lost-in-thoughts03

[lost-in-thoughts03]

Falling for you // Hwang brothers

Summary: Your best friend is the object of your hopeless romanticism, and you constantly hope that he will notice you.

" I don't want to be your friend, I want to kiss your neck."

Warning: Angst, In-ho being In-ho, teasing, hopelessly romantic (reader), forbidden love, jealousy, best friend zone, unresolved conflict, grammatical errors

Have you ever wondered why, every time you look at someone, the world seems to slow down? How the sunlight kisses their face, making their beauty glow even more? How the mere thought of their lips brushing against your skin sends a shiver down your spine?

That sensation—the way your stomach flips as butterflies roam freely inside you—is intoxicating. But no matter how strong it feels, you have to bury it deep. Even though love should never be something to hide.

After all, there’s nothing wrong with falling for a longtime friend—the one who’s been by your side through every high and low. The one who loves you for who you are, flaws and all, without hesitation or conditions.

But his love? It’s different. It’s not the kind that keeps you up at night, wondering if he feels the same. It’s not the kind that lingers in stolen glances or makes your heart race. No, his love is the kind he gives to everyone. You want to feel jealous, to claim something more, but the only label you hold in his life is friend.

Hwang Jun-ho.

You’ve known him for nearly a decade now, ever since high school, when he became your seatmate and never left your side after learning your name.

You know everything about him—even the most disturbing, embarrassing stories he wouldn’t dare share with anyone else. And in return, he knows all of yours. There’s no shame between you, no fear of judgment, because he trusts you completely.

You practically live at his house, spending more time there than on your own. Watching movies, cleaning up after him, playing with his pets—it all feels so natural, like a second home. His mother adores you, often teasingly asking if Jun-ho is finally courting you.

If only. If he did, you wouldn't hesitate for a second. But instead, his mother only chuckles at your flustered reaction, admitting that Jun-ho struggles to express romantic feelings.

And then she tells you something that shatters you.

He likes someone else.

Your heart clenches painfully at the thought. He’s the one who’s always given you strength, the one who made you feel brave enough to face the world. And yet, the man you’ve secretly loved for so long dreams of loving someone else.

You swallow the pain, push it deep where it won’t be seen.

“ Hey, stop daydreaming. You’re drooling—it’s disgusting.”

A voice pulls you back to reality. You jolt, nearly falling off your chair, but strong arms catch you before you hit the ground.

You look up, cheeks flushing in embarrassment, only to see In-ho—Jun-ho’s older brother. He smirks as he steadies you, shaking his head playfully before sitting down beside you, taking up the rest of your chair.

“ You seem lost in thought today. Wanna share? I’m all ears.” His dark, knowing eyes settle on you.

You pout. “ It’s nothing. Just a project. I’m struggling with ideas.”

In-ho chuckles, and you frown before punching his arm, making him wince while laughing quietly.

“ Why are you laughing, huh?” You snap.

“ Because you looked so serious, like you were contemplating life itself�� over a project.” He shakes his head, amused.

You glare at him, but deep down, you know he’s right.

Over the years, you’ve become close to Jun-ho’s entire family—even In-ho, despite his reputation for being distant. Somehow, he’s become a regular part of your life, teasing you endlessly and criticizing everything from the way you talk to the way you dress.

Especially when you wear short dresses to parties.

He always acts like a strict father, lecturing you about the dangers of going out late and dragging Jun-ho with you. It’s infuriating. He gets under your skin like no one else.

And yet…

“ I know that look.”

You snap your head toward him, raising an eyebrow.

In-ho smirks, clearly pleased with himself. “ It’s a love problem.”

You roll your eyes, but his stomach tightens at the sight. His thoughts are dangerous—ruining whatever self-control he has left. He shifts slightly, subtly adjusting his position to hide the effect you have on him.

He watches you, studying every detail—your eyes, your lips, the way you chew on the inside of your cheek when you’re frustrated.

And in that moment, one thought fills his mind.

Jun-ho is a fool.

If his brother doesn’t wake up soon, someone else will take his place.

And maybe—just maybe—that someone will be him.

In-ho nudged you playfully. “ Come on, don’t be shy around me. I already know most of your secrets—what’s one more?” His tone was light, but there was an edge of curiosity in his voice. He wanted to know what was on your mind, and he wasn’t going to let it go.

You sighed deeply, pressing your lips together before finally giving in. “ Fine.” You muttered, your voice laced with sadness.

Turning to face him, you met his gaze directly.

For a moment, In-ho forgot how to breathe.

Your eyes held him captive, drawing him in deeper than he intended. If only you would look at him like this forever.

“ Don’t tell anyone. Especially your mom and Jun-ho.” You warned.

In-ho smirked, raising a hand in surrender. “ I swear, not a word.”

You exhaled sharply, gathering your thoughts. “ Before I spill the tea, I have a question for you.”

He nodded, leaning in slightly, intrigued. “ Go for it.”

You hesitated, then asked, “ Since you’re a guy… how do you know when you really like someone? I mean, what makes the difference between liking someone and just… liking any random girl?”

In-ho nearly choked on his own spit.

Of all the things you could’ve asked, this was the one?

The irony wasn’t lost on him—his crush was sitting right in front of him, asking how men show interest, completely oblivious to the fact that he had been giving her signs all along.

He swallowed hard, trying to compose himself. He had to be careful. If he confessed too soon, there was a real chance you’d pull away from him—and that was a risk he wasn’t willing to take.

“ Uh…well.” He started, clearing his throat. “ If a guy really likes you, he’ll make it obvious.”

You scoffed and nudged him before giving his arm a light slap. “ That’s the most useless answer ever!” You grumbled.

In-ho burst into laughter, his deep chuckles making your irritation grow.

“ Hey! Don’t laugh at me!” You snapped, crossing your arms in a pout.

“ Relax.” He teased, still grinning. “ Getting worked up like that? Big turn-off. Just saying.”

Your pout deepened, and for a split second, he had to fight the urge to pinch your cheeks. Why do you have to be so damn cute?

“ Alright, alright. I’ll give you a real answer.” He said, finally sobering up. “ You know someone truly likes you when they’re sincere. It’s not just about their actions—it’s about the way they do things for you. You can’t just look at the surface. You have to see what’s underneath.”

You chewed on your lip, processing his words. “ But what if he acts that way with everyone?”

In-ho’s jaw tightened.

“ Then he doesn’t like you—not in that way.” He said bluntly.

He reached for your hand, his fingers brushing against yours before giving it a gentle squeeze. His grip was warm, steady.

“ Listen.” He said, his voice softer now. “ If a guy really likes you, he won’t hesitate. He’ll show you. He’ll tell you. There won’t be any room for doubt.”

His dark eyes shimmered under the moonlight, sincerity etched into every word.

Then, just as quickly as he had taken your hand, he let it go.

And with a quiet sigh, he added, “ Don’t assume unless it’s clearly stated.”

Because the truth was, he wanted you to know.

But he wasn’t ready for you to run away.

Not yet.

The night air was cool, the distant hum of cicadas filling the silence between you and In-ho. You sat side by side on the back porch of his house, your knees pulled to your chest, arms wrapped around them as if that could somehow hold you together.

