“The prosecution calls to the witness stand Mr. Cupid,” she announced and noticed that Yiftach had regained some of his color.
“Nothing but a spoiled brat,” Love murmured to herself.
“What was that, Miss?” Kedem asked.
“I said that he’s a spoiled brat!” Love repeated her words.
“Thank you,” Kedem said, clearly not comprehending her response.
A small boy stepped into the courtroom. Due to his short stature, the audience didn’t notice him at first. The chubby cherub-like child had pale skin, golden hair, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks that were ridiculously flushed. His lips were red and full. Stemming from his back two large wings with white feathers extended upwards and outwards. In one hand he held a large, dark brown bow and, in the other, a quiver of arrows. He was barefoot and walked scruffily, almost limping, to the front of the courtroom.
As Cupid stepped up and stood behind the witness stand that practically concealed him, he grumbled, “Very funny…”
“Bring him a stool!” Sabat ordered with satisfaction and disdain. This witness certainly won’t overshadow me and what happened with the king will not be repeated, he thought to himself. A pair of muscular, very rough-looking security guards brought the petite lad a metal ladder. Cupid climbed the ladder, which was a bit wet, causing him to slip off it and fall onto his back with a bang. If it weren’t for his wings that softened the fall, he would surely have suffered serious bodily harm. Sounds of panic, mixed mostly with laughter, rose from the audience but ended abruptly when Sabat raised his hand and smiled a wicked grin.
Cupid climbed the ladder once more, this time more cautiously, and set himself comfortably behind the stand. “I’m fed up with all this,” he mumbled.
“Excuse me?!” Melody reacted immediately, before Sabat could throw this obnoxious young boy out of the courtroom, but not before finding him in contempt of court. Such a ruling would surely be a fatal blow to the line of attack. “Calm down! You are not out on the street and this isn’t a chat with your friends. I suggest you show proper respect in this courtroom.” Melody’sauthoritative demeanor caused Cupid embarrassment and he returned a vacant look in her direction. “And now, would you please tell us how are you acquainted with the defendant? What kind of relationship do you have with her?”
“Employee-master...” the witness responded, purposely and defiantly short with words.
“Employee-employer,” Melody corrected him.
“Believe me, Sweetie, what I do for her is slavery.”
“What do you mean?” The young boy’s response took a direction that she liked.
“I mean that I work like a slave without any compensation.”
“Slow down, my young friend. Let’s take a step back and begin the story in an orderly fashion. Tell us, please, what does your typical workday with the defendant look like?”
“Generally speaking, I start work at around eight o’clock.”
“In the morning?”
“In the evening.”
“You start to work at eight o’clock in the evening?”
“But, of course, see? I don’t have a life. I toil night after night like a fiend. My employer always tells me that the demand for love is greater at night. That’s why she forces me to work those inhuman hours.”
“That seems okay as, after all, you aren’t a human…” Attorney Heart remarked from his seat.
“Yes, but on the other hand—I’m not a dog either. Anyway, generally speaking, until nine p.m. we hold a briefing.”
That’s an important point, Melody thought to herself. “What does that briefing entail? What exactly is said there?”
“It depends. Generally speaking, it’s always the same talk before I start my shift. My employer tells me who the targets are for that night, where they can be found, at what time and all that shit.”
“In other words, she is the one who plans everything and knows in advance who will fall in love with whom, where and when?”
“But, of course, see?”
“Yes, and where does your common sense enter into all this?”
“Generally speaking—it doesn’t,” he shrugged his shoulders, “she decides and I shoot. She is the commander and I’m the soldier. She’s the boss and I’m her subordinate. Get it?”
“Yes, but nonetheless, let’s assume that you reach the predetermined location.”
