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 Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 10:49 pm
Joshua was at the park, looking extremely uncomfortable in khaki shorts and a blue t-shirt. It was too hot for a child born in winter. He prefered the cold to this heat. But the nutcracker child seemed to be looking for someone, almost as if he was expecting an old friend to appear from thin air.
He shielded his eyes from the sun with a hand, and frowned. No one. He would have to wait. He sat at the bottom of one of the bright yellow slides, accidently burning himself in the process, and decided to wait. And wait. A few moments felt like hours in this heat, at least it did to him. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, frowning slightly. The park was abandoned, clearly no one was crazy enough to come out into this heat.
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 11:35 pm
Scooping up Nef into his arms, Midas reminded Nef one more time "You behave okay Nef?. I'll pick you up after I'm done with work."
Neflheim nodded in response to Midas and went back to nibble on the little popsicle he was holding. It was flavoured with orange juice and was a little tangy, just the way he liked it.
As Midas drove towards the park, he looked down at Neflheim. He was slightly disappointed that the little boy didn't manage to grow as fast as Joshua. Not that he didn't like taking care of him, but he was hoping to relinquish some of the responsibilities when Neflheim grew up.
Rounding a bend, Midas stopped the car at the sidewalk and took Neflheim to go look for the baby sitter. As he neared the playground, he spotted Joshua, a friend of Nef. Midas was rather shocked the last time he caught a glance of Joshua. He didn't expect the young boy to grow up so fast. Walking up towards Joshua, Midas said cheerfully to him "Hi Joshua! Didn't expect to see you here!"
Upon hearing the name, Nef looked up from his popsicle and squealed with glee. "Josh!" offering his popsicle to the bigger boy, Neflheim continued "Want some?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2009 11:49 pm
Joshua smiled brightly at Midas. "Hi Mr. Midas! How are you?" He asked, with a polite tilt of his head. Then he spotted Neflheim, and gave a cheerful giggle. He shook his head. "Nah, you keep it," He said, masking the jolt of surprise he'd recieved from realizing his friend was still a toddler. He'd always felt awkward around Ginger and Zemel before they had grown, he had even thought they would stay small forever, while he grew. Would that be Neffy's fate? The very thought made him sad.
The heat was getting to much for the boy, so he leaned forward and gave Neflheim a hug. "Brr!" Josh said, teasing his friend. "You know--you might be too cold to hug in the winner, but in the summer, you're just right. I've missed you, Nef." He hadn't seen his friend since the Christmas party, where he had given Nef a fish. "How's your fish? Named him yet?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 12:53 am
Midas smiled at Joshua's enthusiastic greeting but couldn't help but catch how his face changed a little when he looked at Neflheim. Replying, Midas said "I am good. How about you?" Midas suspected that Joshua was worried about how Neflheim still didn't grow. He knew the feeling and was similarly worried.
Neflheim giggled and continued to nibble on the popsicle. His ability helped to keep the popsicle ice cold even in the sweltering summer heat and it hadn't melted at all.
Looking back at Joshua after the hug, Neflheim chuckled lightly and replied "Thanks Josh, Nef misses you too..." his voice trailing off as he admired how Joshua had grown. Neflheim continued saying, "My fish is named Joshie, yes! After Joshua!", beaming as he said so. "Daddy gave me a spoon so I can feed him food that won't be frozen!"
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 1:03 pm
"I'm good, Mr. Midas," Joshua said politely, "Too hot though. I like the Winter best." He paused, and couldn't help smiling down at Neflheim, though he felt extremely awkward doing so. He hoped his friend would grow soon--what if he grew to be a teen while Neflheim was still a toddler? The mere thought of that made him shudder, and not from the cold of his friend's ability.
"You named a fish after me?" Josh blushed, considerably pleased though still humble enough to be a little bashful. "Frozen fish food wouldn't be a good idea, would it? Wait. You could be an inventor! Invent ice cream for fish!" Yes, growing did not seem to have effected Joshua's imagination any.
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:48 pm
Midas tapped his foot impatiently, he simply didn't have the time to wait much longer. Another 10 minutes and I'll have to go. By then if she doesn't show up I'll have to take Nef along. thought Midas as he frowned at that idea. The last time he brought Neflheim to work was disastrous. His boss had warned him to try his best not to do that again.