And then, you finally said it.

“ I like Jun-ho.”

The words spilled out before you could stop them, before you could even consider taking them back. Your throat tightened, and you blinked rapidly to fight back the sting of tears.

In-ho, sitting beside you, barely reacted. He only took a slow inhale, his jaw tightening ever so slightly. He had known—some part of him had to have known—but hearing you say it aloud felt like a punch to the gut.

You sighed, dropping your forehead against your arms. “ And it sucks.” You muttered, voice laced with frustration.

In-ho swallowed hard, forcing himself to keep his expression neutral. “ Why?” His voice was quieter than usual.

You let out a humorless chuckle. “ Because I feel so stupid. I keep falling for a guy who probably sees me as nothing more than a childhood friend. I tell myself it’s fine, that I can live with it, but then he does something—anything—and suddenly, my heart just…” You trailed off, exhaling shakily.

In-ho clenched his fists.

“ He’s so kind.” You continued, oblivious to how every word felt like a blade pressing deeper into him.

“ Not in a forced way, but in that natural, effortless way. He listens to me, even when I ramble about the dumbest things. He always makes sure I eat when I forget. And God, he’s so stupidly handsome.” You laughed bitterly.

“ Like, how is it fair that he gets to be that perfect?”

In-ho didn’t laugh.

He was too busy clenching his jaw, his fingers digging into his jeans to keep from reaching for you—to shake you, to make you see him instead.

Instead of him, you were sitting here, pouring your heart out over his younger brother.

It made him feel pathetic.

It made him furious.

It made him jealous.

You sniffled, rubbing at your eyes before turning to him. “ You probably think I’m ridiculous, huh?”

He forced a smirk, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “ Ridiculous? No. Hopelessly romantic? Definitely.”

You groaned, burying your face back in your arms. “ God, I hate this. I hate feeling like this. It’s like… no matter what I do, no matter how much I try, he’s never going to see me the way I see him.”

In-ho let out a slow breath, forcing down every selfish thought, every bitter word that threatened to slip past his lips.

He doesn’t deserve you.

He’s blind if he can’t see what’s right in front of him.

You’re wasting your love on the wrong Hwang brother.

But he didn’t say any of that.

Instead, he reached out, his fingers brushing against your shoulder before giving it a firm squeeze. “ Then stop trying.” He murmured.

You looked up, eyes glossy. “ What?”

His heart ached at the sight of you—so hopeless, so heartbroken over someone who would never feel the same way.

He gave you a small, almost sad smile. “ If he hasn’t seen you by now, maybe he never will.”

You swallowed, his words sinking into your chest like lead. “ Then what am I supposed to do?” You whispered.

In-ho hesitated, then finally let himself be selfish for just a second.

He reached out, brushing a stray tear from your cheek with his thumb, lingering for a moment longer than he should have.

“…Maybe it’s time to start looking at someone else.”

He hoped—prayed—that one day, you’d realize that the love you were waiting for had been sitting right beside you all along.

You let out a snort, clapping your hands as if he'd just told the funniest joke in the world. “ Me? Start looking at someone else? Please! Every guy these days is absolute trash.” You declared with exaggerated drama.

In-ho scoffed, crossing his arms. “ Not all of them,” he shot back, clearly unimpressed.

Wiping away tears of laughter, you continued to giggle. “ How could I even look at someone else when I’m this into your brother? Even if I tried, I’d still end up liking Jun-ho—no matter what.”

In-ho scoffed, exhaling sharply as he rubbed his temple. “ You’re unbelievable.” He muttered, his voice laced with frustration.

You smirked, tilting your head. “ What? Did I hurt your ego? Or are you just jealous?” you teased, nudging his arm playfully.

His expression darkened, and instead of his usual sarcastic quip, he turned to you with something more intense in his eyes. “ Jealous?” He repeated, his voice quieter, heavier. “ You think this is about jealousy?”

Your smirk wavered as the air between you shifted. “In-ho…”

He ran a hand through his hair, looking away for a moment before stepping closer. “I just don’t get it.” He admitted, his tone raw with frustration.

“ Why him? Why Jun-ho? Of all the people in the world, why do you have to love someone who—” He stopped himself, his jaw clenching as if the rest of the sentence physically pained him.

You swallowed hard. “ Because I do.” You whispered. “ Because no matter what happens, no matter how complicated things get, my feelings for him won’t just disappear.”

He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “ And what if he’s not who you think he is? What if one day, he lets you down? What if you wake up and realize you gave everything to someone who never planned on staying?”

You stiffened. “ Why are you saying this?”

His gaze locked onto yours, and for the first time, you saw something flicker behind his usually guarded eyes—something dangerously close to hurt.

“ Because I’ve seen it happen before.” He murmured. “ And I don’t want it to happen to you.”

The weight of his words settled deep in your chest, but before you could say anything, he scoffed, stepping back as if shaking off whatever moment of vulnerability had just slipped through.

“ Forget it.” He muttered.

“ Do whatever you want.”

And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving you standing there with your heart pounding, your thoughts racing, and the undeniable feeling that you had just missed something important—something you weren’t sure you were ready to face.

N/A: Y/n and Jun-ho met when they were 16. In-ho, on the other hand, began to like her when she reached her legal age—around the time Y/n was in her twenties. (I need to clarify this to avoid misunderstandings between the characters)

Y/n and Jun-ho's age right now: 23 (College students)

In-ho's age right now: 30 (I need to lower down his age to make it more accurate)

[lost-in-thoughts03]

Into You // Young-il

Summary: Your classmates are shipping you and your best friend, causing your professor to walk out.

" But close ain't close enough. 'Til we cross the line."

Warning: Slight angst, jealousy, confession, touch deprived Young-il, forbidden love, age gap (Young-il is in his 40s and reader is 25), and student x teacher (again)

You are laughing aloud with your best friend on the way to your classroom. He is making sarcastic comments about your pet peeves, pointing out their strange actions and how repulsive their mindsets are. In addition, he tells you foolish stories and amusing jokes that only the two of you will comprehend.

Along with exchanging ridiculous yet hysterical jokes, the two of you are clapping your hands like a damn penguin.

Keiron opened the door for you and let you in first before he went inside. Your eardrums are nearly destroyed by the loudness of the classroom. The combination of different noises made by your classmates.

In the room, they are hurling papers and taunting the nerd. The bullies hurried to their seats when Keiron yelled at them.

Kieron got you a chair and allowed you to take it before him. He was seated beside you.

Now, your classmates are looking at you both. They are both cheering and teasing you about your best friend.

They are all shipping you with him.

" You two are basically a couple!" One of your friends raised an eyebrow in jest.

Another one chimed in, " Seriously, have you seen the way you look at each other? It's like you're in your own world."

Your cheeks began to flush, and you turned to look at him—your friend, who had always been there but now appeared to have a different role in your life.

He smiled sheepishly as he met your gaze, but you could tell he was tense. Recently, you two had been getting closer, but this? This was not like the others.

“ Stop it!" You said, trying to laugh it off. " We're just friends.”

" Don’t lie to us! You are in a relationship!" One of your peers yelled. You went to your seat after flushing and attempting to cover your red cheeks with your palm.

