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Before I could talk to Lilith, Len walked up to me and explained my role, " James, you don't have to do anything else, I know you're not comfortable with all this". Hearing the disappointment in his voice was heartbreaking. Before he could leave, I laughed awkwardly, " Len, don't worry about me, if you need me to do something, I will". I offered him a crooked smile, and he gladly took it with a hug.
He stepped back, his eyes lit up, "im so glad you said that! Okay, you're going to be Benny's war buddy, I prepared your lines already!". He handed me. A freshly-inked sheet of paper then ran off to his friends. While I read my lines, Benny got into place.
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Suddenly, Benny opened his eyes. In frantic breath, he stood from the floor and shouted, " what is this! What happened! Where am I! Where's my wife!". Before he could go into a panic frenzy, I grabbed his shoulders. " Benny, calm down, it's me!". He took in a breath, " James?". I nod my head. " where's my wife! My throne! I was in the castle!". I snuffed out a laugh, " what kind of prank are you pulling?". With bewildered eyes, he asks, " I could ask you the same".
We take a moment to lock eyes, " you really don't remember?". He nods his head. I grab his shoulder, " you're wife is fine, she's at your home, we're at the barracks, and our king is Lincoln". His eyes sparkle, " my wife! She's alive!". I nod my head. He stumbles into a fit of laughter, so I hold him still. "Wait. You said barracks? Why are we at the barracks?". I raise an eyebrow, " because we're going to war".
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He swallows a bit of air, " I suppose I recall you mentioning something of the sort". While he gathered his thoughts, I rushed out of the scene, when I returned, I laughed sympathetically, " Benny, I'm going to take you home". He didn't say a word, but he did offer a grim nod.
We stopped in front of the next set, which was just a carpet, but Benny acted like he was finally coming home. On the carpet, Lilith holds a tightly bundled blanket. When Benny looks at her smile, he falls to his knees in tears. Lilith looks at me with concern then rushes to Benny's side.
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Full of concern, she asks softly, " honey, are you okay? What happened?". He wipes the tears from his eyes, " nothing, I'm fine now". He wraps his arm around her then looks at the blanket. His voice quivers, "Is this... our child?". She nods. He looks at the blanket with stary eyes, " may I?". Carefully she hands the blanket over to him. He laughs to himself, " this has to be a dream".
Suddenly, Len snaps his fingers. We all stop except Benny and Len. Len laughed, " you got what you wished for!". Benny couldn't take his eyes off the blanket, softly he whispered, " thank you... Truly, thank you...". His eyes were glued to the kid, but still, Len laughed maniacally, " never forget, this came at a price, farewell!".
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Benny paid no attention to Len's leave, he kept his gaze on the child in his arms. When Len left the carpet, we acted like we were never frozen. Lilith gazed lovingly at the scene, while I backed away with a hopeful grin. I sat down and watched the rest of the scenes unfold.
While Benny enjoyed his new life, Len screamed, "end of scene two!". Len walked over to me and beamed, " what do you think so far!". The excitement in his voice was palpable. I laughed shyly, " I can't believe you were able to put this together in less than an hour". He puffed out his chest, " well of course! We've been doing this every day since like fifth grade!". I laugh again, " Len, you're in sixth grade...".
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We share a laugh then he beams again, " they told me you weren't going to do it, but I knew you'd be a part of it this time!". I raise an eyebrow, " how?". With an innocent smile, " cause you woke up early today". I laugh dryly.
There's so much in the world. There are so many sides to people. My little brother has been living his life, but what about me?
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