Conversation · Lilienne's Twin

The stone-kicker laughs suddenly. His head is too large for his shoulders.

The other one laughs as well.

Maybe there's some kind of reason why they're laughing? An interesting reason somehow tied to the case!

I don't care.

The boy keeps laughing. Then he bows down to inspect the rock as though there's something noteworthy about it.

"What are you laughing about?"

The boy stops laughing and looks at his toes.

Oh, okay. So now he's shy. Now he's not talking, just wobbling around like he's afraid of something.

You will never get an answer. That's how it is with these little idiots.

Wow, so intellectually stimulating.

The stone-kicking isn't even of very high calibre. Anyone can do that.

"I heard you kids sometimes play in the abandoned Feld building?"

"What's a Feld building?" one of the twins asks with a shrug.

"Nah, we don't go anywhere, nah," the other mumbles.

"I dunno what you're talking about." The boy stuffs his hands deep into his pockets and kicks another rock.

"He dunno what you're talking about." The other nods.

"Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"He dunno what you're talking about," the first kid says loudly. Or you think it's the first kid -- it could be the second.

"I dunno what you're talking about," the other kid nods along.

"You're not helping me.."

"Ha ha, I dunno what you're talking about." One of the boys shrugs his shoulders and starts laughing.

It's a purposefully shrill laugh. Like he's practised it for the express purpose of annoying people.

Are there actually two of them? Are you sure you're not just hallucinating or seeing double?

"Bye." [Leave.]

"Bye." [Leave.]

"Kids, has anything strange happened lately?"

"Uhm..." The boy turns a rock over in his hand. "We heard bad words and said them, and got in trouble..."

"Real quick, boys -- where were you when you heard the voices?"

"There." The boy points toward one of the ruined monoliths nearby.

"We were there." The other child nods. The Feld building looms overhead.

"Hah! I knew it!"

"Uh-huh!" one says, throwing a rock into the sand.

"Full circle." The lieutenant smiles to himself. "Back to Feld, then. When you're ready."

The boy turns the rock over in his hands. He looks to you, then his brother, then back to you.

"And so I return to thee, Feld."

"Thanks, kids."

"Bye kids, take care." [Leave.]

"Is little Lily your sister?" (Point to the house.)

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"That's it? You're being laconic about it?"

It doesn't look like he knows what that means.

The scruffy-haired little boy kicks a stone. He can't be more than five years old.

The other one looks indistinguishable from him. He watches his brother kick the stone with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Why does he have to be such a binoclard? It's just a funny word!

Preach it, brother! Spread the good word fuck all over town!