The door suddenly opened and your professor Young-il appeared. When he walked in, they fell silent. A few of your classmates inquired about his day and offered to help him set up the monitor, which he gladly accepted.

He smiled his brightest in front of you and clapped his hand. He pushed his glasses up to his nose for better vision. He is looking around the room until he finds you.

Your male best friend and you are sitting there laughing at your ridiculous jokes. The sight of you with another man made Young-il's smile disappear. He tried to distract himself by thinking of something else, and he pursed his lip.

" How are you all today?" He asked everyone.

The fact that your classmates are shouting back at him made Professor Young-il laugh. " Everyone, calm down. I know…I know you have already had a lot of rants about other subjects." He laughed as he spoke.

Professor Young-il is the most awesome teacher you have ever encountered. You do not have to worry about him if you followed his rules; if you didn't, he might be strict. He assigns passing grades to his students who fulfill their scholastic obligations.

Professor Young-il is incredibly enthusiastic about his work. He ensures that all of his students learn during his lessons. Additionally, he asks his students if they need any clarification on the subject, and he will merely restate it in a straightforward definition. If the majority of you missed his point, he will not move on to another subject.

The majority of his students are crushing on him because of his admirable qualities. Because their professor is too attractive for his age, they are simping on him. They could not believe this man was almost fifty. He seemed younger than the other professor here.

You are beginning to feel something for him, and you can't deny it. Like your other classmates, it was a foolish crush. You can't help but blush whenever he calls your name, and it gives you the chills when you unintentionally brush your skin against him.

You're aware that this feeling is morally wrong because you are fantasizing about your own teacher. You must therefore keep your feelings for him hidden in order to prevent misunderstandings. It's already clear to you that he will never treat you better than his student.

“ Since the midterm is approaching and I want everyone to get ready for their upcoming tests, we will not be having any discussions today.” He began to speak.

The good news has you and your classmates jumping and cheering. Professor Young-il chuckled at your adorable response. He can’t deny, though, that he is jealous of your friend, who is essentially keeping his arms around your shoulder and giving you a playful hug.

“ Ayiiee!” Your classmates shouted at you when they saw how close you and your friend were to one another.

You are instantly dragged out of your embrace with him, and you attempt to conceal your blushes from the shame.

" Do you know, sir, that Y/n and Keiron are now dating?" Nam-gyu commented. He laughs more when you give him a glare.

" Look, they are hiding it!" Your classmates continue to make fun of you.

“ For your information, Nam-gyu, I'm not dating him!” You screamed at him. As a result of your response, Nam-gyu and his foolish friends are now laughing.

“ Denial is the river of Egypt!” Ming-su went on.

However, Young-il didn't find it funny. When your classmates made jokes about your friend, he didn't reply or smile. Young-il clenched his jaw, pretending he did not feel anything. However, if you probed him closely, he would admit that jealousy would cause him to blow up.

“ Class, settle down.” The class falls silent as he raises his voice. Professor Young-il is leaning against the board with his arms crossed.

His lip is being nibbled as he tries to control his sudden annoyance. He sighed and said, " I changed my mind; we need to discuss now. We waste a lot of time." He stated with firmness.

" Sir, you already stated that we will not have class today because you want us to prepare for the upcoming exams?!" Hyun-ju intervened.

Professor Young-il's hands slammed against the table. You were all taken aback by his unexpected outburst. It's easy to see how awkward and silent the classroom is.

Young-il took off his glasses and walked out of the classroom. With a quick, stern look in his eyes, he gave you both one last look before leaving the classroom, abandoning the place a hive of activity.

Your friends exchanged puzzled glances, but you were too preoccupied with what had just happened. The teasing had faded into the background, leaving a lingering question.

You can hear murmurs in the room. Your professor's altered behavior is the topic of conversation among all of your classmates. When your best friend asked you what had happened, you simply shrugged your shoulders since you were also unsure of the answer.

" Y/n, what if you need to find Mr. Young-il as our class beadle? We must apologize to him because we have treated him disrespectfully." In-su's statement prompted your classmates to agree.

There is nothing you can do but comply with their request. You excused yourself and left the class. While you are strolling down the hallway, you are mentally preparing your speech about your professor.

Also, you scratched your nape because you did not know where he was going, but your mind says otherwise.

…

You asked the faculty department where Professor Young-il was, but they were also unaware of his whereabouts. When you inquired about his office, the school administrator gave you directions straight away. You thanked them for their help as you walked out of their office.

You have been in his office for a long time now. The lengthy walk you took to look for your fucking professor has left you gasping for air. You breathed out as you knocked on the door.

When no one picks up, you knock again. With a sigh, you made the decision to go, but then the door opened and you were pulled inside. You nearly stumbled, and you heard the door lock.

It appears that you arrived at the wrong moment because your professor was sweating profusely and his clothes were not yet fixed. You used your hand to cover your eyes so you would not see anything else, which made your fantasies about him become worse.

His table is strewn with all of his possessions, and there are pieces of tissue on top of it. You turned to look at your professor, who was still taking a deep breath.

" Are you alright, sir?" You asked him in concern. He appears to have run a thousand miles before arriving here, as he looks like shit—a handsome type of shit.

He gulped. “ What are you doing here, L/n?” His tone carried a trace of surprise. Young-il straightened himself by buttoning his pants and buckling his belt.

You pretend that you were unaware of his actions. It's impossible to avoid feeling ashamed because you may have disturbed the person while he was engaged in another activity.

You swallowed. “ Ahm…you…ehrm…” Your voice trailed off. Sweat started trickling into your face. Despite the fact that everything around you is freezing, you are still sweating profusely.

Young-il couldn't help but grin when he saw how anxious you were, merely trying to formulate your words in an attempt to combat the awkwardness between you two.

He approached you. He squeezed both of his hands firmly onto your shoulder and patted them there. The sensation of his rough hands against your flesh makes you hitch.

“ C’mon, don't be nervous, L/n.” His voice was husky. His voice is so deep that it makes your underwear dripping. You tensed your thighs to keep from experiencing this emotion.

“ I will not bite unless you say so." He snarled right in your ear. The only thing you can do is close your eyes and battle the inner demons that are constantly bothering your innocent mind.

Young-il is reaching down to touch your arm. His other hand is on your waist, and he is gently caressing you while he waits for you to speak. He draws you in and presses your body against him to gain a better position.

Something hard poked your thighs, and you shivered. You remember seeing him put his phone in his pocket earlier before you went in, so you assume it was his phone.

“ Ahm…I'm here because—” You let out a moan as Young-il bit your skin and licked your neck.

“ Why did you stop?” He asked naively.

You gulped and went on. " I'm here because my classmates want you to return to the classroom and apologize for their behavior earlier." You have completed your sentence.

You heard him chuckle as he drew away from you. You both sense that the room is getting hotter, and you both know what you two want.

When Young-il's mouth opened, he quickly closed it again after saying nothing.

Once more, his expression was unreadable as he pursed his lips. Professor Young-il is very enigmatic, and you can not tell what his true feelings are unless he can essentially show them to you all.

He had not previously allowed you to see the rawness that was now present in his eyes. The silence between you two was heavy and thick.

