
„Sleep well, Dee.“
„You, too, Lala.“
Karla stands and pads out.
Dietrich takes a deep, shaky breath and lays himself flat on the floor. „Please, God, let Bastien be normal,“ he whispers.
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== Original text (Hermann's POV) ==
Father steps into the sitting room, says, „Come along. /Quietly.“
Dietrich, Karla, and Hermann slide from the sofa, follow Father on their tiptoes down the hall and up the stairs and into the room that was Hermann's when he was smaller.
Mother sits in the rocking chair near the window with a bundle of cloth in her lap.
Father takes a deep breath. „Children, meet your brother, Bastien.“
Dietrich and Karla exchange a nervous look.
Karla looks away and picks at her buttons.
Dietrich takes a tiny step nearer to Mother and the bundle, holds out his hands. „May I?“
Mother puts—
A flash of skin-shade and a grunt.
—the bundle in Dietrich's arms, then sits back in the chair and smiles.
„Hello, Bastien,“ coos Dietrich.
The baby giggles.
Hermann goes up on tiptoes and leans closer, wings fluttering under his shirt.
Dietrich notices him and tilts the bundle.
Hermann smiles at Bastien's pudgy little face. „Wings?“ he asks.
Karla eeps and Dietrich gasps.
Hermann curls, wings drooping. „I'm sorry.“
Father clears his throat. „No, Hermann, Bastien does not have wings. He's a 'normal' child.“
Hermann droops more, but both Karla and Dietrich relax.
Bastien makes a grumpy sound, then smacks his lips.
„I think he's hungry,“ says Dietrich.
Father grunts, beckons Mother to follow.
She stands and nearly floats from the room.
Bastien wiggles, makes an even grumpier noise.
Dietrich bounces him gently.
Bastien cries.
„Shhh ... Mother and Father are getting your bottle,“ begs Karla.
Bastien cries.
Hermann reaches out, strokes Bastien's scrunched nose.
Bastien whimpers.
Hermann strokes.
Bastien snuffles.
Hermann strokes, smiles.
Bastien grumps, wrinkling his nose.
Hermann pulls his hand back. „He looks like a bunny,“ he giggles.
Dietrich grins. „Should we call him 'Bunny', Manny?“
Bastien giggles.
„He likes it!“ says Karla.
„Manny?“
Hermann smiles so widely his face hurts and nods.
„'Bunny' you are, Bunny!“
„Bunny,“ coo Karla and Hermann.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Garmisch-Partenkirchen (setting)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann's POV
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Hermann has wings
Category:Lars
Category:Lars (ficlet)
Category:Dietrich
Category:Dietrich (ficlet)
Category:Karla
Category:Karla (ficlet)
Category:Birgit
Category:Birgit (ficlet)
Category:Bastien
Category:Bastien (ficlet)
Category:Hermann is colour-blind
Category:Ficlets with images
1995 04 03
Category:Learning to Fly