In my third 'Gypsy Series' book, I've already told you how I met and adopted my 'little soul mate' who also was my own son from a 'past life' and the Royal Gypsy Crown Prince, the eight-year-old Gypsy Heir to the Throne, Harold Janovski Romani. Now that Carl had left us and started living with his new Dad BJ, together with his best friend and lover Jason and Jason's little brother Nicky, our small household returned to relatively 'normal'. One by one, the neighborhood kids reentered our backyard and happily plunged into our huge inflatable swimming pool, looking elated now that John, Davy, and little Harry were there to supervise them again. During the remainder of the day, everybody played in our over-crowded pool and used John's cleverly fabricated water slide, until darkness set in and they had to go home. Reluctantly, they left us and dressed or just took their clothes home, while two little boys and little Harry's 'girlfriend' approached me and almost begged to be allowed to use our pool again the next day. Of course, I happily agreed, which earned me a couple of dripping wet kisses.

The next day around noon, a very happy looking Carl, accompanied by Jason and Nicky, reappeared at our front door, to show off the brand new clothes BJ had bought for him. After my boys and I complimented him with his new clothes and nice looking haircut, he returned home to change back into his old clothes. As we had promised, we still had to bring all of their lumber and used wood back to their backyard, where Jason and Carl wanted to start building their own tree house, as they originally planned it around a year ago. Again, we used the roof of our golden van, to carry everything back to where it originally came from and restack it under their plastic sheets. After two hours of arduous work, all of us felt dead tired; so that Carl, Jason, and Nicky decided to stay home; while John, Davy, and little Harry accompanied me back home.

Feeling both tired and strangely empty, I slumped down on our couch in our living room; while John and Davy slumped down next to me and leaned into my sides, and my little soul mate retook his usual place on my lap and tried to melt away in my enveloping arms. In silence, we sat together and enjoyed each other's mutual love and close companionship. Obviously, my three boys were feeling at least as tired and empty as I felt; probably because so many unusual and emotional things had happened, in such a short amount of time.

After a moment of sitting together in silence, my little soul mate looked up at me and asked:

"Dad? Now that Carl will be living with Jason and Nicky in BJ's house, only John and I are living here, together with Davy, just like it was before. But, it's nearly six o'clock, so I suppose I have to start cooking dinner. Only, I still feel very tired after carrying all that heavy timber back to BJ's backyard. Do I really have to cook again, or could we please order pizzas?"

Feeling a bit surprised, I looked at my little cookie's fatigued face that clearly showed he didn't exaggerate. He really looked worn out, after helping Jason and Carl carry their heavy lumber back to their own backyard where they would start building a nice tree house. Ultimately, my boy was only eight years old and still a bit too small for his age. When would he finally have his next 'growth spurt' and start growing a little bit taller?

While smiling at my tired youngest son, I teasingly ruffled his unruly blond hair and told him:

"You poor cookie! I can imagine you feel worn out, after all the heavy work you have done today. Therefore, let's allow ourselves a little extravagance this evening. What kind of pizza shall we order?"

"Could we please have the same ones we ordered last time with my own Gypsy people who liked them very much?"

"Okay, that sounds like an excellent idea. Pizzas with all the works it is! Does everybody agree?"

John nodded enthusiastically, but Davy looked a little bit unhappy while he explained:

"Sorry, Dad, but I have to go home now, because Mom and I are going to a birthday party and eat dinner there..."

"Well, enjoy your birthday party, and I hope for you they will have something really tasty for dinner. Shall we keep one pizza in our refrigerator, to warm it up for you tomorrow?"

"Thank you, Dad, but that will not be necessary. However, next time, nothing can keep me away any more from eating pizza with my adopted Dad and my two best friends!"

All four of us started to laugh, even Davy, while we wished him a happy birthday party and lots of fun. Only, soon, Davy fell silent again. With a glum face, he promised to be back tomorrow, after he first did some chores in and around their house. Reluctantly, he put on his shoes, hugged us, opened the front door, and slowly sauntered home. Immediately after Davy left us, John took our phone from its cradle and adeptly ordered 'three pizzas loaded without anchovies'.

After listening to the answer, John suddenly started to chuckle and teased the operator:

"The last time we were hungry and you promised to deliver your pizzas to our house within twenty minutes, your delivery man arrived here two minutes and ten seconds late, so that we almost started eating the furniture!"

Of course, we couldn't hear the operator's answer, but John started to smile broadly. After putting the receiver back onto its cradle, he first looked at our clock on the wall, obviously to note the exact time. Then, he returned to our couch and leaned into me. Cuddling up to my left side, as usual, John explained:

"The pizza man made his excuses for being tardy; but he also promised that, if his delivery boy would be late again, we would get our pizzas for free! Now, I secretly hope the delivery boy will get a flat tire, so that I can earn some more allowances... In the meantime, I still don't know what feels better: having our house crowded with friends, or only us. Of course, having a full house is a lot of fun; but just the three of us feels nice too."

While we waited for our pizzas to show up, at least every ten seconds, John and little Harry peeked at our wall clock, obviously to check the time... Until finally, after exactly nineteen minutes and three seconds, a heavily panting and wheezing pizza delivery boy showed up in our driveway! Immediately, both boys raced to our front door, playfully bumping into each other while fighting to be there first. I heard them open the door wide and enthusiastically greet the panting delivery boy. A second later, John quickly returned into our living room and snatched my forgotten wallet from my desk. Before racing back, to pay the waiting boy for our pizzas, he smiled shyly at me...

Did John once call ME a 'forgetful ancient grandpa'? This time, I HAD him! Chuckling inwardly, I waited until John and little Harry returned into our living room, proudly carrying three steaming pizza boxes. They put them onto our table, turned around, and raced to our kitchen to get three plates and some cutlery. Soon, they were back, opened their pizza boxes, took their pizzas out, and hastily sliced them into edible parts.

While opening my own pizza box, I teased John:

"My dear young friend; I clearly remember a certain snot nosed young boy who once called ME a 'forgetful ancient grandpa' for forgetting my wallet... Don't you feel terribly ashamed, now that you obviously were doing exactly the same thing?"

For a few seconds, John only looked back at me, while he raised his eyebrows and smiled at me with a twinkle in his deep brown eyes. Then, he opened his box, sliced his pizza into a few parts, put the first part into his mouth, and took a huge bite. While savoring the taste, he chuckled:

"Why would I feel ashamed? As an obedient child, I'm always doing what older people teach me."

Darnit! Again, my way too clever young friend had turned the tables and caught me with my own words! Although I tried to come up with some funny remark, I soon had to admit that John was too witty for such an 'ancient grandpa'. With a reddening face, I dived for the cutlery and started to slice my own pizza. My little soul mate chuckled and stared at me while devouring his own pizza; but he didn't say a word. Clearly, he too thought this 'ancient grandpa' was becoming too old to catch up with two growing young boys. Well, I probably was. Never underestimate youth...

In no time, both John and little Harold had emptied their boxes and devoured their pizzas. As usual, they first burped loudly, to thank our 'food spirits' for providing us with their nice sustenance, as our little Gypsy Crown Prince once taught us to do. Then, without saying a word, both boys left our living room and went to our kitchen, leaving their 'ancient grandpa' alone with his only halfway eaten pizza. Were my boys again reading each other's thoughts, probably with the help of my little Shaman who knew exactly how to do such a thing, by using one of his many 'special abilities'?

Soon, both boys returned, this time carrying two sizzling colas and a cup of steaming and heavenly smelling coffee. After drinking their colas, they waited until their 'old man' had finished his pizza, before they took the empty boxes to our backyard and threw them into our trashcan. After they returned, with their arms around each other's waists, they resumed their usual places on our couch and on my lap, still without saying a word. For a second, they looked at each other...

Then, John cleared his throat a few times, before he asked me:

"Dad? Do you happen to have any important plans for tomorrow?"

Had my boys really been reading each other's thoughts or silently talking to each other in their minds, because they still hadn't exchanged any audible words? Feeling curious about what my two imps could be up to this time, I responded:

"Well, I haven't made up my mind yet. What important plans did you concoct this time?"

Looking a little big guilty, John hesitatingly responded:

"Please don't be angry with us, but Harry and I thought we could..."

Exactly at that same moment, our telephone started to ring! John stopped in mid sentence, slid down from our couch, went to my desk, took the receiver from its cradle, told it his name, and listened. Looking surprised, he answered:

"You are home already? How come? Well, yes... We ordered pizzas, because Harry felt too tired to cook for us... Nah, nothing special. We only helped a friend carry some lumber to his backyard... What? Immediately? Yes, I will ask him..."

Looking disappointed, John turned towards me and told me:

"Dad? Here is my Mom. She is home already, but she wants to come over and collect me immediately..."

Because I too felt disappointed, I decided to give a neutral answer and therefore responded:

"Well... Please tell your Mom she is always welcome in our humble home, any time she wishes."

Still looking disappointed, John relayed my words to Trudy, and then put the receiver back onto its cradle. With a sad face, he returned to our couch and slumped down next to me. Obviously, my young friend was NOT happy to see his mother back! Was he afraid his Mom would want to take him home, exactly now that his little brother and he had concocted their 'important plans' for tomorrow? Although I still had no idea about what they could be up to, I also didn't want to ask them...

Within a minute, our doorbell sounded, and John left our couch and sauntered to our front door, to welcome his Mom. Trudy entered our living room with her arms tightly around a sad looking John who still didn't say a word. Mark and Marrie followed them close, of course again giggling and teasing each other, as usual. After giving her oldest son another cuddle, Trudy released John and sat down in one of our easy chairs. John quickly returned to our couch and again slumped down next to me, followed by Marrie and Mark who both sat down at the other side of our couch.

While winking at my little soul mate on my lap, Trudy smiled apologetically and explained:

"Sorry, Big Harry and little Harry, for showing up unexpectedly, but I started to feel homesick and wanted to go home early. Of course, I also missed my oldest son. Therefore, I decided to stay home from now on, to be there for all my children. From now on, Eric will never again enter our house. I have already signed the necessary papers, and our divorce is pending. Thank you very much for caring for John and letting him stay with you and Harry, and I really appreciate your help! However, from now on, I want John to be home where he belongs, with me and with his younger brother and sister, sleeping in his own bed in his own room, because he is now 'the man' in our house. Of course, John can still visit you and Harry whenever he wants to, and he may also have a few sleepovers if he wishes, but not every day."

Feeling a bit shocked, I simply didn't know what to answer. My inside felt very disappointed, although my brain knew that Trudy was right. Officially, I was only John's guardian, while he still 'belonged' to his mother and siblings. However, since John had started living here, he had also started to feel as if he could be my own child! Again, I felt my own impotency, because I was only some 'helpful neighbor' without any parental rights whatsoever. Nobody would ever reckon with our 'past lives', or with our true feelings for each other, because I was already an 'old man' and John was only a minor...

Next to me, I could clearly feel John's frustration, while he ducked his head under my left arm and tried to melt into me even more. Although, in his heart, John had adopted me as his new Dad, he could never reveal our mutual secret to anybody else without making a fool of himself. In reality, John wasn't Eric's son but Jack's, who had departed earth and now was our 'Spirit Guide' from the beyond. Officially, Eric was John's father; and I was sure that Eric would never release his 'bastard child' to me! Now that Eric knew the truth and Trudy wanted a divorce, Eric would certainly use every 'parental right' he had, to torment his mother and his 'bastard son' whenever he could. Nobody would ever understand that John once had been my best friend, during several past lives! On the contrary, our society would always look at me with suspicion, seeing me as a potential child molester and John as my innocent victim. Both John and I had to be VERY careful never to show any of our real feelings...

Hesitatingly, I turned towards Trudy and told her:

"I have enjoyed John's company very much, and caring for him and helping you certainly has been MY pleasure. Now, I only hope John will not forget this 'old man' when he starts living in his own home again. In my house, his own room and his own desk will always be at his disposal, whenever he wants to use them. Soon, I will go downtown and buy him his own house key, so that he can enter the house and use his own room whenever he wants. Thank you very much, Trudy, for trusting me with your son and for allowing me to help him. All the time, he has been a wonderful friend, both to me and to his little brother, and, as usual, he will always be more than welcome in our humble home."

At that moment, my little soul mate sat upright on my lap, stared deeply into Trudy's eyes, and asked her:

"Mom? Is John still allowed to accompany me to my own Gypsy people in Rumania? As their Royal Crown Prince and next Gypsy Leader, I want to make John my Personal Assistant, because I know I can trust him with my own life if necessary, and I just NEED to have him around me when I return to my own Gypsy clan!"

For a couple of seconds, Trudy only stared back at John's 'little brother', in sudden surprise. For a moment, I even thought she would start to object, because she seemed to look dubiously... Then, I sensed how my clever little Shaman connected his Inner Self to her Inside, opened her Inner Doors, and gently stirred her inner feelings of Cosmic Love!

Within a few seconds, Trudy started to smile broadly while she responded:

"Of course, I will allow John to accompany you to your own Gypsy people and be your personal assistant if he wants to! For the time being, I only want to have another man in the house, now that Eric has left forever and never comes back. Don't be afraid, and I am sure you will continue to see your big brother more often than you are hoping for. Will John really be your Personal Assistant, once you are old enough to return to your own people and be their next Gypsy Leader?"

"Of course, Mom! You can trust me on that, because we Gypsies never lie and always keep our promises! Thank you very much again, Mom, for everything you have done and still do for John and for me; and I love you very, very much."

"Thank you, my dear son, and you too are very welcome in my humble house, whenever you want to! Now, I'm starting to feel too tired, and I think it's time to go home. Big Harry, would you like to eat dinner with us tomorrow?"

"Yes, I would very much appreciate that! What do you think, Harry, shall we accept Trudy's invitation?"

Chuckling while looking a bit naughty, my little imp immediately answered:

"Of course, Dad! Eating out will again free me from my daily cooking duty."

I smiled at seeing my boy's naughty face, ruffled his unruly blond hair, and playfully told him:

"Aw, you poor cookie. Now, I almost start feeling sorry for abusing your amazing cooking skills..."

In the meantime, I felt very relieved to know that we would still see John regularly! Inwardly, I made a mental note to get a couple of spare keys, the next time we went downtown. Then, John could have his own key; and my little soul mate could have another key, to be able to enter their own rooms whenever they wanted. Perhaps, I would also give Nicky and Davy their own keys. I also still had to buy cell phones for my boys and for me, to carry with us all the time whenever we went outside.

Chuckling at seeing little Harry's mock-indignant face, Trudy rose from her chair and beckoned her children to follow her. Before following his Mom, John first asked her to be allowed to visit us again tomorrow. However, Trudy told him he had to do a couple of necessary chores first, to make their empty house livable again. After doing his chores, John would be free to do as he liked, until we had to show up at Trudy's house to eat dinner and have some small talk.

My little soul mate and I walked Trudy and her three children to our front door and waved them out. Then, we returned to our living room and sat down on our usual couch. Suddenly, our house felt VERY empty. During the last couple of days, we had been used to having at least four to six more or less noisy children in our house; not including a couple extra neighbor kids that used our outdoor swimming pool. Now, all at once, my little soul mate and I were all alone! My boy seemed to have the same feelings, because he silently crawled onto my lap to be held and cuddled. While heaving a deep sigh of contentment, he closed his eyes, and involuntarily put his thumb into his mouth...

Up to now, I had never before seen my boy this vulnerable, as if he could be regressing to a much younger age. Obviously, all our emotional happenings had been too much for the little boy that he still was, despite his astonishing maturity. Until now, he always had to be brave and tolerant, in addition to having such a terribly burnt face. As our chief cookie, he had prepared our meals nearly every day. As a Gypsy Crown Prince, his own people were waiting for him to grow up and become their next Gypsy Leader. Yes, he was a brilliant conversationalist, and he already had a very distinct opinion of his own. However, he also was an only eight-year-old and vulnerable little boy that still wanted to be held and feel safe in my enveloping arms...

2. Pampering my boy; having another dream.

After sitting together in silence for quite some time, and enjoying each other's mutual love and close togetherness very much, at last, I decided to go to bed early because I too felt tired. Gently, I took my boy into my arms and rose from our couch. Immediately, he plopped his thumb out of his mouth and put his arms around my neck. He pushed his head under my chin and started to purr like a little kitten. Tenderly, I kissed his blond hair, while savoring the scent of MY boy. Together, we entered my bedroom, where I laid him down onto our waterbed. Dreamily, he stretched out, with an expression of pure bliss on his face. Without opening his eyes, and with a tiny baritone voice, he asked me:

"Please, Daddy, could you pamper me tonight, as you used to do your own kids when they were still little? Tonight, I want to FEEL that you are my Dad."

At first, I didn't understand my boy's question. Did he really want me to put diapers on him, as I used to do my own daughters when they were little and still wet their bed at night? Feeling surprised, I already opened my mouth to ask him my question... Then, a strange thought crossed my mind, making me wonder. Would I be able to read my son's intentions, as my little Shaman always effortlessly did with mine? Could Jack, our Spirit Guide, be around us, trying to help us by imprinting this idea into my mind? I thought I sensed Jack around us, but wasn't sure...

Because I knew I had been a powerful Shaman myself, during several past lives, I decided to give it a try, and started to concentrate on my boy's thoughts. Still looking at his blissful face, I started to imagine my little soul mate being 'pampered' by me... Suddenly, I knew what my boy wanted, as if I 'remembered' his intentions. Finally, I found out how my boys could be 'reading' each other's thoughts, without saying a word! Obviously, they didn't 'talk' to each other in their minds, but they merely 'sensed' or 'remembered' what the other intended!

My little Shaman seemed to sense what I tried to do, because he got a knowing smile on his face. Then, he showed me a little movie, in Technicolor, about what he wanted me to do. Again, I started to understand some more, and my little soul mate immediately confirmed my thoughts. My boys were able to talk to each other in their minds, only because HE was a Shaman and knew how to do it and how to help them project their inner thoughts. Without his help and his Shaman abilities, it would be impossible for them to read any minds at all... Only because I had been a very powerful Shaman myself, and still remembered how to do it, was I now able to read my boy's mind like this! I thanked him in my thoughts, and got a big smile in response.

His Technicolor movie showed me that he wanted to be a little boy tonight. He wanted to be undressed, washed, massaged, and put to bed like a little baby; just as his deceased Dad always did when he was still little. By doing this, he also wanted to transform his feelings from being his deceased Dad's little boy to being MY little boy! That way, he wanted to bond his conscious Inner Self to ME for all eternity, so that he and I would become conscious Eternal Soul Mates...

Again, I got tears in my eyes from my overwhelming emotions. My boy wanted me to be his new Dad for all eternity! He wanted to be my Conscious Eternal Soul Mate, thus committing himself to me forever! Why had my little soul mate chosen ME, and not somebody who deserved his commitment more than I did? Ultimately, I was only an old and retired psychotherapist...

Suddenly, Jack's warm voice sounded in my inside, telling me loud and clear:

"My dear brother, you were the first Pharaoh from Ancient Egypt, and Master of the Ark of the Covenant from the Orion Gods, kept in our Great Pyramid until we shut it down. Your son is your own personal High Priest, directly connected to you and servicing the Gods of the Pleiades. My own son is my own personal High Priest, connected to me and also servicing you. Please, stop doubting, and start regaining your personal powers! You will need them soon, to help our poor confused Earth enter the fifth dimension and expand in knowledge. Within a moment, you will forget my message, because we don't want you to feel confused... However, one thing you will always remember: You are worth every single ounce of our Love and Friendship!"

Jack's warm voice faded away, leaving me confused and a bit dizzy. For a moment, I didn't know what to think or what to believe. Could I have made up Jack's voice in my inside, telling me 'You are worth every single ounce of our Love and Friendship'? Or, had I been daydreaming, listening to my own wishful thinking? I looked at my little soul mate, but my boy still had the same contented smile on his face. Obviously, HE hadn't heard Jack's warm voice. Vaguely, I knew that Jack had told me a lot more, but my mind couldn't remember what it was...

After trying to dispel my confusing cobwebs, I forced myself to return to the here and now. My son wanted to be pampered, to feel like my little boy, and I had to help him! Therefore, I knelt down beside our waterbed, and slowly started to undress him. First, I pulled his small socks off his feet, one by one, and put them onto a chair. Then, I bent over and kissed his small toes, counting them from one to ten. He squirmed around on our bed, trying to escape the tickling, but at the same time loving the funny sensation. Smiling at his happy antics, I softly tickled his soles, making him squirm even more. Instinctively, I took one of his toes into my mouth and started to suck on it. At the same moment, my boy went all mushy, and I saw a couple of tears welling in his eyes! Had I unintentionally done something wrong?

Feeling a little bit guilty, I let my boy's toe plop out of my mouth and asked him:

"What is it, my little soul mate? What are you crying for?"

"I think I feel too happy! My Dad always sucked on my toes after he washed me..."

Suddenly, my little imp showed me a naughty smile, while he chuckled:

"You sucked on my toes BEFORE you washed them, so you are a dirty old man!"

Teasingly, I tickled his soles with more power, making him roar with laughter:

"Let me go, you dirty old man!"

"What do you say I am?"

"You are my dirty old Dad and I love you; but, please, stop tickling before I pee my pants."

This time, my boy's 'dirty old Dad' got tears in his own eyes from pure unconditional love! Sitting next to him, I took my little imp into my arms and held him close. While cradling him, we basked in each other's combined love and friendship, now and then exchanging a couple of little kisses. Until my imp got too impatient and wriggled himself free from my arms.

Falling backwards onto our waterbed, he summoned me:

"I thought you would pamper me? Come on, on the double!"

Laughing at my boy's mock-scowling face, I started to unbutton his trousers. Helpfully, he lifted his hips into the air, so that I could peel his trousers off his burnt legs. He sat up and lifted his arms into the air, to help me peel off his t-shirt. Then, he slumped backwards, with closed eyes and a blissful smile on his face. Tentatively, I tugged at his loose-fitting blue Snoopy briefs. Immediately, he lifted his hips high into the air again, to help me shuck them. I stripped his small briefs down his legs and put them onto a chair, next to his other clothes.

Seductively, my naked boy stretched out at full length, while I looked him over from head to toe. Here, in front of me, I saw the most beautiful creature I had ever seen! Of course, I was still aware of his many red scars and all the wild flesh in several different colors. However, beyond his scarred body, I saw the beauty of his soul and his love clearly shining through. I also saw his powerful Royal Aura, and the enormous amount of self-esteem my boy possessed. He was my precious and beautiful eternal soul mate, I loved him with all my heart, and he was MINE.

Tenderly, I lifted my boy off our bed and took him into my arms. Again purring like a little kitten, he put his small arms around my neck and let me carry him to the shower. First, I sat him down onto our chest of drawers, telling him to be patient. I quickly undressed, folded my clothes, and piled them next to my son. Now, I went to our shower enclosure and opened the thermostatic warm water tap, waiting until the initial cold water had a nice temperature.

I returned to my patiently waiting son and took him into my arms again. Carrying my boy, we entered the shower stall, where I first turned around and around to get both of us wet. Then, I sat down under the warm water stream and pulled my little soul mate into my lap. Immediately, he leaned into me, with a deep sigh of content and a blissful smile on his face. Now, I took the soap, and started to lather my precious boy from top to bottom. He still had his eyes closed, and I thought I heard him hum some strange sounding Gypsy melody full of melancholy... Carefully, while trying to hum along with the same strange melody, I washed his front, turned him around, and washed his back. I sat him in between my knees and gently washed his blond hair, trying not to let the shampoo drip into his closed eyes. Finally, I quickly washed myself, while he waited for me with a contented smile and his eyes still closed. I took the showerhead and rinsed both of us at the same time, while my boy spluttered and blew small water bubbles.

Feeling satisfied and full of love for my still happily humming little soul mate, I closed the water tap and carried my precious boy out of the shower stall. I sat him down onto the chest of drawers, and quickly dried both him and myself. Again, I took him into my arms, went to our waterbed, and carefully laid him down. All the time, my boy had his eyes closed, still humming the same strange Gypsy melody. I could clearly feel his powerful love, pouring out of every pore of his soul and totally engulfing me! At the same time, I was sure he could feel MY powerful love, trying to harmonize with him while filling him with all the strength I could bring forth.

Now that I had washed him, I took my small bottle of massage oil and started to rub a little bit of oil into his back. Immediately, he stretched out as far as he could, to give me maximum access to every nook and cranny of his lithe little body, while his humming changed into another strange Gypsy melody, this time sounding full of hope and glory. Again, I tried to match his humming, while kneading his small muscles and stretching his tiny tendons. Within ten minutes, his humming slowly faded away, until he fell silent. Then, he started to snore...

Very careful, so as not to wake him, I wiped the excessive oil from his small back. Now, I went downstairs to bless the ceramic god, wash my oily hands, and drink some water. I also put on fresh briefs, to play it safe, because one can never know who will enter our house during the night. Slowly and carefully, I crawled into my bed, next to my snoring little son, and covered us with the blankets. Immediately, he worked himself into my arms, without waking up! Again, I felt all mushy inside, and had to be careful not to crush my boy too much. My precious son from a past life, my beautiful little soul mate, the light of my life...

Halfway through the night, I suddenly started to dream. In my dream, I was our Honorary Gypsy Leader, while my little soul mate had grown up and was our next Gypsy Leader. I also was the Grandfather of a lively and very bright little Gypsy boy, called 'Harold junior'!

Of course, I already knew this boy, because he had died in my arms as a 'throw-away-kid', and reincarnated almost immediately, to be born as the child of my little soul mate and a very nice Gypsy girl. My little grandson, our new Gypsy Heir to the Throne, had a slightly darker complexion, curly black hair, and two steel blue eyes that curiously looked around.

Slowly, I woke up, still basking in the happy feeling of having such a lovable grandson, although it had been only a dream, and everybody knows that dreams are never true. During the night, my little soul mate had crawled onto my stomach, now lying prone, with his little nose in my left armpit and his small limbs spread out all over me, as usual. Tenderly, I folded my arms around my little octopus and held him close. Would he really marry a nice Gypsy girl in the future, and have a little son like the lovable small boy with steel blue eyes from my dream? Soon, I fell asleep again, still remembering my happy dream.

The next morning, I woke up early, still remembering my dream and my little grandson with his curious face and steel blue eyes. At the same time, my full bladder started to protest, telling me it wanted to be emptied NOW. Careful not to wake my still sleeping little soul mate, I lifted my snoring boy off my stomach. As usual, my ministrations caused an immediate grunt and a fierce struggle to leave him where he was. Only, this time, he suddenly sat upright, opened his eyes, yawned, and squinted at the too bright daylight that tickled his eyes.

Then, he looked at me with his bright blue orbs, and asked:

"What's up, Dad? Where are you going?"

"Sorry for waking you this early, but I have to go to the bathroom..."

"Okay, I'm coming with you."

Falling back onto my stomach, he first stretched out at full length, rubbed his eyes, and yawned. Then, he jumped off my stomach and left our bed, immediately bright and shining as always. Impatiently, he waited for his 'dirty old Dad' to follow him downstairs...

Again, I felt a bit jealous of my always joyous little soul mate. Unlike him, I certainly was NOT a morning person. I always had to wake up first, to dispel my sleepy cobwebs and loosen my rusty muscles. Chuckling, I thought that John seemed to resemble me, also reacting a bit grumpy and short-tempered when he woke up. Nicky seemed to be more like little Harry, and I thought that Davy could be somewhere in between. How had my own little brother, Joshie, reacted when I woke him in the morning, around fifty years ago? I couldn't remember...

Still yawning, I left my waterbed and followed my naked little savage downstairs. There, he quickly opened the door to the toilet and waited for me. Obviously, he wanted us to pee together. Well, okay, why should that be a problem? Big Brother Society, please, close your prying eyes for a second, because my boy and I are going to have a bit of innocent fun! Standing next to each other, my boy and I started to empty our bladders into the waiting ceramic god, while crossing our streams, playing sword fight, and trying not to splash too much. Of course, things went a bit 'wide of the mark'. I had to get a mop and a bucket from the kitchen, to clean the floor... but, we had lots of fun, and it felt wonderful to be able to play 'little boy' and act a bit naughty.

Soon, we returned upstairs and took a quick shower. After drying each other and dressing, we ambled downstairs and went to our kitchen. My little savage took my huge slippers from our hallway closet and stepped into them, chuckling while trying not to trip. Carefully, he shuffled into our backyard, to get some of his famous herbs. In the meantime, I collected a couple of eggs, a small clove of garlic, and a few tomatoes, and buttered some toast. My little cookie returned, washed his herbs, and chopped them into small pieces at an astonishing speed. A few minutes later, we savored our healthy and tasteful breakfast. I took a couple of oranges, and made two glasses of fresh orange juice. We drank them in silence, while looking at each other and basking in our joyful togetherness. Little Harry took our plates and empty glasses to the sink and rinsed them, while I brewed my first heavenly tasting cup of coffee. Smiling at each other, while I savored my coffee, I felt extremely blessed and totally happy!

3. Visiting Harry's Gypsy parents' graveyard.

While wiping a drop of juice from his chin, my little soul mate asked me:

"Dad, do you have any important plans for today?"

"Not yet... Is that what John and you were planning to ask me for, yesterday?"

"No... but could we please do something else together, now that it is still early?"

"Yes, of course we could... What do you have in mind?"

"I hope you don't be mad at me for thinking about this, Dad; but... I would like to visit the graveyard, where my real Gypsy Mom and Dad are buried."

Stealthily, my boy wiped a couple of tears away, while he bashfully smiled at me...

For a second, I felt speechless and didn't know what to answer. In my selfishness, I never thought about my boy's deceased parents; and what he could be feeling for them. I had felt too happy to have my boy around, while enthusiastically trying to be his new Dad, without ever honoring his real parents he so tragically lost. Now, it was time to make up for my obvious lack of compassion! I only hoped he knew where we could find his parents' graves...

Getting tears of regret in my eyes, I responded:

"Son, this is a wonderful idea! Of course, I will never be mad at you for thinking about your own parents, and I would like to visit their grave too, to thank them for allowing me to raise such a fine young man! Do you know where we can find them?"

"Sorry, Dad, but I don't know where their remains are, because I was in a hospital when they were buried. Jack tells me they are not cremated, in spite of the fire, so I am sure they have to be buried somewhere in a graveyard. Could we look for them on the Internet?"

"Maybe... but let me think first. Neither your parents nor Jack had enough money to buy an expensive grave, so I think your Mom and Dad are buried in a cheaper local graveyard. If so, then let's have a look in our telephone book, before searching for graveyards on the Internet."

Together, we went to our living room, took our telephone book, and looked for graveyards. Soon, we found the nearest one, in a nearby village. My boy switched our computer on, and I started a route-planner and typed the address in. A few seconds later, we looked at a map, showing the graveyard at the border of a few pastures, next to a small church. My little soul mate switched our printer on, and I helped him print the map on a sheet of paper. He switched the computer and the printer off, stared at his mask on its green model, and hesitated...

Sounding a bit doubtful, he asked me:

"Dad? Do I have to wear my mask today? I want my parents to see the real me..."

"Well, I think that is very thoughtful of you, and your parents will certainly appreciate it."

Looking relieved, my boy took the printed map, my wallet, and my keys from our desk, snatched the remote transmitter out of my hand, and told me:

"Come on, Dad, let's go!"

Before we went outside, I first trotted upstairs and took one of my thick spare pillows from the attic, to help my little soul mate sit a bit higher. That way, he could look outside much easier, without craning his neck. Of course, my boy cheered loudly when he saw the pillow!

With a happily beaming face, he shouted:

"YES, Dad, that is a VERY good idea! Now, I can look outside even if I am still small!"

With his pillow clamped in his arms, he raced outside, on the way unlocking our golden van with the remote transmitter. Inside, he put his thick pillow onto the front seat, sat down on it, and buckled up with a proudly beaming face, sitting like a real Prince on his makeshift throne.

I chuckled at the funny sight, while I entered our van and buckled up. Little Harry handed me my keys, and I started the engine and reversed our van out of our driveway. We were on our way to a small graveyard, where I hoped we would find little Harry's deceased parents...

At least every thirty seconds, my boy compared our printed map to the outside world, and gave me directions where we had to go. The rest of the time, he looked around, proudly sitting on his makeshift throne, and confirming every single alley and crossing that we passed.

After ten minutes, he shouted, pointing to a tiny church tower in a far distance:

"THERE, Dad, there is our church! Turn to the left here, and drive into that small street."

Of course, my boy was right about the church tower, so I did as he told me. However, what he called a 'small street', turned out to be a heavy overgrown and bumpy small lane! I had to drive very carefully, all the time avoiding deep potholes, and now and then jolting up and down, while wondering where the heck we were going. To be sure, I asked my boy about it, but my little soul mate confirmed this lane would bring us straight to the graveyard, according to our printed map. Well, I surely hoped the map would turn out to be right...

After a long time of driving, avoiding potholes, and jolting up and down, we unexpectedly reached a closed iron gate. I stopped our van abruptly; and my little map-reader and I stared at each other with shocked faces. Then, both of us started to bellow with laughter, slapping our knees from sudden fun. There was no way we would be able to go on from here! To play it safe, we tried to open the closed gate, but it was padlocked and didn't give way.