Finally, he spoke again, but quietly this time. " I've tried to keep things professional. To ignore how I am feeling. But seeing you with him, hearing you talk about how your friends perceive you two together—it's hard." He began to speak.

You scowled, not understanding what he was saying. “ Beg your pardon, sir?” You asked.

Young-il grinned and took a step toward you. He is looking right into your eyes. His eyes are hypnotizing you. The range of emotions you are experiencing at the moment is causing your chest to pound so violently.

" You really don’t get it, do you?" There was a sharpness beneath the softness of his voice.

You blinked in confusion. “ Ahm…sir, could you please elaborate. I'm having trouble understanding your words." You beseech him.

He did not say anything as he observed your shifting facial expressions toward him. He licked his lips to keep from blushing in your presence. As a professional, it isn't cool to him.

You let out a sigh. " If you are not interested in answering my question, allow me to ask you."

" About earlier," You began, a little shaky in your voice.

" What was that about? What made you leave like that? I don't get it.” Your thoughts are racing right now. You desperately want an answer from him so that you can finally be at ease.

Because you have always noticed that Professor Young-il's mood shifts when you are with your best friend. In this way, he abruptly and without explanation exits the classroom. All you want is for things to be clear. You simply don't want to make any assumptions until he gives you a clear response.

Avoid assuming unless explicitly stated.

His eyes never left yours as he let out a sharp exhale. " I've been keeping it hidden for a long time, L/n. I thought I could simply ignore it. But as time passed, it became deeper and deeper, and I couldn't stop it anymore."

" I can't stand seeing you with him. Your best friend will do anything to get your attention, but here I am, being deprived of your attention.” He was so frustrated that he combed his hair.

" The way he looks, touches, and smiles at you makes me want to smash his face." He's looking at you, and when he talks about your best friend, a fire ignites in his eyes.

His hand slides to your jaw and then grabs your chin. " I don't want another idiot to steal what's mine." He let out a growl.

You were so surprised that you slapped him and shoved him away. The sound of his skin cracking loudly against your palm was loud.

As he touched the area of him that hurt, his jaw tightened. “ I'm…I'm sorry. Gosh, I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to slap you.” You nearly burst into tears before leaving.

However, a firm hand grabbed your wrist before you could get to the door and dragged you back to his arms. Young-il nearly strangled you with his tight embrace. He is stronger than you, despite your best efforts to break free. Thus, you simply allowed him to embrace you.

He sniffed your scent while resting his head on your neck.

" I've kept it hidden for a long time…My feelings towards you. I never imagined I would fall in love with my student. I thought it was a disgusting idea for me to feel this way about you." He admitted.

The realization struck you like a shock of electricity as his words lingered in the air. The person you had always admired from afar, Professor Young-il, harbored feelings for you.

What you are truly feeling at the moment is difficult to describe. The fact that the person you have liked for a long time likes you makes you happy, but you are also sad and afraid of what might happen if you keep looking at each other in this manner.

" But this is absolutely wrong, sir." You murmured into his chest. Young-il gave you a tighter hug. He strained himself further.

You drew away from his hug. " Why didn’t you say anything?" You asked, almost breathlessly.

" Why did you have to wait till now?" You added.

A tiny, irritated laugh escaped him as he combed his hair. " Because it's wrong. Y/n, you’re my student. I didn't want to jeopardize everything for an uncertain outcome.”

" But I can't deny that it hurts when I see you with someone else, when I see you happy with him." He went on.

The realization of his suppressed feelings and the overwhelming wave of guilt for whatever he must have been suppressing caused your stomach to turn.

" Professor, Young-I—”

His voice was low as he stepped closer and interrupted you. “ I'm aware of how complex it is. However, I had to say it. You had to know."

Neither of you said anything for a long time. The silence between you two felt like it had lasted forever, as if this conversation had been waiting to happen all along.

At last, you raised your head to speak softly to him. " What now?"

With a hint of sadness in his eyes, he smiled wryly. " I don't know. But perhaps we should both figure out where we stand. I can't continue to act as though I don't give a damn about you."

The words weighed heavily, as if they were an implicit pledge. However, neither of you was aware of the outcome. You were only aware that everything had changed at this precise moment.

Should I make part two? 🤔

[lost-in-thoughts03]

If Ever You're in My Arms Again // Cho Sangwoo

Part 1: Strawberries and Cigarettes

Summary: Love is in the air. But what if he's the one who disappears?

" We had a once in a lifetime. But I just couldn't see until it was gone."

Warning: Only fluff and angst

Despite the semester still being in progress, you and Sang-woo continue to meet in secret. But tonight, as the moonlight bathes his face in silver, he takes your hands in his and says softly, " I submitted my resignation letter. There’s no need to hide anymore." His voice is resolute, yet there’s an undercurrent of something deeper, something that makes your heart clench.

" Meeting you in secret feels like denying what we have. And I love you too much to keep you in the shadows. I should be proud to love you—not conceal you." His eyes burn with intensity, and you feel the weight of his love settling deep within you.

When the semester finally ends, your stolen moments become endless days together. Sang-woo takes you out on dates, always insisting on paying, despite your protests. Whenever you reach for your wallet, he gently pushes your hand away, his lips curving into a teasing smile.

" Let me spoil you." He murmurs, brushing his thumb against your cheek. And he does—lavishing you with gifts, ones that remind him of you, each item carrying an unspoken sentiment.

You feel embarrassed sometimes, wondering if you’ve become the very definition of a "sugar baby." But every time you voice your concerns, he only shakes his head. " If I could, I’d give you the whole world. But for now, let me settle for these little things. Just seeing you wear them—seeing you happy—is worth more than anything."

Sang-woo doesn’t express emotions easily, but you see his love in the way he looks at you when he thinks you aren’t watching. And when you press a soft kiss to his cheek, the flicker of surprise in his eyes is quickly replaced by something far more vulnerable—his ears turning the faintest shade of pink.

Tonight, he takes you back to where you shared your first kiss, the city lights shimmering like fireflies against the water. As you walk along the bay, he offers you a piggyback ride, his laughter rich and warm whenever you squeal at his playful antics. " Sang-woo!" You gasp as he pretends to lose his grip, just to hear you react. His laughter echoes through the night, mingling with yours.

When he finally sets you down, breathless, you rest a hand on his shoulder. " Are you okay?" You ask, concern flickering in your gaze. He simply flashes you a thumbs-up, chest rising and falling rapidly.

" I told you I’m heavy." You tease. " Are your bones still intact?"

He rolls his eyes, feigning irritation, but the way he pulls you into a tight embrace tells you otherwise. You laugh, burying your face in his chest as he rests his chin atop your head. The two of you stand there, watching the world pass by, hearts beating in quiet synchronicity.

But for Sang-woo, this moment is fleeting—perhaps the last of its kind.

He has already made the call. The number on the card from yesterday. Desperation has led him to this choice. His debts, his past—they are all catching up to him, closing in like a noose. And yet, he hasn’t told you.

He can't tell you.

It’s just six days. That’s all. If he disappears now, it will only be for six days. Surely, he can make it back to you.

