Porez was lying on the dental chair, staring up at the large magnifying glass and the bright white light. The doctor, in his blue gown, was sitting on the three legged high stool, mask over his nose and mouth, staring through his glasses into Porez' mouth.
Dr Akerman felt ashamed being in a room with Porez. He was a man of thirty six years of age. Porez was a boy of fourteen. And, the one fallen back was him.
He sighed, turned off the light and pushed away. He returned to his seat behind the table. Pores got up and sat in the chair across the table.
"It's the same," the doctor said.
Porez stared unblinkingly.
The doctor sighed in defeat. He knew what he had to do. And he knew what would follow. It was why he hated his job, his education and himself when sitting across Porez.
"Your teeth are fine. But I suggest you cut down on the cookies. Please."
There was no change in Porez' face, but his gaze couldn't seem more different to the doctor. It was as if rays of intense heat were shooting out of the eyes, toward the doctor.
"Please," the doctor repeated.
The doctor knew what the please was for. He hoped Porez understood as well. Porez never spoke, and his face was an expressionless slab of stone, so the doctor could never know what was underneath the face.
Porez shook his head lightly. And stayed seated.
The doctor would never forget the first time. He saw Porez as an ordinary fourteen year old boy. He was surprised that a teenager came alone. The dentist wasn't someone children visited fondly. He assumed Porez liked his individuality, and didn't ask about it. He assumed Porez' silence was because Porez liked quiet. He appreciated the boy's calm. He looked at Porez' teeth, noticed the crumbs in the gaps and knew what he had to tell the boy.
"You like cookies?" He asked.
Porez showed no response.
"I know," the doctor said smilingly. "Cookies are yummy. But you must cut down on them. Eat a little less. Otherwise your teeth are fine."
He was looking at the boy's face as he stopped. He was doubting his eyes. There was no change in the boy's face, and yet it looked very different. The boy's eyes were the same blank all along, and yet he felt like he was being glared at. Most troublingly, he felt disconcerted by the fourteen year old boy.
He didn't know much, but he knew the boy was from the temple. A few priests of the city were his patients. One of them had introduced the boy. He thought the boy was just a child of the temple. And that made him feel ashamed at being intimidated by the silent boy.
"Listen to me," he started to say severely. "Cookies are bad."
He couldn't finish. He made the mistake of pointing at the boy with a finger while dismissing cookies.
Porez grabbed the finger and squeezed.
The doctor felt like his finger was being crushed. The words got caught in his throat. The breath halted in his nose. The eyes froze in shock. The lips were pursed between the teeth. The struggle to keep in the scream was painful. Porez let go after a couple of seconds, but the pain lasted longer.
The thirty six year old man could swear without shame, it was the most pain he had ever suffered.
He learnt several valuable lessons that day.
1. Fourteen year olds could be terrifying.
2. Cookies were no less dangerous than dynamite.
3. Children of the temple could be innately violent.
4. Most important of all, as a doctor he must never be severe toward any patient.
He was reminded of the lessons every time he saw Porez. Truthfully, he didn't want to be Porez' doctor. He was too frightened to say anything. He prayed for as long as Porez was present, and he always kept his fingers safely enclosed in fists.
The half minute Porez sat staring at the doctor felt extremely long to the older man. He sighed in relief as Porez finally nodded and left. The doctor sent Porez off with silence.
Porez' face was the same wooden as he left the clinic. Going left, it was a ten minute walk to the temple. Going right, was longer by three times. There was no hesitation as he walked right. After five minutes, he walked into a bakery. As he stood in front of the glass cabinet displaying the many kinds of cookies, his eyes flickered. An invisible ghost of a smile floated on his lips.
He bought a bag of several kinds of cookies, and walked out. His steps were slow as he headed back. His attention was almost entirely on the cookies, on relishing every crumb of every cookie.
When he returned, uncle Sam was sitting in the courtyard with uncle Klaus. To everyone else, they were priests. Porez had been in the temple all his life. To him, the priests were all uncles and aunts. Uncle Sam was the priest of the temple he called home. And uncle Klaus was uncle Sam's best friend.
"Got you something," Klaus said, as Porez sat with them.
Porez accepted the small bag easily, and opened it knowing what was inside. The priests smiled as they saw Porez' eyes light up. Others might not be able to see, but how could they not? They had been Porez' guardians since forever.
"I told you about the new bakery on the 47th street, remember?" Klaus said. "It's popular. I heard they make great cookies. The almond crescent moon cookies are supposed to be their specialty. Tell me if you like them. I'll send some more over."
Porez took a bite, and closed his eyes as he relished the cookie. That was all the confirmation Klaus needed.
The priests sat watching Porez enjoy the cookies. Porez didn't offer them any, and they didn't think of asking. They knew Porez would never share his cookies. Also, they were happier watching, knowing that they couldn't possibly relish the cookies the same. And so, eating cookies in the company of Porez felt like they were blaspheming the delicious cookies.
Porez stopped after the third cookie. Uncle Klaus didn't need a reason to bring him cookies. But he could see that uncle Klaus had a request to make. And since uncle Klaus got him such delicious cookies, he would naturally agree.
Klaus saw Porez looking at him, and knew he had the boy's attention. He cleared his throat, and began.
"I need your help. The governor's daughter got possessed. She went to some party with her friends, at some old farm. An ekhto caught onto her. At least, that's what we opined when we were called over. She displays all the classic symptoms of an ekhto possession. But the exorcism failed. The ekhto, if it is at all an ekhto, is very different. I could use your help during the next attempt."
Porez blinked.
Klaus smiled delightedly. Porez' spiritual reservoir was among the largest recorded. It was the most essential criteria for being selected into the black chapter of the temple. Porez was one of the younger members of the black chapter. As far as Klaus and Sam were concerned, Porez was also the most powerful in the black chapter.
The black chapter was the arm of the temple that dealt with cases of possession and conducted exorcisms. Also, Klaus was friends with the governor's cousin, which was why he went over immediately after the governor called. He failed the first time, but he was certain of success, with Porez present.