Tom Riddle - Downfall

Chapter 53: Letters

I lift my head up and look at him. "You... you love me?" Tom looks at me with such sincerity right now as he nods his head slowly, and he says
"I love you, my love. I care for you more than I've ever cared for anything before. That's why I need you to trust me when I say that this summer, things are going to be difficult. But in the end, no matter what happens... I'll come back to you. And when I do, I'll tell you everything." I nod and kiss Tom."I love you too, but you know that. " Tom gently caresses my cheek, and he smiles warmly. Now that I've kissed him, his mood has lightened, and he speaks again
"Yes, I do know that. I know how strong our bond is and how much we love each other. And that's why I'm not going to let anything go wrong between us. No matter what happens this summer... I will come back to you. Now please...don't worry so much. Let's try and enjoy what's left of our time together before I leave, alright?" and we did, we made the most of all the time, in a very intimate way.

Saying goodbye a week later was extremely hard for me, but I'm going to my moms and Tom...well, who knows. I hope to find out soon. I told my mother about Tom, she didn't know anything about him yet. She's happy for me. Of course, I didn't tell her about the basilisk or the other dark secrets. The first week of the summer vacation passes, and I decide to send Tom a letter. I don't know exactly where he is, but my owl will find him. I'm sure about that.

"Dear Tom,

I know it's hardly been any time since we last saw each other, but I miss you already. I hope your journey... your search goes as you hope. I'm thinking of you and ... everything is okay at home. My mother knows about you, she's happy.

Your Lucia"

At first I felt almost disappointed when I hadn't heard anything from Tom this whole first week, despite my own letter. But then suddenly I receive a letter back, with the reply being written in Tom's careful handwriting:

"My beloved Lucia,

I miss you too, more than you could possibly imagine. This journey has certainly been interesting so far, and I've learned some new things. But I promise to tell you everything when we see each other again. I can't wait to be with you again.

Yours, Tom"

It's good to hear from him, even though I have a lot of distractions anyway. Kim comes to visit me sometimes, and my mother is happy to see me. I'm also doing some research on Tom's diary, the basilisk, and the symbols I saw on his notes. I know he didn't want me to keep researching, but I just can't help myself. However, it's hard to get hold of books that deal with such dark magic.
About 2 weeks later, I sent Tom another owl

"My beloved Tom,

Have you found what you were looking for? I miss you more than ever and have more questions than ever. I know you told me to stop investigating, but I couldn't quite let it go. Especially because I can't let go of the Chamber of Secrets. I hope you'll forgive me. I love you.

Your Lucia"

This time, it's almost a week before I actually get a reply back from him. But finally, I received this:

"My dear Lucia,

I admit that I'm a bit worried. I told you to stop investigating, but I also know you're going to do what you want, so I can't blame you. Just be careful. I understand you're only investigating because you care so much... but please, please... don't let this take over your life. I miss you too. I love you.

Your Tom"

"My dearest Tom,

Don't worry about me, I should worry about you. You avoid my questions. Whenever you do that, something is wrong. Please take care of yourself. You promised to come back, and I hope that's all in one piece.

Your worried Lucia. "

Once again, the reply comes almost a week later. This time, it is a little bit more heartfelt and honest than before.

"My love,

You're right. You should worry about me, not the other way around. I've been making bad choices, and I've put myself on a path that may not have a happy ending. But you're the one person who makes me want to turn back, if that is even possible...

Your sad Tom"

I don't know what his words mean, but I answer him directly again.

"My Tom,

What happened? Are you all right? Please, come to me!

Your beloved Lucia"

but this time, I don't get an answer anymore. I wait week after week, but I still get no answer. Until one day, I receive a strange message shortly before the end of the summer vacation. The strange message, sent from someone I've never heard of before, has no content except for a time and a place. It's a location near a large, abandoned factory that has been sealed off for many years. The time indicated is one hour before nightfall, which is certainly odd since this factory is located in a rather deserted area. I'm a little worried, but the whole thing is so vague. I have to find out what this is all about. So I decided to go there that night at the specified time.