The Fool on the Hill

 (Dedicated to Zeev Rootcreeper one of the best role-players in Glint)

Zeev has been in Glint for well over a year. He is the Village Idiot. A hunchback. In this little story Gera finds out about the tragedy behind the mask of the entertaining moron in the PRG:

10:20]  Gera Heliosense: Hi Zeev...the place is dead today

[10:21]  Zeev Rootcreeper turns to see gera "hay der Gerr! wast upp?" he waves spasticly

[10:22]  Gera Heliosense smiles and then looks at his drool dripping down and pulls a face

[10:22]  Gera Heliosense: uhm...I am ok...but as i said...nothing much going on today

[10:22]  Zeev Rootcreeper points at her hair "ooo get hair cutted? loogs goo!"

[10:23]  Gera Heliosense pats her hair and giggles:" yes...thank you, I am glad you like it"

[10:23]  Zeev Rootcreeper nods repeatedly "zee like et"

[10:24]  Gera Heliosense: thats great..I have to get used to it yet...but yeah it feels good too

[10:24]  Gera Heliosense: anything exciting happened over the lasts days?

[10:25]  Zeev Rootcreeper shrugs "zee been under rock"

[10:26]  Gera Heliosense: ah yes me too...not as bad as you but yeah" she giggles

[10:26]  Gera Heliosense: so whats keeping you at home? a girlfriend?

[10:27]  Gera Heliosense comes closer and carefully lays a hand on his shoulder ,making sure he's not drooling on her

[10:27]  Zeev Rootcreeper simply shakes his head then looks to her hand "noo gerlfren"

[10:28]  Gera Heliosense: hm...

[10:28]  Gera Heliosense: She looks at him for a moment, quite serious

[10:28]  Gera Heliosense: Say Z...did you ever...have a girlfriend...?

[10:28]  Zeev Rootcreeper blinks back at her quite blankly "geer got a gerrfrien?"

[10:29]  Gera Heliosense: what me? A girlfriend? For you you mean?

[10:29]  Zeev Rootcreeper obviously looks a bit confusted

[10:30]  Gera Heliosense: uhm...nevermind"she pats his shoulder" I was just wondering...you are a young man and...how old are you Z?"

[10:31]  Zeev Rootcreeper sratches his head and looks at his fingers "erm... Zee es old more den dis many " he holds out all his fingers and wiggles them

[10:32]  Gera Heliosense: so you are...over ten...very good, very good" she pats his shoulder again, absent minded , thinking

[10:32]  Gera Heliosense: Sometimes I just wonder about you Z

[10:32]  Zeev Rootcreeper simply nods "wut ooo wonder?"

[10:34]  Gera Heliosense: you live here, surounded by sex, naked slaves running around, a bordello that gives out special cocktails...." she taps his forhead:" And I wonder , whats going on inside here" She looks down on him:"Or...other parts of you"

[10:36]  Zeev Rootcreeper blinks slowly back at her his lips drooly as ever "zee got lots goin on der" lfollows her eyes down "der too!"

[10:38]  Gera Heliosense laughs gently and but pulls her hand back quickly:" well....I guess you do have something going on...just...in a very lonely way I suppose" She sighs and looks at him melancholical, then whispers" Dear Z...its...ah well....I like you , so I worry"

[10:39]  Gera Heliosense: She sees more drool drippping down and pulls a face without realizing

[10:39]  Zeev Rootcreeper slow blinks at her "zee lye oo too geer" he scratches his head a bit

[10:40]  Gera Heliosense smiles and nods:" and I am glad you do, Z...we all need friends, don't we?"

[10:40]  Zeev Rootcreeper: zee oosed ta be smarrt...dat was long tome ago

[10:41]  Zeev Rootcreeper nods "yup zee likes friens

[10:41]  Gera Heliosense: used to be smart? And now you're not smart anymore? How can that be? we don't lose our smartness...we gain more knowledge

[10:42]  Zeev Rootcreeper shrugs "zee lost his..." he frowns looking quite sad

[10:46]  Gera Heliosense looks concerned and reaches out, fighting back her repulsive feeling and strokes his bald head:" Oh Z...maybe you find it again...apart from that...you have something far more important...you have a sweet kind soul"

[10:47]  Zeev Rootcreeper smiles slightly "oo tink soo?"

[10:47]  Gera Heliosense: but yes! Of course...in fact i think you have more heart and soul than all others here"

[10:48]  Gera Heliosense: and if people treat you badly it hurts me

[10:48]  Zeev Rootcreeper: e beams and throws his hands up "zee gots hart en sool!"

[10:48]  Gera Heliosense: yeah" she giggles" Lots of it"

[10:49]  Zeev Rootcreeper grins a drooly grin

[10:49]  Gera Heliosense smiles back at him, trying to ignore the enormous amount of drool dripping from his ugly mouth

She sits down at the steps of the Bordello entrance.

[11:09]  Gera Heliosense pats on the stone steps" wanna sit with me??"

[11:10]  Zeev Rootcreeper plops down on the stone step and smiles over at her "so Geer, oose gots boyfren waitn fer oo at home?" he grins at her

[11:12]  Gera Heliosense: She smiles and tilts her head:" Well...I don't really have a boyfriend. I had a husband...now i have a...hm...a lover I guess...he wants me to wear his collar"

[11:13]  Zeev Rootcreeper smiles a bit "oo gonna wear hes colger?"

[11:15]  Gera Heliosense sighs" Thats just the thing...I don't want to wear a collar....its....well...people see it and then...I don'r want to be a slave and all that...."

