
“You do,” I assured him quite calmly. “That is why I am here.”338Please respect copyright.PENANAWmMc9GxODR
“How are you acquainted with any of them?” He asked quite seriously, and only338Please respect copyright.PENANAMexApceE8u
then did his eyes seem to notice my hair, which was blue all over except for its still338Please respect copyright.PENANApboodP3noK
black tips. “You’re quite the odd one.” He admitted, while he was far from what anyone338Please respect copyright.PENANAxGlFTaDqjS
would deem as ´normal´. “And I do not need my bigger glasses to see that.”338Please respect copyright.PENANA5kLxQW4P2v
“Here. This is for you,” I tried to hand him my big notebook, the one that had been338Please respect copyright.PENANABL5fCHtESw
resting safely beside me. Almost falling out of it was a whole compendium of drawings338Please respect copyright.PENANAaGTXxzuSvw
and other poorly attached notes. “Father wanted you to have it.” I nudged it towards338Please respect copyright.PENANABaktkdPiGU
him. “He also wanted me to go with you.”338Please respect copyright.PENANAVd3UV7msAd
“Father, you say?” He cautiously asked as he refused the offer, “I am afraid I will have338Please respect copyright.PENANAkg3RaWvMWO
to doubt that. You see little one, I am not one with many friends, let alone associates.”338Please respect copyright.PENANARv6hRPKnX7
He then took a few steps back “No, you must be mistaken. But fret not, you may338Please respect copyright.PENANAIhFeAX71vu
accompany me back to my place, if you so wish of course. After all, it is not proper to338Please respect copyright.PENANALRcxQj2cGO
leave one so small and meek behind, especially in a place like this. Old Gorliochi over338Please respect copyright.PENANAmkII12SYwg
there,” His eyes went straight towards that beast; this one was completely relaxed even338Please respect copyright.PENANAPyVXkWqSPA
if its jaws kept finding one thing or another to chew on, “he can easily carry the both338Please respect copyright.PENANAXaeFzYYPWK
of us for as long as necessary. He has been with me for many seasons now, lending a338Please respect copyright.PENANAf9AlvwElxH
hand in the carrying of all sorts of things.”338Please respect copyright.PENANAltsAJ9uFOX
He smiled, but it was a ruse that could not hope to work on the likes of one such as338Please respect copyright.PENANAzSctKx6pVe
me. “Like all sorts of flowers and fungi that I so often like to come and find in these338Please respect copyright.PENANA7ezmIkTQAB
parts... Or even -”338Please respect copyright.PENANANNRtDtxkL9
“You are no mere flower picker or mushroom gatherer.” I said as I kept forcing that338Please respect copyright.PENANAjk3p5ZH5gR
notebook onto him. “Go on, take it. You are the Thinker-Tinker, and you are meant338Please respect copyright.PENANArmTsIx2fwR
to read it.”338Please respect copyright.PENANAkVXCtLcSoH
A short silence stood between the two of us ...338Please respect copyright.PENANArBPSkqUf51
“Your father, who is he then?” He eventually asked, even if his interests appeared338Please respect copyright.PENANAaTPUQjg9Cq
to be dwindling the more he was going through those notes and drawings, “I know338Please respect copyright.PENANAAkIcYrZ35j
many of the names inscribed here.” He kept confessing, as he tipped his glasses just338Please respect copyright.PENANA596tp22jQB
in time to prevent them from falling off his curved nose; and then he looked at me338Please respect copyright.PENANAcMyLgElzg7
with refulgent eyes: “Some of these people, they are in these drawings of yours as well!338Please respect copyright.PENANAgYiIcPZt28
And this man here; a Kharn. He is my friend. A dear one.”338Please respect copyright.PENANA33s5nvpZu9
“That is Father,” I said to his amazement ...338Please respect copyright.PENANASYirBHxVv3
A long pause took over his person.338Please respect copyright.PENANALDVjFwIvS2
Many of his past fears but also promises came to haunt him, and without a338Please respect copyright.PENANA2brvMJU12j
moment’s notice, his head became occupied with all sorts of questions and possibilities.338Please respect copyright.PENANAkvbc3ynIbB
There were so many ´If ’s´ and ´Buts´ and ´What’s´ swirling in his mind - and in338Please respect copyright.PENANA0k0Nw34k5m
the end all I heard him think to himself was: “This is likely to bring me quite the338Please respect copyright.PENANAqvGCAMlPn9
unwanted trouble, but if there is any chance of truth to it, at all; of a real connection338Please respect copyright.PENANA4nziYKumlC
between this little one and that ol’ fool... What choice do I have?”338Please respect copyright.PENANAZCumtGiONo
“Who are you girl?” his eyes swelled up as he confronted me again, “and how did338Please respect copyright.PENANAASXdmbYGly
you get your hands on all this?”338Please respect copyright.PENANARvgnsigWu8
“As I said, all of it was wrought by my hand.”338Please respect copyright.PENANAUhXjOPwE7Q
“You wrote...” His eyes travelled between note and drawing alike “all this?338Please respect copyright.PENANASrMMwjbudv
What made you do such a thing?” He asked with his eyes now trembling with338Please respect copyright.PENANAWyrCAxzSjT
restlessness.338Please respect copyright.PENANAfzU90jaOmH
“And then you will read it?”338Please respect copyright.PENANATZW7H6WTs9
“Oh, I most definitely will. The spark of curiosity has already been lit inside me.”338Please respect copyright.PENANApWW1rlWDuq
He then reassured me further, “My interest has already peaked way past the point of338Please respect copyright.PENANAWtPgafgQ1v
arousal, don’t you worry.” And after he weighed all of it with both hands; “But I will338Please respect copyright.PENANAt0mn3sadoY
have to do so back at my place. You understand that this is quite a lot to go through?”338Please respect copyright.PENANAGFzA31DbxR
“Quite,” I replied after I added a few extra notes I had on my person.338Please respect copyright.PENANA0NTmrk4LAE
“Besides, I don’t have my reading glasses on me.” He added somewhat flippantly338Please respect copyright.PENANAyyF9DgDihX
“I mean why would I bring them; you know? It’s not like I get to meet little girls338Please respect copyright.PENANAySfHyeol82
carrying tomes for me regularly.”338Please respect copyright.PENANA21oFlv7ibA
I nodded in concordance, and then he suggested we should make haste. Insisting, as338Please respect copyright.PENANAz8VRqyeFIV
we made our way to that beast, that I should tell him, or rather prepare him, for what338Please respect copyright.PENANAVVLhBKKzSr
could be in store inside that notebook.338Please respect copyright.PENANAChwBvg9MVQ