Slowly and very carefully, I started to reverse our van, until we found a private yard where we could turn around. Again, we avoided all the potholes and jolted up and down, until we were at the same place from where we started, and I could steer our van back onto the 'normal' road. There, at a small distance, we saw a tiny parking lot! Why hadn't our map told us about it?

My little map-reader shook his head in obvious frustration, while he angrily showed me our printed map. Of course, he was right. This parking lot was NOT on our map! Feeling angry with the erroneous mapmakers, I drove our van into the nearly empty lot. I parked it next to the only other car we saw, and we exited and looked around. A tiny green signboard, carrying the word 'church', pointed to a rural lane across the pastures. Little Harry secured our van, by using the remote transmitter he still had in his pocket. Trustingly, he put his small hand into mine, and we started to walk towards the church, where we supposed the graveyard would be as well...

Walking along the rural lane, we passed a couple of green meadows. The atmosphere around here gave me a strange feeling, as if nature itself was more respectful here. The bright sun shone less intrusively, and the warm wind blew softer. Even the twittering birds sounded less selfish. When we reached the end of the last meadow, we saw our small church, adorned with the tiny tower we had seen before. Next to the church was an outstretched graveyard, surrounded by a couple of skewed weeping willows. An old and overgrown iron fence with a closed double gate secluded it from the surroundings. Could we enter this uninvitingly closed place on our own, or should we have made an appointment first? Why hadn't I thought of calling someone, perhaps a sacristan or a gardener, to ask him about my boy's deceased parents first...

After looking around and hesitating, my little soul mate left my hand, went to the closed gate, and pushed it. Fortunately, the rusty double gate started to open, although slowly and with a lot of squeaking. Tentatively, we stepped through the open gate and walked into the seemingly deserted graveyard. Inside, we first looked around for a gardener or sacristan, to help us find the grave. However, nobody showed up, and we seemed to be all alone. My boy looked up at me with an unsure smile, and wormed his hand back into mine. He too seemed to feel overwhelmed by the quietness of the atmosphere here. To be honest, I myself didn't feel at ease here either, in this deserted place full of dead people... Then, my little soul mate pulled at my arm.

Not daring to speak aloud, he whispered:

"Dad? Where do you think they have buried my Mom and Dad?"

Looking around at all the gravestones, I didn't have the faintest idea where we could find my son's deceased parents. Perhaps, we could walk around and look at all the names, until we found them? That is, if my boy's parents were buried around here, and not in some other graveyard...

I bent over towards my waiting boy and whispered back:

"Shall we read all the names on the gravestones, until we find your parents?"

He nodded his consent, and followed me towards the first row of stones. Very soon, we felt overwhelmed by the enormous diversity of all the different people who were buried here. One by one, we read the names and ages of young people, old people, little babies, extremely old people, and every other thinkable age in between. We also started to read all the different grave texts, and tried to decipher the oldest ones that were weatherworn and in ancient characters.

At last, we had read all the names and texts on the first long row of stones, but to no avail. No name had sounded like 'Romani', or like two burnt people who were buried two years ago... Feeling disappointed, we went to the next row of stones and continued to read the names. This time, we skipped the grave texts and only deciphered all the names, to progress a bit faster.

After more than two hours of searching, we had read all the names and several texts on all the gravestones, looking for any signs of little Harry's deceased parents. However, up to now, everything we did had been in vain. It seemed to be obvious that little Harry's deceased parents were not buried in this particular graveyard! Only, we had also seen a couple of empty places we weren't sure of... Now and then, we had stumbled upon an empty rectangle without a stone, overgrown with weeds. Could they be empty graves, waiting to be used when somebody died? Or, could my boy's parents be buried in one of them, without any stone or other indication...

After looking around for the last time, my little soul mate and I had a short conversation without words, and then shook our heads in unison. Without using any words, we decided to give up our efforts and go home. We were tired of all the searching, and enough was enough! Slowly, walking hand in hand, we sauntered back to the entrance. However, before we left the graveyard, we decided to take a short rest before walking back all the way to our van, because we felt tired. Therefore, I slumped down onto a huge marble stone and closed my eyes. My old and a bit rusty body really felt worn out, after more than two hours of walking around in vain...

My boy stepped in front of me and silently worked his small frame into my embrace. I put my arms around his warm body, held him close, and tenderly kissed his sweaty little forehead. He sighed and tried to melt into my aura, from where I felt his almost palpable disappointment. We should have asked some town hall for information, instead of searching blindly! What should we do now, to find the grave where my boy's parents were buried? Should we drive back home and continue our search from there, perhaps by searching the Internet?

Unexpectedly, a wonderful idea popped up in my mind, as a possible solution! Could we go back to one of those seemingly empty graves, to 'adopt' it and pretend little Harry's parents were buried in there? I was sure my boy's deceased parents wouldn't mind...

Bending over towards my little soul mate, I whispered into his ear:

"Harry? What do you think about adopting one of those empty graves over there, to pretend your Mom and Dad are buried in it? I am sure they will not mind; because, in reality, they are now living in 'Heaven', from where they are looking after you and me."

Immediately, my boy looked up at me, staring at me with Pure Love in his eyes! His built-in sun restarted to shine through his bright blue orbs, while he nodded his head in confirmation. For another second, he closed his eyes, while he seemed to listen to somebody...

Then, he freed himself from my arms and smiled:

"My Mom and Dad are no longer in 'Heaven', but they are HERE! For the first time since they burnt to death, they are healed and can move around in our Earthly Plane without any help from others. I've felt them around us all the time, and my Mom tells me she is sure their remains are buried around here, in this graveyard. She only cannot tell me where it is, because everything on Earth is still too 'ethereal' to her, and she sees only some vague mists. My Dad is a bit further in his development, and he will soon start helping you and me from The Beyond. Now, I want to adopt that big tree over there, and pretend my parents' remains are buried under its roots."

For a second, I felt too surprised to respond. Suddenly, my Inside 'remembered' several of my own deaths, and I 'knew' again that some 'unnatural' deaths, like being murdered or burnt in a blazing fire, could damage the soul, and force it to take a lot of extra time to heal! Burning wood wouldn't damage anything of importance, but a blazing petrol fire could be devastating!

Still feeling surprised, I responded:

"Okay, let's go to that big tree over there, and sit down against it."

Happily, my boy took my hand and dragged me towards a couple of majestic oak trees near the border of the graveyard. Immediately, he sat down, with his back against an enormous oak and his feet wriggling around in one of the seemingly empty graves. Slowly lowering myself, I sat down next to my happy looking boy, resting my too tired back against the same old oak tree. I could swear that tree comforted us and offered us its Earthly powers! Happily, I closed my eyes, and enjoyed the nice feeling of being healed and regaining my strength.

For quite some time, we sat together in silence, enjoying the quietness and peacefulness of the surroundings. In the meantime, my tiredness left me, and my body started to feel replenished. My little soul mate seemed to feel less tired as well, while he continually wormed his small feet around and around in the seemingly empty grave... Then, we heard the squeaking sound of the opening iron gate. Obviously, somebody else had decided to visit this same graveyard! Well, we didn't feel bothered by the thought, and just went on feeling better and better.

A minute later, a tall man of around my age showed up, looked in our direction, and slowly sauntered towards our oak tree. He smiled at little Harry, obviously without feeling shocked at seeing such a terribly burnt face, and nodded his head to greet me.

With a pleasant and warm voice, he started some small talk:

"Good morning, gentlemen. Today is a wonderful day, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir, I agree! Only, please, may I ask you a question? For quite some time, my adopted son and I have been looking for his deceased parents, but we cannot find their grave. Do you happen to know how we might be able to find out where they are buried in this graveyard? We have already looked at all the gravestones, but didn't see their names..."

"Yes, I saw you looking at all the stones, and decided to try to help you in case you couldn't find somebody. By the way, I am the sacristan of our church, and we keep an up-to-date register. Please, could you tell me some more about the deceased people you are looking for?"

First, my boy slowly pulled his still wriggling feet out of the 'empty' grave.

Then, he turned towards the waiting sacristan, and explained:

"Around two years ago, both my Mom and my Dad burnt to death in a caravan fire. Only I could escape through the smoke, but my face and my body are burnt too..."

"Yes, I can see your burns. Only, your outside may be damaged, but your beautiful soul is not! Please, never doubt yourself, because you are a very special boy with an enormous amount of Pure Love in your heart. Now, let's try to find your parents. Do you know the date when they departed their earthly life and went to Heaven?"

"Unfortunately not, because I was still in a hospital when they buried my parents. I only know it was during summer, around two years ago..."

"Then, let's search our register for burials around summer two years ago; and I am sure we will find your parent's grave in no time. Please, follow me to our church."

We followed the friendly sacristan towards his church, where he took an enormous key out of his pocket and unlocked an old oaken door. Inside, he guided us down a small stairway to a musty smelling cellar room that was filled with many ancient looking books. After letting us look around, he took a smaller and less old looking book from a shelf.

He opened it, and beckoned my boy to help him:

"I suggest we start looking from this page on, beginning two years ago, around the start of summer. Do you happen to know your parents' last name?"

"Well, our last name is 'Romani', but I don't think the authorities knew our names when my parents were buried, because all the papers in our caravan were burnt to ashes."

"Then, let's have a closer look at all the descriptions..."

Working together, my boy and the sacristan started to read all the descriptions, while my boy carefully followed name by name with his finger.

Suddenly, he jumped up and shouted:

"YES, here they are! 'A man and a woman of unknown age and origin, burnt to death in a caravan fire, buried together in grave 108'. We've found my parents' grave, Dad!"

My little soul mate threw himself at me, clamped onto my chest, and started to cry his heart out! Helpfully, I carried him to a wooden bench, sat down, and took him onto my lap. I caressed his little back, while the sacristan went upstairs to get him a glass of water and I started to doubt. Was my boy crying because he had found his parents, or had he encountered something else? Feeling a little bit uneasy, I concentrated on his aura and tried to contact his inner self...

My sobbing boy opened up to me immediately, letting me see he was crying only from relief and happiness. He was sure his parents had sent the sacristan to us to help us find their grave! His Mom and Dad had been around us all day; and, from now on, they would always be with us, to help us from within their own realm, when and wherever they were allowed... Soon, my little soul mate pulled himself together, by expertly moving his 'inner switch' towards Royalty. Within a second, he started to smile, and looked at me with teary but again proudly beaming eyes. I took my handkerchief out of my pocket, dried his eyes, and helped him blow his nose. The sacristan offered him a glass of water, and my boy gulped it down eagerly, until he almost choked.

Still spluttering and coughing, he chuckled:

"Sorry for being such a nuisance. And, thank you for the water, because I was really thirsty! Now, please, can we go to my parent's grave, number 108?"

The sacristan went to a ground plan and looked at it, to find out where my boy's parents were buried. Suddenly, he looked very surprised, but didn't tell us why. He only asked us to follow him, and guided us upstairs and back to the graveyard. Outside, we walked straight towards 'our' oak tree, where the sacristan stopped and pointed to the seemingly empty grave.

With almost reverence in his respectful voice, he told my boy:

"My young friend... All the time while you sat here, against this oak tree, your feet were touching your parents' grave! What extremely strange coincidence..."

The sacristan turned around and retreated respectfully, still shaking his head in disbelief. Little Harry went to 'our' oak tree and sat down in the same position as before, with his back leaning against the same tree. Again, his small feet started to worm around and around in the grave of his deceased parents. For a couple of seconds, he closed his eyes...

Then, he looked up at me with a beaming face full of love, and explained:

"I am now sure my parents showed me the way! They've asked Jack for help, to guide me to this oak tree, to let me know in which grave their bodies are buried. I feel so happy... Come on, Dad, sit next to me and put your feet into their grave, just like I am doing."

Still feeling confused, I did as my boy told me. I lowered myself against the old oak tree, and again felt its comforting energy enter my spine. Tentatively, I put one foot into the grave where my adopted son's parents were buried. Wouldn't I be too disrespectful, now that I knew for sure that two dead persons were buried in this seemingly empty grave? Stealthily, I looked at my little soul mate next to me, who leaned against my side with his eyes closed...

I was sure I heard my boy whisper to his parents, although I couldn't hear what he told them. Totally unexpectedly, I felt Jack's powerful energy engulfing me and pulling me into an 'induced trance', while his bright light started to shine around me, seemingly coming from everywhere. Feeling very surprised, I also heard a faint female voice, coming from some vague and misty form that looked like a blond woman with long hair and bright blue eyes, standing next to a tall dark-skinned Gypsy man with an enormous mustache. The warm and friendly sounding female voice thanked me for all the good things I had done and still did for their son!

Before I had time to doubt, my little soul mate explained:

"Dad? My Mom wants to thank you for all the good things you have done and still do for me; and both she and my Dad ask you to sit still and accept their love and gratitude..."

At that same moment, an extremely powerful wave of Pure Love engulfed me, making me feel giddy with sheer happiness. Feeling loved like this, into the very core of my soul, I bowed my head and started to cry my heart out, while several helpful hands pulled me out of my body and lifted me towards a beautiful place that felt like much more than only some Heaven...

Slowly, I woke up, sitting against the old oak tree, with my little soul mate leaning against my side. Vaguely, I remembered being in a very bright light, where I had talked to a couple of extremely powerful spirits full of Love and Ancient Wisdom. Unfortunately, my brain couldn't remember anything of what they had told me or what we had talked about. Had I really been in Heaven? Feeling confused, I reached for my handkerchief, and that woke my little soul mate.

He turned around, put his small arms around my neck, and yawned:

"Dad? Jack tells me we are ready. Shall we go home now?"

I nodded, while wiping my eyes, looking for a dry corner of my already wet handkerchief, still thinking of my strange experiences. I never thought my boy's real parents would approve of my clumsy efforts to raise their little Gypsy Crown Prince... Their powerful Love and gratitude had touched my heart into its deepest core... Again, I promised everybody around me I would do everything I could, to help my boy grow up in Love and Happiness! In my thoughts, I asked his parents to assist me, and to show me the correct way to raise our future Gypsy King properly...

Slowly, I scrambled upright, left the oak tree, and first stretched my stiff and painful back. Surprisingly, within a split second, all my back pain was gone, and I felt reborn again! My little soul mate took my hand and, together, we walked back to the still open gate.

Before we left the graveyard, my boy stopped and asked me:

"Dad? Could we please put a gravestone onto my parents' grave? That way, we can always find them when we return here, to have another look at where they are buried."

"Yes, son, I think that is a wonderful idea! Let's ask the sacristan for gravestones..."

We went back to the church, where we found the sacristan working in his front garden. He started to smile broadly when he saw my boy and me, and asked if everything was okay. With a happy face, my little soul mate told him about his wish to put a nice gravestone onto his parents' seemingly empty grave, so that we could find it easier... The sacristan assured him it would certainly make his deceased parents very happy, and handed us a reliable address. We thanked him for his help, and ambled back through all the pastures to our parked van.

Of course, we drove immediately to the recommended shop, which wasn't far away. I parked our van in its parking lot, and we entered the huge open-air shop. There, my little soul mate went straight to the biggest brownish marble gravestone that sparkled in the bright sunlight!

With a beaming face, my boy asked me:

"Please, Dad, could we put this stone onto my parents' grave?"

Although I felt shocked by seeing its price, I decided not to deliberate, because my boy's happiness was worth many times that sum. Therefore, I told my boy to order the stone, with the names of his deceased parents chiseled onto it in golden characters.

With a happily beaming face, my boy told an attending stonecutter:

"Could you please chisel a golden text onto this stone, and place it onto grave 108?"

With his little tongue hanging out of his mouth, my boy wrote onto a form:

'Janov Nikkinski Romani, our beloved Gypsy Leader'

'Maria Soren, his beloved Wife and our Gypsy Queen'

'May they rest in Love and Peace, until we meet again'

I paid the stonecutter with my 'inexhaustible' credit card, and the man promised my proud looking boy to place our readied gravestone onto grave 108 within two weeks from now. With happy feelings in our heart, we returned to our van and drove home.

Today really was a wonderful day!

4. Too loud burglar alarm; dinner with Trudy.

On our way home, both my little soul mate and I were unusually silent, still absorbed by our own thoughts. My little Gypsy Prince sat on his makeshift throne, absent-mindedly staring out of the windows. I was driving our van merely on autopilot, still basking in the wonderful feeling of being accepted by my boy's deceased parents, our Gypsy King and Queen. They had thanked me for 'all the good things I had done and still did for their son', although they both were of Royal Heritage, while I was only an old and retired psychotherapist who hoped to raise their little Heir to the Throne properly, without making too many mistakes. I also thought of our Wise Woman, who had confirmed that I once was their 'Beloved Gypsy Monarch Harold the Great'...

Now that I knew the full names of my boy's deceased parents, I also saw the logic in them. Because I was our 'Monarch Harold Romani'; my oldest son and Crown Prince, Nikki, became 'Nikki Haroldski Romani'; Nikki's son, Janov, became 'Janov Nikkinski Romani'; and Janov's son became 'Harold Janovski Romani'. In fact, little Harold was named after his great-grandfather, Monarch Harold, because his deceased Dad, Janov, was my own grandson, as seen throughout our incarnations! Feeling shocked at this sudden realization, I involuntarily moved the steering wheel, making our van perform an unexpected move, swinging from left to right and back.

My boy looked up in surprise, and asked me with a concerned face:

"Are you okay, Dad? What happened to our van?"

"Sorry, son, but I suddenly realized that your Dad, Janov, is my own grandson; because, in my past life as 'Gypsy Monarch Harold the Great', I have been Janov's grandfather..."

"Yes, of course, and that makes you my great-grandfather! I've tried to think this out before, because all our reincarno... err... our past lives, are making our family relations very complicated. John once was my own son, and he was my grown-up best friend, but he is now my big brother. Nicky was your son and our Gypsy Leader, but he is now nearly two months younger than I am. Davy once was my younger brother, but he is now one of my older friends... Sometimes, I am getting a headache, from all my thinking and trying to understand our entangled relationships. But, please, stop thinking and keep your eyes on the road; because I don't want to be buried and have my own gravestone before I have had a chance to be our next Gypsy Leader!"

Chuckling, we entered our village, feeling hungry, thirsty, and happy to be home again... Then, we saw John, sitting on our porch steps with his head in his hands and staring at his feet. He looked up when he heard our approaching van, and I felt severely shocked at sensing an aura around my young friend as if he was enveloped in a dark cloud of sadness and disappointment! For a second, my little soul mate and I saw a couple of tears on John's wet face, glistening in the sunlight, before his head slumped down again and he continued to stare at his feet.

Suddenly feeling ashamed, my boy and I stared at each other. In our own happiness and joyful togetherness, we had totally forgotten about our best friend! John had promised to join us after he finished his chores at home, and I once told him he would always be welcome in our house, to use his own room if he needed it. Only, he still didn't have his own key to let himself in, although I had promised him one. Of course, my young friend hadn't dared to use our hidden key in our backyard, to sneak into our house through the backdoor...

With a guilty feeling, I drove our van into our driveway and stopped her engine. Little Harry hesitated, looked from John to me, and slowly unbuckled his seatbelt. Nervously, he fumbled with the map, my wallet, and the remote transmitter. He clearly wanted to postpone meeting his abandoned big brother, until I first had explained to John why we left without him...

Slowly, I unbuckled my seatbelt, and reached for the door to leave our van. Suddenly, our van doors locked, while the car lights flashed two times. My little soul mate had unintentionally pushed the remote transmitter button, thus locking us in and setting the alarm! He looked at me with an innocent face, obviously not comprehending what could have happened. Seeing that I didn't open my door, he turned towards his own door and moved its handle up and down. Two seconds later, an ear-deafening and loudly screaming electronic siren started to undulate, chasing a huge flock of shocked birds out of our yard. Our van had a VERY effective burglar alarm!

On our porch steps, John jumped upright and grabbed his ears with both hands, to protect them from the screeching sound. Staring at our van with horror in his eyes, he lost his balance, tumbled off the porch steps, and landed in our front garden. Next to me, little Harry yelped in sudden panic and dropped the transmitter, while covering his ears with his hands. Frantically, he started to look outside our van, trying to detect what could be the cause of the horrifying sound... My poor heart almost stopped beating, while I dived for the remote transmitter in my boy's lap. I was sure all our neighbors would show up to rescue us! Tomorrow, we would be front-page news in our local newspapers, or we would be arrested for causing sound pollution...

Quickly, I bent over and grabbed around in my son's lap, to find the remote transmitter. However, the moment I felt it, it slipped in between my boy's trembling legs and fell down. Panicking more and more, I dived towards the floor, on the way bumping my head against the dashboard. Feeling dizzy and suddenly seeing stars, I grabbed the transmitter from the floor; and finally, I succeeding in pushing its button again. Immediately, the car lights flashed two times, and the undulating siren silenced. Sighing with the relief, I sagged back into my seat, rubbing an already forming lump on my head. Next to me, little Harry shuddered, hesitantly took his hands from his deafened ears, and looked around with frightened eyes.

Still trembling all over, my boy squeaked:

"Are the police arresting us again? What are they using their sirens for?"

Still rubbing the painful lump on my head, I responded:

"This siren is the burglar alarm from our OWN van, because you accidentally pushed the knob on its transmitter and tried to open the door! Now, calm down, and nobody is going to arrest us. Our activated alarm thought you could be a burglar; therefore, it decided to screech for help, until I found our transmitter on the floor and could switch the alarm off."

For a second, my boy only stared at me... Then, my imp saw the remote transmitter in my still trembling hand, and he started to bellow with laughter! Slapping his knees, while almost hiccupping, he fell off his seat and bumped his head against the dashboard. With a surprised face, he scrambled upright and rubbed the quickly forming lump on his head.

Then, he started to laugh again, while trying to grab the transmitter from my hand:

"Have I done that? Really? Come on, Dad, let me try it again..."

Feeling a bit irritated, I pushed his hand away and admonished him:

"Don't you DARE do this ever again! My ears are still ringing from that alarming sound. Why didn't they mount a BIGGER siren under the hood? Our deafened neighbors will never speak to us again... But, let's have a look at John, because he seems to limp."

"Oh yeah, John waits for us on our porch steps, because we left without telling him first. Now, I feel sorry for not inviting my big brother. He has done so many things for me..."

We left our van and staggered towards John, while rubbing the painful lumps on our heads. John sat on the ground in front of our porch, rubbing his knee and his head. His face lit up when he saw us coming, and he quickly scrambled upright and limped over to us.

While cuddling up against me, he complained:

"Hi, Dad and Harry. Where have you been all morning? I've waited for you for ages... Davy was here but went away after some time, Nicky has looked for Harry at least ten times, and all the neighborhood kids wanted to use our swimming pool... I was ready to give up and go home, when you suddenly switched your alarm on and I fell off the stairs! What happened?"

Before I got a chance to tell John why our activated burglar alarm decided to screech for help, my little soul mate threw his small arms around John and me.

Clearly not wanting me to reveal his mistake, he told John:

"Because Dad and I woke up early, and you had to do some chores first, I wanted to visit the graveyard where my parents are buried, and we found their address in our telephone book. After driving the wrong way, we walked to the graveyard but couldn't find my parents' grave. We sat down with our backs against an old oak tree, while I had my feet on a grave that seemed to be empty. A sacristan showed up, and found my parents in his register. They are buried next to that old oak tree, and I had my feet on their grave! Now, we've ordered a gravestone with the names of my parents chiseled in gold. Within two weeks, it will be on their grave, so that we can always find them. And, my Mom and Dad were around us! They talked to me, and they thanked Dad for all the good things he does for me. That is why we went away, and I am VERY sorry..."

Fortunately, John's built-in sun started to shine again, while he responded:

"Wow; that has been quite an adventure! Only, you could have warned me before you left without me. All morning, I've felt worried, because I didn't know what could have happened. I also thought of Eric, who always promised to take me somewhere. Mostly, he forgot me, but he told me he had no time to be bothered with me. When you went away without me, I felt sad again. I thought I was only a 'bastard child', and that you didn't really love me..."

"But... You are my BROTHER, and I love you with all my heart! Now, I feel VERY guilty. Next time, I will make it up to you. I promise! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

Before John could respond, two little neighborhood boys showed up, already clad in brightly colored tiny swimming trunks. When they saw me, they immediately raced up to me and jumped up, trusting me to catch them in midair. With some difficulty, I succeeded in catching both boys at the same time, one little boy in my left arm and the other one in my right arm.

I got two happy kisses on my cheeks, and the oldest boy told me:

"Finally, you are home! Mom told us to get out of her hair, and John and Nicky told us to wait until you and Harry showed up... Please, can we again swim in your pool?

Immediately, his younger brother punched his arm and whispered:

"Say, 'MAY we again swim in your pool'! Saying, 'CAN we' is impolite!"

Looking a bit frustrated, the around five-year-old youngest boy complained:

"Jake is a year older than I am, but he still doesn't know how to talk properly..."

Suddenly glaring at his younger brother, six-year-old Jake burst out:

"I cannot help that I am a disli... discu... discolectic, and you are always pestering me about it, with your brainiac brains. You should be on the child profity net!"

Looking annoyed, his younger brother corrected him:

"Jake, it is 'dyslectic' and 'prodigy', without a 'disco'."

Still looking frustrated, the little boy explained to me:

"Jake cannot help being dyslectic. His school thinks he does it on purpose, but he really has a knot in his brain that always mixes up difficult words; and I am NOT a child prodigy..."

Chuckling, I thought I had learned a brand new explanation of dyslexia, from what looked like a tiny boy but turned out to be a real brainiac! After kissing their little pug noses, I put both boys back onto their feet, and told them they could use our swimming pool. Cheering with happiness, they raced towards our backyard and cannonballed into the inviting water. Soon, three small girls and two more boys showed up, shucked their clothes, and joined them...

Then, another little boy showed up, having white hair and sparkling emerald green eyes, already clad in swimming trunks. He raced up to me to let me catch his stocky frame in midair.

With a happy looking face, Nicky offered me a wet kiss and told me:

"Hi, Pop, where have you been all the time? Davy was angry and went home, because John told him to wait until you and Harry returned, before we could swim in our pool. Then, all the neighborhood kids showed up, but we told them the same thing. Can we swim now?"

Chuckling, my little soul mate punched Nicky's arm and corrected him:

"It is, 'MAY we swim now'; because saying, 'CAN we' is impolite."

"I bet you stole these words from little Neil, our newest child prodigy! Therefore, you again are a 'playgitarist', playing word games with the public in your ape cage."

"And I think you have a Nicky knot in your brain that makes you a 'discolectic'!

At that moment, Davy showed up, looking reassured when he saw our parked van in our driveway. Shaking his head at seeing all the happily swimming and diving neighborhood kids in our pool, he trotted towards us, pushed Nicky out of the way, and offered me a big kiss.

With a happily beaming face, my third son told me:

'Hi, Dad! Everybody missed you terribly, especially the neighborhood kids who couldn't use our swimming pool until you showed up! Where have you been? And, please, do you have something to eat? We have been waiting for ages, and I am really hungry..."

Before I could answer, my little soul mate approached Davy and chuckled:

"Davy, do you happen to know what a 'discolectic playgitarist' is?"

"Yes, of course! That is a dyslectic 'antifunthropoid' in an ape cage, playing plagiary with the public. But, Dad, do you have something to eat? I am starved, after all that waiting."

Then, he saw the lump on my boy's head, and asked with concern in his voice:

"Harry, what happened to your head? Come here and let me have a look at it..."

"Nah, I only fell off my pillow in our van, and bumped my head against the dashboard. It is only a small lump, and I am sure I will survive. But, John, why are you still walking funny? Did you break your leg when you fell off our porch steps?"

With a sour grimace, John limped nearer and told his little brother:

"With a broken leg, I wouldn't be able to walk at all! When your alarm suddenly went off, I fell on my knee and bumped my head against the handrail. My knee is a bit painful, but it felt much worse after I kicked Eric's shins... Now, I want to know the truth! Have you fooled with our remote transmitter and switched that screeching burglar alarm on?"

"Yes, but I still don't understand how it could happen. I suppose I have fumbled with the transmitter and unintentionally pushed its button. Then, I wanted to open the car door, but our alarm thought I could be a burglar and started to screech. After Dad switched it off, I wanted to do it a second time to try it out, but Dad forbade me to do such a thing ever again..."

"Dad really FORBADE you to do such a thing ever again? How in the world can that be possible! Our 'old grandpa' doesn't have any sense of humor..."

Everybody started to laugh, while I tried to catch John. As usual, he was too fast for me, in spite of his painful knee, and he quickly limped away while sticking out his tongue. Well, I will try to take revenge later on, if he gives me a chance... We went inside, where Nicky helped our little cookie prepare a nicely spiced healthy meal for all of us. Soon, we were devouring simple but again very tasty sandwiches. I tried to tell my boys not to eat too much, because we would have dinner with Trudy within a couple of hours. Only, my bottomless pits didn't listen and just went on eating at full speed until the entire pile of food was gone. Boys will be boys...

With his mouth full, my little soul mate suddenly asked me:

"Dad? I still don't understand why those gadjo people burnt our caravan down and killed my parents and nearly me... Why do gadjo people hate us Gypsies so much, although I am sure we haven't done anything to deserve such a horrible treatment?"

Our kitchen fell dead silent, while everybody stared at our little Gypsy Prince open-mouthed and with bulging eyes, knowing that their little friend was right! Our own 'gadjo' people HAD murdered his parents and nearly him... Involuntarily, I shuddered in frustration. This was the question I had been dreading most, and I didn't have a plausible answer...

Hesitantly, I told our burnt little Gypsy Crown Prince:

"Sorry, son, but I don't have a plausible answer for you. I just don't know why some 'gadjo' people are hating Gypsies that much. Fortunately, not everybody is the same, and lots of other people are your friends, or want to be your friends! I too don't understand why some people don't leave our Gypsy brothers and sisters alone, to let them live in peace and quiet..."

For a long time, everybody remained silent, until my boy thought aloud:

"Yet, I am still alive and kicking! Plus, our caravan fire has brought me to YOU, and that is a positive outcome! Perhaps, other people hate us because we Gypsies are born under a curse... Maybe, they don't understand us; or they see us as different and are afraid of the unknown, like with a snake or a spider. Whether it is dangerous or not, they always want to kill it..."

My boy shuddered and leaned into me, while he sobbed:

"Dad, I don't want to be killed because I am different... I am NOT a snake or a spider, but a human being! Now, I am even afraid to return to my own people, with all their nasty police raids and all the hatred around us Gypsies. Why cannot I be a normal child, and just go to school and play outside with my friends? Why don't all the hateful gadjo people leave us Gypsies alone?"

This was the big question! Why don't people leave other people alone? I shook my head without having an answer, and silently pulled my sobbing little Gypsy Prince onto my lap. Fortunately, my boy soon recovered and raced outside, to cannonball into our already crowded swimming pool, immediately followed by John, Davy, and his inseparable friend Nicky.

Just before six o'clock, I went outside and told all the happily playing neighborhood kids to leave our pool and go home, because we went to John's house to have dinner with his family! Reluctantly, they left our pool, said their goodbyes, and promised to return the next morning to resume their playing. Again, my two little friends cuddled up against me and offered me two very wet kisses on my cheek, leaving me with soaked trousers... Well, I had to dress up anyway. Chuckling, my little soul mate and I went upstairs, took a quick shower, and put on our neatest clothes. Then, we followed John to his house, five doors from ours. John opened the front door with his key and led us into the living room. Again, the house smelled of incense, making us feel welcome. Mark and Marrie were playing a game of cards, again giggling and teasing each other as usual. When they saw us, they immediately left their game and came up to us to greet us.

Marrie put her arms around little Harry and told him:

"Mom is in our kitchen to cook something special, but she asks you to help her with your tasty herbs! She also told me to get coffee and cola for all of us..."

Little Harry started to beam and followed Marrie towards their kitchen. A second later, we heard him leave their backdoor, and saw him walk through the backyards towards his garden. Two minutes later, he was back, carrying a couple of herbs and some yellow thingies; while Marrie reentered the living room, carrying a tray with a cup of steaming coffee and three glasses of cola. She put everything on the table, and John and Mark dived towards their drinks.

After drinking her cola, Marrie told us:

"Harry helps Mom in our kitchen and they will be ready in about twenty minutes. In the meantime, we will set the table and put chairs around it. John, could you please help us?"

John immediately rose from the couch to help Mark and Marrie, while I sipped my coffee and stared at the twittering sparrows in their backyard. Had mine returned, or had they migrated towards a more peaceful place after our screeching alarm went off? I started to chuckle, making John look at me with a questioning face. He shook his head, but went on setting the table.

Twenty minutes later, Trudy appeared in the doorway, still drying her hands with a kitchen towel. She saw me, came up to me, and enthusiastically greeted me.

Showing me a big smile from ear to ear, she told me:

"I've missed our little cookie, and I am glad he showed up in our kitchen to help me."

My little soul mate had followed her into the living room, and beamed:

"Once, you thought I was too young to be a cook, and you didn't trust my herbs..."

"Yes, that is true; but, after I saw you perform your amazing cooking magic and tasted your unbelievable tasty meal, I now feel ashamed about my doubts. Please, forgive me my ignorance, and I will never again doubt your astonishing skills as a kitchen chef."

