The Mistletoe

Chapter XXIV

As we sat on the train, I could only look out the window, still with Laura's kiss in my mind, and I gazed at the book in front of me.

"You don't have to read it; you can have it," suggested my father.

"It's okay. It helps me remind myself of what is real and what isn't. Since I was there, I developed a liking for reading."

My father looked at me and said, "What matters is not whether it was real or not, but what you gained from that experience. Reflect on what you learned and how you think your life would be without it. Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional."

Dad was looking at a list of museums to visit, and I kept reading the original novel, trying to see the relevant points where things had taken a different turn, and I thought, "I really messed up big time from here. It seems like everything went to hell." I unintentionally let out a smile.

I heard a big, burly man emerge from the bathroom, wearing a black hoodie, and this hood covered his face partially. He also wore ripped jeans, and he smelled of alcohol.

He sat next to me, making me uncomfortable. He started reading some kind of comic. The guy seemed to suffer from some illness or was crazy because one foot had a sneaker, and the other had a large boot. While laughing at the comic with a very deep voice, he asked me,

"Do you like comics?" with a slight smile.

My father signaled me to play along, and I said, "Yeah, I like Spiderman and Superman."

"Boo..." he exclaimed. "You don't know Thor? That's my favorite superhero. You know he died fighting that giant serpent? It was epic, man..." He spoke as if he were really there, clearly a bit unhinged, and I couldn't stand the smell of alcohol.

"Look, kid. I'm reading this one; it's pretty good. I made it myself; I love drawing. People sometimes throw away useful stuff on the street, and I managed to collect several good colored pencils. The notebook I got from a dumpster," he said, showing off all his colored pencils. "I love the part where the guy kills the wolf. I hate wolves; one killed my father, but I avenged him."

"Here, take it, it's a gift!" he said while letting out a burp, and people looked uncomfortable.

The man finally got off at the station, letting out a fart as he walked, dragging the big boot. The last thing I saw was his striking neon blue eyes before he left, just as mine.

"If I were you, I'd wash my hands after touching that," my father told me.

"You know I don't get sick," I said with a smile, opening the notebook.

"I say that in case you touch me or touch something of mine, gross..." my father looked at me with a disgusted face.

I read the title, "The Epic of the Half Blood." What a strange name, I thought.

When I opened the notebook, the first thing I saw was a very familiar castle, a boy fighting against vampires with an axe. There were mentions of a sword called "Gram" and the "Apple of Idunn." There was also an image of a Valkyrie rescuing the boy and helping him recover from a battle.

"Oh God," I thought. "It can't be, it can't be." I felt a shiver down my spine.

"What's happening, Miguel?" my dad asked.

"Look, look!" I said almost exclaiming.

My dad made a disgusted face and said, "No, please, I don't want to see nasty stuff!"

"It's not that! Everything is here... everything!" I whispered. "It's not in the same order, but it's all here!"

My dad took a look and didn't understand anything. "Well, the guy draws very well. What do you mean, everything?"