A/N: This is a scene out of Jeff Smith’s Bone: Old Man’s Cave. In which Phoney Bone gets sick. Just my take on what happened during that time.

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Looking down upon him, Rose was surprise this was the same Phoney Bone. When this particular Bone opens his mouth, a spew of lies and selfish lines rang out. He is possibly the most materialistic and greedy person she has ever met in her life.

“How is he Jonathan?”

As the young man reached over to put another damp cloth on the Bone’s forehead, he says, “Not so good Granma’ Ben,” He winces. “I mean…your Majesty.”

Rose smiles sweetly. “You can still call me Granma’ Ben.”

Jonathan nods but still looks uneasy. “He needs stronger medicine your Majes- Granma. The herbs around here are not strong enough.”

Rose sighs. There’s a lot of things in Old Man’s Cave that they don’t have. Not enough food, clean water, blankets, so and so forth. “What does he need?”

Jonathan mulls this over. “On the way here, I saw a small patch of a herbal plant Phoney needs. If I can go and get it…”

“Absolutely not,” Rose said in her official voice. “There are too many rat creatures roaming these parts.”

“But Granma…if Phoney doesn’t get this medicine, I can’t guarantee he’ll live another night.”

Rose looks to the Bone again. Phoney twists and turns in a frightful sleep, his brow wet with sweat and his cheeks red from fever. Every few seconds he coughs hard and struggles to breath.

Rose sighs again. “All right. Only if you have an escort. Bring two of the monks with you.”

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If she wanted, Rose could’ve easily gotten another person to watch over Phoney. Unfortunately, she knew if she gotten one of the villagers, he might want revenge on the small Bone.

“You’re certainly a strange one,” Rose said as she patted him down with cool water. “Why do you try so hard?”

Phoney’s head rocked from side to side. In a breathless groan, he hissed, “Orphans…”

Rose blinked. Most of Phoney’s speech has been nothing but ramblings and incoherent gurgles. Did he answer her question or was this some random speech?

Curious now, she asks, “You’re an orphan, Phoney?”

At first he doesn’t answer. He then opens his red and tired eyes; unable to focus on Rose, he breathes, “Yeah…”

Rose’s eyes go soft. Was that the truth? Or was he lying to her again? He was Fone Bone’s cousin, so he must have some good qualities to him. She feels she has to ask. “Is that the truth Phoney?”

Phoney shakes his head from side to side. He wasn’t saying no; it’s just the fever affecting him. He speaks slowly. “Not…really c-cousins. Met at orphanage…Fone…was only four and Smiley…seven. I was the-the oldest…”

During that time, I was also the tallest. Smiley didn’t hit his growth till he was fourteen. I can’t really tell you what happened to all of our real parents. None of us know. Most orphans don’t.

The main problem with the orphanage is the lack of funds. There is never enough. Never enough to fix the toilets, never enough for more food, never enough for a decent pair of shoes.

Hell, I don’t even know how those two Bones became my “cousins.” It just happened. And Fone Bone was so small…how was he going to grow if he didn’t get enough to eat?

So I did what I had to do. Steal in order to eat. Cheat in order to make money. I was never going to let my cousin or I to go hungry again. Not if I can help it.

Rose leaned back, cupping a hand around her mouth. Is that the reason why the little runt is so manipulative? Because even now, after years out of that orphanage, he is still looking after his cousins? He’s not doing it for himself…he’s doing it for them.

And he doesn’t even realize it.

She grins. “Well Phoney, I guess your heart is pure after all. It’s just a shame your brain isn’t.”