"Okay, Mom, I forgive you for underestimating my brilliant cooking skills! Now, let's hurry back to the kitchen, because Prince Harry's specialty will be ready by now..."

Trudy put her arms around our little cookie; and, together, they returned to their kitchen. Soon, they appeared again, carrying two steaming platters. They put them onto the table, and went back to their kitchen to get a third platter and a small bowl of sauce. In the meantime, everybody else sat down around the dinner table and sniffed approvingly.

Again, as usual, Prince Harry's specialty tasted exquisite! Our little chef had created small baked rolls of yellowish mashed potatoes, with roasted chicken breasts, a brown sauce, and nice looking vegetables that tasted heavenly. Again, our little cookie had outdone himself in giving it a very special taste, making me think of beautiful forests and sparkling waterfalls... Everybody took second helpings, and licked their plates and their fingers clean to rescue the last morsels. After enjoying our tasty meal, all four children went to the kitchen to do the dishes, while Trudy and I sat down on their leather couch, sipping our coffee and having some small talk.

Still enjoying the nice aftertaste, Trudy told me in a low voice:

"I think that John feels unhappy with my decision to keep him home more often, now that Eric has left our house. Although he does his utmost to please me and be 'the man' in the house, his eyes are no longer beaming... Today, I had a talk with an eight-year-old little therapist who helped me in my kitchen. Within five minutes, that boy convinced me it would be much better for John to let him make his own decisions, instead of forcing him to take over Eric's place! John looks extremely mature for his age, but he also is a young boy who still needs love and guidance from a man in his life. I know that you allow John to call you 'Dad', and I appreciate that very much. Although I am sure that John can be a handful, could you please let 'your son' sleep in his own room in your house more often from now on? Only, don't feel obliged, and John can still sleep here if you want to have some more time for yourself. What do you think? I really want John to feel happy again, especially after Eric called him a 'bastard child'..."

Feeling both utterly surprised and very happy, I responded:

"Of course, John will always be welcome in his own room in our house, as long as he wants to be in our company. Thank you for letting him call me 'Dad'. I love John very much; and, to me, he really feels as a son! Fortunately, I have more than enough time for myself, while I work on my book and the boys play outside or swim in our pool. Soon, they will have to go to school; and I am sure I will miss them, because they also help me to feel young again..."

"Thank you very much, Big Harry, for everything you are doing for my son and for me; and I only wanted to be sure you really want to be John's 'second Dad'. Is it okay for my oldest son to spend the night with you and Harry again? I am sure both boys will like that very much..."

"Yes, of course! John already has his own room in our house; and I also plan to give him his own key, so that he will always be able to get to his own belongings."

"Yeah well, I still think you care too much for your boys! Mary told me that Davy feels a lot better since he meets you; and BJ confessed that his two sons and he love each other dearly since they came to know you. You seem to have an extremely healthy influence on everybody who happens to meet you or talk with you. Even our neighborhood children already adore you!"

"That is because they can use our swimming pool..."

"Oh no, it is much more than that. I am sure that they can feel your powerful LOVE, which is radiating directly from your heart to everybody around you. I can feel it too!"

"Now, you make me blush..."

Trudy started to laugh, while the children returned from the kitchen and crowded around us. Especially little Harry and John felt elated when they heard that John was allowed to spend the night in our house again, and could sleep over more often from now on!

After some more small talk and another round of coffee and colas, we decided to go home. I thanked Trudy for her perfect dinner, and she thanked our little chef for helping in the kitchen. Then, everybody waved us out. John and little Harry put their arms around each other's shoulders and marched up front to our house, while my imp proudly carried my keys he had pick-pocketed from me. He opened our front door, and we went straight to our living room and sat down on our couch as usual, to have some more cuddles and small talk before it was time to go to bed.

5. BJ's miraculous healing; and preparations.

During our small talk, little Harry stared at my desk, craned his neck, and stared again... He left our couch, looked even closer, and told me with a surprised baritone voice:

"Dad? A little red light blinks on your answering machine! Did somebody call us?"

Yes, I remembered switching on my answering machine, before we went to John's house to have dinner with his family. Who would have tried to call us during our absence? This could only be some happy sounding sales person, trying to sell me something I certainly didn't need. Feeling a bit annoyed, I went to my answering machine and pushed its playback button.

Much to our surprise, BJ's voice sounded from the little speaker:

"Hello Big Harry, this is Big Jason. Unexpectedly, my hospital phoned me, and they want me to be there tomorrow early in the morning to undergo my cancer treatment. Of course, that is okay with me, and I have already packed everything I need. In fact, I am glad to be able to have my treatment and heal within a couple of months. Both Jason and Carl want to stay at home while I am away; but Nicky wants to be with you and Harry, if that is okay with you. Could you please call me back as soon as possible? Thank you very much in advance."

While my little soul mate started to cheer and jump up and down from sudden happiness, I took my phone from its cradle and called BJ back, to tell him that Nicky would be welcome in our humble home, and to wish BJ all the good... Five minutes later, my little soul mate raced towards our front door to open it. He returned with a beaming Nicky, carrying two plastic bags.

Nicky jumped up at me, threw his arms around my neck, and told me:

"Pop, I can sleep here until my Dad returns from his hospital! Where can I put my stuff?"

"Well, it looks like some 'Nickering Dragon' is genuinely happy to sleep here! Welcome aboard, my sunshine; and, please, ask Harry to share his room with you."

"Yes, Nick, we can still sleep together in my bed, until Dad buys us bunk beds!"

My little soul mate took his happy looking friend upstairs to put his clothes into their temporary shared closet. Soon, they returned into our living room, again walking shoulder to shoulder while playfully bumping into each other, as usual.

Talking at the same time, they asked me in perfect stereo:

"Please, could we take our showers now?"

Smiling at their happy looking faces, I nodded, and both boys raced upstairs again, this time followed by John. I chuckled at all the renewed commotion in my house, feeling full of love and RICH with my four boys, including Davy who would eat breakfast with us the next morning.

After waiting for more than an hour, I decided to have a look at what my threesome were doing for such a long time, probably now looking like shriveled prunes, or pink wrinkled pigs... John had again put our showerhead upside down, thus creating a nice spray of warm raindrops. All three boys were lying next to each other, talking to each other. This time, nobody looked frightened when I suddenly showed up, but three happy faces looked up and smiled at me, while just going on with what they were doing. Fortunately, all three boys trusted me unconditionally, and that made me feel full of love and joy.

Smiling back at my lazy threesome, I told them:

"Boys, I think it is time to leave your shower and go to bed. Okay?"

"Okay, Dad, but we still have to wash our hair. Will you please do that for us?"

"Not this time, as you can easily help each other. Five minutes more, okay?"

Three disappointed looking boys nodded and immediately started to shampoo each other's hair, while I left them and started to prepare all three bedrooms for the night. Next, I dried my teasingly squirming little soul mate, while John dried a happily beaming Nicky. The remainder of our night passed by uneventfully, except for that I woke up in the morning and found three softly snoring boys glued to both sides and on my stomach in our waterbed. Of course, I had already expected such a thing to happen, as usual... Society, please, close your prying eyes.

Two days later, BJ unexpectedly returned home from his hospital! My four boys were frolicking in and around our swimming pool, again accompanied by a small herd of yelling and shouting neighborhood kids. John and Davy had again constructed a makeshift slide, cleverly built from a couple of wooden boards and a few plastic sheets, and all the kids had the fun of their lives. I was brewing a cup of coffee, planning to work on my manuscript...

Suddenly, a smiling BJ appeared in our kitchen through the backdoor, ducking his head to pass the doorpost. He carried a beaming Nicky in his arms, closely followed by little Harry, John, Davy, and two curious looking little neighborhood boys. Looking very happy, BJ sat down onto a folding chair, while pulling a still dripping wet Nicky onto his lap.

With his booming voice, our broadly smiling giant explained:

"Sorry, Big Harry, for showing up like this... I tried to use your doorbell, but my son saw me and dragged me towards the backdoor and into your kitchen. Two days ago, when I arrived in the hospital, the doctors decided to test me again, because they wanted to give me some new kind of treatment. Suddenly, everybody crowded around me and looked very surprised! They even asked another specialist for his second opinion, because they thought I could be some medical miracle. Totally unexpectedly, my cancer seems to have retreated, and nobody understands why that has happened all by itself, and without any treatment at all... Never before have they seen such fast healing; but one of their shrinks thinks my body starts healing itself, because I changed my mood drastically and developed an extremely strong will to survive. My doctors told me they want to see me back in their hospital after two weeks, to have another couple of thorough tests. Much to my own surprise, I now feel wonderful! Nearly all my pain has subsided, and my former strength returns at an astonishing speed. Could your 'spirit guide' have helped me, as Nicky suggested? If so, please, tell him I am VERY grateful for his help and unexpected healing!"

At first, I could barely believe my eyes. Two days ago, BJ had groaned and winced from back pain, when he had to sit down. Today, he just sat down on his chair, on the way pulling his son onto his lap, just like that! This was nothing less than a miracle. Were our spirit guides, or maybe one of little Harry's powerful Ancestors, helping BJ? I felt VERY happy for him!

I brewed another cup of coffee for BJ, while John helpfully got the cookie jar out of a cupboard and politely offered us a cookie. Of course, all the kids wanted to have cookies as well, including my two little neighbors! Thanking me politely, while nibbling on their cookies, everybody disappeared into our backyard to resume their fun with the makeshift slide. After a quick cuddle and a very wet kiss, Nicky slid off his Dad's lap and followed his friends; while BJ ruffled his son's wet hair and playfully slapped his little bum, making Nicky yelp and jump out of the way. Grinning, Nicky turned around and teasingly stuck out his tongue at his Dad, before he hasted outside to join his friends in our swimming pool and on their slide.

BJ laughed, while trying to smooth the rather wet front of his trousers:

"It is impossible to be angry at that imp! However, a few weeks ago, I would have thrown an enormous tantrum about ruining my trousers... Now, I can see what a bully I have been. From now on, I will only love my boys, because they deserve to have fun and feel always happy."

Yes, I absolutely agreed with BJ!

Soon, BJ decided to go home, to take some rest and lie down. His doctors had told him to take good care of himself and rest whenever he felt tired. Before he left, we decided that Nicky would only now and then spend the night with us, but sleep at home regularly. That way, BJ would have his family together, to practice being a better Dad... After hugging each other, BJ went home, promising me to be back the next day for another talk and another cup of coffee.

From this day on, BJ stayed at home as much as he could, to live entirely for his family. He had changed quite a lot, didn't drink any more, and became a totally different man. Everybody in our neighborhood started to like him, talked to him, and asked for his always-appreciated advice. Every day, he enjoyed the company and the love of his three sons; and his sons absolutely adored him. Now and then, he came over to me; in need of a cup of coffee, a talk, and a bear hug.

Jason and Carl were absolutely inseparable and always together, marveling in each other's eternal love and company. They visited us often and always told me everything, maybe with the exception of some too private things. Especially Jason had changed quite a lot since he had his boyfriend back, and every child in our neighborhood started to like him. Skinny Carl blossomed in the love of his re-found boyfriend and his new Dad, and he started to look less pale and grow a lot more meat onto his bones, as my little soul mate teasingly called it. Both boyfriends seemed to have adopted Nicky and little Harry as their own children, and often took them out to fun places, paying for them with their own allowances if necessary.

Nicky started to live in two houses, alternating between them. He still had his own room in his own home, but his second home was here! Little Harry and he were absolutely inseparable eternal friends, always having lots of fun and always up to something daring or naughty, but never crossing the boundaries too much. Everybody liked our Siamese twins very much, enjoyed their company, and laughed at their always-witty humor and funny antics.

John started to alternate between sleeping at home and being with us. Most of the time, he was here, having lots of fun with his friends and me. Davy and he were close friends, always experimenting and constructing technical inventions out of practically nothing. Now and then, they nearly drove me to insanity, being the responsible grownup... Soon, they claimed my garage, and cleverly built a solid wooden workbench for their experiments. They also started to gather lots of equipment and boxes full of electronics, and were always trying out new things. Now and then, our electric fuses blew out and I had to replace them; but who cares...

From now on, I had lots of spare time to work on my manuscript. Slowly, a realistic story unfolded, that brought tears to my eyes while I read my own writings. After I put a few readied chapters onto the Internet, I received hundreds of e-mails! My enthusiastic readers called my story a 'beautiful emotional roller coaster', and I accepted that as a huge compliment. Sometimes, my little soul mate crawled onto my lap, to have a look at what I was doing. He still wanted to write his own book, but he thought it would be better to wait some more, until he went to school and knew our difficult grammatical rules even better.

Finally, the day approached when my son had to go to his transplant clinic and what he still called his 'face doctor', to get new skin on his so terribly burnt body and face. The day before, I had phoned our transplant surgeon to be sure that everything went okay with my boy's skin culture. Our surgeon was genuinely happy to hear from us, and he told me that everything was set ready for my son's major surgery. Their laboratory had grown my son's peeled skin under controlled laboratory conditions; and, now, he had more cultivated skin at his disposal than he needed. Before we hung up, our 'face doctor' asked me if he could talk to my son in person, to assure him and tell him personally that everything was going well.

Of course, my boy had leaned against my shoulder, while trying to hear what his face doctor had to tell... Now, he took the receiver and greeted his face doctor enthusiastically. For a long time, he listened carefully to what his surgeon told him. Now and then, he smiled and responded, until he thanked the doctor politely and put the receiver back onto its cradle.

With a beaming face, he crawled onto my lap and told me:

"Dad, my face doctor told me that everything went very well, and he has more than enough new skin to cover all my scars. He also told me not to worry too much and to get enough sleep; so that, tomorrow, I will be ready to first go through another series of tests. The morning after tomorrow, I will have my skin transplant while I am in a deep sleep; and my doctor will keep me asleep until he wakes me up after a week, so that I cannot move and don't feel any pain at all."

Again, my boy snuggled close against my chest, with a happy smile on his face. After two days from now, all his nasty scars and wild flesh would be gone, and he would have new skin on his burnt body and a brand new face. His surgeon would first remove all of his burnt skin and wild flesh, and replace it with cultivated skin. Then, he would create a funny little pug nose and new lips, and put new foreskin onto my boy's little pecker, with a nice hole in its top to pee through...

After my boy returned home, within three weeks after he had his skin transplant, he would be like a newborn boy! Would he immediately be able to feel all the important things like touch and temperature, and would his friends still recognize him with his brand new face?

Unexpectedly, my little soul mate announced:

"Here comes Nicky!"

Happily, he hopped off my lap and raced to our front door to let his inseparable friend in, ten seconds before he had a chance to ring our doorbell, as usual. Nicky entered our living room, looked around with a beaming face, and raced towards me.

He jumped up at me to let me catch him in midair, while he chuckled:

"Hi, Pop! My Dad asked me to greet you in advance, because he will soon join us to drink coffee. But, why do you still have a doorbell? Harry always opens the your front door even before I get a chance to push the bell..."

"Well, as soon as our 'Harry-bell' will be reliable enough to replace it, I will think about removing our real doorbell. Unfortunately, his abilities don't work every time..."

At that moment, our doorbell sounded again, and we all started to laugh. Case proven! Both little Harry and Nicky raced to our front door, bumping into each other to be there first, as usual. Laughing and chattering, they returned with John and Davy. Our foursome went immediately to our kitchen to get colas for them, coffee for me, and the cookie jar for all of us. Munching on their cookies and gulping their drinks, they waited for me, because we had to go shopping for their little friend, to buy all the new things I thought he would need during his stay in the hospital...

First, I took my halfway filled checklist from my desk, and asked my waiting boys:

"Please, could you have a look at my list first, to see if I forgot anything important?"

Four enthusiastically nodding heads bent over my checklist and started commenting on it. Nicky was sure that his friend needed a lot more tasty things to munch on, during the three weeks he would stay in the clinic. John didn't understand why Harry needed six pairs of clothing, while he would be in bed most of the time. Davy thought that Harry would have more than enough socks and underwear in his trunk to cover at least three months...

After a lot of deliberating, I decided to discard most of the extra clothing, but added a couple of comic books for my boy to read. Feeling satisfied, I took a fresh sheet of paper and a pencil. In rank, we marched to our kitchen, to decide what we needed to buy to restock our diminishing provisions. Little Harry, Davy, and Nicky looked in our almost empty refrigerator and all our cupboards, while John helpfully wrote everything down that we needed to restock.

Suddenly, Nicky piped up, with a severely shocked face:

"We forget to add COOKIES!"

We started to laugh at Nicky's sudden panic, but he WAS right. Chuckling, John wrote Nicky's item down at the end of our list. Now, we were ready to go shopping. My little soul mate pick-pocketed the remote transmitter out of my pocket, and our foursome raced to our already winking golden van, while I first went to our living room to get my keys and my wallet.

For quite some time, we were busy looking for shops and buying the things we needed. First, we went to our supermarket, to restock our refrigerator and cupboards. Of course, Kees from The Netherlands immediately raced up to us and helped us find the things we needed. Soon, we returned home with two filled cardboard boxes, and put everything away. Next, little Harry and Nicky made healthy sandwiches, while I squeezed a couple of oranges to have fresh juice.

Feeling replenished, we went back to our van and drove to another big town, where John guided us to a shop for children's clothing, to buy three pairs of nicely colored pajamas. Of course, little Harry protested fiercely, telling me he would NEVER wear them! He was a Gypsy boy, and Gypsies were natural naturists and never wore any garments in bed, except for little baby's who had to wear a diaper... At last, he relented reluctantly, but only because I told him wearing pajamas would be obligatory if he ever wanted to go outside his room in the clinic.

Now, we went looking for a shop that could duplicate front door keys. For a long time, we drove around and around, asked everywhere, and even searched a few telephone books, but nobody seemed to know such a shop. After even more searching and asking around, we finally found a small shop in an even smaller alley, where the smiling owner immediately copied five spare keys from mine, at a reasonable price. Next, we had to find another shop, to buy five identical necklaces for my boys and for me, to carry our keys! Feeling hungry and tired from all our searching, we went to a 'Burger King' restaurant, where my hungry looking boys ordered enough burgers and French fries to feed at least a small army.

Finally, we were home again and slumped down on our couch. John and Davy scrutinized our shopping list for the very last time, to be absolutely sure we really had everything we needed. Feeling satisfied, they went to our kitchen to throw it away. They returned, carrying a tray with coffee and colas and our freshly filled cookie jar. Obviously, they felt hungry again!

Suddenly, Nicky asked me, with a pleading face:

"Pop? What time are you and Harry leaving tomorrow? Can we please join you?"

Chuckling at suddenly seeing four pleading faces, I explained:

"Sorry boys, but everybody has to stay home until I return from Harry's transplant clinic! Tomorrow, Harry and I will leave early in the morning, so that his 'face doctor' can test him again to be sure he is still in excellent health. Then, we will spend the night together at the clinic; until the day after tomorrow, when Harry's doctor will put him under narcosis and start his skin transplant. While Harry is deep asleep, I will go home; to return to the clinic a week later, when Harry wakes up again. From then on, I will stay with Harry at the clinic until he is allowed to go home."

Although all three boys looked a bit glum, they accepted the fact that they had to wait until I returned. For a moment, they deliberated, before deciding to try to have a collective sleepover. Nicky would ask his Dad to allow them to sleep together in his room, perhaps by borrowing my two folding beds. In case this turned out to be unacceptable, John would ask his Mom to let them sleep in his bedroom. As their last resort, they might use Davy's inflatable double air mattress. Only, it still had the same leak as before and had to be repaired first...

Early in the evening, my boy and I decided to send our friends home, because we had to pack his trunk and wanted to go to bed early. Reluctantly, John, Davy, and Nicky left us, after wishing little Harry all the best and promising they would send him their love every day. Nicky forgot to keep his mouth shut, and nearly told Harry about surprises they had bought, but John punched him in the ribs and told him to shut up! Obviously, they had secretly planned something very special, and didn't want Nicky to give it away... Fortunately, my boy didn't ask any further, and I was sure he also didn't read their minds to find out what they had planned. After having an intense group-cuddle, with all our arms around each other's shoulders, our three friends left us and went home. The day after tomorrow, I would see them again...

5. Skin transplant clinic; and a final checkup.

During the evening, my little soul mate started to be more and more nervous and worried. He couldn't sit still for a second, and continually roamed our house and his herbs garden in our backyard. We had already packed all his necessary belongings into his big trunk, but he checked everything over and again. For the zillionth time, he went outside, to look at his precious herbs and tell them why he had to go away and when he thought he would be back home. He also told his herbs that Nicky had promised to look after them during his absence; and he trusted Nicky to do the right things because Nicky was his very best friend! Again, he went upstairs, to check if he might forget something important. Again, he rechecked his trunk, rummaging through it to look for something he thought he could have forgotten. Of course, he found it and heaved a sigh of relief, before he started to look for something else he thought he might need...

At last, he crawled onto my lap, and told me restlessly and fidgeting:

"Sorry, Dad, but I am too nervous and tensed to sit still. Of course, I don't want to be such a nuisance, but I just can't help it. I think I am too young to control myself..."

Chuckling at seeing his worried face, I assured him:

"To me, you will never be a nuisance, and it is normal for a young boy like you to feel a little bit nervous. Just leave the controlling to the grownups around you, and try to remember all the other times you went to a hospital to have your next surgery. By now, this should be nearly a routine to you! In no time, you will be back home, with a brand new face and nicely smooth skin all over your body; and everything else will be forgotten."

"I know, Dad, and you are right, but I just can't get rid of my nervousness. Shall we take a shower and go to bed now? Perhaps, I will fall asleep and forget to be nervous..."

I laughed, ruffled my boy's blond hair, and lifted him onto my shoulders. Fortunately, he was not afraid of his major surgery, but only a bit nervous from the anticipation. While playfully tickling his small feet, I took him upstairs and into my bedroom, while he squealed and tried to tickle me back. After tossing him onto my wobbling waterbed, I helped him with his undressing, in the meantime continuing to tease him and tickle his ribs, to distract him and help him forget about tomorrow. Fortunately, that seemed to help, at least a little bit.

After taking our shower and helpfully drying each other, he raced towards my bedroom and immediately dived under the blankets. Impatiently, he waited for me to join him. The moment I entered our bed, he worked himself into my arms and pulled them close around his small body. Tenderly, I kissed the crown of his small head, before I closed my eyes and started to send him all my love and compassion I was able to muster, to calm him down even more. Two minutes later, my nervous boy was in a deep sleep and started to snore! Feeling thankful, I greeted the many powerful Spirit Friends and Ancestors I could clearly feel around my son and me.

Just before I fell asleep, I heard Jack's warm voice in my inside, assuring me:

"My dear brother, don't worry. Several competent and skilled Shaman Spirits are with your son during his surgery, and you will be surprised at how well everything turns out!"

Feeling reassured, I tumbled into a sound and refreshing sleep.

The next morning, the irritatingly loud buzz from our alarm clock woke us up. My little soul mate stopped snoring, left my arms, yawned, and first stretched out at full length to loosen his muscles. Then, he turned towards our alarm clock and forcefully punched its knob, to cut off the sound as John always did. Rubbing his now painful hand, he crawled back onto my stomach.

His bright blue orbs stared into my still sleep-charged eyes, while he chuckled:

"Wake up, Dad! This morning, you have to be my cab driver. Come on, on the double!"

"Sorry, sir, but I am stuck with a little monkey on my stomach..."

"That is because this little monkey has to control a bearded 'antithropoid'."

Laughing at my mock-indignant face, my boy rolled off my chest to avoid a tickle-torture. Quickly, he hopped out of bed, immediately being bright and shining as always.

Turning around towards me, he tried to tease me some more:

"Come on, lazy slacker! You need to prepare your little monkey for his face doctor."

Again, I envied my boy's exuberant morning mood, because I definitely was NOT a morning person! Playfully, my boy took my hand and started to drag me out of bed and into our shower. Soon, the invigorating shower water woke me up completely, and I washed my boy all over from head to toe; because, as a good parent, I wanted him to be spotlessly clean before going to our transplant clinic to see his 'face doctor'. Beneath his joyful mood, I could still sense some tension and nervousness. Therefore, I started to tease and tickle him again, until he had to pee 'terribly' and raced downstairs to bless our ceramic god, before he peed all over his teasing Dad...

After he returned upstairs, I shampooed his blond hair, rinsed him, dried him, and helped him put on his neatest clothes. Finally, we went downstairs, while my boy again started to feel a little bit nervous. Despite that, he succeeded to create one of his best breakfast specials ever! I praised him abundantly, making him beam proudly and smile from ear to ear.

A minute later, he suddenly looked worried again, and thought aloud:

"I hope that Nicky will take good care of my herbs, while I am away..."

"Well, I am sure you can safely leave that to Nicky! He promised to look after your herbs at least twice a day; and he also doesn't want to disappoint you."

"Yes, I know. Nicky is the very best friend I've ever had, next to you and John and Davy."

After breakfast, I helped my boy put on his mask, hopefully for the last time. Now, we were ready to go to the clinic. We had decided to leave early, and I dragged our heavy trunk outside... Exactly at that moment, John showed up at our front door, to wish his little brother all the best. Immediately, he helped us carry my boy's heavy trunk to our van, where Nicky and Davy already waited for us; because our threesome wanted to give their friend a nicely decorated surprise box, filled with small presents from everybody. There was the secret Nicky had nearly given away!

My boy got tears in his eyes from his suddenly welling emotions, while he hugged his three older friends, one by one. After regaining his posture, he promised to send everybody a postcard, as soon as he woke up from his narcosis and could use his hands. All three boys helped him put everything into our van, while I went inside to get my traveling bag. Finally, I started our engine and we drove off; while John, Davy, and Nicky escorted us to the end of our block. There, Jason and Carl showed up, enthusiastically waving at us! Now, our entire flock waved us out, until we disappeared from their sight. We were on our way to my boy's transplant clinic...

While we left our small village, my little Prince left his makeshift throne, crawled into the rear, and put two seats together. He folded both seats into a sleeping position, and stretched out onto them. Within two minutes, he was sound asleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Now and then, I looked over my shoulder at my softly snoring little soul mate, and my heart jumped up with pure joy. I really hoped he would get the nice face and healthy body he deserved...

After two hours of driving, we entered the town and blended into the starting and stopping traffic. The changing sounds woke my little soul mate, and he opened his eyes and sat upright.

While slowly stretching his cramped muscles, he yawned:

"Are we at the clinic now? Jack was in my dream, together with several Ancestors and the strange witch doctor who helped me get my memories back. Jack told me not to worry, because everybody will be with me during my surgery to help me to heal really fast!"

That was extremely good news, and I immediately decided not to worry any more from now on. Our Spirit Guide and several of my boy's powerful Ancestors would be with him, to help him during his surgery and healing. So far, they had never betrayed my trust!

Within a few minutes, we saw our transplant clinic, and I parked our van in the same place as before. Inside this building, my son would spend the three most important weeks of his young live since his caravan burnt down... For a few seconds, we looked at each other and threw our arms around each other for a quick cuddle. Again, we understood each other without using any words. Then, we left our van and entered the transplant clinic, walking hand in hand.

The attending nurse recognized my boy immediately, and greeted us enthusiastically. She told us to sit down in their waiting room, while she phoned our 'face doctor'.

Three minutes later, our surgeon entered the room and shook our hands:

"Hello, my friends! It is good to see you again. As I already told you by phone, everything is set ready for Harold's skin transplants. Today, we will perform the last examinations; and we will again take a couple of pictures of his old scars and burns, to be able to compare them with his condition after the transplants. First, you may use one of our carts to bring all your belongings inside. Then, one of our nurses will show you to your room, where she will try to satisfy all your reasonable wishes. I also advise you to go to a restaurant and eat something substantial, because this will be the last chance for our young friend to eat and drink anything at all."

We thanked our surgeon, took one of the carts, and returned to our van. Working together, we loaded our trunk, my traveling bag, and my boy's decorated surprise box onto it. A helpful nurse accompanied us to a cozy room with two beds, a table, two chairs, a shower enclosure, and a beautiful view of the park. Soon, another nurse showed up, drew some blood from a vein in my boy's arm, and he had to pee in a bottle. She also asked us to go to the restaurant now and to be back before three o'clock, because my boy still had to undergo several more tests.

After both nurses left us alone, I helped my boy unpack his belongings, and he put them away carefully and methodically. Inwardly, I chuckled, because my son was quite a lot tidier than I had been at that age! I put my traveling bag under my bed, and we left our temporary room to go outside and look for a restaurant. Soon, we found a nice looking one, across the park.

Inside the restaurant, my boy started to study the menu, while he frowned:

"Dad? Don't they have any real Gypsy food here?"

"Well, I suppose not, because Gypsies are not really common in this country..."

"That is a real shame, because I wanted to taste home cooking today. At home, I always try to copy the Gypsy taste with my herbs; but something is missing and I don't know what it is. So far, the nearest taste has been that Chinese green snot. That is why I like it so much, but I still don't know what kind of herbs they've put in it or where we can buy it..."

Suddenly, my boy got tears in his eyes while he started to shiver:

"I feel scared, Dad! Of course, I know there is nothing to be afraid of, but I just can't help it. There is a strange feeling in my stomach, as if I am going to die tomorrow, and I don't want it. Can't we go home, please? I don't want to undergo any more skin transplants. I want to be only a normal boy who plays outside with his friends. Please, Dad, can we go home now?"

He slid off his chair, climbed onto my lap, and started to cry earnestly. Helpfully, I pulled my handkerchief out of my pocket and offered it to him. What more could I do? How could I help my little soul mate overcome his remaining fears and trust his surgeon and our spirit guides? First, I folded my arms around my boy's trembling little frame and pulled him even closer.

Then, trying not to sound too preachy, I started to talk to him:

"Harry, I know you are a very clever boy, therefore, I will talk to you as to a grown-up, as I am sure you will understand everything that I want to tell you. In our lives, we can experience two different sorts of things: There are the things we can change, and there are the things we can NOT change. The things we can change, are the things we can choose to accept or not; and the things we cannot change, are the things we just have to accept, whether we like them or not. Yes, I know life can be difficult, but we just have to accept the fact that we are who and how we are. That makes us unique beings and different from other people. Only, although you cannot change who you are, you can always try to BETTER yourself! That is what you are going to do during the next days. You are going to better your appearance! Does this make any sense to you?"

All the time, my boy had listened intently, while trying to suppress his sobbing. Now, he stared straight into my eyes, while digesting my information. In the meantime, he used his 'inner switch' to calm down and stop crying, while I helped him to dry his eyes and blow his nose. The approaching waiter seemed to understand what was happening, because he nodded at us and retreated. Obviously, I wasn't the only Dad here who tried to reassure a scared child...

Relatively fast, my boy's built-in sun started to shine again, while I let him blow his nose for the last time and put my wet handkerchief back into my pocket, making my imp chuckle...

Soon, he hopped off my lap, went back to his own chair, and told me:

"Thank you very much, Dad, for making me feel good again. Of course, you are right; and, as a unique being, I WANT to better my appearance by having my skin transplant, because I want to return to my own Gypsy people with a normal looking face; so that they can be proud of their next King. Now and then, I forget who I am, and I retreat into a scared little boy... I would like to taste that roast beef with mixed vegetables, and pretend it is our Gypsy food."

Smiling at my boy's sudden change of subject, I beckoned our waiting waiter. My proud little Gypsy Prince was definitely back onto the road to his destination as a future Gypsy Leader! With a happy baritone voice, my boy ordered our food, telling exactly how he wanted our beef to be roasted. The waiter smiled at him, bowed to me, and went to the kitchen to pass on the order.

Twenty minutes later, our food was ready, and we pretended our beef to be the Gypsy food my boy loved most: wild pig, roasted over an open campfire. The food turned out to be delicious, even without pretending! Chuckling, I tried to copy my Gypsy son, who used only his fingers and teeth to devour his roast. Although a few other visitors stared at us with raised eyebrows, it turned out to be a really nice way of consuming our roast beef and tasty vegetables. After our meal, I wiped the dripping sauce from my son's face, while staring into his beautiful blue eyes. Fortunately, they were sparkling again, and all of my boy's sorrows and fears were gone.

Smiling from ear to ear, my boy told me:

"Thank you very much, Dad! This food tasted really delicious, even without my herbs. Shall we order ice sorbets topped with maple syrup, to fill the empty gaps?"

Of course, I did as he suggested; keeping in mind this was the last substantial food he got until he woke up after his surgery, probably a week from now. Being filled to the brim, I called our waiter and handed my credit card to my little soul mate... With a proud face, my son handed the card to our approaching waiter, telling him to add a generous tip. The waiter smiled back at him, and took the card to the cash register. Two minutes later, he was back at our table, bowed at us, handed the credit card back to my son, and told me where to sign the bill.

Walking hand in hand, we strolled through the park and looked at all the sun bathing people and happily playing children. The remainder of our time, we filled in by talking about nothing special, until we had to return to the clinic. This time, my little soul mate lead our way inside.

Inside the clinic, the attending nurse greeted us and told us to go to the waiting room. Next, she took her phone, and announced that my son and I were waiting downstairs. Together, we went to the small waiting room, where we sat down and looked around.

Within a minute, our 'own' nurse showed up and enthusiastically greeted us:

"Hello sirs, it's nice that you back in time for a final check-up. Please, follow me."

