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“You do,” I assured him quite calmly. “That is why I am here.”135Please respect copyright.PENANAgZFuTOjy1x
“How are you acquainted with any of them?” He asked quite seriously, and only135Please respect copyright.PENANAY3w3fF7ag1
then did his eyes seem to notice my hair, which was blue all over except for its still135Please respect copyright.PENANAys7eDImlqv
black tips. “You’re quite the odd one.” He admitted, while he was far from what anyone135Please respect copyright.PENANA5PcU9gk64J
would deem as ´normal´. “And I do not need my bigger glasses to see that.”135Please respect copyright.PENANAZLq08GDN6X
“Here. This is for you,” I tried to hand him my big notebook, the one that had been135Please respect copyright.PENANASeyWRISUn9
resting safely beside me. Almost falling out of it was a whole compendium of drawings135Please respect copyright.PENANAllqr0JKPzY
and other poorly attached notes. “Father wanted you to have it.” I nudged it towards135Please respect copyright.PENANArj8B4U7lY0
him. “He also wanted me to go with you.”135Please respect copyright.PENANAO2QHdMi7Pi
“Father, you say?” He cautiously asked as he refused the offer, “I am afraid I will have135Please respect copyright.PENANARmC7uvhYiO
to doubt that. You see little one, I am not one with many friends, let alone associates.”135Please respect copyright.PENANAtSmqRiKPy1
He then took a few steps back “No, you must be mistaken. But fret not, you may135Please respect copyright.PENANAWzUa2Ivlch
accompany me back to my place, if you so wish of course. After all, it is not proper to135Please respect copyright.PENANA6XZ617eD0p
leave one so small and meek behind, especially in a place like this. Old Gorliochi over135Please respect copyright.PENANAXk4V0oAjEN
there,” His eyes went straight towards that beast; this one was completely relaxed even135Please respect copyright.PENANAhEPEqgNU1c
if its jaws kept finding one thing or another to chew on, “he can easily carry the both135Please respect copyright.PENANAhUY2KSIgiN
of us for as long as necessary. He has been with me for many seasons now, lending a135Please respect copyright.PENANAQ2EuIuVInH
hand in the carrying of all sorts of things.”135Please respect copyright.PENANAnSLmVda9Xd
He smiled, but it was a ruse that could not hope to work on the likes of one such as135Please respect copyright.PENANArI2xvjJUqk
me. “Like all sorts of flowers and fungi that I so often like to come and find in these135Please respect copyright.PENANAQ8vGyflj6c
parts... Or even -”135Please respect copyright.PENANA5tIqYOuOVq
“You are no mere flower picker or mushroom gatherer.” I said as I kept forcing that135Please respect copyright.PENANA5Qs2YGybOZ
notebook onto him. “Go on, take it. You are the Thinker-Tinker, and you are meant135Please respect copyright.PENANAN6NuzVgY9m
to read it.”135Please respect copyright.PENANAl30UfbGn20
A short silence stood between the two of us ...135Please respect copyright.PENANAkKqQ00KqzZ
“Your father, who is he then?” He eventually asked, even if his interests appeared135Please respect copyright.PENANAvj6NMkJjWw
to be dwindling the more he was going through those notes and drawings, “I know135Please respect copyright.PENANA5m7nPtCYai
many of the names inscribed here.” He kept confessing, as he tipped his glasses just135Please respect copyright.PENANACun5AXhWWn
in time to prevent them from falling off his curved nose; and then he looked at me135Please respect copyright.PENANAibNvIS5BJn
with refulgent eyes: “Some of these people, they are in these drawings of yours as well!135Please respect copyright.PENANA7nMalCT0BN
And this man here; a Kharn. He is my friend. A dear one.”135Please respect copyright.PENANADhB6M277Xw
“That is Father,” I said to his amazement ...135Please respect copyright.PENANAeywQ3XDkBd
A long pause took over his person.135Please respect copyright.PENANAQDYJR6rhR9
Many of his past fears but also promises came to haunt him, and without a135Please respect copyright.PENANAD5uCI0TCey
moment’s notice, his head became occupied with all sorts of questions and possibilities.135Please respect copyright.PENANA7wddGibs3P
There were so many ´If ’s´ and ´Buts´ and ´What’s´ swirling in his mind - and in135Please respect copyright.PENANALkFmK6NC3H
the end all I heard him think to himself was: “This is likely to bring me quite the135Please respect copyright.PENANAlAgcRPPGqX
unwanted trouble, but if there is any chance of truth to it, at all; of a real connection135Please respect copyright.PENANAWVmLtMzgsL
between this little one and that ol’ fool... What choice do I have?”135Please respect copyright.PENANAn8DFsr2NXM
“Who are you girl?” his eyes swelled up as he confronted me again, “and how did135Please respect copyright.PENANAfkb5jmPgNh
you get your hands on all this?”135Please respect copyright.PENANAxYDzw663Oo
“As I said, all of it was wrought by my hand.”135Please respect copyright.PENANApLRgED9ZmQ
“You wrote...” His eyes travelled between note and drawing alike “all this?135Please respect copyright.PENANAW2D8y4JTfe
What made you do such a thing?” He asked with his eyes now trembling with135Please respect copyright.PENANARCQPIAWZB9
restlessness.135Please respect copyright.PENANAHAsJh4coQA
“And then you will read it?”135Please respect copyright.PENANA2uPRYnY8qN
“Oh, I most definitely will. The spark of curiosity has already been lit inside me.”135Please respect copyright.PENANAx1tNMPr197
He then reassured me further, “My interest has already peaked way past the point of135Please respect copyright.PENANAANhvCnzzMD
arousal, don’t you worry.” And after he weighed all of it with both hands; “But I will135Please respect copyright.PENANAcM7bWVSzUv
have to do so back at my place. You understand that this is quite a lot to go through?”135Please respect copyright.PENANACl2t2wDiMk
“Quite,” I replied after I added a few extra notes I had on my person.135Please respect copyright.PENANATYtBaxhG1R
“Besides, I don’t have my reading glasses on me.” He added somewhat flippantly135Please respect copyright.PENANAFQUDx3wDil
“I mean why would I bring them; you know? It’s not like I get to meet little girls135Please respect copyright.PENANA0jsOAft9KS
carrying tomes for me regularly.”135Please respect copyright.PENANAITPjjdtyy7
I nodded in concordance, and then he suggested we should make haste. Insisting, as135Please respect copyright.PENANAM0I5SGsKXX
we made our way to that beast, that I should tell him, or rather prepare him, for what135Please respect copyright.PENANA6d9KMihZQG
could be in store inside that notebook.135Please respect copyright.PENANAPmZONPDm87