Snow Globe by LE Franks

Author:LE Franks [Franks, LE]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf

THEY’D WORKED their way through a couple of steaks and a bottle of wine before either of them was brave enough to start. As it turned out, Tyr’s status as a presumed Nordic hero of old was more than paper-deep.

“Were you counting back there? You count, right? I read that somewhere.”

“You read up on me?” Icy fingers scratched, picking away at Kris’s control. He swallowed a breath and waited for the other shoe to drop.

“Not you especially. I took a couple of elective psychology courses when I got my engineering degree at Northwestern. Mainly because of Bun; I wanted to understand what happened to her.”

“And did it help?”

“Nope. Bun’s problem was hardware, not software. Aunt Grace suffered complications during delivery that deprived Bun of oxygen, causing permanent brain damage. In some respects she has the full cognitive range of any adult, maybe a little lower on the scale, but normal. In other areas, emotional intelligence and the like, Bun is a six-year-old. And that’s the rub. Balancing those two intelligences well enough that Bun lives a full and happy life.”

At some point Kris had resumed breathing. Tyr didn’t look sad or upset. It was the matter-of-fact air settling across his broad shoulders that loosed Kris’s tongue for the first time in years.

“My problem is all software, just a glitch in the programming that I’ve found work-arounds for. So yeah, I count. I breathe and count, and then by the time I reach zero, I’m usually back in control. Never normal, just… my brain is quiet again.”

“What’s it like when you’re listing words?” Tyr caught Kris’s hesitation, and his voice dropped low. “Is this okay… asking you these questions?” Tyr leaned over the table, capturing the fingers fluttering at the ends of Kris’s hands—he hadn’t noticed the agitation working its way out of his body while his mouth was otherwise occupied.

“If your consciousness is a stream, then this thing I have—my unleashed brain—is like a snag in the water, collecting random thoughts one after another until finally something comes along to break the blockage free. More than anything it’s just embarrassing. It reveals my deepest thoughts and secrets. Sometimes I hate it, like the first time you came into my shop. That was a very bad moment on top of a very bad day. The thought that I might’ve hurt Bun or Eddie just kills me.” Kris had to jerk his hands free and shove his chair as far back as he could safely go.

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