Redmarsh Town
Redmarsh was a small, misty town about half a day's walk from Norbury, hidden in the shadow of the hills and pine woods.It was named after the red-dirt bog that surrounded it.The fog hung like a blanket over the streets in the morning, clinging stubbornly to the rotten tiles of the wooden houses with the rain.
The town was small but crowded.The narrow cobbled streets echoed with the sound of boots walking between the rain-rusted gutters.The houses seemed to be painted in different shades of grey, most of them with misted windows and time-worn doors.There was an old church in the centre, a small bakery and a few shops next to it.But the heart of the town was a coaching inn.
'The Hollow Fox Inn' was the most important building in the town.
The Hollow Fox Inn was located near the entrance to the town, behind a small courtyard surrounded by stone walls, not very fancy, but a good resting place for travellers, travellers and vagabonds.The exterior was built of stone, the window sills were made of dark brown wood, and the sign hanging at the entrance carried the name in faded letters: The Hollow Fox.
Upstairs, at the end of a narrow corridor reached by wooden stairs, were a few small rooms, cold but clean, the linen plain, the beds old.
Through the windows you could see the misty streets of Redmarsh and the black trees at the head of the marsh in the distance.
Jun was now in one of these marsh-view rooms at The Hollow Fox, but he seemed to be unconscious, standing motionless in the centre of the room.
Levi... had come after him. He had stood before him in that deserted alley in the darkness of the night and said, 'You're not the only one who can't control himself'. Then he had dragged her to this inn without saying anything. At the entrance of the inn, he asked for a room for the two of them, after introducing himself, he introduced Jun as his assistant.They had come to this town to look after a patient and had no place to stay.The innkeeper gave them a look and gave them the room they wanted. A brown-haired boy wearing a black long jacket and looking homeless (Levi had given the jacket to Jun before entering the inn) and a man in black trousers and a shirt, who introduced himself as a doctor, without a handbag.Fortunately, the innkeeper did not care much about them and sent them to their rooms.
They were now in one of the cold rooms of The Hollow Fox Inn.Jun was standing motionless in the centre of the room, weighing what had happened in his mind, while Levi had lit the small fireplace and the kerosene lamp in the room.
Levi brought two chairs in front of the fireplace and sat himself in one and Jun in the other.Jun took off his jacket and quietly came and sat in the chair allocated to him.
Jun was the first to speak:
-'Levi, why are you here?' said Jun.
-'What did you mean by not being able to control yourself?' said Levi.
-'I... well...' said Jun. How could he explain his feelings, they were both men and Levi deserved much better than him, besides, Levi only pitied Jun.
While Jun was thinking this, Levi was looking at Jun and waiting for an answer to his question.
- 'I,' Jun continued, 'it's been almost five months since I met you Levi, I still remember the first day we met, at first I thought you were rude because you were rude to me, but then I realised that you were actually kind and considerate, and during these few months I stayed with you, every time I looked at you a warm sun shone inside me, I was so wrapped up in you that everything was like a dream. When I was living on the street I used to have happy dreams, you know when you had a full stomach, your bed was cosy, your family was happy, but this time it was always you, your secret smile, your caring gestures... But that day I realised, the day you stopped kissing me, that these were just dreams, impossible dreams... At first I was very angry with you, but then I realised that after all, I was a beggar from the street, it was normal that you didn't want me to be with you... Even though it hurt, you were right, I should have left that day, I should have left before all this happened. As you said, I'm a temporary person, I can't stay with you forever, but I would love to stay with you, have breakfast with you, talk about books... I'd love to... but first the law is against it, you know it's forbidden for two men to have such feelings for each other, that's why I love you Levi, my feelings for you may be childish, stupid and inappropriate...
But don't worry, I know you don't feel anything for me, you're just upset, so please don't force yourself to help me, I don't want to disturb your comfort,' Jun finished.
-'How do you know?' said Levi.
-'Know what?' said Jun.
Levi took a deep breath, put his head in his hands and began to speak like someone who had been waiting to speak for a long time:
-'How many beggars do you think there are in Norbury Jun, do I look like the kind of person who would pity and help them all? That day, the day I brought you from the street to the clinic, I didn't understand what happened to me, I found myself on the street with my hand outstretched to you, then we came to the clinic, the more I got to know you, the more you helped me, the more I realised that this feeling was not pity, I'm 24 Jun, I can understand the difference between pitying someone and having other feelings. You became a different person to me, even though we hardly spoke for a few months.(Levi looked up at the end of his sentence and continued speaking, looking at Jun).
I know what the law says, so I've been trying to distance myself from you, trying to get it into my head that you're only temporary, that there's nothing going to happen between us, but everything I've been saying has been the opposite...
Giving up kissing you... was the hardest thing I've done in the last few years... giving up when I was so close to you, so close to your eyes... (Levi took a deep breath again and continued)
I love you too... we can be very difficult. If you want to go, you can go.
My heart is beating so fast that I can't even think straight. I can't even form a proper sentence right now,' Levi finally said.
He knew what he was doing, he knew what this decision would bring him, but this boy, Jun, was messing with his heart.
Jun had listened to Levi carefully. Levi loved him too, but he'd said it might be difficult.
-'I've always had a hard time until this age, but you're a doctor, Levi, your patients may turn their backs on you, it may be harder for you,' Jun said. He was thinking about Levi before himself.
-'I love you,' Levi said again.
-'I won't go anywhere, but if you find it too hard, if you get tired of me or if you don't like me anymore, please tell me, I'll leave you alone' Jun said.
After he finished, he got up from his chair, leaned down on his knees next to the chair Levi was sitting in, put his head on Levi's chest and hugged him tightly, Levi put his arms around Jun and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
-'I love you,' Jun said again.
-'Hmm, I know,' Levi said, his voice smiling.