Walking hand in hand, we followed our nurse upstairs to my son's temporary room, where he would spend his time during the upcoming three weeks, to let his transplanted skin heal.

The nurse shut the door, and politely asked my boy:

"Please, could you undress now? Your doctor wants to give you a final check-up..."

Without any hesitancy, my little soul mate shucked his clothes. He folded them neatly and put them into a drawer, next to his other possessions. Then, he peeled his mask off and took it to the sink to clean it. He washed it with water and soap, and dried it using one of the clinic towels.

With a happy smile on his burnt face, he handed his mask to me and asked:

"Dad, could you please put my mask onto my green model when you are back home? From now on, I don't need it any more, but I still want to keep it as a souvenir..."

Suddenly, I realized that I would never see my boy's terribly devastated face again! After his skin transplant, he would have a brand new face and look like a newborn boy. Nobody would ever again tease my son with his burnt face, or call him a 'freak' or an 'alien'! Getting tears in my eyes from sudden happiness, I stealthily wiped them away. Finally, my son would look 'normal', and he could join his friends to a normal grammar school!

Two minutes later, our 'face doctor' entered our room and smiled at his little patient:

"Hello, my friend, did you enjoy your last meal? From now on, please, don't eat or drink anything at all; because, tomorrow morning, your stomach has to be totally empty."

"Okay, sir, but may I please ask you a question about why I have to fast? Normally, eating and drinking before I go to sleep has never been a problem..."

"Well, while you are under narcosis, your body might react by throwing up during your induced sleep. Then, the food or drink could enter your lungs and make you very ill."

"Aha... Now, I finally understand why I have to fast before having my next surgery. Why haven't my doctors told me this before? They only told me to fast, and nothing else."

"Could it be you never asked them about it; or, your doctors were just too busy with all the preparations? Now, let me listen to your lungs and heart. Please, take a deep breath..."

For a long time, our surgeon examined my little soul mate thoroughly, because he wanted to be absolutely sure my son would be healthy enough to undergo his major surgery without any problems. If my boy was not in perfect health, our face doctor would have to postpone his skin transplants for a couple of weeks, to let him heal first... All the time, my boy helped his doctor as a real professional. Now and then, he even anticipated the doctor's requests, by acting on them in advance. Then, the surgeon smiled proudly, and told my boy he was of great help!

Finally, our face doctor was satisfied, and complimented my boy:

"Thank you very much for your help; and you certainly are the most cooperative child I have ever treated. Your body is in excellent condition, your lungs are in perfect health, and your little ticker sounds like music. Do you have any remaining questions about what we are going to do to you tomorrow? I will try to answer them all, for as far as I can..."

"Yes, I have one remaining question. Please, can my Dad stay with me during my operation? I know that I am in good hands, but I feel too nervous to be left alone..."

"Tomorrow, your Dad accompanies you to the operating room, and he stays next to you until you fall asleep. Then, he goes home while we are working on you, because I am sure he doesn't want to stay here and see what we are doing. After your transplants, we will keep you asleep for about a week; and your Dad will be at your side again while you wake up. To you, it may feel as if your Dad hasn't been away at all! Does this answer your question?"

Little Harry nodded, still looking a little bit nervous now that his operation drew nearer. While I folded my arms around his trembling little frame, I sent him all my love and comfort I could muster. At the same time, I started to feel a little bit nervous myself, hoping everything would go well during the upcoming three weeks...

Our face doctor left us, promising to see us the next morning. After our nurse offered my boy a bright blue gown, she asked us to follow her, to take a couple of x-rays and other scans. My son hopped off my lap and elegantly draped his gown around his body, like a real King. Looking like a mini Royal Prince, he and I followed our nurse towards the laboratory...

6. A dark brown native son; and a 'free eagle'.

During the remainder of the day, everybody was busy around my little soul mate, until all their check-ups were ready and we could go back to our temporary room. Our nurse offered my tired looking boy a small pill and a glass with only one swig of water. She explained that the pill would calm him down, to let him have a good sleep during the night. My boy swallowed her pill without protest, only showing a sour face. Teasingly, he tried to burp, but nothing happened.

Now, our nurse asked him to enter the shower stall, because his body needed to be spotlessly clean for tomorrow. Working together, she and I washed our little patient thoroughly, while he tried to help us by turning around and around and lifting his arms high into the air. After we were ready, our nurse looked my boy over again, to be absolutely sure we hadn't missed any spots. In the meantime, my boy started to yawn and feel a bit groggy. Finally, our nurse took a bottle and some cotton wool, and put some brown disinfectant all over my boy's body and face. When she was done, my little soul mate suddenly looked like a little native African!

He looked at himself in a mirror, and started to laugh:

"Nurse? Are you sure this is the real me? Or, did you exchange me for an African boy?"

Chuckling at his antics, I put my again yawning brown-colored son to bed and wished him good night and sweet dreams. He smiled lazily, put his small arms around my neck, heaved a deep sigh of content, and was gone within a second. Gently, I draped the blankets over his brown body, which now wafted a very strong smell of disinfectant. Silently, our nurse and I tiptoed out of his room and closed the door. The nurse assured me the pill would do its work effectively, and my son wouldn't wake up for many hours in a row.

Although I wasn't really hungry, I forced myself to go outside and eat something. Slowly, I left the clinic and sauntered across the park to the small restaurant. Inside, our 'own' table was still empty, and I sat down on the same chair as before, feeling a little bit alone.

The smiling waiter recognized me and immediately came up to my table:

"Hello, sir. How is your son now? I could see he was a bit nervous; but, at the same time, he also showed an astonishing amount of maturity! He is an extremely special boy, with his bright blue eyes; and I am sure that, as a grownup, he will find his own importance in his life."

"Well, I hope you are right; and thank you for your consideration. You are a good man."

The beaming waiter asked me to greet my son, and to wish him all the best with his pending skin transplant. Then, he hasted to the kitchen to prepare my order. How the heck did this man know that my boy was getting a skin transplant? Could he be a clairvoyant? Then, I started to chuckle. Of course, the man had seen the colored burns on my boy's unclad arms!

An hour later, I left the restaurant and walked through the already darkening park. Strolling at a leisure pace, my always-doubting mind started to question a couple of things. What would have happened to little Joshie, if his doctors had been able to transplant his face, fifty years ago? Would Joshie have survived? Or, had it been his time nevertheless, to leave our Planet Earth and reincarnate as little Jackie... Why had my life confronted me with no less than four terribly burnt people? Had this to do with the so-called 'Law of Karma', or with 'an eye for an eye'? Again, I remembered one of my past lives, where our group of zealous people hunted so-called 'witches'. After we caught them, I helped burn them on stakes, to save their souls from burning in hell for all eternity... Had my little soul mate been there too, and his parents, and Joshie, to help me burn those 'witches'? Was this why they had to experience how being burnt feels, to be able to develop more compassion for their former victims? And, when would it be my turn to undergo the same experience, according to the law of Karma? Involuntarily, I shuddered...

At last, the park became too dark and the outside air became too chilly; while I tried to get rid of my disturbing thoughts, by shaking my head and thinking of something happier. Then, I returned to the clinic, greeted the attending nurse, and returned to our temporary room. My little soul mate was still in a deep sleep, lying on his back and snoring softly. Feeling all mushy, I took a chair, sat down, and stared at his distorted face for a long time. He looked so peaceful, with a happy smile on his so terribly crippled face... Fortunately, after tomorrow, he would finally look as a 'normal' boy, and his terrible ordeal would be over. After a long time of sitting still and just looking at him, I undressed, folded my clothes without thinking, and put them onto a chair.

Chuckling, I realized that my little son had taught me to be much tidier. My little imp surely had a healthy influence on my habitual behavior! I looked at my boy again, wanting to kiss his forehead, but stopping myself in time because I was afraid to wake him up. Feeling all mushy, I went to the other bed and crawled under the blankets. Within ten minutes, I fell asleep.

Sometime during the night, I woke up from a very strong antiseptic odor. I opened my eyes, and stared at a dark brown face with two sleepy bright blue eyes that hovered over me...

The brown face produced a heartfelt yawn, and told me with a sleepy baritone voice:

"Sorry, Dad, for waking you up. I want to sleep here, but I feel a bit dizzy."

My boy's small head dropped onto my chest with an audibly thump, and he started to snore almost immediately. Smilingly, I put my arms around his tiny frame and held him close. My so precious little soul mate, again seeking shelter and wanting to feel more protected in my arms... Feeling all mushy, very happy, and full of love, I drifted into sleep again.

Early in the morning, a loud knock on our door woke us up, while my dark brown octopus stirred in my arms, lifted its head off my chest, and started to laugh at seeing my sleepy face. A big smack onto my nose told me my still very smelly boy was more awake than I was.

At the same time, the voice of our nurse sounded from the other side of the door:

"Sirs, are you awake? May I come in, please?"

"Just a moment, please, until at least I am a bit more decent."

With a happy chuckle, my boy slid off my chest, already bright and shining as always. At a much slower pace, I left the bed, splashed my face with water, combed my hair, and dressed in a hurry. Then, our nurse entered our room and enthusiastically wished us a good morning.

She smiled at my boy, who prudishly covered his brown body with a blanket:

"Hi, sleepyhead, did you sleep well? Today, we are going to model you into a new boy!"

Of course, my little soul mate had to shower again, and our nurse applied another smelling disinfectant all over his face and body. Next, she wrapped him into a fresh green gown, and told me to be careful not to touch his disinfected skin. Carefully, I lifted my boy out of the shower stall and carried him to the waiting operating room, where several surgeons and their assistants greeted us, already clad in green gowns and surgical masks. I put my boy onto the operating table, while holding his now slightly trembling small hand through his gown.

Because I could feel his nervousness, I smiled at his dark brown face, and he smiled back at me and pinched my hand. Although I felt rather nervous myself, I started to send him all the love and strength I was able to muster, to calm him down. At the same moment, his bright blue eyes looked deeply into mine; and I could clearly feel my little Shaman sending his love and strength towards me, to calm ME down! Did I ever think I had to help HIM? Again, I got tears in my eyes, from my powerful feelings of love and respect for this beautiful human being who had so trustfully committed himself to me, for all eternity...

Curiously, my boy looked around at the surrounding surgeons and assistants with surgical masks, obviously trying to discover who was who; while our own 'face doctor' looked at my boy's dark brown face and smiled, patiently waiting until my son recognized him...

Suddenly, a happy smile crossed my boy's beaming face, and he exclaimed:

"Hi, doctor, there you are! I almost didn't recognize you."

Our surgeon smiled back at him and told him:

"Hello, my friend. Today is your big day! This nurse will give you an injection to make you sleepy; and, when you wake up again, you will be a newborn boy!"

The nurse first sprayed a vein in my boy's arm with narcotics, to make its skin insensitive. Next, she put a needle into the vein, asked my boy to count back from ten to one, and emptied a filled syringe into the needle. My son smiled at me while he started to count down from ten to one, but he closed his eyes and fell asleep before he reached six.

For the very last time, I stared at my boy's so terribly burnt face. Never again would I see his halfway gone little nose, his crumpled lips, his stuck left ear, and all those colored stains! Again getting tears in my eyes, I gently laid my boy's limp hand down onto the operating table. Slowly, I turned around, left the operating room, and closed its door with mixed feelings. From now on, everything was up to our 'face doctors' and our 'Spirit Friends'. Wiping my tears with the backs of my hands, I ambled back to my son's temporary room. In this same room, his surgeon would wake him up, after around a week, so that he would feel safer in a known environment he had seen before. Only, how would I ever be able to go through a whole week of waiting...

First, I took my traveling bag from under my bed, and fished a piece of paper out. In bold letters, I wrote down 'I LOVE YOU' onto the paper, and drew a smiley face beneath it. Then, I pinned it onto the opposite wall, where my little soul mate could easily see it when he woke up. Suddenly feeling a bit sad and depressed, I left my boy's room. By walking towards the exit, it felt as if I was leaving an important part of myself behind. Had I really made the right decision, by letting my son undergo such a complicated skin transplant? What if his operation failed, and my little soul mate died in his sleep? Involuntarily, I shuddered at the terrible thought. Would I ever forgive myself? Getting tears in my eyes again, I started to worry more and more...

Suddenly, I felt Jack; punching me, as if he forcefully shook my shoulders to wake me up! For a second, I feared that Jack would be angry with me, for exposing my little soul mate to such an enormous risk. Had I done the wrong things, or had I now betrayed Jack's trust in me?

Fortunately, Jack's warm and soulful voice sounded in my inside, telling me:

"My dear brother; why don't you trust ME, plus all our other Spirit Friends and Ancestors who are around you and helping you? Do you really think we would ever permit you to make a wrong decision? Both your son and you are much too important for us, and we will never take any unnecessary risks. Your son is in good hands, and many of our powerful Guides and Helpers are with him. Go home, stop worrying, and you will soon feel pleasantly surprised."

Before Jack left, he blessed me and engulfed me with his powerful warmth and love. Then, he retreated, letting me know he went back to the operating room and my little soul mate, to assist his surgeons. Much to my own surprise, I suddenly discovered that my mind started to TRUST my 'Spirit Guide' and his powerful Helpers! Finally, my doubtful brain started to accept the inevitable fact that my Spirit Friends existed and were for real!

Smiling at my pleasant discovery, I sensed that my depressed feelings already melted away, and I felt much better than before. My heart was now sure that everything would turn out for the best, and I could count on Jack and on all my other Friends! Still wiping the remaining tears out of my eyes, I greeted the attending nurse and told her I would go home immediately. She wished me all the best, and promised to call me the moment she had any news about my son. If I wasn't home, she would leave a message on my answering machine. Feeling reassured, and counting on Jack and on all the other powerful spirits who were around my little soul mate, I left the clinic without looking back. I went to our golden van, started her engine, and drove home.

Two hours of driving passed by in a vague blur, as if my unconscious mind took over, and it performed all the necessary actions to find my way and avoid any collisions. Or, could it be that one of my Spirit Guides protected me and brought me home safely? All the time, I tried to avoid worrying about what could happen to my son. He was in very competent hands, and everything would go well. Jack and our other friends were with my boy, and I could trust them! Therefore, I forced myself to think only about all the pleasant things my boy and I had done together... Then, I turned our van into our own driveway and slowly woke up from autopilot, as if my conscious mind returned from a very deep trance. Feeling surprised, I stared at my house in sudden wonder. Was I already back home, just like that? I hadn't the faintest idea how I had arrived here...

In the meantime, my little son had been under narcosis for two hours! Would everything be well with him, or were his surgeons fighting for his life? I left my van in a tremendous hurry, hastily opened my front door, and trotted straight to my answering machine. Fortunately, its little red light didn't blink, indicating that nobody had tried to phone me during my absence. I could be sure that everything was still well with my little soul mate under narcosis! Feeling reassured, I slumped down and heaved a couple of deep sighs, while forcing myself to calm down. Never before had I felt so nervous, despite my so-called 'trust' in our spirit friends...

After pulling myself together even more, I hesitantly phoned the clinic, although my throat felt dry and I could barely tell the receptionist my name. Fortunately, she recognized my voice, and told me to wait while she asked for any news about my son. In the meantime, I nearly let the receiver drop out of my hands, while my worried mind seemed to screech: "WHAT IF..."

Within two minutes, the nurse was back, sounding genuinely happy. She told me that my son's skin transplant went extremely well, and there were no complications at all. There really was nothing to worry about, and she would call me as soon as she had any more news.

Feeling extremely relieved, I went to my kitchen to quench my thirst and sooth my still very dry throat. After drinking a lot of water first, I brewed myself a cup of very strong coffee. Then, I forced myself to eat some toast and cheese, but it tasted like cardboard and I threw it away. I had left the door to my living room wide open, so that I could hear my phone... Only, why was I so extremely nervous, although I was sure that Jack and my other friends would take good care of my little soul mate? He was in very competent hands, and Jack had promised me that everything would go well. He even promised me that I would feel 'pleasantly surprised'! Yet, I had a feeling as if my little soul mate was dying, and everybody would hold ME responsible for his death... Suddenly determined to find the cause of my extreme nervousness, I closed my eyes...

Immediately, I tumbled back into my horrible feelings of dread from fifty years ago. Again, I paced around in my bedroom, nervously waiting for any news about my dying little brother. Joshie had collapsed into a sudden coma, and an ambulance had taken him to a hospital, where the surgeons were operating on him, trying to save his life. I didn't dare go downstairs, because my parents blamed ME for little Joshie's coma. They were waiting for news from the hospital, and had told me to go to my own room and stay there, because everything was MY fault! In my inside, I was sure that Joshie would die, and that my parents would blame me again...

Suddenly, my mother started to screech, while my father cursed loudly and stomped into the hallway. From there, he told me with an angry voice to come downstairs immediately. At that moment, I knew that little Joshie had died and gone to Heaven, and I dreaded what inevitably would come next. Feeling awful, I staggered out of my bedroom and started to descend the stairs. Suddenly, I fainted and fell down the steps, stopping against the feet of my angrily kicking 'father'. While blacking out, I prayed that God would let me die and join little Joshie in Heaven. Else, my parents would just continue to blame ME for everything that had happened...

Slowly, the horrible memories from my youth faded away, while my consciousness returned into my kitchen. Now, I finally understood why I had felt so extremely nervous. I had been afraid that my little soul mate would die, and that everybody would blame ME for his death, just like my parents had done when little Joshie died! I also realized that little Joshie had returned to me as Jack, our Spirit Guide! Thus, death was NOT the end of everything; but it was the beginning of a new existence. Even IF my son died today, he would try to reincarnate as soon as possible, to meet me again as a brand new little baby. He WAS my eternal soul mate, and we would always meet and be together again, life after life, both on Earth and in Heaven. He and I were bonded to each other for all eternity, and we would never again lose each other, ever!

At seeing the immense gift life itself had given my boy and me, I started to feel privileged. Only very few people on earth would meet their eternal soul mate and be happy with each other! Feeling overwhelmed, I slumped down at my kitchen table and started to cry from happiness. Finally, my inside accepted that Joshie's ordeal had NOT been my fault. A heavy burden was lifted off my shoulders, and I started to laugh from my liberating feelings of relief. This time, I felt as light and as free as an EAGLE, jubilantly flying towards the sky...

Too soon, my eagle landed, forcing me to return to my kitchen. Still feeling free and happy, I buttered another toast and cheese and took a bite. This time, it tasted like heaven, even without my son's tasty herbs; and I wolfed it down while immediately buttering a third toast. My doorbell rang; and I went to my front door to open it, while I had a faint feeling about John who waited outside. Was this how my little soul mate always knew who was at our door, ten seconds before the bell sounded? Only, John had now his own key, to let himself in...

Feeling curious, I opened the door. Surprisingly, it WAS John, happily smiling at me! How had I known it was John; and not Davy, Nicky, or the postman? Could some dormant clairvoyant capability have started to wake up in me? If so, my old Indian Shaman had been right, a long time ago, when he told me I already possessed many capabilities... John entered our house and jumped up at me as usual, trustingly letting me catch his heavy frame in midair. He put his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist, and first offered me a big kiss.

Then, my young friend asked me, in one long breath:

"Dad, how goes Harry's surgery? Does he have his new face? How does he look now? When will he come home? Everybody already misses him terribly..."

"Well, let's go inside first, okay? Why didn't you use your key?"

"I thought it would be impolite to use my key when you are at home..."

"Why would I give you your own key, if I didn't want you to use it?"

Chuckling, we went to our living room, where I told John everything that had happened to my son and me, since we left our house and drove to the clinic. It felt good, to keep my young friend up to date with everything concerning his little brother. I told him how Harry had been nervous and frightened in the restaurant; and how I had helped him. John chuckled at my vivid description of a dark brown little African prince; teasing the nurse about exchanging him for a native boy. I also pictured how our brave little soldier tried to help me with MY nervousness, before the nurse put him under narcosis. Finally, I told John about my remembrances from my youth, and now feeling free as an eagle.

John's happy face told me that he enjoyed my attention very much, and basked in my love and our togetherness. Eric certainly wouldn't have told him anything at all...

My precious young friend beamed, while he told me with pride in his voice:

"Harry always tries to help others, and that is MY little brother! Therefore, I am sure he will be a VERY good Gypsy King in the future; and I feel proud to be his Assistant!"

7. Love, or 'in love'; little neighborhood boys.

Our doorbell rang again, and John went our front door to open it. Only, before he reached the door, Davy already showed up in our living room, proudly carrying his key! He raced up to me and jumped into my arms at full speed, trusting that I would catch him in time.

While throwing his strong arms around my neck, my third son beamed:

"Hi, Dad! How is Harry? Is everything okay with him? I already miss him..."

"Hi, Davy! Yes, everything is okay with Harry. His surgeons started his skin transplant two hours ago, and they plan to work on him the whole day. Therefore, we will have to be patient, until they call us and tell us more. However, I am sure that everything will work out great."

"Yes, I am sure that you are right. I've even dreamed about Harry! In my dream, he already had his new face, and he looked really handsome. Only, when he showed up in my dream, I didn't recognize him, until he laughed at me and told me who he was..."

Unexpectedly, somebody knocked on the door of our living room and hesitantly opened it. A beaming face with white hair and sparkling emerald green eyes peeked around the corner...

Smiling from ear to ear, Nicky entered our room and proudly showed us his key:

"Hi, everybody! Pop, how is Harry? Has he seen my special present? Does he like it?"

Chuckling at seeing Nicky's eager face, I responded:

"Harry and I decided to open your surprise box AFTER he had his skin transplant, so that it will be a real surprise. Besides, I am sure Harry likes any present he gets from you!"

Nicky started to beam even more, while he pushed Davy aside and offered me a wet kiss. Davy slid down onto the floor, and Nicky jumped up at me to let me catch him in midair.

Davy chuckled, generously offered his place to Nicky, and asked John:

"Shall we leave this toddler to Dad and play one of my adventure games?"

John followed Davy to our computer, where Davy searched his pile of CD's and started a complicated adventure game. I carried Nicky to our couch, where he heaved a deep sigh of content and nestled comfortably into my lap, while I folded my arms around his stocky frame and held him close. This little bundle of joy surely was my always radiant and lovable sunshine! Jack had been right, that this boy would bring all of us a lot of joy and happiness.

After some more cuddling, Nicky told me, with a longing in his voice:

"I hope that Harry will be home soon, because I already miss him. He is my best friend, and I've made a very special package for him in our present box. I only hope he likes it..."

Suddenly, he started to fidget, averted his eyes, and hesitantly asked:

"Pop? How do you know when you are in love with somebody?"

"Well, this is not an easy question, especially at your age. Why do you want to know?"

"I just wanted to know... Jason and Carl are in love with each other, because they want to be together for the rest of their lives. John and Davy want to be together too, but I don't think they are in love with each other. They are just good friends and love each other, but nothing more. You are my Pop, and I love you very much, and I also want to be with you for the rest of my life, but I don't think I am in love with you. I also love my very best friend Harry, and I want to be with him forever, but now I am confused. Do I love Harry, or am I IN LOVE with Harry?"

"Yes, I do understand your question... But, why is this important to you?"

"When I love Harry as my best friend, I am 'normal'. But, when I am IN LOVE with Harry, I am a 'fag' or a 'homo'. I DO love Harry, but I don't want to be 'abnormal'..."

"Please, listen carefully... I love Harry too, and very much. Maybe, I am even 'in love' with my son. Does that make me a 'fag' or a 'homo', or am I still a 'normal' person?"

For a long time, Nicky stared back into my eyes. Could he be reading my mind, as my little soul mate always did effortlessly? Only, I didn't feel his energy enter my brain, and his aura felt as if he was confused and didn't know what to answer... At last, while shaking his little head, he started to stare into space, obviously rethinking everything I had told him. Although I felt curious about what answer he would come up with, I decided to let him take his time, while I could almost sense his little brain working overtime... Finally, his face lit up, and his emerald green eyes started to sparkle again. He looked up at me and firmly squeezed my arms.

With a knowing smile on his again beaming face, he told me:

"Now that I've asked you my question, it doesn't matter any more. Of course, I am still too young to worry about grownup things like being in love or not. Only time will tell... Thank you Pop, for helping me think straight. Now, I feel a lot better; and I think we ALL love Harry very much, each of us in our own ways. Do you have something to eat?"

Immediately, two other boys perked their ears up, at hearing the Magic Word for Growing Kids! Chuckling at their suddenly hungry looking faces, I asked them to go to our kitchen and prepare a couple of healthy sandwiches. Davy and John left their adventure game and raced to our kitchen, bumping into each other while passing the doorpost. Nicky offered me a wet kiss, before he slid off my lap and raced after his friends, while I followed them at a bit slower pace. John dived into our refrigerator and rummaged in it, to gather the necessary ingredients. Davy climbed onto a folding chair and opened our cupboards, to search for bread and butter. Nicky raced outside, leaving our backdoor wide open, to gather a couple of Harry's tasty herbs... Suddenly, two blond little boys with light brown eyes peeked into our kitchen, smiling from happiness when they found out that nobody shooed them away!

Both little Jake and little Neil stepped inside, while Jake complained:

"Mom told us to shut up and get out of her hair until it is dark, because she has to study for her exam. We wanted to swim, but nobody else was in your pool, and you've told us to swim only when one of the bigger boys looks after us. When can we swim again? We have waited for ages for you to show up, and all the other kids were too impatient and went home..."

Little Neil nodded vigorously, although he also glared at me with accusing eyes! Then, John returned from our refrigerator, carrying some vegetables and a couple of eggs. He smiled at Jake and Neal while he put the gathered food onto the kitchen table, next to the butter and cheese.

Turning around, he told both suddenly hopeful looking little boys:

"After we have eaten, I will join you outside so that you can swim. Is that okay?"

"Yippee! Can we eat here too? Neil and I haven't had anything since this morning, because Mom is too busy studying, and she doesn't want to have us around for the rest of the day..."

"Of course, you mean 'MAY we eat here too'... but, what is your Mom studying?"

"Mom studies to become a... err... a lallyer, but she always forgets to eat and chases us outside to look after ourselves until it is dark and we finally can eat dinner."

"I think you mean a 'lawyer'. Only, can't your Dad look after you?"

"We don't have one. Mom says he ran away after he saw that Neil was pregnant."

His little brother punched his arm and corrected him:

"No, stupid! I was not pregnant, but MOM was, because she had me in her tummy."

We started to laugh, while Nicky reentered our kitchen and looked at both little boys until he recognized them. Then, he smiled at them, and went to the sink to wash his tasty herbs.

Again, little Neil punched his bigger brother in the ribs, while he complained:

"Jake always says stupid things, because he is dyslectic and has a knot in his brain..."

His slightly bigger brother punched him back and rebutted:

"Neil, I am NOT a stupid deslictic! And Mom always tells YOU to shut up, because you are always pestering me with your too clever brainiac brain."

"See? You cannot even pronounce the word 'dyslectic'... And, Mom says YOU always talk like a waterfall, and you never know when to shut up."

"You are only jealous because I can talk better than you, with your clever vocabi... err... you know what I mean. I am NOT a stupid whiz kid like you, and I don't WANT to be one either!"

"The correct word is 'vocabulary', and you are only jealous of my clever brain."

Chuckling, I started to understand why their studying Mom wanted to have her quarreling sons 'out of her hair' until they went to bed... Where had I left my duct tape?

Trying to look stern, I admonished both little boys:

"Jake and Neil; shut up NOW, or I will seal your mouths with sticky duct tape!"

With shocked faces, both boys stopped immediately. Big-eyed, they stared at me, as if ready to flee through the still open backdoor, if necessary... Then, they saw me smiling and winking at them, and understood I had been exaggerating. I even knelt down to be on their level, and they released their breaths and relaxed somewhat, looking relieved.

After a second, little Jake piped up, with a considerably smaller voice:

"Sorry, sir! Mom always tells us to shut up too, but she never shouts at us..."

Had I really shouted at them? That had not been my intent! I had only raised my voice to get their attention, because I wanted them to stop their brotherly quarrels... From across the table, John chuckled while he shook his head. Dammit. Again, John saw right through me!

Smiling at my new little friends, I asked them in a much lower voice:

"Are you hungry? Then, please, could you help us eat our too huge pile of sandwiches?"

Two enthusiastically nodding small heads told me they would be very happy to help us eat our too huge pile of food! Only Nicky looked at me with an impish smile on his face.

Chuckling, he admonished me for my generosity:

"Pop, to let us cook for the whole neighborhood, you also have to pay us better wages!"

Looking back at my broadly smiling sunshine boy, I teased him:

"Aw, poor little baby. Are you afraid to get overworked?"

I tickled Nicky's ribs, and he shrieked with laughter and tried to tickle me back... A second later, a mob of five tickling kids attacked me, encouraging each other to make me pee my pants! Although they didn't succeed, I was on the verge. They left me only after I told them they wouldn't get anything to eat, unless they stopped immediately...

Our sandwiches didn't taste as good as the ones my little soul mate always made, but they were edible. Both little neighborhood boys nearly devoured their own fingers in their eating frenzy! They fought for the last sandwich, and scrutinized our table for the last crumbs.

Finally, Jake rubbed his filled little tummy, burped, and exclaimed:

"WOW, these sandwiches were the bestest I ever ate! Can't you marry my Mom, so that your sons can cook for us every day?"

Neil punched his bigger brother in the ribs and frowned:

"You did it again! It isn't 'bestest', but 'best', as I've told you a thousand times before."

"Yes, but I am only six years old; and my brain cannot remember all these too difficult conju... conji... conjaculations? You know what I mean..."

"Well, I am ten months younger, and I already know all these conjugations by heart!"

"Yes, but you are such a stupid whiz kid, and always pestering me with your wisecracks. You should be on the child profity net, to win all the money..."

Before Neil had any chance to correct 'profity' into 'prodigy', our telephone started to ring. That probably meant that my boy's clinic had some important news about my little soul mate! Immediately, John, Davy, and Nicky raced towards the ringing phone in our living room, nearly overturning their folding chairs. I followed them, trembling all over, while my pounding heart produced somersaults in my chest. Would everything still be all right? Nicky arrived at my desk first, took the receiver from its cradle, and handed it to me...

Intently, I listened to the enthusiastic voice of our 'face doctor':

"Sorry for bothering you a bit early, but I HAVE to tell you some incredible news. This is unbelievable! None of our surgeons understands what happens, but your son's scars almost don't bleed at all. Normally, wild flesh is very difficult to remove, because of all its entwined veins. However, your son seems to instruct his body to close down its own veins during our surgery. In all my experience as a surgeon, I have never seen such a wonderful thing before. It is a miracle! We had planned to work on your son for the whole day; but I am sure we will now be finished within the next two hours. Sorry for bothering you, but I just had to tell this and I hope you don't mind. I'm now going back to your son to finish his transplant, and one of our nurses will call you again as soon as we are ready. Thank you for listening to my enthusiasm..."

For at least ten seconds, I felt speechless, while my suddenly dry throat didn't let me utter a single word. Fortunately, I succeeded in making some unintelligible sounds, to let our surgeon know I had heard him. The line disconnected, and I gave the receiver back to Nicky. Helpfully, he put it back onto its cradle, and everybody followed me back to our kitchen.

Still feeling numb and trembling all over, I sank down onto a folding chair, needing to digest this incredible information first. My little soul mate didn't bleed at all, because his body closed down its own veins... His surgeon would finish his skin transplants within the next two hours, instead of using the whole day... Our surgeon told me he had never seen such a miracle before... Only, not bleeding at all, was that really a good thing? Or, had our surgeon missed something important? Could he have forgotten to monitor my boy's blood pressure?

Then, I heard Jack's warm voice in my inside, telling me loud and clear:

"My dear brother, I've promised we would help your son, and we do! In our own realm, we are continually developing new healing techniques, and we also bring them to our Planet Earth. I've also promised you would be pleasantly surprised, and this is only the first surprise. Please, stop worrying and feel happy, because everything is going wonderfully. Now, return to your steadily growing flock of special children, love them, and tell them the good news."

Before Jack left me, he again engulfed me with his powerful love and affection. His blessing woke me up, and I opened my eyes and squinted around. Still trying to wake up from my trance, I realized that Jack had been right again, and I WAS pleasantly surprised! In the meantime, five worried looking boys stared at me, trying to understand why I didn't react any more. They released their breaths when they saw that I opened my eyes and looked back at them. Now, five pairs of curious eyes stared at me expectantly, wanting to hear what had happened...

Still trying to wake up completely, I told them:

"Boys, Harry's doctor has VERY good news about Harry. He will be finished with his skin transplants within two hours from now; and everything is going wonderfully!"

At hearing this good news, my three boys started to cheer and dance around our kitchen, trying to raise the roof. First, they hugged me almost to death, smothering my face with kisses. Then, they started to dance again, until they were out of breath and had to sit down.

After my boys calmed down, a thoughtful looking little Neil piped up:

"What has happened to Harry? Is he now in a hospital to get his new face? He always talks to me in your swimming pool, and I like him very much. And, I like YOU too!"

