“You do,” I assured him quite calmly. “That is why I am here.”114Please respect copyright.PENANA2tX83wGIRM
“How are you acquainted with any of them?” He asked quite seriously, and only114Please respect copyright.PENANA8RsNGaBPAe
then did his eyes seem to notice my hair, which was blue all over except for its still114Please respect copyright.PENANAOFHmDF4lq2
black tips. “You’re quite the odd one.” He admitted, while he was far from what anyone114Please respect copyright.PENANAloIcQ0FhK4
would deem as ´normal´. “And I do not need my bigger glasses to see that.”114Please respect copyright.PENANAMQYaaplx6y
“Here. This is for you,” I tried to hand him my big notebook, the one that had been114Please respect copyright.PENANAwdnbt6EMgt
resting safely beside me. Almost falling out of it was a whole compendium of drawings114Please respect copyright.PENANA7Tg7CMp8o1
and other poorly attached notes. “Father wanted you to have it.” I nudged it towards114Please respect copyright.PENANAEhnms4nkNx
him. “He also wanted me to go with you.”114Please respect copyright.PENANAie7hfhxkxn
“Father, you say?” He cautiously asked as he refused the offer, “I am afraid I will have114Please respect copyright.PENANAxouKZz6fiU
to doubt that. You see little one, I am not one with many friends, let alone associates.”114Please respect copyright.PENANAV6f3NU0Jnw
He then took a few steps back “No, you must be mistaken. But fret not, you may114Please respect copyright.PENANAzydtkaErgI
accompany me back to my place, if you so wish of course. After all, it is not proper to114Please respect copyright.PENANAxJz7xz3PoX
leave one so small and meek behind, especially in a place like this. Old Gorliochi over114Please respect copyright.PENANAAUsJ5MMZL9
there,” His eyes went straight towards that beast; this one was completely relaxed even114Please respect copyright.PENANAA2MyL4jebn
if its jaws kept finding one thing or another to chew on, “he can easily carry the both114Please respect copyright.PENANAcHSnDUDoth
of us for as long as necessary. He has been with me for many seasons now, lending a114Please respect copyright.PENANAiiGWeii0xZ
hand in the carrying of all sorts of things.”114Please respect copyright.PENANA3Q2TVm1vtA
He smiled, but it was a ruse that could not hope to work on the likes of one such as114Please respect copyright.PENANAD2jMtgvGmA
me. “Like all sorts of flowers and fungi that I so often like to come and find in these114Please respect copyright.PENANAzpHjuuwPPP
parts... Or even -”114Please respect copyright.PENANAHZhVxSXLtS
“You are no mere flower picker or mushroom gatherer.” I said as I kept forcing that114Please respect copyright.PENANA0ArWDbr7fp
notebook onto him. “Go on, take it. You are the Thinker-Tinker, and you are meant114Please respect copyright.PENANANwedCVIg57
to read it.”114Please respect copyright.PENANAICkNDxv6Uw
A short silence stood between the two of us ...114Please respect copyright.PENANAyMGlJSmimq
“Your father, who is he then?” He eventually asked, even if his interests appeared114Please respect copyright.PENANAckSBY3KMi1
to be dwindling the more he was going through those notes and drawings, “I know114Please respect copyright.PENANApMo4hqFGfp
many of the names inscribed here.” He kept confessing, as he tipped his glasses just114Please respect copyright.PENANAMOoP29DrnJ
in time to prevent them from falling off his curved nose; and then he looked at me114Please respect copyright.PENANApWu20l1Dvm
with refulgent eyes: “Some of these people, they are in these drawings of yours as well!114Please respect copyright.PENANAwa1GFeHRTm
And this man here; a Kharn. He is my friend. A dear one.”114Please respect copyright.PENANAoo55ZgVGwX
“That is Father,” I said to his amazement ...114Please respect copyright.PENANAIPLTWzIrI7
A long pause took over his person.114Please respect copyright.PENANAGyolg91eYz
Many of his past fears but also promises came to haunt him, and without a114Please respect copyright.PENANAuL15nJ1VWX
moment’s notice, his head became occupied with all sorts of questions and possibilities.114Please respect copyright.PENANAt3kWGXpTGi
There were so many ´If ’s´ and ´Buts´ and ´What’s´ swirling in his mind - and in114Please respect copyright.PENANAVC9XYzCqeV
the end all I heard him think to himself was: “This is likely to bring me quite the114Please respect copyright.PENANAjQhmdJDz8X
unwanted trouble, but if there is any chance of truth to it, at all; of a real connection114Please respect copyright.PENANAkackVWXzcl
between this little one and that ol’ fool... What choice do I have?”114Please respect copyright.PENANAmXRvRwCYHQ
“Who are you girl?” his eyes swelled up as he confronted me again, “and how did114Please respect copyright.PENANAlQxTjUNyPk
you get your hands on all this?”114Please respect copyright.PENANArIxBdS6pWt
“As I said, all of it was wrought by my hand.”114Please respect copyright.PENANA3RzDuHWrEr
“You wrote...” His eyes travelled between note and drawing alike “all this?114Please respect copyright.PENANAo1RvOuavWQ
What made you do such a thing?” He asked with his eyes now trembling with114Please respect copyright.PENANAkHO5iuJ7kg
restlessness.114Please respect copyright.PENANABdoyHeKpoG
“And then you will read it?”114Please respect copyright.PENANAfthcpcCE0i
“Oh, I most definitely will. The spark of curiosity has already been lit inside me.”114Please respect copyright.PENANAnYjXkBa9Zp
He then reassured me further, “My interest has already peaked way past the point of114Please respect copyright.PENANAAMeoq4PYad
arousal, don’t you worry.” And after he weighed all of it with both hands; “But I will114Please respect copyright.PENANAFatTRUVKsj
have to do so back at my place. You understand that this is quite a lot to go through?”114Please respect copyright.PENANAOIKTgx1TY9
“Quite,” I replied after I added a few extra notes I had on my person.114Please respect copyright.PENANAzoYdQw09pr
“Besides, I don’t have my reading glasses on me.” He added somewhat flippantly114Please respect copyright.PENANAfoXnfZD2qa
“I mean why would I bring them; you know? It’s not like I get to meet little girls114Please respect copyright.PENANAiYJ0wKED2x
carrying tomes for me regularly.”114Please respect copyright.PENANAPY0zsFVRdV
I nodded in concordance, and then he suggested we should make haste. Insisting, as114Please respect copyright.PENANAsdv3V8nyF3
we made our way to that beast, that I should tell him, or rather prepare him, for what114Please respect copyright.PENANAXaA5UjDXmh
could be in store inside that notebook.114Please respect copyright.PENANAYtYDMg5OtQ