" Has something been bothering you, Sang-woo?" Your voice pulls him back from his thoughts. He looks at you, swallowing the lump in his throat before forcing a smile.

" Would you look for me if I disappeared, love?" His question is sudden, his voice barely above a whisper.

Your brows furrow as you search his face. " What kind of question is that? Of course, I would find you. No matter how long it takes, I will always find you."

His chest tightens painfully. Your words, so full of unwavering devotion, cut deeper than any wound. Because what if…what if you did have to find him?

" Why are you asking something so random?" You press.

He exhales sharply, biting his lip before shaking his head. " No reason. I just—" He reaches for your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. " I already miss your voice, that’s all."

You playfully nudge his arm. " You’re so cheesy. We’ve been talking this whole time!"

Sang-woo chuckles before pulling you into another embrace. As the sky erupts in fireworks, painting the night in brilliant hues, he slips his hand into his pocket and retrieves a small box.

Your breath catches when he opens it, revealing a delicate ring.

Your lips part, but the words don’t come. Your heart pounds as he takes your left hand, sliding the ring onto your finger with a tenderness that makes your chest ache.

You reach for the other ring inside the box and take his hand, mirroring his actions.

" I know it's not expensive." He says, voice laced with quiet sincerity. " But maybe one day, I’ll buy you something grander." He hesitates, then continues. " But for now, let this be our promise."

He looks into your eyes, his own dark and brimming with unspoken emotions. " This ring is my vow—to find you, to love only you. Even if death separates us…even in the next life, I will still choose you."

Tears prick at your eyes, overwhelmed by the depth of his words. You cup his face, your thumb grazing his cheek. " I don’t care about the price, Sang-woo. The meaning behind it is more than enough for me."

For the first time in a long while, he smiles—truly smiles. " I had our names engraved inside." He murmurs, tilting the ring to show you the delicate etching. " So that if you ever miss me, you’ll know I’m always with you."

You gasp, overcome with emotion, before throwing your arms around him. " Thank you, Sang-woo…for everything."

He buries his face in your hair, holding you as if you’re the only thing anchoring him to this world. " No." He whispers, voice trembling. " It’s me who should thank you. Because without you, I don’t know if I’d still be here. You saved me, Y/n. You may not wear a cape, but you saved my life."

And with that, he kisses your forehead, again and again, as if trying to etch the memory of you into his very soul.

…

After leaving you behind, Sang-woo heads toward the place where his fate has already been sealed.

The air is thick with the scent of cigarettes as he stands alone, waiting for the van that will take him to the game site. The night is eerily silent, the only sound being the faint crackling of his lighter as he flicks it open and closed absentmindedly. His fingers graze the ring on his hand, twisting it as memories of you flood his mind—your laughter, your warmth, the way you promised to always find him.

A bitter smile tugs at his lips. “ Will you really find me, Y/n? Even if I’m lost somewhere you can’t reach?”

His thoughts are shattered by the sharp blast of a van’s horn. Sang-woo lifts his head, blinking as the headlights cut through the darkness. He hesitates for just a moment before exhaling, throwing his cigarette to the ground and crushing it beneath his heel. With one last glance at the empty streets, he raises a hand in farewell—to what, he isn’t sure.

Then, he walks forward.

Reaching the van, he knocks on the cold metal door. A robotic voice responds, emotionless and haunting.

" What’s the password?"

His throat feels dry. " Red light, green light."

The door hisses open. A guard in a pink jumpsuit and a featureless mask motions him inside. Sang-woo steps in, his sharp eyes scanning the interior. Rows of unconscious bodies slump against the seats, their slow, even breaths the only indication of life. Some snore softly, lost in a forced sleep.

Sang-woo swallows, his grip tightening around the ring still resting on his finger.

Then, without warning—pssst!—a burst of gas fills the confined space.

His vision blurs almost instantly. His lungs burn as he chokes on the chemicals. Instinctively, he tries to push himself up, to fight, but his limbs grow heavy, sluggish. He stumbles toward the door, but before he can even reach it, a guard’s gloved hand grips his hair and slams his head against the van’s cold window.

Crack.

Stars explode in his vision. Blood drips down his temple. His knees give out, and before the darkness claims him entirely, one last thought flickers through his fading mind—

Y/n…

Then, silence.

Cho Sang-woo was never seen again.

Most people know how his story ends. His name has become nothing more than a whisper of the past, a forgotten tragedy in a world that never stops moving forward.

But you don’t.

You’re still waiting.

You still believe he’ll return, clinging to the promise he made as if it were the only light in an endless night. Every passing day, every passing year, you convince yourself that maybe tomorrow will be the day. Maybe tomorrow, he’ll walk through that door, smirking like he always did, teasing you for worrying too much.

But tomorrow never comes.

And when the truth finally reaches you—when you finally learn that the man you’ve waited for all these years has been dead for so long—what will you do?

How do you grieve someone who left you with nothing but a promise they were never meant to keep?

How do you say goodbye when you never even got to say hello again?

[lost-in-thoughts03]

Earned it // Seong Gi-hun

Summary: Rather than returning to the game he hated the most and stopping their illegal activities, and dissuaded everyone from playing the deadly game.

Seong Gi-Hun decided to spend the 45.6 billion for his own benefit. A blood money that resulted from the passing of his best friend and other individuals with whom he developed close relationships while playing the game.

He immediately became a billionaire. Now he needs someone to clean up his mess.

Are you willing to apply?

" And you deserve it. The way you work it"

Warning: 18+, smut, stalking, age gap, college student reader, obsession, grammatical errors, boss x employee

" Sorry, but you are no longer eligible for our scholarship."

" One of your sponsors has decided to cut her budget for your cash allowance."

" I apologized, but we are not currently accepting any applicants."

All the bad luck in the world seems to have fallen on L/n Y/n. All of her hard-won gains seemed to have disappeared like a bubble. The scholarship she had worked so hard to keep throughout her life was taken away from her. Since her tuition will go up the following semester, she is quite concerned about what her parents will say to her.

She tried her hardest to pass her subject. She sacrificed her sleep for the sake of her studies, spending both days and nights preparing for their upcoming lessons. She could not recall the last time she spent time with her friends. They occasionally harbored animosity toward her since Y/n consistently turned down their invitations.

Her life was completely upended by one subject, which she hated with all her heart. She placed the blame on her professor, her school, the staff, and the facility. After the dean discusses her main issues with her, she clings to her bag in an attempt to conceal her swollen eyes from the unending sob. She can no longer walk due to weak knees. She is unable to think clearly because her mind is foggy. It felt as though someone had struck it with a hammer until it broke and began to bleed.

...

After getting dressed, you went outside to get some food. You went to her usual restaurant and became a regular customer. The proprietor welcomes you, and you reciprocates. You went to the very end of the store in an attempt to find the empty seats.

While waiting to receive her order, you drum your fingers on the table. Looking at the children playing with each other made her smile.

You wish you could return to your childhood.

A man walked into their store and distracted her from her thoughts. They are all staring at him. Women drool and blush as he greets them with his charms.

He is a good-looking man. His facial wrinkles give her the impression that he is somewhat older than she is, but it makes no difference because he is still attractive and capable of attracting anyone he desires.