Jake nodded vigorously, to let me know he agreed with his younger brother. Suddenly, he crawled onto my lap and leaned into me, with a contented face! Immediately, Neil followed him, claiming his own share by first pushing his brother to one side. I folded my arms around my two new friends, held them close, and kissed their small heads. Why where they already feeling so at ease with me, although I still had to be some 'danger stranger' to them? I already liked them very much too, especially little Neil, in spite of their brotherly bickering. Trying to keep things easy, I told them some simple facts about little Harry's burnt caravan and skin transplants. I also told them that Harry would return home within three weeks, having new skin and a new face.

Little Neil looked up at me, and hesitantly confessed:

"I know, because Mom already told us about Harry's caravan fire. When I saw Harry for the first time, I liked him very much, and I prayed for him that his burnt face would heal. Last week, I saw he wore a mask and looked nearly normal. Mom thought that the poor boy would never heal and always need his mask, but I told her I was sure somebody would heal him very soon! Only, Mom didn't believe me... Now, I can tell her I was RIGHT."

Little Jake opened his mouth to comment on his younger brother, but stopped just in time. For a moment, he looked up at me, and I could sense he felt a little bit guilty. Was my powerful love again working miracles, even while I hadn't done anything at all?

Suddenly, Jake turned towards his younger brother and asked him:

"Neil? I want us to be friends instead of fighting all the time. Sorry that I am jealous of your brains, because you are so much cleverer than I am. I nearly said 'you always want to be right', but I shut up just in time, and I don't want to hurt you any more. Please, can you help me to love you instead of pestering you? From now on, I want to be your friend, and you can also try to teach me all these conjugelations... no, conjaculations... err... You know what I mean."

For a second, Neil looked up at me with his intense eyes. At that same moment, I heard his boyish voice in my inside, thanking me for loving and helping his older brother! I nearly fell of my chair from sudden surprise, pulling my two little friends with me. Again, Neil had talked to me in my inside, just as my little soul mate sometimes did. Had I ever thought my boy would be the ONLY upcoming little Shaman on earth? Here was the second one, sitting on my lap and talking to my inside! Suddenly, I also remembered my strange dream I once had, about seven devoted High Priests who would show up in my life, to work together and help our confused Planet Earth... Could little Neil be one of them? I was almost sure...

In the meantime, Neil put his arms around his bigger brother and hugged him. Jake hugged his smaller brother back, getting tears of thankfulness in his eyes; while I sent both little brothers all my love and respect I was able to muster. From the corners of my eyes, I saw my three older boys smiling at each other and getting tears in their eyes as well...

Soon, both little boys looked up at me again, and Neil asked me:

"Please, sir, may we swim in your pool now? And, may we undress here, because I don't want to go home and irritate Mom while she studies for her lawyer exam..."

I nodded, still feeling overwhelmed by seeing their change in attitude towards each other, and by hearing Neil's voice in my inside. Or, had my brain projected Neil's voice into my mind, because I expected him to be an upcoming little Shaman? Again, I started to doubt...

With happy faces, both little boys slid off my lap and onto the floor, where they immediately shucked their clothes. That triggered my three older boys, who raced upstairs to put on their own swimming trunks. Two naked little boys first hugged and kissed me, before they raced outside and dived into our pool with loud Indian shouts, followed suit by Nicky who showed up first. Still feeling overwhelmed, I followed them outside, where I looked at three cheerful small boys, splashing around in our swimming pool while trying to dunk each other. Although Nicky was a lot bigger, Jake and Neil worked together and succeeded in dunking him several times!

John and Davy showed up and first restored their makeshift slide, before they joined their smaller friends who already clambered up and slid down its hastily repaired plastic sheet. Within ten minutes, our pool was again crowded with yelling and shouting neighborhood kids, having lots of fun. Our three girls were back, again teasing the boys, and soon accompanied by several smaller and bigger neighborhood kids I hadn't seen here before or couldn't remember. At last, I returned to my computer, sorted the few real emails from all the spam, and tried to work on my manuscript, while I also waited for my boy's transplant clinic nurse who would call me...

Fifty minutes later, my phone rang again! A happy sounding nurse told me the surgeons had finished my boy's skin transplants, everything had gone extremely well, and all the surgeons and assistants were very happy with the result. My son was back in his own room, where his surgeon would keep him sedated for about a week, to immobilize him until his new skin had healed. If necessary, she would call me immediately; else, she would keep me updated from time to time; until I would return to the clinic, to be there when my son woke up from his prolonged narcosis, and he would still find me at his side as if nothing had happened...

Feeling very happy, I thanked the nurse for calling me and asked her to thank the team of surgeons and assistants for me. After I put the receiver onto its cradle, I staggered towards my couch, slumped down, and started to cry! Now, I could feel how much tension I had built up during the past days. All the time, I had forced myself to be strong; for my son, for myself, and for my three young friends who also needed me. Now, finally, I was able to let myself go!

Then, I heard Jack's voice in my inside, urging me to let myself go even more:

"Don't bottle it up, my dear brother. In a few minutes, you will feel a lot better!"

Despite my tears, I started to chuckle when I recognized the same words my little soul mate always used! Again, I let myself go completely, without any restrictions. Three minutes later, a wet body sat down next to me and gently folded its arms around my shoulders! Without looking, I knew it was John; and a heavy burden lifted off my shoulders, while I started to feel renewed and refreshed. Again, John was performing his powerful healing magic on me!

I pulled my precious young friend closer, and he leaned into me while he asked:

"Feel better now, Dad? Jack told me you would be a little bit upset after getting a phone call from Harry's clinic, and I decided to have a quick look at you..."

"Thank you very much, my friend, for being there for me. Yes, Harry's clinic phoned me, to tell me his skin transplant is ready and that he has returned to his own room, where they will keep him asleep for another week, before they wake him up with me at his side."

"This is very good news, and I will also relay it to Davy and Nicky. I love you, Dad, with all my body, my heart, and my soul. Are you okay now? Can I go back to our swimming pool now? One of the new girls teases me all the time, and I think she likes me..."

Laughing at seeing John's sudden blush, I swatted his moist bum and told him to have fun. He offered me another quick cuddle and a kiss, before he disappeared outside. My precious former friend, who was both extremely mature for his age and still such a small boy...

8. Little Shaman; and who is the real 'weirdo'.

After brewing another cup of coffee, I went back to my computer and restarted working on my manuscript. Because it was too warm inside, I left the backdoor and the door to the hallway wide open, hoping to get some cool breeze from outside. Fortunately, I already felt a lot better, due to my young friend! All emotional stress had left me, and I felt energetic again. Soon, I disappeared into the next part of my story about my burnt little Gypsy boy and me. Again, I relived our adventures, while I typed them into my word processor or read them back from the screen. Now and then, I got tears in my eyes, from my still very strong emotions.

Slowly and steadily, the first book of my 'Gypsy Monarch series' neared its conclusion. After it was ready, I would first proofread all its chapters again. Then, I would put them on the Internet and present them to my enthusiastic fans, to ask them for any comments. Finally, I would publish my readied 'Gypsy Series' book, and several people all over the world would read and enjoy it. I sincerely hoped my books would change the strange way certain mistaken people were thinking about older men and young boys loving each other. Their mutual love COULD be coming from knowing and loving each other from their past reincarnations...

Suddenly, I heard a faint sound, coming from our hallway. Probably, one of the swimming kids had decided to use our bathroom, instead of peeing in our swimming pool. Then, I heard a sound of splashing. Obviously, a small boy was emptying his bladder, sighing from the relief. Our toilet flushed, and its door shut with a soft clack. Now, our hallway was silent and it stayed silent. Where had the kid gone, or what could he be doing? Feeling curious, I decided to 'sense' the too quiet kid, by using my aura. I stretched my energy field out towards our hallway and tried to probe around. From my course in 'aura reading and healing', I knew that some sensitive people were able to do such an 'impossible' thing, although I had never tried it before...

Much to my surprise, I really sensed the energy of little Neil, my youngest Shaman friend! My mind even created a faint picture of him, looking at my open living room door. Curiously, he tiptoed towards the door and peeked around the corner. When he saw me, he entered my living room, stopped, and stared at what I was doing. My 'gut feeling' told me he wanted to ask me a question, but was afraid I would be too busy and shoo him away, as his Mom would do...

Feeling even more surprised, I felt Neil's remarkably powerful energy field approaching me and probing my aura, although he did it softly and very respectfully! For a moment, he scanned my energy field, probably sensing my mood. Next, he silently tiptoed towards me, but stopped before he reached my chair... Inwardly chuckling at his hesitancy, I thought about surprising him by suddenly turning around. However, feeling more and more curious, I decided to pretend I didn't know he was in the room. Although I still hadn't seen him with my normal eyes, my inside was absolutely sure this was little Neil. Only, don't ask me how I knew it was him...

A second later, I felt his energy field trying to enter my aura. A small energy-probe tried to enter my head, but it was ready to pull back immediately. WOW! Little Neil WAS a Shaman, just like my own little soul mate was one! Only, this small boy was at least three years younger; and he was not of Royal blood or of Gypsy origin, as far as I knew. He also acted very careful, probably because he didn't know what I would do if I unexpectedly discovered his audacity...

Feeling more and more curious about what this little Shaman wanted to do next, I opened my aura up to him. Immediately, his energy probe retreated, because he felt too surprised when my resistance suddenly fell away. For a second, he hesitated; but then, his probe felt around in my inside again, as if trying to orientate first. Tentatively, he entered my head and started to read my thoughts. Of course, he found out that I already knew he was here, and only waited for what he would do next! Behind me, I heard the little boy suck in his breath in sudden surprise, and I sensed that he thought about running away... Then, he decided to trust me. Hesitantly, he sent me a picture of a little Neil, trustfully sitting on my lap and talking to me...

Wow, what a special child was this five-year-old tiny boy! Although his aura differed quite a lot from my little soul mate's, he apparently possessed the same powerful Shaman 'abilities'! Okay, I would take him onto my lap and talk to him, but only after I first teased him a little bit. Ultimately, the little imp had sneaked up to me and read my mind, stealthily, as an intruder! Therefore, I first sent him a funny picture of a baby, sucking on an enormous pacifier.

At lightning speed, he retreated out of my head, because he clearly didn't expect me to tease him like this! Feeling a bit shocked, he remained silent for a couple of seconds. Then, hesitantly, he probed my energy field again, obviously trying to find out whether I would be angry. Feeling reassured that I accepted his 'intrusion' and only wanted to tease him, he stepped forward and trustfully leaned into my side, with his head against my arm. Of course, I turned around and gently lifted his naked little frame onto my lap, while he sighed with the relief.

He leaned into my chest, closed his eyes, and eagerly sucked in all my love and energy. Obviously, little Neil needed a cuddle AND a boost of energy, and he had chosen me to give it to him. Silently, I folded my arms around his small frame and pulled him even closer against my chest, again feeling surprised about how at ease we already were with each other.

Much to my surprise, I suddenly heard his longing voice in my inside, telling me:

"I already love you very much; and I wish that you could be my new Dad!"

Apart from hearing little Neil's words in my inside instead of them coming from his mouth, how many times before had I heard these same longing words? Obviously, my new friend missed a loving father in his life; and he thought I could be a good replacement... Teasingly, I started to tickle his little chest and belly, making him squirm on my lap. For a moment, he shrieked with laughter, while trying to push my hands away. Then, he gave up, and looked up at me with two intense light brown orbs that again showed me his happiness and absolute trust.

This time using his normal voice, little Neil asked me:

"Do you think I am weird?"

"What? Who told you such a thing? Or, why do you think you could be weird?"

"Jake always tells me I am weird, because I know what he thinks. Sometimes, I talk to him in his head, but he cannot talk back to me because he has a knot in his brain. When I enter Mom's head, she gets a headache and sends me to my room because I am too 'cheeky'. Other grownups are afraid of me, and they always shoo me away when I look at their thoughts. Only Harry felt me immediately! He didn't think I was a weirdo, but only smiled back at me. Then, he taught me how to send each other pictures and little films in our minds. From that time on, we always had a lot of fun, and nobody around us knew why he and I were giggling all the time."

With a happy smile, Neil threw his small arms around my neck and offered me a wet kiss. Still feeling surprised, I returned a big smack onto his tiny pug nose, making him giggle again. Here I was, sitting at my desk, having a naked five-year-old little Shaman on my lap. This little imp just told me he talks to Harry in his head, and they send each other pictures and little films. He also talks to his bigger brother, but Jake cannot talk back because he 'has a knot in his brain'. His Mom gets a headache from him and sends him to his room. Other grownups are afraid of him and shoo him away. He wants me to be his new Dad because I don't think he is weird, we send each other pictures, and he already loves me very much... Who is the REAL weirdo here?

Feeling confused, but also wanting to know a lot more about him, I responded:

"Well, perhaps you WERE a little bit too cheeky, by peeking into other people's thoughts... Only, I am not afraid of you, I am not getting a headache from you, and I will not shoo you away either. Besides, what kind of a 'knot' did you see in Jake's brain?"

Looking a bit surprised, little Neil responded:

"You didn't see it? Jake's brain has sort of a kink in its energy flow that blocks his thoughts. I think that is why he cannot remember difficult words, because they change a little bit while they pass through the kink. Our school doctor calls it 'dyslexia', and he thinks Jack has MBD, minimal brain damage. The doctor may be right, but he doesn't know what to do about it..."

Because this little Shaman turned out to be even more interesting, I asked him:

"How do you see all those things in Jake's brain? Did anybody teach you how to enter your brother's brain and see his energy flow, or did you discover your 'abilities' all on your own?"

"YOU taught me! That was in another life, a long time ago, in a country with pyramids, where you were our High Priest and our teacher. You had seven students, and I remember Harry who was my older brother, John who was our best friend, and Jack who is now dead. In that life, you taught us how to enter people's heads, read their auras, and even heal them. Some time ago, I tried to heal Jake like you had taught us, but he got a headache and told me to stop. Most brains are too tight, so that I cannot enter them without using a lot of force to break them open. When I force myself into their brains, people get a headache, or they are afraid of me and tell me I'm looking too 'cheeky' or 'intrusive'. I felt very surprised when you suddenly opened your inner door to me, so that I can could enter your head and talk to you. Normally, your energy is way too strong for me... Now, I want to know how you could feel my energy when I sneaked up to you, without looking around and seeing me. Please, could you teach me how to do that?"

Little Neil looked up at me with eager eyes, clearly expecting me to tell him how he should use his own energy field to sense other people's auras... Only, until a few minutes ago, I hadn't been sure whether I would be able to do such an 'impossible' thing myself, and I was still very surprised that my attempts really worked! Therefore, my little soul mate would be much more competent to teach Neil how to use his extraordinary Shaman abilities in a proper way. My boy had already taught Neil how to send and receive pictures and little films, and I was sure he had many more surprises in store. I hoped they would become very good friends, and I also hoped that my boy and Neil would allow ME to join their Shaman training, because I still wanted to learn quite a lot more about all these mysterious possibilities of our human auras!

Feeling more and more enthusiastic, I responded:

"I suppose that Harry will be much more competent to explain how he can see and feel energy fields, and how he knows his way always and everywhere by tuning in into energies and auras. By the way, can you see your own aura, or sense an energy field around your body?"

"Do you mean all these moving layers and colors I always see around everybody?"

Again, I felt surprised, at discovering even more uncanny abilities from this upcoming little Shaman, making me almost gasp for air. My little friend seemed to be even more capable than I could ever dream of! My course in 'aura healing and reading' had taught me about at least seven different aura layers surrounding living creatures, but I had never been able to see them. I only could 'sense' their existence, by using my 'third eye' and my 'dream body'...

Trying not to reveal my growing eagerness to little Neil, I told him:

"Yes, this is what I mean. Could you please describe a few of these layers?"

"Is this sort of a test? The first layer can be full of ugly colors that flare up when people get angry or emotional, but peaceful people like you always look beautiful. The next layer looks like a yellow spider web, and I think it has to do with being in control. The third layer is a green one, connects your heart to friends like you and I are, and reacts to love and kindness. I like the fourth layer most, because it is a dark blue impression of everything you ever wish or want. Through this layer, I can enter people's heads, talk to them, and send them pictures. My fourth layer has a violet color my Mom calls 'indigo'. Harry's fourth layer is indigo too; and in you, a very thick indigo band connects your heart to your head. Only, I cannot always see these colors like now, while I connect to somebody else who has the same powers... Do I still pass the test?"

This time, I almost fainted from enthusiasm, and had to restrain myself from becoming too excited. Although I had read several books about the human aura with all its layers and colors, I had never seen any auras myself, except for the first smoky layer that is easy to see once you know how to look for it. Now, I had a first-hand description, from a little Shaman who could actually see the first five layers and colors! He only forgot to mention the first layer, and called the second aura layer the first one. At least, according to what my books told me... I also realized that I would be able to learn quite a lot more about auras from my little Shaman, and I felt VERY happy to have such a valuable new friendship. Obviously, little Neil could teach me many more things about auras I had only dreamt about. Think about what would happen if he and my little soul mate started to work together... Could our Spirit Guides have planned our meeting?

All the time, I sensed Jack's energy around us, and I even thought he felt disappointed, but I was way too enthusiastic to pay much attention to our Spirit Guide. He could wait until my new Shaman friend had taught me quite a lot more about these fascinating aura layers and colors!

Enthusiastically, I pulled little Neil even closer, and told him:

"Yes, my little friend, you certainly passed the test! Let me first give you an enormous bear hug, and then, I want to know a lot more about your upcoming powers. Okay?"

My little friend sighed, trustfully leaned into my chest, and happily closed his eyes. Basking in my love and energy, he again absorbed everything like a human sponge. In the meantime, I hoped I would be able to be the loving new Dad my new little friend so obviously needed. In return, I expected him to teach me all these remarkable Shaman things I was so interested in... Again, I felt Jack around me, as if he wanted to warn me. Only, I told him in my mind to wait, because I wanted to deepen my connection to my little Shaman friend some more first...

Two minutes later, faint sounds came from our kitchen, as if a pair of little feet scampered around the kitchen table, crossed the hallway, and raced to our open door. A dripping wet and still naked little Jake stormed into our living room, carrying their pile of clothes in his hands.

Huffing and panting, he told his little brother:

"Neil? Mom is mad at us, and she wants us to go home immediately."

Jake started to dress in a hurry; while a young woman entered our living room and stopped dead in her tracks at seeing her naked little son on my lap. She was clearly their Mom, having the same light brown eyes and slender build. I estimated her to be around twenty-five years old, and thought she was very good-looking. Still feeling totally at ease, I smiled at her...

However, Mom only saw her naked little son sitting on my lap, and turned pale as a ghost while she put her hand over her mouth in sudden disbelief. Then, she glared at me, while her flaring eyes tried to spew hot daggers into my direction as if she could murder me!

Lowering her hand, she barked at her suddenly trembling son on my lap:

"NEIL, you KNOW what I've told you about being alone with a stranger. How DARE you! Come here and put your clothes on immediately."

Trembling all over, little Neil slid off my lap. Reluctantly, he shuffled to the pile of clothes and started to put them on, while looking at me with desperation in his eyes... Not understanding what was happening, I rose from my chair and went to the woman. Politely, I offered her my hand, planning to introduce myself and explain why I had her little son on my lap...

However, Mom only snorted at me, and told her partially clad sons:

"Jake and Neil, take the rest of your clothes in your hands and leave this house NOW. When we are home, I will have a profound talk with you two, because you KNOW what I've told you about danger strangers! Just look at what the TV warns you about all the time... This is the last time I've trusted you to play outside alone, and that's your own fault. Now, GO!"

Still ignoring me, she dragged her two sons towards the open door. All the time, little Neil looked back at me, struggling as if trying to slow his Mom down. Tears of frustration streamed down his desperate little face, while he again showed me his longing to stay with me.

Just before his Mom dragged him out of the room, I heard his crying voice in my inside:

"Mom will never understand why, but I still want you to be my new Dad."

The little procession disappeared into the hallway and went to the kitchen. In a distance, I heard their Mom usher them outside, while a deafening silence fell over my house...

For a long time, I couldn't think straight any more, because I felt totally numb. For heaven's sake, what could have HAPPENED? I still didn't have the faintest idea. One moment, I sat in my chair, feeling happy, with my new little friend cuddled in my arms. Both he and I felt wonderful and happy with each other's company, basking in our close togetherness. Little Neil even told me he loved me and that he wished I could be his new Dad... The next moment, a female she-devil stormed into my house and tore her little son out of my life, just like that!

Stumbling across my living room, I went to my front windows and looked outside. Mom just dragged both boys across the street and onto the sidewalk. Obviously, she was still arguing with her 'unruly' sons. Little Jake tried to convince her about something; while little Neil still cried and cried. Suddenly, little Neil told her something, and her face contorted and became a deep red. The next moment, she freed her hand and forcefully slapped his teary little face! Neil fell down onto the pavement, where he started to wail from agony. However, she just grabbed his tiny arm and determinedly dragged him towards the next block and around the corner.

I was sure I would have murdered her, if I had been outside! Unintentionally, I balled my fists in a frustrated rage, wanting to jump right through the windows. I so wanted to rescue my new little friend from this heartless 'Mom'... In my rage, I turned around and forcefully kicked a chair across my living room. OUCH! In my flaring anger, I nearly broke my big toe, and I grabbed my suddenly aching foot with a loud roar of frustration. DAMMIT! This forceful kick was meant for HER! However, the pain also calmed me down considerably. Forcing myself to calm down even more, I pulled the fallen chair upright and hobbled to my couch. Still feeling numb, I sat down, removed my sock, and carefully folded my hand around the aching toe, trying to send it some healing energy. Fortunately, my big toe wasn't broken...

At last, the full significance of what had happened started to dawn on me. Today, I had lost another little soul mate! My inside was sure that Neil and I were kindred souls. That is why he immediately trusted me absolutely, and why I felt so delighted to have him on my lap. From the first moment, he felt like a dear friend, and I was sure he had been totally devoted to me in at least one of our past lives, where I was a High Priest and he was one of my seven Cosmic pupils. Only, why was life so cruel to little Neil and me? Why had we contacted each other for such a short time, only to be cruelly torn away from each other by his mistrusting mother? Suddenly, I broke down in agony and started to sob uncontrollably. I already MISSED my new little friend, and I HATED his cruel Mom! Slumping down onto my couch, I buried my face in my hands, while I disappeared into some very bright light that surrounded me from everywhere...

Immediately feeling delighted, I let myself go, while Jack pulled me into an induced trance. Fortunately, Jack was still my friend, and I also hoped he would have some answers for me. For a second, my breath stalled. Then, my Awareness left my body and entered our Timeless Realm. Here was my REAL home, where my soul belonged for all eternity. Here, we had made all our appointments, before we returned to our Planet Earth, to be reborn and meet each other again. Unexpectedly, a little octopus jumped into my arms and clamped himself onto my chest...

LITTLE HARRY!

My little soul mate welcomed me and happily cuddled up to me, while I folded my arms around his ethereal body and held him close to my chest. Boy, had I missed him, even after only one earthly day of absence... He told me he felt like being 'on vacation' in this realm, while his body on Earth was under narcosis and still in a deep sleep. He had already met Jack, his parents, and his Ancestors, and waited here until his new skin would be healed sufficiently and his face doctor would wake him up. Then, he would return into his healed body with a brand new face, while his woken brain would make him think he had had only some beautiful dream...

Next, I saw Jack, looking at my boy and me with a warm smile. First, he folded his ethereal arms around us and filled us to the brim with his powerful Love and Strength.

Then, Jack's smiling face saddened, while he explained:

"My dear brother; after a lot of deliberating and some hesitancy, we decided to let you meet one of our future Spiritual Leaders, hoping you would have grown strong and competent enough to withstand the temptations of the flesh. This powerful Shaman and Cosmic Mage will soon be known all over the world as a clairvoyant Healer and Medium, helping thousands of people and leading them towards the Light. We hoped you would be able to withstand your curiosity, and only help your little pupil overcome his loneliness by being his substitute Dad... Unfortunately, you immediately planned to let this little boy teach you everything he remembered from his past incarnations, without considering what HE needs in this vulnerable stage of his development. Therefore, we decided to send his mother to rescue her son, knowing she is abused in her youth. When she saw her little son sitting on your lap, she remembered her own abuse, and assumed you wanted to seduce her child. Feeling betrayed, she thought she was just in time, and already planned to inform the police about your conduct. Fortunately, for you, your friend sacrificed himself to make her think otherwise; gleefully accepting her slap in his face, because he already loves you dearly. So far, none of this has been your fault and you haven't done anything wrong; but, please, my dear brother, be VERY careful! A next time, we may NOT be able to rescue you this easily. Please, always keep in mind that you HAVE to live up to what our Earthly laws are imposing onto you; although you don't agree with them, and your own heart knows better..."

Slowly, the bright white light vanished, while I tumbled back into my body, still lying on my couch with my face in my hands. Fortunately, I felt quite a lot better, now that I had seen my little soul mate and knew that Jack wasn't mad at me. I only still missed little Neil...

9. An amusement park; and a Gypsy caravan.

The next day, life returned to relatively normal, except for the fact that everybody missed little Harry badly. I phoned the clinic, and a friendly nurse assured me that all was well with my son. He was in a deep sleep, there were no complications, and all his bodily functions were working properly. His surgeon kept a very close eye on him; and she promised to contact me immediately if there was any other news. I thanked her politely, and hung up.

One by one, I asked John, Davy, and Nicky about my two little friends. Unfortunately, none of them could give me any relevant information. John told me their small family lived at the backside of the next block; and his Mom teasingly called their Mom 'Our Queen', because she always walked with her nose high in the air and never really talked to anybody. She didn't seem to have a husband, and always left both little boys alone during most of the day. Yesterday, she suddenly collected her sons from our swimming pool, and John hadn't seen them since.

Nicky told me they seemed to be nice boys, but the youngest boy and Harry had giggled all the time. Nicky had felt left out and a bit annoyed, because Harry refused to tell him anything. Then, he had asked Neil about it, but the little kid just grinned and didn't tell him anything either. Now, Nicky hoped that both little boys would stay away after Harry returned home with his new face. But, to help me some more, he would ask his Dad and Jason about them.

Davy only knew the name of the oldest little boy, 'Jake', but nothing else. He promised he would ask his Mom about them, and would keep me informed if she knew anything important. What did I want to know about them? Had something unexpected happened?

"Err... They left our swimming pool in a sudden hurry, and I am curious why..."

"Well, you know the proverb, Dad: Curiosity kills the cat!"

"Yeah, I know, and thank you very much for warning me."

After a quick cuddle, my threesome went outside to play hide and seek in the surrounding backyards. Unfortunately, this morning, the sky was overcast, making the morning air too chilly to play in our swimming pool. Soon, Mark and Marrie, three neighborhood girls, and another young boy showed up and joined their game. They disappeared into our backyards, chasing after each other and having lots of fun. Unfortunately, my two smallest friends didn't show up...

I brewed myself a cup of coffee, slumped down on my couch, and started to think. Now, I knew exactly what I had done wrong when I tried to get more information from little Neil. I hadn't respected his vulnerability as a small boy, and my own greed had taken over and made me too selfish! Why hadn't I listened to my own heart, instead of to my too enthusiastic brain? Now, I had lost both little friends. Would I ever see them again? What would happen if I talked to BJ, who seemed to know many people around our neighborhood and always talked to everybody? Would BJ be able to talk to Neil's Mom, to inform her of my true intentions? Perhaps, she would change her mind and let both little boys visit me again... Or, could I talk about them to Trudy or to Mary, and ask them to convince Neil's Mom? Only, what could I tell them, without making them suspicious about my true intentions? Could I tell them that I wanted another little boy in my life, along with all the young boys that already frequented my house? What would they think, being indoctrinated by all the warnings about 'danger strangers'? Wouldn't it sound too strange that I wanted to befriend another young boy? Obviously, I was walking on very thin ice!

The more I thought about my dilemma, the more I understood that I couldn't do anything but sit still and wait. I only hoped my little soul mate would eventually be able to contact Neil and talk to him. I was sure my boy would understand my true feelings, and accept that I loved little Neil and wanted to help him. They had been brothers in their past lives, and I hoped they would become good friends in this life. I only had to be patient...

Suddenly, three enthusiastic boys stormed into our living room and crowded around me. They looked at me with craving puppy-dog eyes, while nudging each other...

As usual, John took the lead, and asked me with a hopeful voice:

"Dad, did you know we have a new amusement park, about half an hour from here?"

Chuckling at seeing three pleading faces, I teased my young friends:

"No, I didn't know yet, but thank you for this information."

"Aw, Dad... You always tell us we need to 'relieve our built-up tension'..."

"Well... Yes, that is true. Only, what do you want me to do about it?"

"DAAAD! You are no fun. Can we go to that new amusement park, pleeeeaaase?"

"Aren't your girlfriends around you to have fun with? Did you leave them alone?"

"Nah, all three girls left us to go shopping with their parents, and Mark and Marrie went home to play cards. Then, Aaron told us about a nearby new amusement park..."

"Then, let's have a look at Aaron's amusement park. Do you know where it is?"

Three happily cheering voices tried to raise the roof, while three pairs of enthusiastic arms tried to strangle my neck. They even started to dance around the room, dragging me with them. Chuckling, I told them to tell their parents where we were going and when we would be back. Immediately, they left me and raced outside, to inform their parents we would go to the new amusement park, and we would try to be back before nine o'clock in the evening.

Of course, I was more than willing to grant them their fun! To be honest, I too could use a little break, to relieve my own built-up tension. I was also curious about that amusement park, because I had never been in one before. Unfortunately, my little soul mate couldn't join us, but I was sure he wouldn't mind; and I would make it up to him after he returned home and had healed sufficiently. I only felt a bit sad, because this could have been a real treat for Jake and Neil...

Five minutes later, FOUR happy looking boys gathered around me, and John told me:

"Dad, this is Aaron, he is ten, and he will show us the way. Are we going now? Mark and Marrie wanted to join us too, but I told them we are already short of seats in our van..."

Both Nicky and Davy cuddled up against me, while they told me:

"Pop, I can sleep here tonight! And, my Dad and Jason asked me to greet you from them."

"Dad, Mom asked me to return home before nine o'clock. Tomorrow, early in the morning, we are going to a friend's house, and we will stay there for the whole day."

A dark-haired young boy trustingly looked up at me and politely told me:

"Hello, sir, I am Aaron, and my Mom and Dad ask me to tell you they are grateful that you let me join you today, because my Mom is ill and my Dad cannot walk very well. My Dad has already talked to Nicky's dad and John's mother, so that he knows he can trust you."

Aaron first offered me his hand, before he ran after his friends towards our van. Nicky had already snatched the remote controller out of my hands, while John got my keys and my wallet from the table. I closed our front door and followed my boys at a bit slower pace, as usual. Inside our van, John and Davy quickly arranged four seats, so that everybody could sit free and look everywhere, while I entered my driver's seat, buckled up, and asked John for my keys. Suddenly, Nicky saw little Harry's thick pillow on the front seat, and dived towards it!

With an enthusiastic voice, he asked me:

"Pop, could I please use that pillow, to sit higher and look outside easier?"

"Of course, you may use that pillow. Harry has used it during our drive to the transplant clinic, so that he could look outside, as a little Prince on his makeshift throne..."

When I mentioned Harry, Nicky suddenly fell silent and slumped back onto his seat; while John and Davy stared at each other with shocked faces, because they realized they had totally forgotten about our little Gypsy Prince who wasn't able to join us. Only Aaron looked at his suddenly sad looking friends with a non-comprehending face, until John explained that his burnt little brother got a skin transplant and had to stay in a clinic for another three weeks...

Nicky put his arms around my neck from behind, and told me with a sad voice:

"Pop, I already miss Harry terribly, and I think it is no fun to go to that amusement park without him. Can't we wait until he returns home and can join us?"

Both John and Davy nodded their consent, while Aaron tried to understand what could be happening... For a moment, I felt sad too, and nearly decided to stay home and wait until my little soul mate would be able to join us to that amusement park. Then, I realized it would do my boys and me no good to feel sad and stay home until my boy returned from his clinic!

I turned around on my seat to look at my boys, and asked them:

"I have a question for all of you, and I want you to think my question over seriously. Will it HELP Harry in any way, to feel sad and hang around the house until he returns home? Suppose we could ask Harry about our dilemma. What do you think he would answer?"

John looked at me with sudden understanding in his deep brown orbs, while he nodded and smiled. Davy needed a little bit more time; but, then, he too nodded and started to smile. Aaron looked a little bit afraid that we would decide to stay home until Harry returned...

After a few seconds of silence, Nicky thought aloud:

"I think that Harry would tell us: Have fun, and next time I want to join you!"

"I am sure you are correct, and that is exactly what we are going to do! Let's have fun in that amusement park, send Harry some postcards, and I am sure he will join us next time. Okay?"

John stared at me with a look of almost reverence in his eyes, while he responded:

"Dad, every time again, I am amazed about how you always succeed in making us feel better with only a few well-chosen words. I want to learn how to do that too..."

Davy nodded his consent, while Nicky quickly got Harry's thick pillow from the front seat and put it onto his own seat. With a proudly beaming face, he climbed onto his makeshift throne.

After a moment of looking around, he started to chuckle and told us:

"Today, I am the King of the Road, and all of you are my servants!"

Trying to tease my little sunshine King on his pillow throne, I responded:

"Yes, majesty. Okay, majesty. What do you want me to do, majesty?"

