
“You do,” I assured him quite calmly. “That is why I am here.”382Please respect copyright.PENANAX9vLo8Ejov
“How are you acquainted with any of them?” He asked quite seriously, and only382Please respect copyright.PENANAIoBsHDfUdm
then did his eyes seem to notice my hair, which was blue all over except for its still382Please respect copyright.PENANAZSK0pUjSRE
black tips. “You’re quite the odd one.” He admitted, while he was far from what anyone382Please respect copyright.PENANApPc8Bf6rTR
would deem as ´normal´. “And I do not need my bigger glasses to see that.”382Please respect copyright.PENANALNXpogavEE
“Here. This is for you,” I tried to hand him my big notebook, the one that had been382Please respect copyright.PENANAnRXeArBzF1
resting safely beside me. Almost falling out of it was a whole compendium of drawings382Please respect copyright.PENANAGnXL5R1aG4
and other poorly attached notes. “Father wanted you to have it.” I nudged it towards382Please respect copyright.PENANAot0mL37CqF
him. “He also wanted me to go with you.”382Please respect copyright.PENANAv2FVr4tOV2
“Father, you say?” He cautiously asked as he refused the offer, “I am afraid I will have382Please respect copyright.PENANAO3lVHQY2lq
to doubt that. You see little one, I am not one with many friends, let alone associates.”382Please respect copyright.PENANAo01Jj2X4es
He then took a few steps back “No, you must be mistaken. But fret not, you may382Please respect copyright.PENANAQNgPBWrwsj
accompany me back to my place, if you so wish of course. After all, it is not proper to382Please respect copyright.PENANAT6QscRqdzu
leave one so small and meek behind, especially in a place like this. Old Gorliochi over382Please respect copyright.PENANAgQaZv69dmZ
there,” His eyes went straight towards that beast; this one was completely relaxed even382Please respect copyright.PENANA6wIXhKNI0k
if its jaws kept finding one thing or another to chew on, “he can easily carry the both382Please respect copyright.PENANA5GXY2PomE7
of us for as long as necessary. He has been with me for many seasons now, lending a382Please respect copyright.PENANA5j18zi0hpU
hand in the carrying of all sorts of things.”382Please respect copyright.PENANAwyp11o3eHJ
He smiled, but it was a ruse that could not hope to work on the likes of one such as382Please respect copyright.PENANAJ96u0J2cDt
me. “Like all sorts of flowers and fungi that I so often like to come and find in these382Please respect copyright.PENANADB1epemmSE
parts... Or even -”382Please respect copyright.PENANAbVWRM7VQuY
“You are no mere flower picker or mushroom gatherer.” I said as I kept forcing that382Please respect copyright.PENANA1gCOcV1iJP
notebook onto him. “Go on, take it. You are the Thinker-Tinker, and you are meant382Please respect copyright.PENANAVWbuEgg60V
to read it.”382Please respect copyright.PENANAL8Ei6pYvoy
A short silence stood between the two of us ...382Please respect copyright.PENANAOYrcgtBjXj
“Your father, who is he then?” He eventually asked, even if his interests appeared382Please respect copyright.PENANATD9RoplVkJ
to be dwindling the more he was going through those notes and drawings, “I know382Please respect copyright.PENANAaQR0UXNJd5
many of the names inscribed here.” He kept confessing, as he tipped his glasses just382Please respect copyright.PENANAys4L0PsnHK
in time to prevent them from falling off his curved nose; and then he looked at me382Please respect copyright.PENANAyzk7jQ374R
with refulgent eyes: “Some of these people, they are in these drawings of yours as well!382Please respect copyright.PENANAYVqbSB4tPW
And this man here; a Kharn. He is my friend. A dear one.”382Please respect copyright.PENANAAB5PWf9irh
“That is Father,” I said to his amazement ...382Please respect copyright.PENANAAZ4LGjhvRx
A long pause took over his person.382Please respect copyright.PENANAmn8qrSTy1K
Many of his past fears but also promises came to haunt him, and without a382Please respect copyright.PENANAMrBDtC6g70
moment’s notice, his head became occupied with all sorts of questions and possibilities.382Please respect copyright.PENANAal4xfnCBI9
There were so many ´If ’s´ and ´Buts´ and ´What’s´ swirling in his mind - and in382Please respect copyright.PENANAA8wM0GlHr1
the end all I heard him think to himself was: “This is likely to bring me quite the382Please respect copyright.PENANAdDKZkaSj1j
unwanted trouble, but if there is any chance of truth to it, at all; of a real connection382Please respect copyright.PENANAB2mfhZJy6I
between this little one and that ol’ fool... What choice do I have?”382Please respect copyright.PENANABlmRpE40m4
“Who are you girl?” his eyes swelled up as he confronted me again, “and how did382Please respect copyright.PENANAFZPmRRrQNq
you get your hands on all this?”382Please respect copyright.PENANAf37mDhlOpe
“As I said, all of it was wrought by my hand.”382Please respect copyright.PENANAPhqIAYvPKg
“You wrote...” His eyes travelled between note and drawing alike “all this?382Please respect copyright.PENANAVhyM2N6Q7z
What made you do such a thing?” He asked with his eyes now trembling with382Please respect copyright.PENANAAOplfVxqIT
restlessness.382Please respect copyright.PENANAJWLmgcI18z
“And then you will read it?”382Please respect copyright.PENANAQ9zs8pF7ny
“Oh, I most definitely will. The spark of curiosity has already been lit inside me.”382Please respect copyright.PENANA8eYTNXG8OK
He then reassured me further, “My interest has already peaked way past the point of382Please respect copyright.PENANAtK9Qazwwqo
arousal, don’t you worry.” And after he weighed all of it with both hands; “But I will382Please respect copyright.PENANAr95m1HOMsm
have to do so back at my place. You understand that this is quite a lot to go through?”382Please respect copyright.PENANAzlTXZ3S3Si
“Quite,” I replied after I added a few extra notes I had on my person.382Please respect copyright.PENANA96q5oZC5Kv
“Besides, I don’t have my reading glasses on me.” He added somewhat flippantly382Please respect copyright.PENANAFyrRl0sIdr
“I mean why would I bring them; you know? It’s not like I get to meet little girls382Please respect copyright.PENANALpyYWPtYBX
carrying tomes for me regularly.”382Please respect copyright.PENANA8exsIpyP4f
I nodded in concordance, and then he suggested we should make haste. Insisting, as382Please respect copyright.PENANAKEo7r6TGfs
we made our way to that beast, that I should tell him, or rather prepare him, for what382Please respect copyright.PENANASiwAj6ccGV
could be in store inside that notebook.382Please respect copyright.PENANAwO9FshtyJB