[11:16]  Zeev Rootcreeper nods slowly "oo dun aft ta do anyting oo dun wan too geer"

[11:16]  Zeev Rootcreeper: wut happen ta yer hoosban?

[11:18]  Gera Heliosense: "yes, I hope so Z...I really do...my husband...oh we seperated...kind of..he is still here on the island but I don't see him much...I am not sure what he thinks about me having this affair with the wolfman.

[11:20]  Zeev Rootcreeper scratches his head "the santaty of merage doesnt exist on dis island.. promisquiety and debauchery reign supreeem" he nods a bit

[11:24]  Zeev Rootcreeper continues "hee get ober ett... besides i bet he doin same ting! maybe eben wit da woof man!"

[11:24]  Gera Heliosense raises her eyebrows, well impressed and surprised about Z's sharp mind suddenly and how well he sees through it all:" You're certainly right Z....but for females its not as easy...and okay...I was collared, not maried...but we behaved like married people" She smiles with the memory of those happy days, then looks at him:" What???...Dunnagh with the wolfman??" she bursts into giggles:"no way"

[11:27]  Zeev Rootcreeper shrugs "behin cloos doors who knows what devious acts unfold." he winks at her with his less droopy eye "oo are yung and need exitement geer!"

[11:29]  Gera Heliosense stares at Z , her mouth open:" Wow..Z..and you told me you lost your smartness? And here you talk with a mind so sharp..." she winks back at him:" And what would you know about devious acts, hm?" she asks him teasing him but in a friendly way

[11:30]  Zeev Rootcreeper blinks blankly now scratching his head "wut? Zee knows enough"

[11:32]  Gera Heliosense observes him with open curiousity:" I never...thought...you..."she breaks off and stammers:" I mean...you...are so ..innocent..."

[11:34]  Zeev Rootcreeper just smiles and blinks at her "Zee es many tings.. Zee usta be hansom an smart... zee now uggy and stooopped"

[11:37]  Gera Heliosense: She looks at him wideeyed, then she quickly scans the surroundings and moves closer to him:" You were handsme? And smart? But...what happened to you? How did you become so...."she fights to find words that will not hurt him:" so unfortunate?"

[11:44]  Zeev Rootcreeper frowns a bit "zee have late set SHoy-ah-man's deseeese...and .. e wut et called... Arcuate fasciculus have been remoobed frum my braain"

[11:46]  Gera Heliosense cups her mouth in horror:"Oh god....when did that happen? Oh god Z!"

[11:48]  Kowin smiles waving to zeev and Geras as he walks into the bordello slowly.

[11:49]  Gera Heliosense nods to Kowin , then concentrates on Z again, her expression still horrofied and concerned

[11:49]  Zeev Rootcreeper shrugs a slightly "long tyme goo... dat why zee talk lye dis... Conbuction affasia...make et hard to talg... make me mess up my woords... and Zee not remember tings like he oosta..."

[11:51]  Gera Heliosense: She nods sadly and impulsivly she reaches out and takes his large hand in hers, not at all worried about any drooling right now" Maybe...its better that you don't remeber too much from your former life Z, maybe its...a blessing"

[11:52]  Gera Heliosense: ...and what is...uhm...shoyahman's desease?

[11:53]  Zeev Rootcreeper shrugs "Zee can nawt cange da pass... damae been dun to brain and dis is da new Zee.... hunched back... bad brain" he lets out a sigh and slumps forward a little bit

[11:54]  Zeev Rootcreeper looks at her then points at his hunch on his back "dats wut ett es"

[11:55]  Gera Heliosense: She frowns and then wraps her dainty arm around his hunched back and shoulders as far as she can reach, she leans in and kisses his shoulder"Oh Z...dear dear poor Z" she whispers, still holding his hand.

[11:58]  Zeev Rootcreeper reaches up and folds back his ear to show a large scar that ran behinds his ear. though it appeared to be quite old and had faded some it was hard to miss once it was spotted "dis where dey take Arcooate fascicooolus out.."

[12:02]  Gera Heliosense lifts her face and follows his finger when he shows his big scar. She nods slowly, reaches up too and runs her fingertip over the scar very gently:" and we always treat you like...like some...clown to entertain us with your awkward moves, your speech.....and we don't see the tragedy behind it all" Now tears well up in her eyes. She nods and rubs his shoulder.

[12:06]  Zeev Rootcreeper half smiles at her "dun cry fer Zee Geer. Zee es happy ta bee heer." he shrugs "dun tink any peebole know bout me... beyond da drool an all..."

[12:10]  Gera Heliosense: She quickly wipes a tear away and smiles at him with moist dark eyes:" Yes, nobody knows...I wonder if anybody ever asked about it...even I ...know you for such a long time and I never asked. She leans in and gives him a small innocent kiss on his soft cheek:" I am glad you feel happy here...you are a very brave man Zeev...I realize that now..."

12:13]  Zeev Rootcreeper smiles at her with his eyes beaming. his cheecks slightly fluch at the kiss and he gives a bashful look "aww dank oo Geer" he touches his chee where she had kissed him and grins "Zee naw brave... Zee just survive..."

[12:17]  Gera Heliosense: She shakes her head smiling warmly:"yes brave...and humble too....you know what? Next time I feel down in the dumbs...or feel sorry for myself..I will think of you....and how you survive and how you never complain...the true survivor" She looks at his drooling mouth and searches for a hanky but can not find one...