He's dressed in black slacks and a black coat with a black shirt inside. His slicked-back hairstyle made him look young. Y/n shook her head to stop thinking about the man behind the counter placing orders.

Gi-Hun is looking around for the open seats. He smiles sweetly at everyone and captivates them with his charms. He proceeded toward the rear of the building until he came to a dead end.

He sighed when he noticed that there was not a single seat available, but then his eyes kept on you, who was seated with her head resting on the table.

He approaches your table and gives you a light shake. Y/n raised her head, her eyes widening as she saw Gi-Hun towering over her.

He observed how she swallowed. It was a normal move, but it drove him insane. His mind was suddenly filled with a graphic idea that made him shudder.

“ Excuse me, miss. Are you using that table?” He questioned her.

You responded by nodding her head. Gi-Hun sighed when he realized the table was still occupied.

" Perhaps we could share. It has one extra chair. I hope it is okay for you because the place is too crowded." You replied, inviting him.

Gi-Hun smiled at her and expressed gratitude for her kindness. He sat across from her. Their awkwardness is obvious. He dodged her gaze like a teen boy having a moment with his crush.

Until the waiter serves their food. They thanked the waiter and Gi-Hun gave the waiter a tip. You saw that the man in front of her you so rich. Although you were ashamed that you had invited the wrong man, it is acceptable to be kind to others.

Gi-Hun saw that she was staring. His heart began to beat its own rhythm. He became shy in front of the young woman, despite the fact that he had previously broken someone's head.

“ C’mon, let's eat.” He spoke quietly.

...

“ Hello, Gi-Hun. What's up?” Someone from the other line asked.

Gi-Hun sighed. " Could you please look for any information about L/n Y/n? I need that right away."

" But we still have a task to complete? My men need to find the businessman you are talking about!" Gi-Hun massaged his temples, having forgotten about that scumbag recruiter because you had recently occupied his thoughts.

" Could you please do what I have requested? I pay you to move. So you don't have a single reason to complain about your fucking job!" He spoke firmly, causing the man on the other end of the line to remain silent.

" Shut your damn mouth, or I will shut you down forever." Gi-Hun spoke before hanging up the phone. He was so stressed that he poured another shot of whiskey and then drank it all.

...

" I need a job to cover my tuition. I need your help, Jay.” You persuaded your friend by pulling his arm.

Jay put his arms around you and gave you a small hug while he rolled his eyes playfully.

“ Jaah! You must search online; you will find many job opportunities nearby." He said, opening his laptop and looking through a job-finding website.

" You can work here as a waitress. However, the income is lower than in the other companies." Jay said, still browsing the website.

" Why have not you informed them about the denial of your scholarship?" He asked.

“ For what? Because I am only going to study and I still can not do it correctly, they can make me appear foolish and unworthy.” You answered.

“ Hey, don't say that. We know your parents are very proud of you. Don't think about that, Y/n.” He said this while comforting her by caressing your back.

You and Jay are currently at the university. As enrollment week approaches, both of you must act quickly to secure spots in their course for the upcoming semester. The two of you are in your junior year, and with two semesters left, both of you will finally graduate from this institution and march on stage.

Jay is vying for latin honors. He was one of the students selected for the president's list at their university. The majority of the students, particularly the female students, are admiring your friend.

He possesses almost all the characteristics of a man. He is kind, smart, artistic, a gentleman, tall, muscular, family-oriented, soft-spoken, and a musician, among other things. You simply ignore your classmates' persistent questions about your friend until they stop bothering you.

You acknowledged that you had harbored feelings for him since high school. Additionally, you need to stop your growing feelings for your friend because you don't want to destroy your bond. Being friends with him is already enough for you.

This world has a lot of men. Perhaps your love story is about to begin. It may sound corny, but you thinks it is true.

“ Gotcha! Hey, look at it. I have already sent your application. We must wait for their response either today or tomorrow.” Jay said while presenting you with all the details of the job application he had submitted on your behalf.

“ What's that..a maid?” You asked.

“ You idiot, of course not! It is a personal assistant. You know, those artists—they have a helper to keep track of their belongings and set their schedule like a secretary. Despite sharing many traits, they are not the same.” You nodded when Jay clarified that.

“ We have to wait to hear back from your employer regarding your application. If you are lucky, your monthly salary could be as high as 500,000 won. It can finally cover your tuition and other costs." He replied cheerfully.

Y/n hugged Jay because she was happy, causing him to freeze. He smiled as he moved his fingers through Y/n's silky hair. He wished they could stay this way forever.

“ Thank you for your help, Jay. I am not sure what my life will be like without you." You said this while sobbing into his chest.

“ Don't be dramatic, Y/n. Of course, I am your friend, which is why I always lend you a hand. We will resolve every issue to the best of our ability." He replied.

...

#456. The room's number made her feel uneasy, but she chose to ignore the unpleasant feelings she was experiencing. As she approached her boss's room, her heart began to pound violently. The fact that she did not know how to approach her boss made her genuinely anxious. She is hoping their conversation will go well.

You exhaled deeply as you lifted her right arm to knock on the door. But before you touched the wooden texture, the door opened and your eyes widened when you met the familiar face again. He greets you with his cute and warm smile.

It was the man you met weeks ago. What a small world. He waved his hands on you to divert yourself to your thoughts. He opened the door widely as he let you come in first before the two of you settled everything.

“ Are you Mr. Seong?” She asked him.

The man smiled at her. “ Yup, that's me. Actually you forgot to ask my name last time because you are in too much of a hurry to get home.” He answered, which made Y/n blushed from embarrassment.

“ I apologized. I thought my parents were going to scold me because I came home late.” She responded. He just nodded at her while licking his lips.

“ Ms. L/n Y/n, right?” She nodded.

“ What a small world.” He laughed to himself.

Soon, his laugh dried quickly. “ Anyway, this is your first day working with me. I hope we can have a good relationship with each other.” He said as he went to his table to fetch something.

He came back to her while bringing a piece of paper to his hands. He lifted it up with a wide smile. “ You may sign the contract. But first, you must read the entire content so in case there's a problem, you can raise your concern to me as your employer.” Following him, Y/n read their contract cover to cover.

Gi-Hun gazed at Y/n while she read. His arms are crossed as he leans on his table. He could not stop smiling every time he looked at the young woman in front of him. Later on, you are already signing the paper. You handed out the paper while bowing your head.

He took advantage of the situation and grabbed the paper while making sure their skins were touching. A spark is entering the man's system, quickening his heartbeat. He just sighed to maintain his composure.

" Excellent! Thank you, Ms. L/n.” He spoke with formality.

“ You can call me Y/n, sir.” She responded.

Sir. Hearing that word made his ears perk up. The air conditioner was blowing loudly, but why did he still feel warm inside? He simply clenched his hand to keep himself from eating her at the table and demonstrated to her the impact you had on him in order to become so addicted.

He cleared his throat. " You may begin now. Ahm…can you please check these files and compile them alphabetically.” He gestured toward the boxes containing countless files. You gave a nod before beginning your task.

However, you were unaware that Gi-Hun was standing behind you. The sensation of his hot breath against your neck made you jump. His veiny hands are moving to your shoulder.

