“You do,” I assured him quite calmly. “That is why I am here.”133Please respect copyright.PENANA9CHNrOGnvh
“How are you acquainted with any of them?” He asked quite seriously, and only133Please respect copyright.PENANAjq6WE09PXe
then did his eyes seem to notice my hair, which was blue all over except for its still133Please respect copyright.PENANAOELvg834cW
black tips. “You’re quite the odd one.” He admitted, while he was far from what anyone133Please respect copyright.PENANAeoCkSnwtKn
would deem as ´normal´. “And I do not need my bigger glasses to see that.”133Please respect copyright.PENANAsKCoT3H2mT
“Here. This is for you,” I tried to hand him my big notebook, the one that had been133Please respect copyright.PENANAygPSJ2q3Oy
resting safely beside me. Almost falling out of it was a whole compendium of drawings133Please respect copyright.PENANAB7K7AwOTmd
and other poorly attached notes. “Father wanted you to have it.” I nudged it towards133Please respect copyright.PENANAbLjETKuwsl
him. “He also wanted me to go with you.”133Please respect copyright.PENANAz2UZmeubcO
“Father, you say?” He cautiously asked as he refused the offer, “I am afraid I will have133Please respect copyright.PENANA3QECp1v56u
to doubt that. You see little one, I am not one with many friends, let alone associates.”133Please respect copyright.PENANAma1EVHDHvw
He then took a few steps back “No, you must be mistaken. But fret not, you may133Please respect copyright.PENANA33c4OWB6SJ
accompany me back to my place, if you so wish of course. After all, it is not proper to133Please respect copyright.PENANAnzqES59qAp
leave one so small and meek behind, especially in a place like this. Old Gorliochi over133Please respect copyright.PENANAkfF4NSE0A9
there,” His eyes went straight towards that beast; this one was completely relaxed even133Please respect copyright.PENANAl2ADxiZUyw
if its jaws kept finding one thing or another to chew on, “he can easily carry the both133Please respect copyright.PENANAN9rfQ73dZg
of us for as long as necessary. He has been with me for many seasons now, lending a133Please respect copyright.PENANAd5lFbfTVcu
hand in the carrying of all sorts of things.”133Please respect copyright.PENANAVSHsmGpCLP
He smiled, but it was a ruse that could not hope to work on the likes of one such as133Please respect copyright.PENANAyJ2tV7OwcQ
me. “Like all sorts of flowers and fungi that I so often like to come and find in these133Please respect copyright.PENANAiYAv2ZMYl6
parts... Or even -”133Please respect copyright.PENANAwFlLmb0QQT
“You are no mere flower picker or mushroom gatherer.” I said as I kept forcing that133Please respect copyright.PENANAgMeZ1Kxenq
notebook onto him. “Go on, take it. You are the Thinker-Tinker, and you are meant133Please respect copyright.PENANAoQMQL7stEu
to read it.”133Please respect copyright.PENANAEwfeADeVaa
A short silence stood between the two of us ...133Please respect copyright.PENANAfXeNxfFRQK
“Your father, who is he then?” He eventually asked, even if his interests appeared133Please respect copyright.PENANA4h1DEzEOSu
to be dwindling the more he was going through those notes and drawings, “I know133Please respect copyright.PENANAhtg2O5vhFU
many of the names inscribed here.” He kept confessing, as he tipped his glasses just133Please respect copyright.PENANAk9wcS1npF9
in time to prevent them from falling off his curved nose; and then he looked at me133Please respect copyright.PENANA5yv3AmnGsc
with refulgent eyes: “Some of these people, they are in these drawings of yours as well!133Please respect copyright.PENANAaqjRlYK1JP
And this man here; a Kharn. He is my friend. A dear one.”133Please respect copyright.PENANAp8mZYt4hcb
“That is Father,” I said to his amazement ...133Please respect copyright.PENANA5GlB4bQM4h
A long pause took over his person.133Please respect copyright.PENANACl5dTaR1v7
Many of his past fears but also promises came to haunt him, and without a133Please respect copyright.PENANA7CqfwoRNkf
moment’s notice, his head became occupied with all sorts of questions and possibilities.133Please respect copyright.PENANAEmAoP9nNwa
There were so many ´If ’s´ and ´Buts´ and ´What’s´ swirling in his mind - and in133Please respect copyright.PENANAvEqVjgfCNt
the end all I heard him think to himself was: “This is likely to bring me quite the133Please respect copyright.PENANAvtr1LtFHx5
unwanted trouble, but if there is any chance of truth to it, at all; of a real connection133Please respect copyright.PENANAgz6Q4QCmLY
between this little one and that ol’ fool... What choice do I have?”133Please respect copyright.PENANAtGRnjUPoH4
“Who are you girl?” his eyes swelled up as he confronted me again, “and how did133Please respect copyright.PENANAfWUUxJUOWC
you get your hands on all this?”133Please respect copyright.PENANACh7DHeYvmt
“As I said, all of it was wrought by my hand.”133Please respect copyright.PENANAZcejC2b4fQ
“You wrote...” His eyes travelled between note and drawing alike “all this?133Please respect copyright.PENANAPJdtLYgHQD
What made you do such a thing?” He asked with his eyes now trembling with133Please respect copyright.PENANAlNexn96oSY
restlessness.133Please respect copyright.PENANAqygl5GAoDE
“And then you will read it?”133Please respect copyright.PENANABRqzNLc6Sh
“Oh, I most definitely will. The spark of curiosity has already been lit inside me.”133Please respect copyright.PENANA9aVhjA2gj9
He then reassured me further, “My interest has already peaked way past the point of133Please respect copyright.PENANA0TsfBTSz76
arousal, don’t you worry.” And after he weighed all of it with both hands; “But I will133Please respect copyright.PENANA1uTF8jbePK
have to do so back at my place. You understand that this is quite a lot to go through?”133Please respect copyright.PENANAAhDd4mhgOa
“Quite,” I replied after I added a few extra notes I had on my person.133Please respect copyright.PENANAVkNv61LgOq
“Besides, I don’t have my reading glasses on me.” He added somewhat flippantly133Please respect copyright.PENANAfacEMP7eSn
“I mean why would I bring them; you know? It’s not like I get to meet little girls133Please respect copyright.PENANAEv0SL8LuAP
carrying tomes for me regularly.”133Please respect copyright.PENANACztWnPTfPh
I nodded in concordance, and then he suggested we should make haste. Insisting, as133Please respect copyright.PENANAcW0xODRaA4
we made our way to that beast, that I should tell him, or rather prepare him, for what133Please respect copyright.PENANA9GUEB6UEmB
could be in store inside that notebook.133Please respect copyright.PENANA59yTqkFfvn