Leo was strange from early morning.
Absent, annoyed, uneasy.
His mom did not like it, neither did his schoolteacher.
Neither did his therapist.
So, instead of working with Leo,
he put him on his back and started massaging his aching belly.
With his hands the therapist felt something that he did not like.
Something that was clearly visible.
-Go and see the doctor - said the therapist
It crossed mom’s head that it could have been an “N”
- the vicious “N” that nests in the child’s belly,
and is particularly dangerous to all Ondine Curse children.

-Please come - said the doctor on the phone at Children’s Memorial Health Institute.
So Leo and Leomom hurried to the clinic.
On the way there they listened to a radio programme
on financial support for cancer patients.
The entrance to the building reeked of cigarette smoke,
the hospital corridor - of disinfectants.
Everything was awfully familiar.
Registration, general tests, urinary test, C-reactive protein, abdominal ultrasound.
A sad corridor, sad walls with sad cartoon characters
unsuccessfully trying to cheer up the queue of patients.
All test results were delivered to Leo’s family within one hour.
Great results - the alarm turned out to be false.
The siren blaring inside mom’s was turned off.

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