One Complete Heart

Chapter 16

The snowstorm was far fiercer than it had ever been. The wind was fighting against him, battling to keep Dimentio from meeting up with Mr. L. The walk to the other cabin was brief, but Dimentio almost chose not to go when he saw how harsh the outside world had become. A swirling mass of white had turned the world to darkness, obscuring Dimentio's vision and causing his winter cloak to violently flap as if trapped and trying to escape. 

Mr. L opened his door and was about to wave Dimentio over, only for the wind to slam it shut. Dimentio could see him fall back from the force through the window. He would have turned around, but he had come so far. He couldn't back out now. 

He dug his feet into the snow below him with each step he took to keep himself grounded. It took every ounce of strength he had to reach the porch and grab ahold of the door. On the opposite side, Mr. L helped him open it, then quickly grasped both of Dimentio's wrists and pulled him inside, allowing the wind to slam the door shut once again. 

The walls separated the two of them from the storm, but Dimentio didn't feel safe yet. He could hear the wind pounding on the walls like an intruder trying to get in. It screamed and cried, bending the hinges and scratching at the windows. 

"It's a mess out there," Dimentio said, still catching his breath. It was such a distinct contrast from the way things were the day before. He missed the calmness. 

"Yeah. I was going to have us walk up to that lodge, but I think it's best we just stay in here," Mr. L admitted, running over to his small kitchen and quickly making two cups of hot chocolate. Dimentio couldn't remember ever being in Mr. L's cabin, so he took a moment to look around. It looked shockingly similar to his own, aside from the telescope set up by the window. He also had a skylight. 

Dimentio silently kicked himself for telling O'Chunks to buy the man in green a telescope while Christmas shopping. He should have naturally assumed that he already had one. 

He still had to go Christmas shopping. The holiday was only a few short days away, and he hadn't the slightest idea what he was going to get anyone. He was probably just going to wing it. Worst-case scenario, he could write cards and give coins. He usually preferred getting money anyway. It felt more valuable than most objects anyway, which was strange because in reality money was nothing more than something useless that people assigned value to. 

Mr. L placed the two cups of hot chocolate down by a small coffee table he had set up in front of the fireplace. It was low enough to the ground for them both to sit. Dimentio would have placed chairs around it, but the man in green seemed content with sitting on the floor, so he didn't complain. Besides, the rug beneath the table was comfortable enough. 

"Okay, here's the book," Mr. L said, placing Light Prognosticus in between the two of them. "I haven't opened it yet. I was going to, but... I wanted to wait for you."

"How sweet," Dimentio said with a hint of sarcasm. 

"Oh, shut up," the man in green chuckled with an eye roll. "I just..."

"You were too scared to open it on your own?" 

"Yeah," he admitted, averting his gaze slightly. "That..."

Dimentio wasn't sure why the idea of Mr. L being afraid still felt so foreign to him. It probably felt foreign to Mr. L too based on the way he was acting. It was as if the two of them had this preconceived notion that Mr. L wasn't supposed to feel fear. That was crazy, though, because everyone felt fear. 

Mr. L placed his hands on the book and took a deep breath, and for a moment, everything felt normal. Dimentio had gone back to being the supporter. He was the jester who helped Count Bleck. He was the one sledding with Nastasia and being there for her after her many rejections. He was supporting Mr. L as he overcame whatever these strange fears related to this book were.