"Take the steering wheel, start the engine, and drive us to the new amusement park."

"Yes majesty, your wish is my command. Only, I don't know where I have to go. Sorry majesty, but I don't know the way, and you have to help me first."

"Aaron, I order you to tell my driving servant where he has to go!"

Then, little King Nicky nearly fell off his makeshift throne, from laughing too much. Quickly, he rearranged his thick pillow and pulled his seatbelt a bit faster. Aaron told me where I had to go, and we were on our way to a new amusement park...

Half an hour later, I parked our van in a muddy yard amidst several other vehicles. The yard was already crowded with desperate looking parents who tried to keep their children in check. I chuckled at their mostly vain efforts, and just waited until my own kids had checked themselves without any help whatsoever. Was I really the only parent here who knew that most children are independent enough to behave properly on their own? Or, was I just blessed with MY kids...

After my kids looked around, felt satisfied, and returned to me all on their own, we went to an overcrowded ticket window, joined the waiting line, and waited patiently until it was our turn to get our tickets. As usual, I started to search my pockets for my wallet, but couldn't find it. Just in time, I remembered who had put my wallet in his pocket. Laughing at my own forgetfulness, I asked my already snickering young friend to pay for us. Chuckling, John fished my wallet out of his pocket and bought four tickets. The gatekeeper punched a notch into each of them, and we entered the already crowded amusement park. After a short deliberation, all four boys decided to stroll around the park first, to have a look at all the amusement spectacles and other interesting things. Then, they would decide how they should use their scarce allowances...

I was pleasantly surprised to see that they didn't automatically assume I would pay for them. Well, we would see. Of course, I had already planned to spoil them! For half an hour, we only walked around the enormous park and looked at all the various attractions. Then, we were back at the entrance, and had to decide what we should do now. Of course, all four boys wanted to have one or more rides in one of those electric cars they had seen! On their way towards them, they would play it by ear about where they wanted to spend some more money.

Nicky wanted to have a ride on a huge merry-go-round with prancing horses and Aaron wanted to join him, but John and Davy thought they were too old for such a 'childish' thing. Our two youngsters would have to ride alone! For a second, Nicky tried to get ME to join them, but I didn't want to feel dizzy for the remainder of the day, and therefore refused.

Looking a bit unhappy, Nicky pulled at my hand and protested:

"Pop, you are becoming an old man. Please, come on and join us! It is a lot of fun, and both Aaron and I will hold your hands all the time, to help you feel safer..."

I smiled at both pleading friends, ruffled their hair, but shook 'no' again. Then, I bought them three tickets each, letting John pay them from my wallet. With beaming faces, Nicky and Aaron entered the carousel and mounted two movable horses. The owner gathered his tickets, the music started, and the merry-go-round started to twirl around and around. Every time Nicky and Aaron passed us, they cheered loudly and waved at us, proudly riding their prancing war steeds. After three rounds, they had no more tickets, and dismounted with smiles from ear to ear. Wavering from side to side, they clamped onto my arms until their dizziness diminished. It felt good, to see my eight-year-old sunshine and his ten-year-old companion with happy faces like this. Too soon, they would feel 'too old' to enjoy these things. It was a real pity that I felt 'too old' too...

After leaving the merry-go-round, we sauntered on, until we arrived at a fishing machine with several little cranes around a moving display that was filled with many small knickknacks in the sawdust. I had never seen such a thing before, and looked with amazement at all the kids and grownups who were trying to catch one of the tiny gewgaws, after placing a coin into their crane. With longing faces, my boys stared at the spectacle, but they had only a limited amount of pocket money. Looking disappointed, they decided to spend their money at the more attractive racing cars... Well, I had more than enough money to spend, and this moment seemed to be a good time to spoil them. Therefore, I asked John for my wallet and told them to wait, while I went to the ticket window and exchanged a couple of bills for a huge pile of coins.

Four pairs of eyes grew big when they saw what I had done, and I got my reward at seeing their beaming faces! For quite some time, all of us tried to let our moving cranes catch one of the tiny prizes. The small handles turned out to be very difficult to manage and, only now and then, one of the many players around us succeeded and caught one of the little knickknacks. Every time I thought I knew what to do next, my time was up, and the crane moved back to its starting position. Then, I had to put another coin into it, to be able to try it again. Suddenly, Davy uttered a loud Indian howl and started to dance around! He had caught one of the small gewgaws with his crane, and triumphantly showed it at us. Although it was only a small compass with a moving magnetic needle, it really worked and pointed to the North. We complimented Davy with his handiness, and started to operate our own cranes with even more fervor. Until all of our coins had disappeared into the machine's bottomless money pits, and we decided to go on.

This time, four boys grabbed my arms and quickly dragged me towards the next attraction. Ah, YESSS... In here, I would finally be able to prove my superior skills over them! The electric racing cars were waiting for us! Because I had my driver's license, my irrational brain supposed I would easily win over four young boys who didn't have any real driving experience...

John chuckled at seeing my eager face, while he teased me:

"Dad? Are you ready to accept our challenge? You, as a licensed driver, should easily win all the rounds against four young boys without any real driving experience..."

Could John have read my thoughts? Feeling superior, I sneered back at my chuckling young friends, while I tried to look as evilly as I could. Glaring at them, I pranced to the ticket window and bought twenty-five plastic keys, to run our electric cars five times in succession. Feeling challenged by what were only snotty nosed young boys, they would NOT escape my wrath!

All of us got five plastic keys, enough to have five times three minutes of driving fun. My boys put their keys into their trouser pockets, to have them ready for when they were needed, and I quickly followed their example by putting my own keys into my back pocket. Now, we waited impatiently until the moving cars stopped and we could try to capture an empty one.

A minute later, all the cars stopped, and several drivers left the driving track. Immediately, a fresh wave of drivers raced towards the unoccupied cars and claimed them. Fortunately, one of the empty cars was directly in front of me, so I raced towards it, wriggled my big frame into the small vehicle with some difficulty, and looked around. Yes, all four boys had captured their own cars, and they had already put their first plastic key into a keyhole. Oh yeah, that is what I had to do first, because my car wouldn't move without its key to start it...

Suddenly, the electric power switched on, and all the surrounding cars accelerated forward! Within a second, John bumped into my car from behind, showing me a devilish grin. Then, Davy pushed my car aside with a loud thump, cheering while sticking out his tongue. Nicky shoved me back onto the track, towards the already waiting Aaron. Working together, all four boys bumped into my lifeless car over and again, while I frantically tried to get a plastic key out of one of my back pockets. My car and I whirled around and around; and, for a few seconds, I didn't know what to do or where I was, until I finally found one of my keys and put it into its keyhole...

NOW, I understood why they called this roaring inferno an 'amusement' park! Obviously, to have some real fun, I too had to start acting as if I were the devil himself! Determinedly, I took the steering wheel into my hands and pressed my foot onto what I supposed was the accelerator. For another second, my car continued to whirl around, until it finally decided to move forward and I got some more grip on my arduous situation. Immediately, I chased after Davy, until Nicky and Aaron bumped into me from both sides and sent me into a spectacular spin, while John just laughed at me and effortlessly shoved my car and me across nearly the entire track. This time, I started to get angry! Who was the real driver here? I straightened my back, pressed my foot on the accelerator, and determinedly pointed the nose of my roaring car towards John...

Of course, they were four to one, but I had my driver's license and knew how to steer! Time and again, I drove away, rounded the corners with screeching tires, accelerated, and hit as many foes as I could. Of course, they still thought they could win, by pushing my car around the track as if it were a play toy. A second later, I got my revenge, by bumping into one of them at full speed while teasingly sticking out my tongue. Now, it was MY turn to cheer in victory. These forceful bumps were making my day! Finally, I had the fun of my life, trying to outdo four snotty nosed young boys, escaping their combined attacks while trying to attack them myself. I even secretly wished I could do the same thing in my own car on the real road...

Too soon, all five rounds of three minutes were gone, and we didn't have any more plastic keys. Reluctantly, we left our cars and left them to the next wave of impatient would-be drivers. For a second, I thought about buying another set of plastic keys and have some more fun, but my old and a bit rusty muscles started to feel too tired from the unusual strain. Ultimately, my body was sixty-five years old, although I didn't want to admit it and my mind felt much younger.

With heated faces and sparkling eyes, my four boys and I became friends again. Of course, they had to share their experiences first, bragging about their driving abilities and exaggerating how they won over an old man who had a real driver's license, while they shoved his car around the driving track as if it were a little play toy... Then, they saw a small food stall and immediately started to look famished, while demonstratively rubbing their empty stomachs! Chuckling at their antics, I bought us a couple of nicely fattening hotdogs and something drinkable that looked like colored soda water but had to be a much better drink, according to its price... Feeling both fattened and replenished, we first burped loudly, to thank the food spirits for their unhealthy sustenance. Then, we sauntered on, looking for any more things of interest.

Suddenly, Nicky pointed to an abundantly ornate caravan in a corner, and asked:

"Pop, I think this is a GYPSY caravan! Shall we have a look at it?"

Without waiting for my answer, my foursome ran towards the caravan, walked around it, and peeked inside. Much to their disappointment, the caravan turned out to be empty.

Looking a bit disappointed, Nicky lamented:

"Why isn't Harry here? HE would have known what kind of a caravan it is..."

Again, we promised each other to return here with Harry, as soon as he was back home. Ultimately, HE was our Gypsy expert! Then, the boys saw an adjacent field full of busy children and immediately raced towards it, followed by me at a bit slower pace. A couple of kids tried to build a wooden fort out of some used boards and other lumber, while others carried even more boards and wooden stakes towards it. Of course, my technical boys wanted to help them! They joined the hammering and sawing kids, and tried to convince them to change their too wild plans. Soon, John and Davy took over the hammering and sawing, while Nicky used his drawing skills to show the kids how a real fort ought to look. Surprisingly, all the kids seemed to listen to them; and their fort started to change considerably, this time looking a lot more stable.

For the remainder of the day, all my boys were busy with their fort, until we had to go home. Reluctantly, they left the playing field, but they promised the kids to be back as soon as possible with their other friend, Harry. Feeling exhausted but satisfied, we left the amusement park and strolled back to our golden van, to go home for now, and return later with little Harry.

On our way home, we stopped at a small bookstore to buy postcards. Each of us wrote one to my little soul mate, with our best wishes and lots of little hearts on them. Then, we promised each other again to repeat this day, preferably with little Harry, and as soon as possible. Today had been a wonderful day; and, next time, it would be even better! It only was a real pity that my two youngest neighborhood boys couldn't join us...

10. My boy wakes up in the transplant clinic.

Four days later, halfway through the evening, my telephone rang. Yawning, I woke up from a slumber on my couch and ambled to my desk to answer it. Who would have the forwardness to call me at this impossible hour? Had something unexpected happened to one of my boys? Or, did Mary want to talk to me; because, this night, John and Nicky had a sleepover at Davy's house? Still trying to wake up some more, I took the receiver from its cradle and grumbled something unintelligible, expecting some stranger to have dialed the wrong number. Then, I recognized the voice of our clinic receptionist, who asked me to wait while she put me through to our surgeon! I sat upright in shock, suddenly feeling nervous. Had something unexpected happened to my little soul mate? Our surgeon had planned to wake my boy up three days from now, while I would be in the clinic. Why would my boy's face doctor want to call me now, three days in advance?

Then, I heard the happy sounding voice of our surgeon:

"Good evening, sir. I am sorry for calling you at this unusual hour in the evening; but I saw your son's latest tests only five minutes ago, and I am very enthusiastic! Little Harold is healing extremely well, and his new skin grows onto his body much faster than we had anticipated. All our tests show that it is absolutely safe to let him wake up! Only, I promised you would be at his side when he comes out of his narcosis, and I want to keep my promise. Could you please arrive here tomorrow morning around twelve o'clock, to help our nurse remove your son's bandages, as you are a professional and I suppose you know what you have to do?"

"Yes, of course! Although your sudden request is a bit unexpected, I will be there to help my son when he wakes up. Both you and he can count on me."

I put the receiver back onto its cradle and slumped down at my desk, while my brain needed some time to let the message come through. Tomorrow morning, our 'face doctor' would wake my boy up, two or three days earlier than he had planned... My boy's skin was healing extremely well, and I had to be at the clinic around twelve o'clock, to help my boy when he woke up from his induced sleep... But, then, I had to start packing my belongings immediately, because I would join my healing little soul mate for at least the upcoming two weeks! Where was my list I had made a few days in advance, of all the things I wanted to take to the transplant clinic?

During the remainder of the evening, I was busy packing my belongings into a trunk. The last time, my traveling bag had been big enough; but now, I would spend at least the upcoming two weeks at the clinic with my son. Suddenly, I started to chuckle, when I found out I was at least as tense and nervous as my little soul mate had been the evening before. After I had packed my trunk, I checked and rechecked everything to be sure I hadn't forgotten anything important. I even went outside, to have a look at my boy's herbs garden and our swimming pool. During my boy's absence, Nicky had looked after his herbs at least two times a day, and he had promised to continue looking after them until Harry would return from the clinic and take over his task. To play it safe, I also wrote a letter to John, Davy, and Nicky, in case they didn't show up in time the next morning. I put it onto the table in our living room, in plain sight, to let all three boys know what the surgeon had told me, with the approximate date and time I thought Harry and I would be back home. Now, I was happy that each of my boys had his own key, and they were allowed to enter our empty house whenever they needed to be inside. I was also sure that John would check and recheck everything during my absence, as my trustworthy personal assistant.

Feeling much happier and less nervous, I trotted upstairs and took a long and hot shower. Tomorrow, I would see my little soul mate, for the first time after his major surgery, with a brand new face and smooth skin on his body! How would his new face look? Would he be content with it? Before I went to bed, I took a light sleeping pill to make sure I would get enough sleep.

Early in the morning, the irritating sound of my alarm clock woke me up. Surprisingly, I immediately felt bright and shining. Vaguely, I remembered a bright light and cuddling with my little soul mate, but it could have been only a wishful dream. Quickly, I showered, dressed, and went downstairs to have some breakfast and my first cup of coffee. Next, I rechecked my already packed trunk again, to be absolutely sure I hadn't forgotten anything important. Again, I started to chuckle, because I was doing exactly the same things my nervous son had done before we went to the clinic. Obviously, my boy and I were a lot more alike than I had realized before.

When everything was ready, I dragged my trunk to our golden van and put it inside. For the very last time, I went to our backyard, to check our swimming pool and my boy's herbs garden. Our swimming pool was in excellent condition, and my boy's herbs were growing and flowering abundantly. Obviously, Nicky had done a great job looking after them! Because I still had half an hour to go, I went back into my house and sat down on my couch. My threesome had promised Mary to help her with some chores first, before they left their sleepover and went to my house...

Suddenly, all three boys entered my house by using their keys, and entered our living room. They looked a bit surprised at seeing me awake, while John chuckled and teased me:

"Morning, Dad, you are early for such an old man! Did you sleep well? We went to sleep in Davy's room only after his Mom told us to stop telling each other silly jokes... Do you have any news about Harry? There's only three days left before you will see him again."

In the meantime, Nicky saw my piece of paper, clearly visible on the table, and read it. With a surprised face, he showed it to John and Davy... Before they started to ask me their questions, I told them about the unexpected phone call from Harry's face doctor, and that I would go to the clinic now and stay there for at least the upcoming two weeks. Within half an hour, I would be on my way to our little Gypsy friend, to be there for my boy while his surgeon woke him up!

Nicky crawled onto my lap, threw his arms around my neck, and begged:

"Please, Pop, can I join you to Harry's clinic? I am sure that Harry will be happy to have me at his side, to help him until his new skin has healed and he can do everything again."

Chuckling at seeing my little sunshine's begging face, I responded:

"I am sure that Harry would be delighted to have you at his side! Only, who will look after his herbs garden while you are away? You know that Harry counts on you, and you are the only one he trusts with his herbs for such a long time..."

"Oh yeah... Sorry, Pop, I hadn't thought of that. Of course, you are right. Only, what can I tell Harry's herbs now that you will be away too?"

"Well, tell them they can count on you, and that Harry and I will be back around two weeks from now, because his new skin has to heal some more first before his surgeon will allow him to leave the clinic and go home. Besides, starting next week, you have to go to school!"

All three boys nodded, because they knew their vacation ended next week and I couldn't allow them to skip school. They only asked me to tell Harry they missed him terribly. Nicky urged me to tell Harry to open his special present first, and John asked me for a sheet of paper and a couple of crayons. Working together, my threesome drew a picture, showing three boys waiting for their missing fourth friend, and I promised to pin it onto a wall where Harry could see it. We threw our arms around each other, projected Harry into the middle of our group, and sent him all our love and friendship. We were sure he would feel it! Then, I left our house and drove away, while my threesome waved me out until I disappeared around a corner...

After two hours of driving, I parked our van in the same parking slot as before and entered our transplant clinic, feeling happy to be able to see my little soul mate again. How would my boy look now that he finally had brand new transplanted skin on his body and face? Would his new face be up to his expectations? I only hoped he would not feel disappointed, even if his new face still looked a bit puffy and bruised after going through such a major surgery...

The attending receptionist recognized me and greeted me heartily. She asked me to wait in the waiting room, while she called the surgeon. Again, I sat down on the small leather bench and waited, hopefully for the last time... Within two minutes, somebody brought two nicely smelling cups of steaming coffee and put them onto a small table. Then, our 'own' nurse showed up and embraced me enthusiastically. She told me that all went extremely well with my son, although he was still under narcosis to keep him immobilized and free of pain. After drinking our coffee, we would go my son's temporary room, where we would remove his bandages before his surgeon took over and woke him up. As a professional, I knew what I had to do?

"Well, I hope so, although my technical skills may be a little bit rusty..."

After drinking our coffee, we went to my boy's temporary room. Our nurse opened the door, and I stepped inside and stared at a white little mummy, lying on his bed as if he could be dead... At that same moment, I started to faint and hyperventilate, while the room started to whirl around and around. Quickly, I slumped down onto a chair, suddenly trembling all over. As in a flash, I was back in another hospital room, around fifty years ago, staring at another white little mummy. For many months, I had feared for Joshie's life, visited him every day, and waited for any news. All the time, I had believed that my little brother's terrible ordeal had been MY fault...

The white little mummy I saw today, looked exactly the same, and the sudden impact on me was devastating! All my long forgotten memories returned into my mind and stumbled over each other, harshly accusing me of causing my own brother's death. Everything that had happened to little Joshie had been MY fault, and I had murdered my own little brother! Gasping for air, my inside wrestled to escape from my feelings of guilt and to stay conscious...

The nurse looked at my suddenly ghostly white face, and quickly pushed an alarm button to call for a doctor. Ten seconds later, our 'face doctor' hurried into the room, with a worried look. First, he raced to the bed and looked at my still peacefully sleeping little soul mate.

Then, looking surprised, he turned towards me and asked:

"Why are you fainting? I thought you were a professional?"

Still trembling all over, I excused myself for my sudden weakness. The nurse brought me a glass of water, and that helped to calm me down. In a few words, I told them about my deceased little brother; and how my parents had blamed me for his terrible ordeal. Fortunately, the surgeon was very understanding, and he offered me a mild sedative. However, I was already recovering from the initial shock, and assured him I didn't need it any more.

The surgeon looked into my eyes, and smiled:

"Well, okay. Your eyes are already looking better; and, as a psychotherapist, you should know what is best for you. Do you still want to assist the nurse, or shall I call somebody else?"

Of course, I still wanted to help our nurse, and I really felt a lot better. After instructing the nurse to call him immediately if I fainted again, the surgeon left our room. He would return when my son was freed from his supporting bandages and ready to wake up from his induced sleep. Fortunately, my trembling had almost disappeared, and my inner strength had returned. Slowly, I rose from my chair and went to his stretcher, to have a better look at my white little mummy... Only a small part of his new face was visible, but that part looked peaceful and at ease. A plastic tube went from his arm up to a bag of fluid, to feed him and keep him under sedation. Another tube went from the barely visible tip of his little penis down to a plastic bag that hung down from the side of his stretcher and was halfway filled with yellowish pee.

The nurse and I went to the sink first, to scrub our hands thoroughly with disinfectant soap. After we dried them, using a packet of clinical paper towels, we returned to my son's stretcher. Carefully, we started to peal the thin layer of bandages off my boy's new face, and threw them into a waste bucket. Slowly, a bluish and puffy face showed up, with swollen eyes and a reddish nose. Suddenly, I felt very happy to be able to see my boy now, before he was awake and could see my shocked face! Although I had a small mirror in my trunk, I planned to keep it away from his eyes until his face would look better, because I didn't want him to feel disappointed...

After we had freed my boy's puffy face, the nurse assured me his swellings would disappear within the next few days and a beautiful brand new face would show up, as she had seen many times before on other patients. Together, we started to unwrap the rest of our little mummy, until he was clad only in his birthday suit. Underneath the puffiness, I could clearly see and admire the wonderful job his surgeons had done! Gone were all the ugly colored stripes and scars that had marred my boy's so terribly burnt body and face; and only a few reddish marks remained that would diminish within the upcoming two weeks and finally disappear completely.

Our nurse first draped a sterile blue gown over my boy's naked body, to protect it against any draught from the opening door, before she went to the intercom and called our face doctor. Within two minutes, our surgeon showed up again, but he first looked into my eyes to see if everything was okay with me! Feeling reassured, he went to the sink and washed his hands with disinfectant soap. Now, he went to my boy, removed the sterile gown, and carefully examined his bruised and puffy looking transplanted skin. Looking very happy, he listened to my boy's breathing, measured his blood pressure, and looked into his eyes with a small flashlight.

With almost respect in his voice, he stammered:

"This is absolutely unbelievable! Look at how your son's transplanted skin has healed in only five days time. It is a real medical miracle! In all my life, I have never seen such a fast recovery before. Yes, your son is definitely ready to wake up and start moving."

First, our surgeon removed the intravenous needle from my son's arm, to stop his sedation. Next, he pulled the plastic tube out of his little pecker, removed the plastic pee bag, and put everything into a waste bucket to be thrown away. Now, he took a syringe and administered an injection directly into a vein in my boy's arm. Then, he waited...

Within a few seconds, my boy's swollen eyelids started to tremble. His small limbs tried to move, while his numbed little body regained control over his weakened muscles. His puffy face contorted, while his little tongue moistened his dry lips. He coughed a few times and uttered a series of indefinable sounds, while waking up some more. Then, he tried to sit upright...

While gently pushing him back onto his stretcher, I reassured my wakening boy:

"Please, son, don't move and wake up slowly. Everything is alright, and you are safe."

At hearing my voice, he tried to turn his head towards me. His swollen eyelids opened some more, while he squinted at the sudden daylight. A happy smile told me he recognized me, and he tried to stretch his still numbed arms out towards me. I sensed he wanted to ask me a question, but only a hoarse sound came out of his throat, and I could feel his frustration.

While taking a slightly trembling small hand into mine, I again reassured him:

"Please, son, don't try to talk now, and give yourself some more time to wake up."

He nodded, slumped back onto the bed, and tried to relax. Suddenly, he sat upright again and coughed, spitting out some slimy fluid into a cup the nurse held under his chin. She offered me a tissue, and I gently dabbed his new lips, carefully not to irritate his new skin.

Again, he coughed, before he asked me with a hoarse baritone voice:

"Do I... cough... do I have... cough... have my new face now?"

"Yes, son, you have a beautiful new face now! Only, please, take it easy, because you have to wake up from your narcosis and regain a lot more strength first."

With a happy smile, my boy heaved a sigh of relief, closed his swollen eyes, and slumped back onto the bed... Ten seconds later, he sat up again and tried to look around at the others. He smiled when he recognized his 'face doctor' and our nurse, who smiled back at him.

With a still hoarse baritone voice, he asked:

"May I have some water, please? I am thirsty and hungry..."

A broad smile appeared on the doctor's face, while he told me:

"This is a very good sign! Please, let your son drink only half a glass of mineral water, and the other half after everything goes well and he doesn't throw up. For this evening, I recommend porridge, which is easy to digest. Please, try to feed him no more than a few spoonfuls at a time. He still needs a lot of sleep; so, please, put him to bed early, without showering. After two days, you may try to wash him for the first time, very carefully and using some disinfecting soap. I'm having another appointment now, but I promise to show up here from time to time..."

Our surgeon left our room; and the nurse filled a glass with mineral water, put a straw into it, and held it to my son's mouth. Eagerly, my boy took sip after sip, until his glass was halfway emptied. Then, he coughed again, and fell back onto his stretcher with a suddenly tired face.

Working together, the nurse and I rolled him onto a real bed. Although he groaned and gritted his teeth, he didn't complain. Of course, I told him I was VERY proud of my brave boy! He smiled, and stretched out onto his bed as far as his new skin allowed him. Then, he produced a heartfelt yawn and fell asleep. Carefully, I draped a blanket over his sleeping little body, and the nurse and I tiptoed out of the room. The nurse advised me to go to a restaurant and eat and drink something substantial, because I needed a break! She promised to watch over my sleeping son while I was away, and she would have a look at him at least every fifteen minutes. She had already told him where the alarm button was, and assured me he could easily reach it.

Reluctantly, I left the clinic, crossed the small park, and again headed for 'our' restaurant. 'Our' waiter seemed to be absent, so I sat down and ordered a meal and a nice cup of coffee. In the meantime, I started to think. How would my boy react, if he saw his still rather puffy and swollen 'beautiful' new face? Would he be disappointed, or would he already know this could happen after having a major surgery? Fortunately, his room didn't have any mirrors, and I had planned to put my own mirror far away from his prying eyes, until the puffiness had diminished and his new face looked really beautiful. Then, my meal and my coffee arrived, and I spent my time eating, without any more worries about what could happen. Feeling replenished, I paid the waiter and returned to the park, where I strolled around aimlessly to get some more fresh air...

About an hour later, I became too restless and returned to the clinic, to have a quick look at my probably still sleeping son. When would he wake up and have his first taste of porridge? Surprisingly, I met our nurse in the hallway. She informed me that my sun was still asleep, but he would be on the verge of waking up. Within ten minutes, she would bring him some porridge, because she was sure that, by now, he would be very hungry. Could I please wake my sleeping son, and ready him for his first substantial meal since he had his skin transplant? While she went to the kitchen, I entered our temporary room... and couldn't believe my own eyes! My little soul mate sat upright in his bed, looking at me with a proudly beaming face!

His still hoarse but happy sounding baritone voice enthusiastically greeted me:

"Hi, Dad! Did you eat in the same restaurant as before? Next time, I want to join you again, because I am VERY hungry and can easily eat an entire roasted pig."

Feeling proud of my brave little soldier, I sat down on his bed next to him and put my arms around his tiny frame. With a deep sigh, he let himself go and leaned into my arms...
Suddenly, he groaned, his face contorted, and he sat up again:

"OUCH, that hurts! Sorry, Dad, but my new skin is too painful. Do you have a pillow?"

Feeling very happy that he was able to feel at least some pain in his new skin, I took a pillow from my bed and draped it into my arms, and that helped. My boy leaned into the pillow, nestled his body into its soft material, and heaved a deep sigh of content. I put my arms around his tiny frame and gently stroked his exposed chest and belly. Although his new skin still looked rather puffy and bruised, I was surprised to feel its new softness. Would he already be able to feel my touch, indicating his old nerves were nicely attaching to his transplanted new skin?

My boy seemed to pick up my thoughts, because he confirmed:

"That feels really good, Dad. It only tickles and feels a little bit numb, but I can already sense your touch and the warmth of your hand. All my nerves are already working correctly, and they only have to grow into my new skin some more, just like the last time I was in a hospital and had a couple of transplants to loosen my too tight skin."

He closed his eyes, and slowly drifted off into another slumber. Obviously, he was still very tired and needed a lot more rest. For a long time, I only held him in my arms, careful not to put too much pressure onto his bruised little body. At the same time, I sent him as much healing power as I could muster, while I felt that I LOVED him, with all my heart and soul!

Around ten minutes later, our nurse knocked on our door and entered our room, carrying a tray with a bowl of porridge and another glass of mineral water. She smiled when she saw my boy and me peacefully sitting together, while I casually stroked his uncovered little chest.

With a voice full of sudden emotion, she whispered:

"You care for your son very much, don't you? Your love is palpable in the entire room!"

My boy woke up when he heard her voice, and immediately showed her a big smile:

"Hi, nurse! Yes, you are right, and my Dad and I really love each other very much. Is this my bowl of porridge? How did you know I am awake and hungry?"

"Well, you ARE a growing boy, aren't you?"

My little imp chuckled, while the nurse put the tray down and handed ME a spoon. Why did she do that? Did she really want me to feed such a big boy? Did she think he couldn't eat on his own? Invitingly, I offered my son the spoon and held the bowl of porridge in front of him. With a happy smile, he took a first spoonful and brought it to his mouth. After chewing a few times, he swallowed it and took the next spoonful. Then, the spoon almost slipped out of his hand.

With a surprised face, he mumbled:

"Please, Dad, could you feed me? I think my muscles are still too weak..."

Now, I understood why the nurse had wanted me to feed my son. His muscles had been inactive for nearly a week, and they were still numb and cramping easily.

My son looked at me with lots of love in his bright blue eyes, while he grinned:

"Dad, today, I am your baby, and you have to feed and pamper me again."

"Yes, my son. Today, you are my special baby, and I LOVE to pamper you."

After I fed him several spoonfuls of porridge, he told me to stop and give him some water. Eagerly, he drank almost all of the water, and burped loudly. Then, he sagged down in my arms from tiredness and closed his eyes. Almost immediately, he fell asleep and started to snore.

11. Recuperating; 'Teddicky'; many presents.

Before our nurse left, she promised me to return before nightfall. Then, she would smear my son's body with a soothing paste, to protect his transplanted skin and ready him for the night. She took the used tray and the remainder of his meal, and returned to the clinic's kitchen. From now on, my peacefully sleeping boy in my arms and I were alone in our temporary room. This would be our sanctuary for the upcoming days, supposed everything went well with his new skin.

After half an hour, my son woke up and yawned:

"Dad? Could you please help me? I have to pee..."

"Yes, of course I will help you. Shall I carry you to the bathroom?"

"Could you please look for a bottle under my bed? The other hospital always had one."

First, I laid my boy down onto his bed and covered him with a blanket. Then, I looked under his bed, but didn't see any bottles. Where could the clinic have put them? Should I call for our nurse, to help us out? Still searching, I went to our bathroom, where I saw a row of plastic bottles and a few potties, neatly stacked on a shelf. Aha, there they were! I took one of the bottles and returned to my waiting little soul mate. Carefully, while groaning from the pain, he turned onto his side and shifted his blanket away, to free his still swollen little pecker.

Almost feeling reverence, I held the plastic bottle under his little penis and carefully pointed it towards the opening, using two fingers. With a deep sigh of relief, my little soul mate started to pee, while I helped him by steering his yellow stream into the bottle. When he was done, I took a tissue and carefully dabbed his new but still swollen foreskin, without using any pressure. Next, I threw the used tissue and the contents of the bottle into the toilet, and flushed them away.

When I returned into our room, my little soul mate chuckled:

"Thank you, Dad, for pampering me again. That was fun; and, now, I am really your little baby. I only miss the baby powder... Do you please have a hand mirror?"

This was the question I had wanted to avoid for as long as possible, because I didn't know how my boy would react at seeing his bruised and puffy face, with swollen eyelids and a reddish nose... Would he be very disappointed, because he expected to see a beautiful new face?

Of course, I tried to warn him in advance, by telling him:

"Son, I think that is not a good idea! After your skin transplant, everything is still puffy and bruised, because your new skin has to settle down and heal a lot more first. Therefore, I think you should wait until the swelling has diminished and the puffiness has gone..."

"Don't be afraid, Dad. I have already seen my puffy legs and swollen penis, and I remember how ugly everything can look, from my past operations. Please, may I now have a mirror to look at my new face? I know what I am doing, and I promise I will not be shocked."

Again, I saw my boy's so well-known aura of Aristocracy, this time mixed with a stubborn determination. My proud Gypsy Prince WANTED to look at his puffy face, although he knew what he was doing and what he was going to see. Who was I, to decide what would be best for my little Royal Prince? He knew what he asked for! Again, I decided to trust my little soul mate, although I felt surprised by seeing his astonishing maturity for such a young child. Hesitantly, I pulled my trunk from under my bed, took my hand mirror, and handed it to my boy...

For a long time, he studied his new face, holding my mirror in his slightly trembling hands, while his puffy eyes started to beam and he seemed to be happy with what he saw. Fortunately, he didn't look disappointed, and a heavy burden fell off my shoulders... At last, he returned the mirror to me, and carefully rubbed his already tiring arms to lessen the upcoming cramp.

With proudly beaming eyes and a smile that lit up the room, he told me:

"Yes, Dad, my face doctor has done a perfect job! I am certain that all the swellings will be gone within a couple of days; and then I will have exactly the face I designed, just as my doctor promised. Thank you very much, Dad, for spending so much money on me; and I love you very, very much, with all my body, my heart, and my soul."

