Wonderful. Quiet and intimate and understated and wonderful. I love everything about this. You evoke such strong feelings with so few words. But still the shadows and scars of France and Spain...
Other parts of Archie's feet were numb. Dr Hornblower had said they might always be so. I had never thought about that, but I'm sure it must have been the case. (Once you know about these men you can never truly forget them can you?)
It is funny, isn't it that scars can hurt and be numb all at once. My c-sec scar is like that, and the ones from where I got shot.
And somehow, too, this is true of Archie's memories. They are both pain and numb spots.
Horatio's touch is the only one permitted. And it does help.
I know everyone compares Archie to a cat. And I really can see it-- a young lion I think. And animals do hate to have their feet messed with. Feet are what can carry to to safely, get you food. Damage to feet is life threat. I think Archie has a deep animal awareness of this. When he lets Horatio touch his feet that is a statement of trust.
This is a thing I have trouble making other people understand. I volunteer at a science fiction convention every year. One of the things the convention does for staff, along with providing meals, is to offer massages - I guess because they have enough trained volunteers to make this possible. Every year, someone will remind me to sign up for my turn to get one, and I have to explain that while it's a lovely idea, in practice letting anyone who's not on a very short list touch me is not going to relieve my stress.
And it's good that Horatio understands HOW. One time a well-meaning person who WAS on that short list tried to give me a foot rub, but they were putting too much pressure in some places and not ENOUGH on the worst spots, and I wound up shrieking and we had to call it off. :(
This is something not forbidden. I imagine this level of closeness was a great comfort to them both. It is a privilege to know another body so well. We each only get a few per lifetime I think. Horatio is making the most of it.
Made me remember something: When my son was little he asked me once why we put faces on the money, rather than some other body part. He wondered what G. Washington's feet looked like. It made me wonder,a t the time how many other humans I could pick out of a foot line-up. Not many. Hands I would do better, but still nothing compared to all the faces I know. Strange.
It goes almost without saying that I Love this very much - excpet of course I want to say it for sure :)
as someone who tends to go about bare foot or at least shoeless as often as I can because it helps my precarious balance to some extent I thought the importance of strong feet and the pain that the elements bring was realistically but elegaically conveyed here in that blend of closeness and observation that you have such a gift for.
and of course Horatio thought about knees = how could he not with you around :)
I am usually barefoot too. (Only indoors in Brooklyn, sadly.)
Writing this story really made me think about the animal nature of the human animal. I mean that in the best way. When Hazel hurt her leg, she was so worried. Somewhere inside she knew it made her less secure. And she hates to have her feet touched. Most dogs and cats do. Feet are too important to survival to be careless with.
So I used that with Archie. Archie was down to the animal core in prison, I think. He was just getting to the next breath, the next meal, the next day... So letting Horatio touch his feet is a huge demonstration of trust. Perhaps even more than letting Horatio into his pants.
letting Horatio touch his feet is a huge demonstration of trust. Perhaps even more than letting Horatio into his pants.
I am sure it is so - letting Horatio into his pants is trusting certainly but letting him tend to his feet is trusitng when there is far less distraction = shall we say = in the way and where all tat arises from it cannot be pushed away in the heat of the moment.
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Other parts of Archie's feet were numb. Dr Hornblower had said they might always be so.
I had never thought about that, but I'm sure it must have been the case. (Once you know about these men you can never truly forget them can you?)
he thought about knees
Yeah yeah.... ;)
Thank you. It's perfect.
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And somehow, too, this is true of Archie's memories. They are both pain and numb spots.
Horatio's touch is the only one permitted. And it does help.
I know everyone compares Archie to a cat. And I really can see it-- a young lion I think. And animals do hate to have their feet messed with. Feet are what can carry to to safely, get you food. Damage to feet is life threat. I think Archie has a deep animal awareness of this. When he lets Horatio touch his feet that is a statement of trust.
The knees-- well. Those are another matter.
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This is a thing I have trouble making other people understand. I volunteer at a science fiction convention every year. One of the things the convention does for staff, along with providing meals, is to offer massages - I guess because they have enough trained volunteers to make this possible. Every year, someone will remind me to sign up for my turn to get one, and I have to explain that while it's a lovely idea, in practice letting anyone who's not on a very short list touch me is not going to relieve my stress.
And it's good that Horatio understands HOW. One time a well-meaning person who WAS on that short list tried to give me a foot rub, but they were putting too much pressure in some places and not ENOUGH on the worst spots, and I wound up shrieking and we had to call it off. :(
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I love these intimate glimpses of the two of them, when they can't do more.
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Made me remember something: When my son was little he asked me once why we put faces on the money, rather than some other body part. He wondered what G. Washington's feet looked like. It made me wonder,a t the time how many other humans I could pick out of a foot line-up. Not many. Hands I would do better, but still nothing compared to all the faces I know. Strange.
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Hands I would do better
Me too. I had a real thing about hands when I was younger. I just couldn't help noticing them. Kinda like you with knees ;)
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- excpet of course I want to say it for sure :)
as someone who tends to go about bare foot or at least shoeless as often as I can because it helps my precarious balance to some extent I thought the importance of strong feet and the pain that the elements bring was realistically but elegaically conveyed here in that blend of closeness and observation that you have such a gift for.
and of course Horatio thought about knees = how could he not with you around :)
thank you
Reply
Writing this story really made me think about the animal nature of the human animal. I mean that in the best way. When Hazel hurt her leg, she was so worried. Somewhere inside she knew it made her less secure. And she hates to have her feet touched. Most dogs and cats do. Feet are too important to survival to be careless with.
So I used that with Archie. Archie was down to the animal core in prison, I think. He was just getting to the next breath, the next meal, the next day... So letting Horatio touch his feet is a huge demonstration of trust. Perhaps even more than letting Horatio into his pants.
Reply
I am sure it is so - letting Horatio into his pants is trusting certainly but letting him tend to his feet is trusitng when there is far less distraction = shall we say = in the way and where all tat arises from it cannot be pushed away in the heat of the moment.
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