Devin
Devin was twelve years old when it happened, It being the event that changed the course of his life so permanently. No, it wasn’t what he did, but the words that he had spoken after he did it. Thinking back on it now, he sees only a couple of little things that got fucked up just enough to ruin his life. Beating that boy nearly to death was the least of it. Saying what he said to the cops, that’s when he fucked up, that’s what landed him in a state run institution until some half competent city lawyer named Barnes got him released at nearly sixteen years old. A lawyer that never even looked him in the eye but got him released when it became apparent the state never filled out a quarter of the paperwork that would keep him locked away.
Yesterday Devin wasn’t sure if Barns had read the cops official statements. If he did read them, it never showed. Barnes was young, unmarried, and putting on a little too much weight for his age. His voice was deeper then you would expect, but it just seemed to drone on in the judge’s office about incorrect procedures, juvenile rights violations, and incompetent something or other. Devin realized immediately that the lawyer was unimportant. Instead Devin stared at the Judge. The Judge was the man who would make the call. The Judge would decide. Devin watched him as he reviewed the paperwork, Devin’s “File”, and he saw the precise moment when the Judge read the words the cops had written. The Judge then looked directly at Devin. Without moving his eyes away, he asked that the bailiff take Devin out of his office so he could have a private word with the city lawyer. The Judge did not sound pleased.
Nothing was said as Devin stood, turned around and moved to the door, the bailiff moved up close behind him, but didn’t touch him. The door closed with a noticeable click, leaving him alone with the bailiff and the Judge alone with Barnes. Through the door Devin could still hear the judge start, “I am a little concerned about these notes from the arresting…” he could hear no more as the bailiff moved him down the hallway. Devin settled his thoughts after being gently pushed into a chair some 20 yards away from the office. While he waited he started playing math games in his head, adding numbers together starting with zero plus one.
He then immediately starting adding the answers to the last previous number:
One plus One
One plus Two
Two plus Three
Three plus Five
Five plus Eight
Eight plus Thirteen
From about the time he was Seven years old this was a trick he used often to settle his mind. He had memorized a good chunk of the sequence he later learned was called the Fibonacci numbers from zero well into the billions. For a long time he just repeated the same ones over and over again. Only over the last few months, did he start trying to get to the next number up from the number he stopped on the last time he played. He had learned about Fibonacci from a math book he managed to get, and to hide, at the institution. Fibonacci was the man who first published this concept series of numbers and had used breeding rabbits to illustrate the point.
It amused Devin and as he counted to imagine with extreme realism, rabbits appearing the floor in front of him - matching the numbers in his head. The rabbits would materialize at his feet, filling the hallway until there was no more room and they starting appearing on top of each other, keeping pace with the numbers he calculated. The imaginary rabbits were soon crushing each other, the earliest ones broken, stiff with eyes glazing over, the newer rabbits starting to make hissing noises as they were buried by their own instant offspring. He saw the bailiff trying to move away but getting pushed into the wall by the flurry of furry bodies and quickly the bailiff was crushed into the wall until there was not enough room to breath and blood streamed down his face, coming from the corners of his horrified eyes. Just as the man in uniform died nearly without a sound, the door at the end of the hall opened and the Judge motioned to the bailiff to bring Devin back.
Devin rose and followed the bailiff back down the hallway.
Yesterday Devin wasn’t sure if Barns had read the cops official statements. If he did read them, it never showed. Barnes was young, unmarried, and putting on a little too much weight for his age. His voice was deeper then you would expect, but it just seemed to drone on in the judge’s office about incorrect procedures, juvenile rights violations, and incompetent something or other. Devin realized immediately that the lawyer was unimportant. Instead Devin stared at the Judge. The Judge was the man who would make the call. The Judge would decide. Devin watched him as he reviewed the paperwork, Devin’s “File”, and he saw the precise moment when the Judge read the words the cops had written. The Judge then looked directly at Devin. Without moving his eyes away, he asked that the bailiff take Devin out of his office so he could have a private word with the city lawyer. The Judge did not sound pleased.
Nothing was said as Devin stood, turned around and moved to the door, the bailiff moved up close behind him, but didn’t touch him. The door closed with a noticeable click, leaving him alone with the bailiff and the Judge alone with Barnes. Through the door Devin could still hear the judge start, “I am a little concerned about these notes from the arresting…” he could hear no more as the bailiff moved him down the hallway. Devin settled his thoughts after being gently pushed into a chair some 20 yards away from the office. While he waited he started playing math games in his head, adding numbers together starting with zero plus one.
He then immediately starting adding the answers to the last previous number:
One plus One
One plus Two
Two plus Three
Three plus Five
Five plus Eight
Eight plus Thirteen
From about the time he was Seven years old this was a trick he used often to settle his mind. He had memorized a good chunk of the sequence he later learned was called the Fibonacci numbers from zero well into the billions. For a long time he just repeated the same ones over and over again. Only over the last few months, did he start trying to get to the next number up from the number he stopped on the last time he played. He had learned about Fibonacci from a math book he managed to get, and to hide, at the institution. Fibonacci was the man who first published this concept series of numbers and had used breeding rabbits to illustrate the point.
It amused Devin and as he counted to imagine with extreme realism, rabbits appearing the floor in front of him - matching the numbers in his head. The rabbits would materialize at his feet, filling the hallway until there was no more room and they starting appearing on top of each other, keeping pace with the numbers he calculated. The imaginary rabbits were soon crushing each other, the earliest ones broken, stiff with eyes glazing over, the newer rabbits starting to make hissing noises as they were buried by their own instant offspring. He saw the bailiff trying to move away but getting pushed into the wall by the flurry of furry bodies and quickly the bailiff was crushed into the wall until there was not enough room to breath and blood streamed down his face, coming from the corners of his horrified eyes. Just as the man in uniform died nearly without a sound, the door at the end of the hall opened and the Judge motioned to the bailiff to bring Devin back.
Devin rose and followed the bailiff back down the hallway.
Peace
Paul
posted by Peyote @ 3:53 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
"Then what did they do?" Hee. Rock on my creative playmate!
This is very good.
Thanks, ill post more in a few days..
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