He stretched his small arms out towards me, and I lifted him off his bed and retook him onto my lap, while my heart jumped around in my chest from pure love and happiness. Yes! My boy liked his new face, although it was still swollen and puffy. Carefully, he sagged down into his pillow, closed his eyes, and again tumbled into a deep sleep, while our mutual love continued to radiate strongly from me to him and from him to me, filling the room around us with lots of joy and happiness. Jack once told me that I would be 'royally rewarded' for spending all my money on my boy... However, his obvious happiness was all the reward I ever needed!

For a long time, I watched my softly snoring son, staring at his brand new face and smooth chest and belly, while my inside started to realize that my little soul mate finally looked just like every other eight-year-old boy, except for the temporary swelling of his newly transplanted skin. Never again would anybody make fun of my boy's appearance, or call him a 'freak' or an 'alien'! From now on, he would have a 'normal' life and go to a 'normal' school, just like all his friends!

Early in the evening, our nurse reentered our room, and my boy woke up and chuckled:

"Hi nurse! Do you want to transform me into a native African boy again?"

"Well, today, I would like to transform you into a native Chinese boy..."

I returned my boy to his own bed, where our nurse coated his transplanted skin with some yellow soothing balm; while my brave little soldier gritted his teeth because moving his body was still painful. Our nurse also offered him a sleeping pill, so that he would lie still and have a peaceful night. She handed him a glass of water, and he swallowed the pill and drank the water without protest. Obviously feeling tired again, he soon started to yawn and couldn't keep his eyes open. I covered him with a blanket, and he fell asleep within thirty seconds. Our nurse left us, after telling me I could always call one of the attending nurses or surgeons, by using the easily reachable alarm knob next to my son's bed. Because I felt tired and sleepy too, I took a shower, crawled in my temporary bed, and hugged my pillow. Within a few minutes, I disappeared into a sound sleep, dreaming of my son's wonderful new face and starting our new life.

The next morning, I woke up with a feeling of joy and anticipation. Vaguely, I remembered being in some bright white light, where our Spirit Friends and Ancestors told my son and me we would soon start working together, by writing many books that would be read all over the world. A moment later, my little soul mate woke up and produced a heartfelt yawn. Carefully, he turned onto his side and slowly crawled upright, gritting his teeth and groaning under his breath because of his still painful new skin. At seeing my sleepy looking eyes, a happy smile adorned his a bit less puffy face. As always, my brave little soldier was immediately bright and shining.

With an only slightly hoarse sounding baritone voice, he told me:

"Good morning, Dad! In my dream, our Spirit Friends and Ancestors told us we will soon start working together and write many books that will be read all over the world! Did you dream too? My throat is less hoarse and my skin is less painful, but my body starts itching now. I hope my face doctor or our nurse has something that helps against it... Did I really sleep in my own bed for the whole night? Could you please help me go to the bathroom first?"

"Yes, I did dream too, probably about the same things, and your face looks less puffy today. About the bathroom, do you want to pee in a plastic bottle again?"

"No, this time I have to defeci... err... I mean, I have to poop."

Chuckling at my boy's attempt to use such an unusual hospital word, I went to our bathroom, where I tool one of the plastic bedpans and some antiseptic toilet paper. My boy still sat upright in his bed, waiting for me to help him defecate. Carefully, I put a hand under his little behind and lifted him out of his bed. I slid the bedpan under him, sat him down on it, and waited until he told me he was finished with his business. Gently, I lifted him off the bedpan, and tried to wipe his behind with the antiseptic toilet paper I had taken from the bathroom...

Immediately, he started to squirm, while he groaned:

"OUCH! Please, stop, Dad! This is too painful, because my doctor has put some new skin there as well. Could you please get something warm and wet, and only dab me with it?"

Why hadn't I thought of such an easy solution before? Carefully, I lowered my brave little soldier back onto the bedpan, returned to the bathroom, and got a bowl of warm water and a soft towel. Very tenderly, I started to dab his sore bottom with the wet towel, rinsing it several times, until everything was spotlessly clean. Next, I poured the contents of the bedpan into the toilet, flushed it away, and rinsed the towel in the sink. After I returned, I put my boy under his blanket, and opened all the windows wide to let the smelly air out and lots of fresh air in!

Showing me an impish smile, my boy chuckled:

"Sorry Dad, for producing such a delightful perfume. And, thank you very much for helping me defau... err... poop. Please, could we take a look at my box of presents?"

Oh my! While helping my little soul mate, I had totally forgotten what my three other boys had asked me to do before their little friend woke up from his extended narcosis. Feeling guilty, I quickly fished their picture out of my trunk, unrolled it, and pinned it onto the opposite wall, next to my smiley face with the words 'I LOVE YOU' written around it.

My boy stared at both pictures with sudden tears in his eyes, while he mumbled:

"Wow! Everybody seems to love me quite a lot..."

After carefully dabbing his teary eyes with a few tissues, I started to tell him everything that had happened at home during his absence, only omitting the part where I remembered my dying little brother. I told him about his friends telling me they missed him, while they played hide and seek in the backyards with some other friends. Then, Aaron told them about a new amusement park in another town, half an hour from our village. Initially, nobody wanted to go, because they missed their youngest friend and thought they wouldn't have any real fun without him...

Here, my brave little soldier interrupted me and declared:

"Of course, they should just go to that new amusement park without me! If they had asked me, I would have told them: 'Have fun; and, next time, I want to join you'."

"That is exactly what Nicky said. He seems to know you..."

I told him about Nicky's and Aaron's galloping war steeds on the merry-go-round, and that I didn't want to join them because I was afraid to get dizzy. Here, my imp looked surprised, and chuckled that I was really becoming an old man! I also told him about the small cranes. My boy knew how they functioned, and explained they were real goldmines for their owners, and that Davy had been very lucky to be able to catch one of the little gewgaws:

"Catching them is very difficult; because the park owners unbalance the cranes on purpose, to make it almost impossible to get anything at all."

I told him about the electric cars, and that all four boys had bumped into me over and again, making my car and me spin around like crazy. He started to laugh, and assured me that in these cars my driver's license wasn't worth anything! He was very interested in the empty caravan we had inspected, and asked me to describe its details. Then, he thought it probably wasn't a Gypsy caravan, because he had never seen such a model in any known Gypsy community. Finally, I told him about the wooden fort, and that our foursome had helped and designed a new model. This time, my boy couldn't sit still from enthusiasm and hopped up and down on his pillow.

With a longing in his already less hoarse voice, he mused aloud:

"I hope we will go there again, as soon as I am back home! Then, we can use my tree house design, or Nicky can redraw it. I also want to have a look at that empty caravan; and I want to drive an electric car, to shove you into all the corners of the track! But, I am getting tired now, and my muscles start cramping again. Please, can I take a quick rest first?"

He disappeared under his blanket and fell asleep almost immediately. Obviously, my boy's recuperating skin still needed quite a lot more rest. In the meantime, I first took a shower and dressed into something casual, to be prepared when our nurse showed up. Then, I took a chair, sat down, and just stared at my boy's peacefully sleeping face that already looked less puffy. Would our Spirit Friends still be around us, to help my boy heal faster? I thought I could feel them around, although I didn't see or hear anything unusual...

Half an hour later, our nurse knocked on our door and asked:

"Sirs, are you awake, and do you want to have breakfast?"

"Well, at least I am awake and hungry, and please come in."

Our voices woke my boy; and, as always, he reacted bright and shining:

"Good morning, nurse! As you can see, I am still a little baby who needs lots of extra sleep. What do you have for breakfast? And, Dad, could I please try to eat by myself?"

Our nurse only smiled, while she waited until he sat upright and straightened his blankets. Then, she put a filled tray onto his lap, and waited. With a happy face, my boy started to slice his toast and devour the pieces. However, very soon, his arm muscles started to cramp again, and I had to take over, by feeding him the rest of his breakfast and a glass of milk.

Not feeling disappointed at all; he only chuckled:

"Clearly, I am still a little baby who needs to be fed and pampered."

"Well, I still LOVE feeding and pampering my little baby, until he has recuperated from his major surgery and can do those things by himself again."

Unexpectedly, our 'face doctor' knocked on our door and entered our room, smiling broadly when he saw his little patient sitting upright and happily devouring his breakfast.

With astonishment in his surprised looking eyes, our surgeon exclaimed:

"Good morning, everybody! Sorry for being early, but I wanted to see my most favorable patient first. Now, I feel truly amazed! Never before did I see one of my patients recuperate this fast, after waking up from such a major surgery. Didn't you ask for any pain medication or feel too tired, except for needing lots of extra sleep to get rid of the remainders of your narcosis?"

"No, not at all, except for feeling a little bit itchy. Now and then, I still have some muscle cramps, and my behind was a bit painful after I defeci... err... pooped, and Dad cleaned me up."

"You already defecated this morning? That is a very good sign, which means your bowels are already working properly. Please, may I perform a few tests on you again?"

My boy nodded and helpfully threw his blankets aside, to give our face doctor access to his already much better looking body that was still a bit yellow from yesterday's soothing balm.

While looking at his own yellowish belly and legs, he chuckled:

"Look at me! Nurse, you are right. I really look like a native Chinese boy!"

Laughing at my son's antics, our surgeon measured his blood pressure, listened to his lungs and heart, looked into his eyes with a little flashlight, and again scrutinized his transplanted skin from head to toe, while looking more and more surprised.

Finally, he turned towards me and exclaimed:

"Your son is a real medical miracle! His transplanted skin looks amazingly good, and it is recuperating much faster than I ever anticipated. Starting this evening, you may take your son into the shower and wash him all over with disinfectant soap, before he goes to bed. If his skin starts to itch too much, please, ask the nurse to turn him into a 'native Chinese boy' again. Soon, another nurse from our laboratory will arrive here to get a blood sample and a tiny piece of his new skin; to make sure his transplants are doing well without any rejection. And, Harold, as my favorite patient, I am very proud of you! Please, sleep and rest as much as you can, always listen to what your recuperating body tells you, and you will be able to leave your bed in no time!"

After promising to be back tomorrow, our 'face doctor' left us to go visit his other patients, accompanied by our own nurse who carried our empty trays. Ten minutes later, another nurse from the laboratory showed up. My boy had to pee in a cup, and the nurse drew some blood from a vein in his arm. Next, she numbed a small area of his upper arm with a cold spray. She took a small device out of a sealed plastic bag, placed it onto his skin, and pushed a knob.

"Ouch" my boy involuntarily grumbled, with a grimacing face. Then, he chuckled at his own silliness, while looking at how the nurse put a tiny piece of snapped skin into some fluid, sealed the bottle, and put his name onto it. Adeptly, she put a band-aid onto the wound on his arm.

Ruffling his uncombed blond hair, she smiled:

"I am sorry for causing you such a discomfort!"

My impish son smiled back at the nurse, but also teased her:

"Are you a vampire? I never knew they looked that pretty..."

The nurse smiled at my boy again, while she responded:

"With such a nice face, you are a very pretty looking boy yourself!"

My little imp started to blush fiercely and dived under his blanket, until the nurse went back to her laboratory, to perform a couple of tests on her gathered samples. Hesitantly, he showed up again, still blushing. From this day on, he started to call her 'our pretty vampire nurse', that is if she wasn't around to ruffle his unruly blond hair and tease him back.

Looking exhausted after all the commotion, he asked me:

"Sorry, Dad, but I my recuperating body tells me it feels really tired now! Please, could I take some rest first, as my face doctor ordered me to do whenever I need to?"

"Yes, of course! Please, take all the time you need, and I am very proud of you and of the mature way you are listening to what your own body tells you."

With a proudly beaming face, my boy dived under his blanket and closed his eyes. Within a minute, he was in a deep sleep, while I sat on a chair next to his bed and enjoyed looking at his peaceful face with a cute little pug nose that was already less puffy and bruised. His surgeon had done a more than excellent job on his beautifully transplanted skin and brand new face!

Half an hour later, my boy suddenly sat upright, yawned, and asked me:

"Please, Dad, could I have a look at my surprise box now?"

Chuckling at seeing his sleepy but very eager face, I told him:

"Yes, of course you could! Only, Nicky asked me to tell you he has packed a very special present for you, and he wants you to have a look at his special package first..."

I dived under my bed, took the surprise box, and put it onto my boy's bed. Enthusiastically, he opened the box and rummaged through all the little packages, until he found Nicky's special present. He read its text, fell silent, and stared at the small package...

With sudden tears in his eyes, he showed me what Nicky had written onto it:

'Very Spesial Present for my Best Friend Harry from his Best Friend Nicky'.

With slightly trembling fingers, he removed its brightly colored paper. Then, holding his breath, he stared in awe at a small brown teddy bear that showed a joyful smile on its tiny face. The stuffed animal carried an enormous leather belt around its little waist, with the capital words 'I LOVE YOU' printed on it in bold golden characters...

Getting even more tears in his eyes, my overwhelmed son whispered:

"Wow, Nicky really loves me, and you are a very nice little teddy bear! What is your name? Shall I call you 'Teddy'? Or, shall I put both names together, and call you 'Teddy from Nicky'? Yes, I think that is a nice name for you. I'm going to call you 'Teddicky'!"

With a beaming face that tried to lit up the entire room, my little soul mate fell back onto his bed, folded his trembling arms around Teddicky, and closed his eyes while mumbling:

"Yes, Nicky, I love you too, with all my heart and soul!"

A minute later, my boy started to snore again, still clamping Teddicky in his arms, and with a blissful smile on his face as if he had won the lottery. Obviously, his recuperating body still needed quite a lot more rest, after unpacking his first present and feeling emotional...

Within ten minutes, he woke up again, and immediately wanted to unwrap all his presents! Of course, as a good parent, I tried to convince him to spread them out over several days. That way, he would have a few presents to look forward to, day after day, until we went home...

After some heavy thinking, he decided to consult Teddicky about it, and they both agreed with me. Immediately, they started to count his presents, to divide them in advance into twelve equal piles, to have one pile for each remaining day that we were in the clinic. After he counted twenty-nine presents, he calculated, frowned, looked frustrated, and tried to calculate again...

After some more heavy thinking, he slowly turned towards me and asked:

"Dad, how do I add five remaining presents to twelve piles of two presents? I am stuck after counting twelve days and twenty-four presents, and five remaining packages..."

Trying to tease my frustrated looking little brainiac, I chuckled:

"Well, I suppose you could use a cutting saw, or a pair of sharp scissors, to create a couple of half-presents. But, as a clever brainiac, I am sure you will be able to sort this out without any help from me. Just stop calculating, and start thinking..."

Almost immediately, my boy came up with a workable solution:

"Oh yeah, of course! During the first five days, I will unwrap three presents a day; and then, during the remaining days, only two presents a day."

"See? You ARE a clever brainiac! You've found an excellent solution, all by yourself."

"Can I please unwrap my three presents for today now?"

An hour later, he had unwrapped ALL his presents! His entire bed was buried under a few coloring books, three small plastic robots, a difficult Chinese puzzle, little computer games, a box to make self-made postcards, and a wagonload of wrapping paper. Both Teddicky and he agreed to put his presents back into the box, and to discard the wrapping paper. That is, I had to discard the wrapping paper, because both Teddicky and his little boss felt too tired, and just slumped down onto their bed to get some rest and take their next nap...

From now on, Teddicky and my little soul mate were inseparable! My boy carried his little bear wherever he went; even into the toilet, where he told it to pinch its nose and hold its breath. That same evening, before he went to bed, he even tried to carry the poor beast into the shower. Fortunately, I saw it at the last moment, and rescued it from ending its stuffed life by drowning. Only reluctantly, my boy allowed me to bring Teddicky to safety first.

12. Back home; but nobody recognizes Harry.

The next morning, our nurse brought us a small TV-set, and a couple of children's books to read and look at the pictures. Now, we were very grateful for the many presents our friends at home had given to my son. Now and then, we had a competition with the computer games, but my clever boy slaughtered me over and again. At last, I won a too difficult Chinese puzzle and danced around the room in triumph, until my chuckling imp dared me to defeat him again. Of course, this time, he won easily, and happily stuck out his little tongue at me...

Working together, we needed a whole day to fabricate enough self-made postcards, to send them to all our friends and acquaintances at home. Feeling very happy to be outside, I bought a couple of stamps from a small neighborhood shop around the corner, and my boy licked them and put them onto his cards. Then, I wrote all the addresses on them, and put them into a mailbox next to the shop. Again, it felt good to be outside the clinic and breathe some fresh air, albeit for only a few minutes. In the meantime, my little soul mate had started to color a huge picture in his coloring book, doing it very meticulously, until he got too bored after an hour. Then, he put his crayons away, dived under his blanket, and again took some rest.

After some experimenting with a few small plastic robots, he could take all their pieces apart and put them back together at lightning speed. Next, I read him a few chapters from one of his children's books, while he sat on my lap and listened. Then, we laid down on his bed, next to each other, and watched a children's TV program. The remainder of the day, we tried to fill our time with telling each other silly jokes, until it was time to shower and go to bed...

Within a few days, my boy stayed busy during the entire day without getting tired any more, and he could now eat without any help. From time to time, our face doctor showed up, to look at my boy's rapidly healing transplanted skin, and to tell us over and again how surprised he was at my son's extremely fast recovery. Going on like this, he thought about sending us home a few days earlier than he had planned! Would my son like that? What, could pigs fly?

Enthusiastically, my boy embraced his face doctor, and told him:

"Could we really go home a few days earlier? Yes please! I want to see my friends back, to tell them everything that has happened to me, and thank you very much for all your help!"

Our surgeon chuckled, while he told my over-enthusiastic son:

"Let's wait until our laboratory has performed another couple of important tests first. Then, if everything turns out to be well, I will consider sending you home a few days earlier."

Did I really hear Jack around us, chuckling from within his own realm while he looked at my boy's enthusiastic reaction? Could our 'Spirit Guides' have had a hand in my boy's extremely fast recuperating, possibly helped by our 'strange witch doctor' and all the other Ancestors?

A second later, I heard Jack's warm voice in my inside, confirming:

"Yes, my dear brother, we have been around your son all the time, activating his body to do exactly the right things to help him heal faster. We promised you would be pleasantly surprised, and we always keep our promises. The day after tomorrow, your son and you will go home!"

Although I felt very happy with Jack's promise, I decided not to tell my little soul mate we would go home this soon, from fear he would get too enthusiastic and make himself too tired. Obviously, my boy hadn't heard Jack's voice in his inside, and I decided to keep it that way... Soon, our surgeon left us, and my boy and I dragged ourselves through another lackluster day, playing computer games and watching children's TV, until it was time to go to bed again.

The next morning, our 'pretty vampire nurse' showed up. Again, my boy had to pee in a bottle, and the nurse took a blood sample and snatched another piece of skin from his arm.

This time, my brave little soldier didn't even flinch, while he told her:

"Sorry, nurse, for calling you a vampire. But, you ARE looking pretty!"

"Thank you, my young friend, for giving me such a nice compliment, and I still think your new face and healed body look very pretty too."

Our 'pretty vampire nurse' took her samples to the laboratory; and our 'own' nurse showed up with a bright blue gown, to take my boy to a photographer. The friendly man took many pictures from my boy's body after his skin transplant. Thus, the clinic's staff could compare them to the pictures they had taken before, and put them into the clinic's archive for educational purposes. Soon, we returned to our 'own' room, and spent the remainder of the day feeling bored again...

Early in the next morning, our enthusiastic face doctor showed up and told me:

"After going through all your son's tests, I still cannot believe the astonishing results! Your son turns out to be a real medical miracle, and none of my colleagues has any idea why it looks like your son instructs his own body to do the right things to heal his new skin as fast as possible. Although it is five days earlier than we had planned, your son is absolutely ready to go home!"

For a split second, silence fell over our room... Then, a little cannonball jumped onto the doctor's lap with a loud Indian howl! My over-enthusiastic son threw his small arms around the surgeon's neck, and first offered the surprised looking man a couple of big kisses.

Then, my happy boy asked his fiercely blushing face doctor:

"Are Dad and I really going home today? I am sure that Teddicky and I will miss you, but I also want to let Teddicky see our own room in our own house..."

"Yes, your Dad, Teddicky, and you can go home immediately if you wish, but I will surely miss you too! Please, could you call me tomorrow, to let me know how you are feeling?"

"Yes, of course I will call you tomorrow, and could you please greet all the nurses and your staff from me? Dad, can we really start packing now and go home immediately?"

Before our broadly smiling surgeon left our room, I promised to call him within a few days, or earlier in case I wanted to have his advice. Our 'pretty vampire nurse' showed up again, this time to cover my son's new skin with some transparent balm, to protect it during our travel. Finally, our 'own' nurse showed up for the last time, to help us pack our trunks. In no time, we had packed my boy's trunk, my trunk, and my boy's present box with all his presents in it. My happy looking boy fetched a luggage cart from the entrance, and we drove everything to our golden van and loaded it into its trunk. For the last time, we went back inside, to say farewell to everybody. Both my beaming boy and Teddicky enthusiastically embraced all the doctors and nurses, while I thanked everybody abundantly for their invaluable help.

Waved out by what looked like the entire clinical staff, we entered our golden van. First, I put my son's pillow onto our front seat, so that he could look outside without craning his neck. With a proud face, he mounted his makeshift throne, and buckled himself and Teddicky up. I brought the engine to life, and we drove off, still waved at by the entire staff; while my boy and I continued to wave at them until we rounded a corner and couldn't see them any more.

Soon, my tired looking son started to yawn, slowly sagged down onto his pillow, closed his eyes, and almost immediately fell asleep. Obviously, his body still had to recuperate some more, after going through such a major surgery! Chuckling at the lovely sight of my softly snoring little soul mate, I sent him all my love, and turned my eyes back onto the road. Within two hours, we would be back home, after me being in the transplant clinic for a rather boring nine days, and my boy being there a couple of days longer while he was kept asleep...

Two hours later, I turned our van into our driveway and stopped her engine. The changing sound woke my still peacefully sleeping boy, and he first produced a heartfelt yawn.

Then, he looked around, and asked me with a surprised face:

"Are we home already? Sorry, Dad, for falling asleep and boring you..."

"My dear son, looking at you will never bore me, even when you fall asleep. Of course, your healing body still needs lots of extra rest, especially after packing our trunks and greeting all the doctors and nurses, because you are still recuperating from your major surgery."

"Yes, Dad, I know you are right, and that I still have to listen to what my body tells me. That is exactly what I did when I closed my eyes... Now, I am very happy to be home again! Look, Teddicky, this is our house. Do you want to look inside? Then, follow me..."

Quickly, my boy snatched the keys out of my hands and raced to our front door to unlock it, as usual. After I first locked our van by using its remote transmitter, I followed my boy inside at a much slower pace. Inside our house, he first looked around curiously, as if trying to remember where everything was after such a long time of absence...

Then, he slowly turned towards me and asked:

"When will Nicky and John and Davy show up? Do they know I'm already home?"

"I am sure nobody knows we went home five days early, because we couldn't reach them in time. Besides, at this time of the day, all your friends are still at school."

"Oh yeah... Vacation is over, and we couldn't phone everybody in time."

Together, we went to our kitchen, where I fetched a cola for my boy and a heavenly tasting cup of real coffee for myself. In the meantime, my boy got the filled cookie jar from a cupboard, before he followed me to our living room. I checked our answering machine for incoming calls, but nobody had tried to phone us during our absence. Together, we sat down on our own couch, sipped our drinks, and nibbled on our cookies, just as always. Only, our house felt strangely void of life, after such a long time of absence; although, surprisingly, our furniture was still sparkling clean. Obviously, my young friends had done their utmost to maintain our house and keep it tidy! Inwardly, I made a mental note, to thank everybody abundantly when they showed up...

After finishing our drinks, I returned to our van, to carry our trunks and my boy's surprise box inside, while Teddicky and my boy went to our backyard to have a look at his herbs garden. I took both trunks upstairs, emptied them, and put their contents into my washing machine.

When I returned downstairs, my boy jumped into my arms and beamed:

"Dad, all my herbs are still in perfect condition! Nicky has done an excellent job looking after them. My herbs also told me they are very happy to see me again..."

Although I wasn't sure about his herbs having such a distinct awareness or ability to speak to my little soul mate, I was very happy for my boy to have such a goof friend as Nicky, next to John and Davy who had helped us with everything and maintained our house in our absence!

At seeing his again tired looking face, I told him:

"That is wonderful! But, you look a bit tired again. Do you want to take some more rest, before your friends return from school and show up here?"

He nodded with a deep sigh of relief, and yawned again.

I took my tired little boy into my arms, tenderly kissed his head, and carried him upstairs to our bedroom.

Carefully, I laid him down onto our waterbed, and draped a blanket around his small body.

He threw his arms around my neck, offered me a tired kiss, closed his eyes, and sighed again.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked around:

"Where is Teddicky?"

I hurried downstairs, to get him his precious stuffed little teddy bear.

Twenty seconds later, I returned to our bed, and put Teddicky next to my almost sleeping son.

He draped his arms around the beast, offered me a big smile, and closed his eyes again.

Chuckling inwardly, I tiptoed downstairs, leaving the door open to be able to hear him in case he needed me.

I brewed myself another cup of coffee; and returned to our living room.

There, I sat down at my desk, and turned on the computer to have a look at my incoming emails.

After discarding all the spam, I opened my word processor, and resumed working on my book.

Soon, I disappeared into the story, and forgot everything else around me.

Two hours later, a sleepy looking little boy showed up, and comfortably leaned into me:

"Hi, Dad. What are you doing?"

"I am writing a story about a little Gypsy Prince, in my book 'Born to be a King'."

"Teddicky wants to write his own story, about a little Gypsy bear."

"I thought you wanted to write your own series of books, 'Born as a Prince'?"

"Teddicky wants to write 'Born as a Teddy'."

25. Nobody recognizes Harry's new face.

My little soul mate crawled onto my lap, and leaned into me with a deep sigh and a satisfied face.

I folded my arms around his lithe small body, and held him very close.

Tenderly, I kissed his head, inhaling his so well-known scent.

God, I loved my precious boy with all my heart and soul.

He heaved another deep sigh of content, and tried to melt into me even more.

Suddenly, he sat upright, while his beaming face lit up like a torch.

He slid off my lap towards the floor, exclaiming:

"Finally. Here comes John."

Almost tripping over his own feet, he raced towards our front door.

Obviously, he had been waiting for his bigger brother to show up after school.

Now, his strange intuition told him that John was on his way.

I heard my son trot through the hallway, open the front door wide, and.

Silence fell over the house.

Nothing happened.

Had my boy been WRONG, about feeling John's arrival ten seconds in advance; for the first time since I knew him?

After a few silent seconds, I heard John's hesitant voice:

"Hello. Is Harry in? I am sure he expects me; and I know the way."

A moment later, John appeared in the doorway and came straight up to me:

"Hi, Dad. I didn't know you would be home today. Do you have any news about Harry? I miss him a lot."

A moment later, a totally dumbfounded small boy appeared in the doorway, with his mouth agape.

He stared at me with a shocked face, clutching his teddy bear to his chest.

He looked from me to John, as if he didn't understand what could have happened.

Then, he looked back at me, as if I could give him an answer to his unspoken question.

He tried to say something, but stopped.

John turned around; and looked with a questioning face at the boy he didn't recognize.

Hesitantly, he stepped towards the small stranger who had entered our living room and stared at him.

He extended his hand, and politely introduced himself:

"I am John, and who are you? I don't think we have met before?"

Little Harry looked perplexed; opening and closing his mouth like a dying fish.

For the first time since I knew him, my little soul mate was completely speechless.

He tried to say something; but choked up and closed his mouth again.

Finally, he managed to get out:

"Wha. what. you don't know ME any more?"

"Huh? Why should I know you? You. But. No, that is impossible. You have Harry's voice, but you don't look like him.

"But. then. you are HARRY? You really are Harry?"

"Yes. Of course I am Harry, silly. Who else did you expect to be here?"

"But. Then. Yes, it IS your voice. You ARE my little brother. Sorry I didn't recognize you, but you look so totally different.

"Is this your new face? Boy, you look BEAUTIFUL. Come here, and let me give you an enormous welcome hug."

Both boys fell into each other's arms, and started to sob from happiness and delight.

After some time, they started to tell each other enthusiastically about all their adventures.

Little Harry told John everything about his skin transplants, the 'pretty vampire nurse', and the inseparable and almost drowned Teddicky.

John told his little brother everything about the visit to the new amusement park; and how his friends were waiting for him to come home.

They had planned to decorate our house before he came home, but didn't know we would be a week early.

Suddenly, our doorbell sounded, interrupting their enthusiastic talk.

This time, little Harry seemed to be too busy to be able to feel who would pay us a visit.

John jumped up; and went to the front door to open it.

However, he returned into the room, snickered, and told his little brother:

"I think it's Davy. Shall we have some fun? Go open the door, but don't say a word. Let's see if Davy recognizes you."

Little Harry nodded in agreement, and started to chuckle in advance.
He left our living room, looking naughty and leaving the door wide open.

We heard him cross the hallway, and open the front door.

A moment later, Davy's surprised voice sounded:

"Hello. Is Big Harry home? His car is in our driveway."

A couple of seconds later, a smiling little Harry appeared in the doorway, still carrying Teddicky.

He winked at us and chuckled again, while Davy hesitantly followed him into our living room.

Davy looked a bit unsure, while he greeted John and went to me:

"Hi, Dad. I thought you were coming home next week? And, how is Harry? I miss him every day."

He looked at the small stranger without any sign of recognition, and asked him:

"I don't think I've seen you before? Who are you, and why don't you talk?"

Little Harry tried to bite his tongue, but couldn't keep a straight face any more.

He started to shriek with laughter, slapping his knees and nearly hiccupping.

He took Teddicky in his arm, pointed at Davy, and told the stuffed animal:

"Isn’t it unbelievable? This duffer doesn't recognize me, after all the things we did together."

Davy stared at the small boy he still didn't recognize; with a bewildered look on his face.

Slowly, he shook his head, while his brain seemed to switch into overdrive.

Suddenly, his face lit up, and he stuttered:

"Then, you must be HARRY, with your new face. Wow, I can't believe my own eyes. Are you REALLY Harry?"

"Of course, silly. Who else would open the door and let YOU in? You still look like an escaped anthropoid."

He ducked away and hid behind my back, before Davy could catch him and tickle him to death.

As a good parent, I told Davy to be careful with our little monkey, because his transplanted skin had to heal some more first.

Davy chuckled, and told our grinning monkey:

"Well, just wait until you are healed. But, your new face looks nice and normal, even without your mask. The doctors did a good job on you.

"Now, come here, and let me give you a proper hug. I promise I will wait with my tickle-torture, until you are no longer such a baby-monkey."

Little Harry decided to trust Davy, and reappeared from behind my back.
Davy opened his arms, and closed them around the little imp he had missed so very much.

A moment later, we all hugged each other, with eight arms around each other's waists.

It felt wonderful, to be together again.

Then, we heard our front door opening and closing.

Obviously, somebody had used his key, to let himself in.

We disentangled from each other; and little Harry whispered:

"Here comes Nicky. Let's see how HE reacts when he sees me."

He left our living room, and went into the hallway.

For a moment, everything was silent.

Then, a loud Indian howl reverberated through the house:

"HARRY. You are HOME. I've missed you so very much. Wow, your new face is perfect. Finally, you look normal.

"What did you think, when you got my special present? Do you like it?"

Nicky and little Harry appeared in the doorway, having their arms around each other's shoulders as usual.

They carried their precious little teddy bear with 'I LOVE YOU' on its belt, as if it were their own child.

Nicky left his beaming friend, jumped up to me to let me catch him in midair, and offered me a wet kiss:

"Hi, Pop. Harry's new face is beautiful. I didn't recognize him, until I saw my special present in his hand.

"Come on, Harry; let's play a game on the computer. I've missed you for long enough; and I want to race you again."

He wrestled free from my arms, slid down onto the floor, and took little Harry's hand.

Walking together, they went to the computer, where they tried to wriggle into the same chair, as usual.

At the same moment they sat down, little Harry shot up like a spear, and yelped:

"Ouch, that hurts. Sorry, Nick, but my body is too bruised from my skin transplants."

"I am sorry. Is it very painful? Can I do something to help you? Perhaps put some ice onto it?"

"Nah, thanks. I am sure I will live. But, it IS painful. I think I will have to wait for at least another week, before I can sit in this chair again."

He stumbled to our couch and slumped down, clutching Teddicky in his arms while trying to suppress his tears.

Nicky raced after him, grabbing a pillow to put behind his friend's back.

Then, he sat down next to his poor friend, with a guilty face, trying to pull him into a hug.

Soon, little Harry leaned back into Nicky's caring arms, while he started to smile again.

I went to the kitchen, to fetch some drinks and cookies for everybody.

Then, I sat down on our couch, followed by John and Davy who both leaned into me.

In silence, we drank our coffee and colas, and nibbled on our cookies.

My son waited, until everybody was ready for him to tell his story.

First, he climbed onto my lap, to be held and feel safe.

Then, he started to tell his curious friends all about all his adventures in the transplant clinic.

Vividly, he described the various tests he had to undergo; and how he had to pee in a cup while a nurse looked at what he did.

Then, the nurse covered him with a brown disinfectant, making him look like some native African boy.

He told us about how the nurse had put him to sleep with an injection; and he dreamed of Jack, his Dad and Mom, his Ancestors, and all our other spirit friends.

