The Innocent's Story

Maximilian's day - morning -

Awoken by the annoying electronic device that monitored his heartbeat when worn, Maximilian rose from his bed and dressed after the morning routine. The beginning day promised to be a hot one so his running outfit would soon cling to him despite all the enhanced sweat-soaking promises on the label. The priest pressed the button on his running shoes to tie them automatically and slapped on his wrist-exercise band. He grabbed a few power bars and a sports drink, stuffed them into his belly-pouch and left his tiny apartment. His neighbour, a grumpy old soldier who was convinced the military should rule alone, greeted him with the usual insult that the priests should all go to hell. Max replied with his usual 'I prefer running' and started doing so, from the moment he left the apartment building. He jogged twice around the block to warm up, then he turned into the long, long street that would bring him to his church. Along the road there were other churches, this was a church district after all, but Max didn't stop for sight-seeing. He checked his wrist-device and was pleased to find his heart-beat in the green range. After turning thirty a few weeks ago, he had been worried his fitness would decline, but to his pleasure he found he still had the stamina of a wolf. Max smiled at this thought. A priest viewing himself as a wolf rather than a shepherd, was probably a new one. Still smiling he ran on, until he bumped into somethig hard and found himself sitting on his backside. Looming over him was a slim, well-trained man in his thirties who extended a hand to help the priest get up again. Max took the hand and let the stranger pull him up. Suddenly a shiver ran through his whole body and he heard a male, rather hoarse voice whispering: "You have been touched by the Innocent."

Standing alone on the side-walk, Max blinked and looked around in confusion. There was no sign of the man he had run into, he had disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. The priest shrugged, thinking maybe the fellow had gotten ashamed and ran away at high speed. Who wouldn't after sprouting such a misleading line? Max went red for a second after he remembered that if things had turned out differently, it could have been very well him standing there by the streets, fishing for customers...