The Conjurer's Charm - The Dream Catcher series (BOOK 1)

2.2 || The House with the Broken Lamppost ||

"I'd rather ask you to come inside unless you're watching the sky to throw a gold coin back at ya," Hale began gently, standing beside her brother with her arms on the fence. "It'll either rain or hail soon."

"The sky's my best friend," said Alwold blandly.

Hale tittered. "Because you don't have human beings who are."

"I'm tired of human beings who change."

"For your information, so does the sky." She laughed.

Alwold sighed heavily. "Why'd you come now?"

"Excuse me, you're not the only one with emotional empathy," she said in a voice of style.

Alwold frowned.

Desiring to avoid verbal strife, she asked, "So how did the inspection go?"

"I dunno, some useless questions about dreams—"

"I was asked the same thing too," she said delightfully, though she didn't mean to express any pleasure on that fact.

"Weird, right? I thought they'd be giving problems or puzzles to solve and see—what did you tell when they asked you about mum and dad?" He turned his face to Hale immediately.

She looked at him frowning.

"What did you say?" she asked him back.

"You first!"

"No, you."

"I asked first!"

"Fine. I told them my parents were working abroad." She withdrew her frown from him. "Now your turn."

"I told them the truth," he mumbled.

"Well, no surprise there."

There was a brief silence. Both of them standing under a shadow stared ahead at the empty running road, seeing no being outside any visible home.

Alwold looking expressionless replied, "Every day goes by ... and I think what may've happened to them might be otherwise."

His voice was cold as the afternoon wind and dull as the gloomy sky. It was as though he came to reside with a friend who reflected the same state as he was, only that the sky couldn't answer him back for whatever he prayed or wished for.

"Do you think they'll be still out there? Alive?"

"For the love of Columbus, Alo! You've gone to the extent of thinking that they're—Oh god." Hale sounded reprimanding but also shocked.

"Well, what else do you expect me to believe?" he said, finally looking at her, "they've gone for over a year, we haven't heard from them ever since, Grampi lied to us that they're on an important business—"

"Wait, Grampi? Lied?"

"At least I think I do—"

"You think you do!" Hale said mockingly.

"What? There can be no other possible explanation. He's hiding something, I just know it!"

Hale looked like she swallowed a frog.

"I thank the lord that I'm not blessed with a mind like yours," she said reproachfully shaking her head.

"Look, if you've come here to make me feel better, I'm sorry to disappoint you—you failed."

"I didn't come to make you feel better, thickhead, I came because you looked like you were in dire need of some company. Grampi sent me out to talk with you."