During his surgery, he had no perception of time; and, when he woke up, he wasn't sure whether his skin transplants had already been done or not.

He told us how puffed and bruised his new face had been after the transplants, with a too big colored nose and swollen lips.

After a day, a pretty looking nurse snatched a piece of skin from his arm to test it; and now he called her the 'pretty vampire nurse'.

He tried to divide twenty-nine presents into twelve days; but unwrapped Nicky's special present first and called it 'Teddicky'.

Finally, he told us how happy he was to be home again, reunited with all his friends and sitting on our own couch.

He was still very tired after his major surgery, and his face doctor had told him to rest as much as possible.

That is why he wanted to go to bed now, and try to get some more rest.

After his nap, he would like to have a sandwich to alleviate his hunger.

I lifted my tired boy onto my shoulders, and carried him upstairs.

This time, after telling his story to his friends, he was just too tired to squeal and tickle me.

Gently, I laid him down onto our waterbed, and covered him with the blankets.

With a thankful but tired smile, he took Teddicky in his arms, and closed his eyes.

A moment later, he was in a deep sleep and started to snore.

My loved boy, my dear son, my precious little soul mate.

I tiptoed out of our room and went downstairs, leaving the door open to be able to hear him in case he needed me.

John, Davy, and Nicky crowded around our computer; trying to set up a rather difficult shooting game.

Of course, they tried to get me to partake in it; but I refused politely, and withdrew to our couch.

I told them I felt happy watching who would be able to slaughter whom first.

John snickered, and teased me about being too old for such a lightning fast game.

Well, he might be right. but I wasn't going to tell him.

After some time, I went to our kitchen, to brew myself another cup of coffee.

Next, I started to prepare a wagonload of healthy sandwiches.

I wanted to be ready when my son would wake up from his nap and feel hungry.

Of course, I also had to feed my three bottomless pits, who would definitely be hungry as well.

Suddenly, I heard somebody outside, knocking on our backdoor.

Feeling rather surprised, I looked up to see who had the audacity to sneak into our backyard.

This could only be someone who knew the way, like one of our little neighbor guests who wanted to use our swimming pool.

I looked through the glass panes, but didn't see anyone.

Could it be a squirrel, or some other small animal, scratching against the door?

Then, a beaming little face appeared outside the pane, hopping up and down.

Two eager small eyes tried to peek inside, clearly wanting to be let in.

The face lit up like a torch when it saw me, showing a beaming smile from ear to ear.

I chuckled at the funny sight, and opened the backdoor.

A little cannonball stormed inside, and launched itself at me at full speed.

The small boy jumped up to let me catch him in midair, and immediately started to smother my face with kisses.

He put his arms around my neck and his legs around my waist, and clamped onto me with all of his might.

Crying from happiness, little Neil told me:

"Mom talked to John's mother; and now I can visit you again, but not every day because she still thinks I will be a bother to you.

"She thought you wanted to do improper things to Jake and me; but I told her everything, and that I pretend you are my Daddy.

"I have to go home now; but Mom wants to apologize for her behavior, and she asks you to visit us and bring Harry with you."

Slowly, I got tears in my eyes, from sudden relief and happiness.

Since his Mom tore him out of my house, I had been afraid I wouldn't be able to see my little friend any more.

Now, I had him in my arms again; and he told me he still wanted me to be his Daddy.

I had to restrain myself from squashing him too much in my arms, while I kissed his head.

However, little Neil didn't mind at all.

He loosened his death grip and looked up at me, with a happy smile and sparkling eyes.

Then, he saw my tears, and tenderly wiped them away with his small hands.

Again, I had a very strong feeling of loving this little boy with all my heart and soul.

I wanted to do everything I could; to be the Daddy he so obviously craved.

I kissed his cute little nose, and told him:

"Tell your Mom I accept her apology; and we will soon make an appointment for our visit."

"Okay, but don't forget. Now, I have to go back home; because Mom, Jake, and I are going downtown.

"I saw your car in the driveway and wanted to tell you my news, but Mom told me to be back right away."

He offered me another kiss, slid down onto the kitchen floor, and raced outside through the still open backdoor.

Just before he rounded the corner, I heard his happy voice in my inside, shouting:

"I pretend you are my new Daddy, and I LOVE you. See you later."

I started to cry from my overwhelming happiness.

Now, I realized how much I had missed my little friend, with his built-in sun and his happy demeanor.

Sobbing, I sank down onto one of the folding chairs, and took a packet of tissues to dry my eyes.

I felt VERY relieved, to have my little mentor and former teacher back into my life.

I only hoped that I wouldn't make the same mistake twice, of asking too much from him.

Silently, I promised him and myself, to always do only what would be good for HIM.

Had Jack decided to trust me again with my little friend, after all?

I thanked Jack in my mind, and immediately heard his warm voice in my inside:

"We never stopped trusting you, but you had to learn a valuable lesson first."

Yeah, well. Why had everything I tried to do, have a 'valuable lesson' attached to it.

Would I ever be ready for my task, without having to learn more lessons?

I hoped so.

After I dried my eyes, I went outside, to fetch some nicely smelling herbs from my son's garden.

I washed them; and prepared a wagonload of healthy sandwiches, spiced by my herbs.

When they were ready, I draped a plastic sheet over the huge pile, to keep them fresh.

Then, I went back to our living room, to wait for my little soul mate to wake up.

My threesome was still shooting all kinds of scary monsters, now and then cheering with muffled voices.

Half an hour later, a yawning little boy wavered into our living room.

He looked at his three cheering friends; but went to me, clutching his stuffed bear against his chest.

He climbed onto my lap with a heartfelt yawn, and tried to melt into me, as usual.

I put my arms around his small frame, and held him close, as usual.

Slowly, I cradled him, while he heaved a couple of contented sighs.

After some time, he tilted his head, looked up at me, and asked:

"Thanks, Dad. I feel a lot better now. Please, do you have something to eat? I am VERY hungry."

"Yes, I made a huge pile of sandwiches for everybody. I only hope I used the right herbs to spice them."

Rising up as one, three hungry looking boys left their computer and trotted towards us.

They surrounded me, demonstratively rubbing their suddenly rumbling stomachs.

Chuckling at their playful antics, I told them to go to the kitchen and attack the pile of sandwiches.

However, trying to be polite boys, they decided to wait for little Harry and me, so that we could eat together.

I lifted my son off my lap and into my arms, and rose from our couch.

Together, we went to our kitchen, where I sat down with little Harry on my lap.

John dived into our refrigerator, and returned carrying a bottle of milk.

Davy got five drinking glasses from a cupboard, and helped John pour the milk into them.
Nicky put one glass next to each of the waiting plates around the table.

My curious son scrutinized one of the sandwiches, sniffed at it, and took a nibble.

Nodding approvingly, he told me with an impish chuckle:

"Hmm. Not too bad, for such an old grandpa."

Then, he squealed, slid off my lap, and dived under the table, to escape from my wrath.

He popped up at the other side of the table, in between a chuckling John and a grinning Davy.

Teasingly, he stuck out his tongue, while he grabbed a folding chair and sat down.

He took another sandwich from the pile, and that was the signal for take-off.

In no time, the huge pile was gone, and the boys were eagerly looking for the last crumbs.

Fortunately, I had rescued the sandwich my little soul mate had tested, next to another one I had snatched away just in time.

Reluctantly, my threesome went home, promising to be back the next afternoon, after school.

From now on, they had to be home every evening, to do their homework and go to bed in time.

Only on weekends and holidays, would they be free to sleep here and do as they liked.

Their daily school ritual had set in, until the next scheduled vacation.

My little soul mate and I went to our living room, and sat down on our couch.

Our house felt a bit empty, without the happy sounding voices of John, Davy, and Nicky.

Little Harry seemed to have the same feelings, because he went to our CD-player.

After studying a couple of CD's, he finally took one and put it into our player.

Then, he lit a few candles and some incense, while nice background music started to fill in the silence.

With a contented sigh, he crawled back onto my lap and melted into me.

Sitting together, we enjoyed the happy feelings of being together and loving each other.

I kissed his so well-known head, and he squeezed my arms in response.

Although I missed our other friends, it felt good to be together again, just the two of us.

After some time, I decided to ask him my burning question:

"Harry? Do you remember Jake and Neil, two small neighborhood boys who used to play in our swimming pool?"

Immediately, my little soul mate tilted his head and stared at me, trying to probe my intentions:

"Sure. I remember them very well. Why do you ask?"

"Their Mom has invited us, to visit them. What do you think? Shall we go?"

"Hmm. I am not sure. She doesn't trust you. but Neil is my friend, and I like him very much. He was my little brother, in one of our past lives.

"But, why did his Mom invite us? She thinks you want to do improper things with her sons, and probably with John and me as well.

"Although you and I know better, not everybody is happy at seeing so many boys being here all the time."

"Yes, I know; but I am afraid I cannot change that. Our neighbors just have to get used to the idea of you and me having lots of friends.

"But, Neil's Mom seems to have changed her mind. Something happened while you were in the clinic; and Neil now pretends I am his Daddy."

"Yeah, I know; and you will make Neil VERY happy. He is like me; and he too cannot cope without having a Big Friend in his life to help him.

"Please, Dad, try to convince his Mom, and be Neil's Daddy. Neil needs you. and I would LOVE to have him as my little brother again."

To say I was flabbergasted; isn't strong enough to express my confused feelings.

I felt very PROUD of my little son with his enormous heart full of love.

Again, I saw the astonishing maturity of my eight-year-old little soul mate.

He wasn't jealous at all, as I had feared for a moment; but he even tried to convince me to help little Neil.

And, Neil and he knew each other, because they had been brothers in one of their past lives.

"Thank you, my dear son, for being who you are. I love you, with all my heart and soul.

"Please, could you help me being Neil's Daddy? I don't want to make any serious mistakes."

"Just listen to your heart, Dad, and you cannot make any mistakes. Of course, I will help you. I will even talk to Neil's Mom.

"Thank you, Dad, for helping my little brother. I know he NEEDS you, until he is a grown-up and can fend for himself, just like me."

He hopped off my lap, offered me a big kiss, and went to the bathroom.

I heard him enter the kitchen, wash his hands, and drink some water.

Then, he returned into our living room, and asked me:

"Dad? When will I go to school? I want to learn how to write correctly; and I want to be in the same class as Nicky."

"Next week, I will try to enroll you into Nicky's school, if possible. Until then, I want to keep you home, to let you heal some more first."

"Okay. I am already feeling less tired, and my bruises are nearly gone. Within a week, I will be absolutely ready to go to school.

"Then, you have a lot more time to finish your series of books about our adventures."

"Thank you, but I think I will miss you terribly. I am no longer used to being alone during most of the day."

"Then, let me skip school, and be happy to have a duffer around for the remainder of our lives. Of course, I am joking.

"You know that I NEED to learn how to write our language correctly, to be able to write my own series of books, 'Born as a Prince'.

"And, please, could we send my own people in Rumania a couple of pictures of my new face, as we promised?"

"Yes, of course. That is a very good idea. Tomorrow, we will go downtown, to buy a good digital camera and a nice color printer.

"Fortunately, your people have given us their email-address, so that we can send them our pictures as attachments.

"Now, let's go to bed early; because I am tired, and you need your beauty sleep to heal even faster."

I lifted my boy onto my shoulders, and took him upstairs to our generous shower stall.

Soon, we had undressed and showered; and we went to our bedroom and disappeared under our blankets.

Immediately, my little soul mate worked his small frame into my embrace, with a deep sigh of happiness.

He closed his eyes, and started to snore almost immediately.

Feeling all mushy inside, and full of love, I looked at his smiling face next to mine.

His new skin looked so smooth and so beautiful, after all the ugly scars that were there before.

Feeling very thankful, I closed my eyes, and thanked our Supreme Being for giving me such a splendid present.

Then, I heard His Voice in my inside, telling me:

"You are welcome, my friend. Just love him, with all your heart and soul."

Or, did I make His voice up in my mind?

I will never know.

29. Love is the strongest force in the universe.

Time went by, and now little Harry had completely healed, with a nice and shiny skin on his face and body. His bruises were gone, he had slightly stuffed cheeks and a pretty pug nose, and he threw the remainder of his pills away. He was no longer tired and didn't have to rest any more. His green head with the mask now adorned his desk, accompanied by Teddicky, from where they both stared at you when you entered his room. He played outside nearly every day, and made a wagon load of new friends. Nicky and he were together most of the time. Some people even thought they had to be brothers...

One day they stormed into the house, both panting:

"Pop, Harry and I had a fight with another boy!"

They proudly showed me a few bruises, and little Harry's lower lip bled a bit. I asked them what happened, while cleaning little Harry's lip with a tissue.

They indignantly told me one of their newly found friends suddenly remarked:

"Fortunately that retarded creep seems to have disappeared from our neighborhood."

Little Harry slyly asked him:

"What creep do you mean?"

"You never saw him? A fool with two holes in his face where normal people have a nose, his lips curled when he laughed, and he had more colors on his face than that traveling circus clown. His father should have drowned him at his birth..."

At that moment Nicky kicked the boy in the nuts with all his force, while little Harry threw all his anger into a punch that sent the boy across the street. They left him without looking back, and immediately went to me.

"You should have seen him, Dad! He was at least three years older, but he couldn't defend himself!"

"Next time I will bring a baseball bat with me, and when he insults my friend again I will send him to a hospital!"

The doorbell rang, and I opened the front door where an angry woman glared at me, ready to attack:

"Your boys pummeled my poor little baby!"

I tried to smile at her, and extended my hand:

"Please, come in, and have a drink. How old is your poor little baby?"

"He's only eleven years old, nearly twelve. And I want you to punish the boys who attacked him!"

I turned around and beckoned them over:

"Harry, Nicky, come here, please..."

Two small boys timidly appeared in the doorway, looking at their feet. Little Harry sniffled a bit and put a blood covered tissue to his lower lip.

"There are your boys. They are both eight years old, and they told me another boy started to offend them..."

The woman stared at both boys with disbelief in her eyes:

"YOU attacked my poor little baby?"

"He insulted my friend, by calling him a creep who should have been drowned at his birth. Next time I will send him to a hospital!"

Nicky's eyes shot daggers and he balled his fists, ready to defend his friend with his life.

The woman shook her head and retreated, muttering:

"Boys... they're always up to some trouble..."

We went inside, and I closed the door.

I went to the couch in the living room and beckoned them over:

"Now you see what hatred can do. It starts with an insult, then you use violence, and a moment later we have a small war."

"But, POP, he insulted Harry! He told us Harry should have been drowned at his birth..."

"That boy used only WORDS, and words never can do any harm. Words are just a vibration in the air. It's not the words that do the harm; it's the following violence that starts the trouble!"
They had to think that over for a while; and both went to the computer, where they slowly wriggled into the same chair. There they sat, looking at the empty screen, not daring to start a game.

After a while a timid little Harry looked at me:

"Are you mad at us, Dad?"

"No, I'm not mad at you. Just a bit disappointed. You could have thought of a better solution... Think about that the next time, will you?"

They promised me to improve their behavior, and started a racing game on the computer.

At six o'clock Nicky went home after a big hug and a wet kiss, and little Harry seemed to be unusually silent. He didn't really eat, but merely stared at his plate and now and then pricked into a potato. After a few bites he shoved his plate away:

"I'm not hungry, Dad, am I excused?"

He went into the living room, and fell asleep on the couch. I cleared the kitchen table and took a cup of coffee with me to the living room, where I sat down on a chair so as not to disturb my little soul mate who seemed to be a bit restless.

John and Davy came by, and we talked in a soft voice about their future. They both wanted to study, and had decided to attend a technical college. John wanted to be a technical engineer, while Davy was more interested in mathematics. They asked me to help them choose a suitable college. After a while they went home, relieved, and asking me to greet little Harry when he woke up.

Little Harry was still restless, and now and then he moaned in his sleep. I put him under a blanket, and felt his forehead. He seemed to be a bit feverish, but not too much to be worried about. He woke up, shivered, and asked for a glass of water. He took a swig, turned around, and fell asleep again.

I kissed his forehead, and went to my computer to write the next part of my story.

At ten o'clock I called it a day and took Little Harry upstairs, still sound asleep in my arms. I washed him carefully and put him under the blankets, where he slowly opened his eyes, yawning and squinting at me:

"Where am I? Did you put me to bed?"

"What's the matter with you, my precious friend?"

"I don't know. I've a headache and my stomach hurts. I feel sleepy..."

He crawled into my arms and fell asleep again. This time he felt slightly more feverish, and I thought maybe he could have gotten the flu. I fell asleep, hoping a night's sleep would cure him.

In the middle of the night I woke up to the sound of a moaning little Harry. He was soaking wet now, felt very hot, and shivered all the time.

I clicked the lights on, and he looked at me with watery reddish eyes:

"Can't you chase that man away? I can't sleep while he's pestering me..."

I got dry sheets from the hallway cabinet and made him a drink with a dissolved aspirin, which he drank with a sour face:

"That tastes awful!"

I washed him again and carefully dried him. He crawled into my arms, moaning:

"That man is trying to take me with him..."

He became more and more restless, so I decided to call a doctor and ask his advice.

Our family doctor knew everything about little Harry's recent surgery. He asked me a few questions, and then decided to look at our little friend as soon as possible. Within twenty minutes he entered the house and immediately went upstairs.

He examined little Harry thoroughly, looked in his throat, listened to his lungs, took his temperature, and felt his lymph glands:

"I can't find anything alarming. Just keep him warm and let him drink lots of water. I'll leave a prescription to suppress his fever."

I thanked our doctor, who soon went home to resume his sleep. Then I tried to let little Harry drink a glass of water, and with some difficulty he managed to drink half of it, still shivering and softly moaning about a man.

We tried to get some more sleep, but every ten minutes my little boy woke up and started to moan again, complaining about a man who was annoying him.

The remainder of the night was a real nightmare. Little Harry kept on moaning and thrashing around, looking into space with watery eyes, and talking about a man who was bothering him all the time. In the morning he eventually fell into a restless sleep, dead tired and sweating all over his body.

The doorbell woke me up, and unfortunately little Harry woke up too. He started to thrash around again, still soaking wet.

I dressed in a hurry and went downstairs, to let a bright and shining Nicky enter the house:

"Where's Harry? I want us to shower together..."

"Harry's ill. He has a fever, and he's still in bed."

"Does he have the flu? May I see him?"

"Yes, you may see him; but don't wake him up if he's asleep!"

Nicky went upstairs, while I heartily yawned and brewed myself my first cup of strong coffee.

Soon Nicky returned, with a worried face:

"Harry's really sick! He's moaning all the time... Did you call a doctor?"

"Yes, I've called our family doctor in the middle of the night. He has left a prescription to suppress the fever. Could you stay with your friend for a while, until I'm back from the pharmacy?"

"Yes, of course I'll stay. You can always count on me!"

He climbed the stairs with a proud face, very aware of his responsibility.

I drove our van to the pharmacy, where they handed me a box of pills. I paid them, returned, and parked the van in our driveway.

I opened the front door, and Nicky stormed downstairs, panting:

"Pop, Harry has vomited two times, and he stinks!"

I hurried upstairs; where I found my little soul mate crying, the bed stained with vomit, and the air soiled with a nasty smell. Nicky opened a window, while I tried to clean up my poor boy. Everything was dirty. He had vomited all over the bed, and had a watery diarrhea.

I sent Nicky downstairs, to get more tissues to clean him up a bit before I took him to the shower. Then I took my stinking boy in my arms, while a helpful Nicky adjusted the water temperature. Together we washed him, carefully dried him, and parked him in a blanket on a chair.

Nicky helped me to change the sheets, while we both held our breaths until we had put the stained sheets in the washing machine and turned it on. We got clean sheets from the hallway cabinet, and together we put our little friend to bed again.

Little Harry was very pale now, shivering and moaning, again talking about a nasty man who was bothering him all the time.

"Nicky, I want to call our family doctor for the second time, while you are here to help your friend if necessary."

"You can count on me, Pop!"

I went downstairs, to call our doctor for the second time. When I returned, Nicky sat on a corner of the bed, holding little Harry's hand.

I decided to ask Nicky a few questions about little Harry's strange idea:

"Nicky, do you know about a man who has been bothering Harry? Maybe yesterday, while you were playing outside?"

"No, we've only met a couple of children. However, when Jason had a nasty flu he talked nonsense too. My Dad called it 'delirium'."

The doorbell rang, and Nicky hurried downstairs to open the front door. He politely guided our doctor upstairs. I offered him a chair to sit down, and told him everything about our restless night and little Harry's vomiting and watery diarrhea.

"I still think he's gotten a nasty virus. Only his temperature seems a bit too high now. Did he complain about pain in his body somewhere?"

"No, but yesterday he complained about a headache and pain in his stomach."

Little Harry had to sit upright, and the doctor looked him all over, even more thoroughly than last night:

"May I use your phone? I would like to call the clinic to ask their advice, just to be sure..."

A proud looking Nicky politely guided our doctor downstairs, while I tried to reassure my softly sobbing little soul mate.

Soon our doctor returned, with Nicky in his footprints:

"The surgeon wants to speak with you..."

I went downstairs and greeted our 'face doctor', who immediately started to ask a couple of questions:

"Did our little friend complain about a severe fatigue?"

"Only during the first days. After that time he always played outdoors with a couple of friends, and never complained."

"That's a good sign. Did you see something abnormal on his body, like blue spots or sudden bruises?"

"No, he has a beautiful smooth skin all over his body now. He healed wonderfully."

"That's good. Has he spots on his body that are itchy, or sensitive?"

"Only the first days. After that time I never heard him complain. He even threw his pills away."

"Wonderful. Your house doctor examined him thoroughly, and he couldn't find anything suspect either. Of course there's always a small chance his body will reject the transplants. That's why we will send a nurse to you today, who will take a few blood, skin, and urine samples, just to be sure. I instructed your doctor to administer a sedative, to put him asleep for a while. Could you put a diaper on him? It's possible he will soil the blankets again while he's asleep."

"I will buy him a couple of diapers. Is there anything else I can do for him?"

"Don't let him eat today, but he should drink as much as possible. And please keep me informed!"

"Thank you for your advice. And yes, I certainly will keep you informed."

I returned to my bedroom, where in the meantime our doctor had put little Harry to sleep with a small injection.

"Nicky, please will you buy us a packet of diapers, to protect our friend from soiling the bed again?"

I handed Nicky some money; and he hurried downstairs, nearly skipping, followed by our family doctor who promised to pay us another visit the next day.

I sat down and looked at my little soul mate with his pale face and his swollen eyelids, now softly snoring. What was the trouble with him? And who was that strange 'man' that bothered him so much? I was still sleepy, and slowly drifted off.

Suddenly I saw Jack, standing in a bright white light, and I heard his voice in my inside:

"He's a fighter, and he will come through. We will protect him..."

In a shock I woke up. Protect him? From what? Why did my little soul mate have to fight, and whom? That nasty man he was complaining about all the time? Who was that man, and how could I help or protect him against a stranger I didn't even see?

The doorbell rang, and I rushed downstairs. I let Nicky in, proudly carrying a big packet of diapers. We went upstairs, and carefully put diapers on our softly snoring friend, who fortunately didn't wake up.

Nicky looked at me, now very sad:

"We always teased him about buying him diapers, Pop. And now we really have to buy him diapers..."

I sighed and ruffled his hair. I felt more and more attached to this helpful little boy, with his open face and intelligent green eyes. Together we went to the living room, leaving all doors open so we could hear our poor little friend, in case he woke up.

"Thank you, Nicker, for assisting me with all those things. You are a wonderful help today!"

"That's okay, Pop. Harry is my friend, and of course I will always help him and you with everything. I like you calling me 'Nicker'. So far Jason was the only one who sometimes called me that, or 'little dragon' because of our green eyes. We called him the 'chasing dragon' and I was the 'nickering dragon', while Carl was the 'curling dragon'. Until my father kicked Carl out of the house, and Jason suddenly became a 'bullying dragon'..."

The door bell rang again, and Nicky went to the front door. He returned with Davy, who was curious about little Harry's sudden sleepiness. I told him what had happened to our poor little friend, and allowed him to have a look at the hopefully still sleeping boy.

After a moment Davy returned, looking a bit nervous:

"Dad, there's something strange around Harry. I'm not absolutely sure, but it's as if I can feel a nasty person around him, trying to harm him. Perhaps I'm making it up in my mind, but it's as if I really can see him. He looks like a heavy built and strong man with a shaggy beard, and he has a mean look in his eyes. I think he's making Harry very ill..."

Nicky looked up, with sudden comprehension in his eyes:

"Harry was talking about a man who was annoying him all the time. He asked me to chase him away, but I didn't know what he was talking about..."

I was totally aghast. So this had to be true... little Harry saw him, Davy felt him, and Jack promised to protect little Harry against him...

I grew angry. That shaggy bearded man had to keep his hands off my little soul mate! I went to the hallway and ascended the stairs, determined to know what was happening; closely followed by two worried boys.

We entered my bedroom, where little Harry was sound asleep, softly snoring. He looked a little bit better now, with less swollen eyelids and slightly more color on his face. I went to the bed, sat down onto a corner, and tried to feel around...

Where was that man? In my mind I dared him to show up, but nothing happened. Now I felt disappointed. I could have murdered him! Murder a ghost?

"Davy, can you still feel that man around?"
"No, Dad, I think he's gone. Who was it? Do you know him? Can't you tell him to leave Harry alone?"

Suddenly the room went icy cold, as if it was midwinter and someone had opened all the windows. A heavy built and shaggy man with a rough beard approached me, looking at me with hatred in his eyes.

I clearly heard his nasty and grating voice in my inside:

"Once you got MY boy, and now I will get YOUR boy! An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."

The room started to turn around, and everything went black...

I was a nasty man myself, stealing innocent children to sell them to rich people. A crying man approached my coach, begging me to give him his little boy back; but I derided him and kicked him off the footboard. He fell, and severely bruised his hip, preventing him from following me. I whipped my horse and drove off, leaving him on the street crying his heart out. I felt a little bit guilty, but suppressed my feelings. Today I had earned a lot of money!

The world started to turn around again, and I returned into the room. I fell off the corner of the bed with a loud bang, and severely bruised my left hip.

I started to tremble all over my body; and tried to squint at two very worried boys, who desperately tried to wake me up:

"Pop, what happened to you? Please, don't die..."

I tried to get up; but groaned, feeling an intense pain in my left hip. After a while I carefully lifted myself onto the bed, helped by the boys.

"Thank you, boys, just give me a minute. I think I've injured my hip, and I feel a bit giddy."

Nicky brought me a glass of water; while Davy tried to support me, obviously afraid I would fall off the bed again.

"All of a sudden the room went icy cold, Dad. Then your eyes turned around in your head, and you fell off the bed with a bang."

I looked at Nicky and Davy, both trembling with fear; and at little Harry, softly snoring under the blankets... Was this all for REAL? I could hardly have made this up myself... Still trembling all over, I limped down to phone Christian, our psychic medium.

I looked in all the drawers and the cupboards, and eventually I found his business card with his phone number. Maybe Christian knew what I should do now, to protect myself and my little soul mate from that man? I dialed his number, and waited and waited, but nobody answered the phone...

I slumped down on the couch, with my head in my hands, accompanied by two still trembling and very worried looking boys. Was it really MY fault little Harry was ill? Was this what people call 'Karma', meaning you will have to make up for what you did to others in your past lives? Did I once steal that man's son, and now he tried to steal my son in revenge?

Where was our spirit friend Jack? "JACK..."

I tried to call him in my head, but nobody answered. Now I started to panic. What if that man really could take little Harry away from me, like I once took his little boy away from him? An eye for an eye...

The doorbell rang, and both boys rushed to the door. They returned with a smiling nurse, carrying a small suitcase:

"I would like to take a few blood and urine samples from our little friend with his beautiful new face."

We went upstairs, me still limping; and the nurse prepared a few things:

"Please will you try to wake the boy up now, and have him urinate in this bottle?"

I removed little Harry's diapers, and tried to wake him up. After a few efforts he slowly opened his eyes and yawned:

"What's the time? I want to sleep some more..."

"I want you to pee in this bottle, to help the friendly nurse over there."

Little Harry squinted at her, colored a deep red, and covered his boyhood with his hands:

"I don't want her to look..."

She winked at him and left the room. Little Harry nearly fell asleep again, but fortunately managed to produce a few drops:

"I'm too sleepy..."

He fell down onto the bed, and was sound asleep again.

I reattached his diapers and covered him with the blankets. The nurse laughed and freed his arm. She attached a tourniquet to his upper arm and put a needle into a vein, causing a slight wince from little Harry, but he didn't wake up. She drew three small samples of blood, and attached a band-aid to the small wound. Then she cleaned a spot on his upper arm, took a small machine from her suitcase, and put it onto the spot. She pushed a button:

"OUCH!" little Harry shouted and jumped up.

But the nurse had her skin sample. She asked him to forgive her, and attached a second band-aid to the new wound, while little Harry fell asleep again. She put the sample into a small plastic container in her suitcase.

I offered her a cup of coffee in the kitchen, while the boys took a glass of cola. She told us the laboratory would test the samples the moment they arrived, to be early in case something was wrong. After a few minutes she took her suitcase and the samples with her, and the boys accompanied her to the door. She waved at them, and drove off to the clinic.

"That was a nasty vampire machine, Dad! It snapped a piece of skin out of Harry's arm, just like that..."

The doorbell rang, and John arrived, with a look of concern in his eyes:

"Dad, how's Harry? Is he feeling better now?"

We told him everything. He immediately went upstairs, to have a look at his little brother, and to look for that nasty man that dared to bother him.

After a few minutes he returned:

"Harry is sound asleep, and I didn't feel anything around him. Maybe you made it up in your mind?"

Davy, Nicky, and I reassured him that really something inexplicable had happened. I lowered my pants to show him my painfully bruised hip.

"That's a nasty bruise you've got there! Well... then I suppose you're right. But I didn't feel anything unusual around Harry while I was upstairs. Do you have something to eat, Dad? I'm starved..."

I was hungry too, so we prepared sandwiches, with lots of salad and other healthy vegetables.

After a while John and Davy went away together, promising me to be back later. Nicky and I went upstairs, to have another look at little Harry.

He seemed to recover, and had slightly more color on his face. I kissed his forehead, while Nicky laid down next to him and tenderly hugged his poor friend. Little Harry immediately put his arms around Nicky; still sound asleep, and with a blissful smile on his face.

"I think we are in love with each other, Dad, but we're too young to be homo's."

I didn't say a word, but ruffled his hair and tenderly kissed his nose.

After a while we went back to the couch, where Nicky crawled onto my lap:

"I love you, Pop. Now I have two dads; one Dad at home and one Dad here. My own Dad is much nicer now, he even calls me 'Nicker' sometimes, a thing he never did before. I'm allowed to sleep in his bed, and we cuddle a lot, just like with you. I think I'm a lucky boy."

"I think I'm a lucky man, to have you as a friend! You're a wonderful boy, always helpful, and with a lot of love in your heart."

We cuddled for quite a while. Now and then one of us went upstairs, to have a look at little Harry who still softly snored.

The phone rang, and Nicky hopped off my lap. I answered the phone and listened:

"We've looked at all the samples the nurse took from your boy this morning, and all seems to be well. Fortunately here are no signs of skin rejection. We couldn't detect any viruses, but his lymphocytes count was a bit too high. That means there could have been a bacterial infection, so we will ask your family doctor to have a close look at him for a couple of days. There's nothing to be worried about."

"Thank you very much! That's quite a relief. Is there something else I could do for my boy?"

"Just let him drink as much water as possible, and let him eat easily digestible nutrition for a few days. That's all."

I thanked our 'face doctor' for his help, and put the receiver back.

Nicky and I both heard a faint "Dad..." sounding from the stairway. We jumped up and hurried upstairs.

Little Harry sat upright in bed, with a remorseful sleepy face:

"Sorry, Dad, but I think I've soiled the bed again..."

I threw the blankets off, and little Harry looked down at his diapers with disbelief in his eyes:

"Why am I wearing a DIAPER?"

"Sorry, son, but you were very sick. You threw up and soiled the sheets, and you got nasty diarrhea, so we provided you with diapers to be prepared for the next time. And the next time seems to be now..."

"I don't remember anything... but I feel sleepy and hungry. Could you get me something to eat?"

"Nicky, do you want to cook some porridge for your friend? Oatmeal's in the kitchen cabinets, and milk's in the refrigerator."

"Of course, Pop. At home I cook it every Sunday morning, with sugar and lots of melted butter."

Nicky hurried downstairs with a proud face, to cook for his friend. I carefully cleaned little Harry, threw his soiled diapers away, and washed him all over.

He threw his arms around my neck and shivered:

"I'm tired, Dad, and I feel like trembling all over."

"I know, son. Take it easy for a couple of days, and allow your body to strengthen. You will soon feel better."

I changed the sheets for the third time, and put my precious son under the blankets.

He started to shiver again, with perspiration on his forehead:

"I'm thirsty..."

I brought him a glass of water, and he gulped it down, coughing:

"Another glass, please..."

Nicky returned with a filled tray, and put it down on the bed:

"I hope there are no chunks in it, and do you want butter and sugar?"