Fools Follow, Part 6

Bart sat back for a moment. So many things had happened in between all of the words. It was overwhelming. First, he had just heard the most words he had heard in a long time. Second, somewhere, something was just plain wrong about the words he had heard. There was a rule – a law – a covenant – a directive – a code that he was supposed to adhere to as a member of the building. And whatever it was said that he wasn’t supposed to do what he had been asked. He couldn’t remember why he shouldn’t do what he had been asked, but he was sure that it was important that he not do what the stranger asked. Third, he didn’t like how the stranger was edging closer and closer to his pills as he hesitated.

“No.” He said, moving his cup slightly.

“No to the name?” The stranger said, looking a bit put out.

“No, not that.” He said confusedly. “No to the rest. I think…I don’t understand. Why do you want it?”

The stranger sighed. “I want it because I need it.”

“But I need it too because I have it.” Bart replied, with a puzzled frown.

“No, you just think you need it, because they gave it to you.” He replied. “If you hadn’t been accustomed to taking it, and I offered it to you, then you wouldn’t want it.”

“Maybe…” Bart said slowly. “But I do have it. So I must need it.”

“The thing is, I need it too. I need it because – well, maybe I’ll just tell you – I need it because if I don’t have it, the world will come to an end.”

Bart heard this and knew he had to tell the stranger one thing. The trouble was that he wasn’t supposed to think the word, much less say it. It was a forbidden word. People he knew had been placed in all sorts of unpleasant situations and had unpleasant things said to them, and even more horrible things done to them just by whispering the word. Also, he didn’t want to offend the stranger, because despite everything that had happened, he was beginning to view the stranger as a friend, which was nice because most of his other friends didn’t speak to him anymore. However, he was also twisted up inside with the problem that if this person was really his friend, he should tell him his concerns because that was also what he had been advised to do by his Doctors, because that was normal. Bart squirmed. The whole thing was almost too much to bear. He looked around to see that they were alone.

“You’re crazy.” He whispered in his quietest voice possible, and then clapped his hands over his mouth in disbelief. He had said the word.