" If you saw anything on that file, please shut up. Like…shhhh!" He spoke in a low voice. The huskiness of his voice made your hair stand up.

Her hands tightened around the box. " What if my conscience is haunting me? And if you did something wrong, why would I hesitate to report it to the authorities?" Now that your voice is trembling, the man's smile has widened.

Gi-Hun rolled his eyes as he sneakily sniffed her hair. It had a strawberry-like scent that was too delicious to be his drug. He never stops smelling them all to get high. He simply ignores her because he is too focused on sniffing her. His eyes have darkened, and you can see the lust in them.

" If you are going to do it, for sure…your conscience is only alive. You will be forgotten and nobody will find you, dear." He whispered to her.

" Our conscience guides us to our deaths. If I were you, I would stay quiet and be a good girl." He purred at her. Gi-Hun separates himself to give her space. He might lose control and take her right here if he is unable to do it now. He adjusted his pants because he was uncomfortable with the tightness between his thighs.

" I will be good to you if you are good to me. Don't forget that, darling." He spoke before returning to his table, leaving you speechless.

You shakes your head, hoping to clear her mind of any remaining thoughts. You started working, and as you were gathering the paperwork, you glanced at Gi-Hun, who was using his phone to talk to someone. His current expression is fierce, and he could blow up at any moment. You also heard him curse someone on the other end of the line.

You appear to be regretting your decision to take this job.

...

The sound of the key rang throughout the room. In order to avoid disturbing his neighbors, Gi-Hun opens the door cautiously and shuts it slowly to avoid any noise. The dried blood was wiped from his face. The blood of the recruiter who killed himself with his foolish game appeared to disgust him. He walks over to sit in his chair. He reached for his cigarette box and took one.

He was lost in thought, gazing off into space. All he could do was sigh at what was happening in his life right now. No more detailed information about the group that owned the lethal games he had previously joined was given to him after his run-in with the recruiter. In order to temporarily escape his never-ending troubles, he got up and went to his kitchen to get a drink of liquor.

However, as he approached, he noticed a figure on his sofa. Because of his traumatic past, he immediately pulled out a knife to defend himself if he had to fight back.

The entire room was dark, and only the moonlight helped him see where he was going.

He took slow steps to avoid drawing attention to himself. His heart pounded as he got closer and his nose was met with a familiar scent. He instantly switched on the flashlight on his phone and discovered that you were sleeping on his couch.

Without hesitation, he let go of the knife he was holding and tucked it inside of his pocket. He dropped to his knees on the couch where you were lying. He slowly moves his face closer to her hair, smelling it. Its peculiar and alluring scent made him groan silently. He gently brushed her hair with his hands.

Even though it is eerie, he no longer cares. He is examining her facial features while caressing her face. His fingers are exploring her lips and discovering how delicate they were. He wants to kiss her while she sleeps, but it is too much of him acting creepy. Rather, he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Gi-Hun set aside the papers that you had spent the entire day working on. He grinned upon realizing how diligent she was. You are so committed to your goal that you don't give up until you achieves it. You were so busy with your work that you failed to notice the time and simply dozed off. Although this is unrelated to Gi-Hun, he is relieved that you're in his house and that he has vowed to keep you safe.

He went to his room to sleep because he was exhausted. He removed his coat while unbuttoning his shirt. He flung himself onto the bed right away. All of his issues and the terrible things that happened to him three years ago resurfaced as he looked at the ceiling.

Blood, death, and more carnage followed his meeting with the Frontman and the murder of his best friend. He turns over in bed and puts the pillow over his face. He repeated that a few times until his eyelids grew heavy and he was only able to see the darkness that had captivated him ever since he started playing that game.

…

“ Good morning, sunshine. You have finally woken up." You heard a low voice behind you. You were so startled that you nearly fell, but someone grabbed you by the waist.

It was Gi-Hun. Even though his face is currently his morning one, you can't deny that his handsomeness brightens his features.

He released you then thanked him for that. He just winked at you and that made you blush. The man saw that and he just bit his lip to restrain himself.

“ I'm sorry if I fell asleep, sir.” You made an apology.

" That does not bother me at all, Y/n. You can sleep here for as long as you want." He replied while looking at you.

“ Also, can you drop the sir? When people call me that, it makes me look older." They burst out laughing.

“ My name is Gi-Hun.” He added.

You nodded. “ Alright, Gi-Hun." You said with a smile.

When his name was whispered to your luscious lips, Gi-Hun wanted to pass out. It sounds angelic, and he wonders how lovely it is when he is pounding you hard in his bedroom.

This time, you examined the man from head to toe, and when she noticed that he was only sporting a white tank top and, of course, his trousers—your cheeks began to flush. You could see visible muscles forming on his body.

He looked hot even though his hair was still uncombed. When Gi-Hun realized the you were observing him, he feigned to scratch his back to get her attention.

The look of surprise on your face was evident. The man was secretly laughing at the your expression.

" I know neither of us had breakfast, so I ordered, and we only have to wait about 30 minutes for the food to arrive." He spoke while grabbing a glass, pouring water into it, and drinking it.

Your gaze lowered to his neck, where you watched Adam's apple rise and fall. You swallowed dryly after seeing that.

“ Water?” He offered.

...

“ Hello, mum? Yeah…I'm fine. No, school begins next week.” You cradled your cellphone around your neck and applied lipstick to your lips.

" Okay, take care of yourself. Your allowance will be sent to you by tomorrow. We are quite busy here. I hope this makes sense.” Your mother explained.

You shook her head and sighed. Your parents' constant neglect of you, particularly your needs and their presence as damn parents, causes you to become increasingly resentful of them.

“ Okay, mum. I understand.” She replied.

“ I love y—” Your mother ended the call before you had finished speaking. With a sigh, you tucked your phone into your pocket and kept applying lipstick to your lips to look put together before work.

You are currently in the bathroom, fixing yourself. You thanked yourself for having extra clothes to change into because you couldn't make it home yesterday because you were so tired from work.

Unfortunately, it fell to the floor after accidentally slipping your lipstick onto your hand. You lipstick spilled all over the bathroom floor, creating a massive mess.

“ Fucking hell.” You cursed yourself as you took her dirty clothes and wiped them on the floor. You took the lipstick and put it in your pocket.

You squatted as you continued to wipe the floor. The hem of your skirt is rising. No one will be able to see your thigh, so you feels secure.

You kept cleaning until Gi-Hun came by, as he had something to tell you about the task he would be asking you to perform today.

The scene made the man freeze. He swallowed hard and could not help but shift his gaze to your thigh, then to your still-unbuttoned shirt. He noticed the color of your bra. You were taken aback and quickly stood up and straightened herself.

He noticed your cheeks were red from embarrassment. You waited for him to say something while keeping your head down on the ground.

The man smirked widely. This time, he lost control.

The man came up to you and took your hand to see if you had cut yourself. He sighed with relief that no wound had formed on your skin.

While still holding her hand, he slowly caressed it, as if she was about to pass out from what he had done. She could feel how rough and experienced his hand was. Up until Gi-Hun's hand slithered up her arm to her neck and squeezed it lightly. She made an odd noise that encouraged the man to keep going.