Neflheim took a small bite off this popsicle and replied Joshua saying "Yes, I named him after my best friend! Joshie is cute and has a good appetite, he always looks at me for more food." Thinking over what Joshua said, Neflheim clapped his hands and said loudly, "Maybe we can make some ice cream for fish!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:54 pm
Joshua caught Midas' look, and smiled up at the man. "You waiting for someone? If you're looking for someone to watch Neflheim, I will. I'm a good babysitter." He said proudly. "I have two baby sisters now, and I babysit them all the time." He gave the man a reassuring smile. "It's alright--I'll do it for free. Maybe next time I see you though, you can bring some chocolate chip cookies?"
Yes, Josh was still very much a child. No one was ever too old for chocolate chip cookies. "I bet we could, Nef!" He said excitedly. "We'll make the best ice cream ever!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:01 pm
Joshua's offer caught Midas by surprise. He wasn't expecting the young boy to offer to baby sit Neflheim. Smiling at Joshua, Midas replied "Thanks Joshua, I'll take you up on that offer. I can wait another 10 minutes and if my baby sitter doesn't get here by then I'll let you take care of Nef okay?" pausing a while to think, Midas added "As for the reward, I'll keep it a secret, but I'll still pay you!"
Neflheim looked at Midas and back at Joshua, watching the two of them converse. A smile crept over his face as he realised what was going to happen. Giggling shrilly, Neflheim exclaimed "Yay! No nasty baby sitter today! Nef can have fun with Josh!"
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:14 pm
Joshua smiled brightly. "Sure, it's no trouble." He said, still smiling at the promise of a surprise pay. He never got those. His mom usually told him what he was getting and when. He didn't mind this way, though. Then he could look forward to a surprise while playing with one of his best friends.
He smiled down at Neflheim. "You don't like babysitters, do you?" He asked. "Don't worry. I'm no where near as bad as any of them are."
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:30 pm
After Neflheim's response, Midas wasn't too sure about keeping the baby sitter. He had always thought that the baby sitter was doing a good job keeping Neflheim entertained and educated at the same time whilst Liberty Center was closed. Deciding to talk to Joshua a bit more while waiting for the baby sitter, Midas said "So Joshua, have you been attending school? I think Nef can't wait to attend a real school..." gazing at Neflheim who was now nibbling his popsicle and chasing a butterfly around.
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:38 pm
Joshua frowned slightly at the mention of school. He didn't like some of his classes. "Yeah, I go to school Mr. Midas. At the Liberty Center--I think Nef would fit in, everyone's different there." He paused. "Just as long as he remembers not to freeze everyone, I think. Most people are really nice there, too. I've only met one person who wasn't very nice.." He was thinking of Ylaine. She hadn't been nice at all.
"I can teach Nef some stuff, if you like." Josh offered with a shrug. "It can be a game."
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:49 pm
Midas smiled encouragingly and replied "Don't worry Joshua, I'm sure there are plenty of people who are nice, especially to you! I would like to enroll Nef there but he is still a bit too young to do so."
Giving his watch a quick glance, Midas scanned the surroundings and still did not spot the baby sitter. Sighing softly, Midas turned back to Joshua and added "It looks like she won't be turning up today. I'll entrust Nef to you. I'll be back around the evening time to pick him up, then we'll go have dinner together. How does that sound?"
Neflheim continued to run around the playground, chasing the elusive butterfly. He liked its bright cobalt blue colour and was determined to catch it. Upon hearing Midas saying that he was going to leave, Neflheim ran back towards the pair and said "Bye bye Daddy!", leaned forward and gave Midas a kiss on his cheek.
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:10 pm
Joshua just smiled and shook his head. "There are plenty of nice people. When Nef's big enough, I'll make sure he hangs around with the right crowd." He put emphias on big, because he knew he and Neflheim were the same age. He paused, and brightened at the idea of dinner. "Dinner sounds great! Thank you Mr. Midas."
The older boy paused, before looking to his friend. "Do you want to play a game, Nef?" He asked. His little sisters liked to play games, but what kind would Nef like?
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:25 pm
Midas smiled and got up. He had waited long enough for the baby sitter and had to go now. Waving at the pair as he left, Midas hoped that both of them would have fun together. Especially now, since Joshua had grown up faster than Neflheim. Getting into his car, he took a quick glance at the pair and he felt better as he spotted the two of them starting some kind of game.
Neflheim nodded in excitement as Joshua suggested a game. He loved games and made it well known to everyone. Ensuring that Joshua knew that too, Neflheim reminded him saying "Nef likes all types of games! How about you choose Josh?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:53 pm
Joshua sat on the grass, thinking. "We could play hide-n-seek. Or tag, or anything really. You pick though. I know whatever you pick, I'll like it." He said cheerfully, remembering how they used to play. He had been much smaller then, though...
What if they couldn't play the same games they had played before? What if he was too big now? The very idea made him frown.
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