Maddog & The Pope (Learning to fly on Broken Wings) - Prologue. Prologue

Dedicated to a young man of more than unbounded beauty, that would’ve made Cecco dal Caravaggio pale in comparison, and with a smile like spring sunlight, who happens to be a very talented and promising street art painter in Berlin and who inspired me to write this story by being the model for what became Niki.

I kept my promise: nothing “comical” came from it!

Thank you for all the trust you had in me.

Learning to fly on broken wings

Halting between two worlds

Your soul is screaming out loud

While your heart sings

Burning bridges, cutting the ties

Smoke screens covering your tracks

Wishing with all of your heart

That you can stop telling lies

Striving for the unreachable sun

Soaring high, crashing deep

Once you hit rock bottom

You can only weep.

Then you need that comforting arm

The hand that wipes away your tears

The eyes that understand you

The kiss that takes away your fears

Prologue

The Aeroflot machine from Moscow-Sheremetyevo touched down on the runway of Hamburg International Airport and began to reduce speed. At the end of the runway it turned onto one of the many taxiways and rolled majestically towards the assigned terminal building.

Once docked, the passengers started to stream out. Among them was a man in his early forties who carried a Maxi-Cosey with a baby in it. It was an extremely beautiful little boy with soft, tufty raven-black hair on his small head and large dark eyes. Eyes that seemed to absorb all the world around him with greed, despite his very young age. His little hands grasped at the air and judging by the cooing cries of joy he seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly, captivated by what he saw.

One would expect the man to be accompanied by a woman, but he walked with a sullen face all alone at a brisk pace to the luggage conveyor, not looking like a happy father at all. He placed the Maxi-Cosey briefly on the floor, collected a suitcase, picked the Maxi-Cosey up again, without speaking a word of comfort to the child, and paced to the taxi stand outside the terminal building.

He hailed one of the taxis, gave the suitcase to the driver and sat down on the back seat, the Maxi- Cosey beside him. The only words he spoke were the address, that he gave the driver.

The driver nodded in confirmation, started the vehicle and drove towards the city of Hamburg.