Gi-Hun noticed that there was a hint of intense concern and lust in your eyes. Also it was so dark that you could see the lust smeared in his eyes as you stared at him.

The silence was broken by the loud pounding in their chests, which sounded like they were yelling to each other while they debated whether or not to go on.

He put you against the wall. He moved closer to your neck just to smell her. He let out a groan as his nostrils grew accustomed to the aroma that had been his addiction for weeks.

He looked at you, pleading with you to give him consent, and your hands clung to his shoulder, making her more comfortable. He chuckled, causing you to moan as she felt his hot breath on your neck.

His lips found the flesh of her neck this time. Your hands are reaching for his head and grabbing his hair as you experience the sinful feeling he gave to you. He sucked your skin, creating a visible mark to demonstrate to everyone that—

You are belonged to him. He claimed you to be his.

He leaves her neck bruised, then looks at her as he catches his breath. He laughed when he saw how much of an effect he had on her and how red her face was. His other hand is brushing the extra hair that hides her lovely features. He placed them near her ear.

“ May I?” His tone deepened and grew raspy. You nodded.

" Do you want to continue?" She nodded again.

" If you say no, I will stop…and wait for you to say yes." He spoke while gripping her chin, forcing her to look at him.

" If you want to keep going, I will not stop until you are sore." He whispered to her neck, and she swallowed hard.

He chuckled. “ Don't worry, my love. I will not hurt you. Instead, I can assure you that you have earned every bit of pleasure." He stroked her hair.

Their lips nearly met as Gi-Hun leaned in her face. " Be a good girl for me, please." He said, biting her lip, which caused the woman to moan.

Kisses began slowly before becoming passionate. She parted her lips to allow his tongue to roam around. He flicked his tongue against hers and began sucking her tongue to get a better taste of her.

It was your first kiss. You never kissed anyone in your life. When you were a child, you wished upon the stars that you would meet a person in the future who would be your first—meaning that when you are willing to give everything.

You promise yourself that you truly love the person and that person will respect and love you until the two of you are old together.

However, this goes against what she promised herself. You met this man several weeks ago, and there is no clear explanation for her feelings for him. There is nothing more to you than the fact that he is your boss and friend. You couldn't believe how easily you gave herself to him.

Your body must be filled with guilt at the moment, but this contradicts your emotions. This is a one-of-a-kind feeling she has never experienced with anyone. You were aware that you trusted him, but you was unsure of why.

Finally, they parted from one another to catch their breath after their lengthy makeout session. When they pull away, their saliva clings together to form a long, elastic line. He moistened his lips. He repositions himself by placing his knee on her center, applying more pressure to her core.

You moaned as you felt the texture of his trousers against her clothed groin. Grinding yourself to his knee was the only way you could get to the inexplicable pleasure that was growing inside of you.

His hand moves to your chest, and he unbuttons your clothing. He aggressively took them off and threw your clothes on the ground. He quickly removed your bra, causing the undergarment to fall to the ground as well.

You are now exposed in front of him. The sight of you almost caused him to finish his trousers. He just needs a little more patience because he can feel how tight his trousers were.

Your legs were wrapped around the man's waist as he lifted you up. You felt his bulge poking your ass. He carried you to his room, laid you on his bed, and then lavished your breasts with slow, passionate kisses that caused you to groan aloud.

He goes to the right side of your breast and marks it. Until it reaches your nipple. He looked you in the eyes as he swirled his tongue around your nipple. He has begun removing your remaining clothes, but first he has obtained your permission.

He does not want an unpleasant feeling to spoil their moment. He wants you to feel less scared of him and more comfortable around him.

He remained in your underwear before gently massaging your thighs and spreading your legs wide. He approaches your center and takes a whiff of the forbidden and sinful fruit concealed between the thin fabric.

You are now crying about the sensation. You grabbed the sheets so tightly that you wanted to tear them apart. He smiles at you, then carefully takes off what is left of your clothes and places them on the floor.

Gi-Hun moistened his lips before pulling your legs and licking your folds, like what he did with the dalgona candy. His tongue is swirling around your clit, teasing you with slow licks that make you cry in pleasure.

Every time he licks a part of you, you just groan. You can feel his facial hair pressing against your cunt, adding spice with each touch. You pushed his head, bringing him closer to your crotch.

He pushed one finger into your hole, causing you to squeal. He slowly thrusts his finger, then moves his thumb around your tender spot. After a minute, he adds another finger into your hole, this time with greater speed.

Your body is being consumed by fire, necessitating her quick release. Then, with one last thrust, you let go of the enormous volumes of liquid that were coming toward you pussy.

He unbuckled his pants and took off his white tank top to undress. His body was so beautiful that your eyes widened. His body was so well-built for his age that you were oblivious to the fact that he was older than you.

Actually, he could be your father now.

" Let's get to the good stuff," He said quietly as he started to enter you. He started slowly and gently to avoid hurting you. The tightness of your cunt caused him to grunt.

He seemed to have been in heaven. He has been lusting for you for a long time, and now he can finally have you. He also vowed to himself that you wouldn't be touched by another man.

He had no hesitation in killing them if they did.

" Look at me, sweetheart, you can’t look anywhere else," He groaned. They're both moaning about the adrenaline coursing through their veins. After so many years of not having sexual contact with other people, he felt like he was doing it for the first time.

“ So tight…fuck!”

“ I can't never get tired of fucking this pussy.”

GI-Hun moves slowly, giving you time to get used to his size, while the two of you moan to each other's names.

You could never deny his size; he is literally massive and has the power to destroy you once he enters.

Even though he's adorable, he turns into a fucking monster in bed until you beg him to stop fucking you.

He started moving faster, and you held on to him even more. He gives you a deep, heavy thrust before returning to kiss you face.

" Please...please don’t stop." You pleaded.

" Who told me to stop? Did you feel something? You're clenching to me, love.”

“ I know you're on the verge. Don't try to stop it, sweetheart. Let me feel you.”

“ Tell me that you're mine.” He reached up and squeezed your neck while thrusting deeply inside your.

You continue to moan underneath. You were too preoccupied with getting your release to say anything.

“ I…I'm yours.” You stuttered.

Gi-Hun slowed down after that, causing you to groan aloud. You could feel his depth, as well as his tip inside your womb. “ Sorry, can't hear you.” He was teasing you.

You were gripping his back as he started to move more quickly. You attempts to exert more pressure on his body in order to get the incoming orgasms you desires. “ I'm yours…baby I'm yours! Please…” You cried out to him.

" Would you like to cum? Hmm?” You responded with a nod.

" Then beg me that you want to cum, and I will spill my fucking seed on you until you are full." He spoke firmly to you.

“ Please…please, I'm begging you. I want to cum Gi-Hun. Please…I want you. I want you to completely ruin me so that I am unable to walk for weeks at a time.” You pleaded with him.

The man laughed and did as his princess asked him to do.

“ Cum for me. I want to feel you. I want to feel your cum coating on my cock." He demanded while nibbling on your neck.

“ Such a good girl for me.”

" What a fucking slut for me."

He stutter-spoke as he drew closer to you. " I…am almost there, love."

He is getting faster. After the powerful thrust, he shoots his seed into your womb. The two of you inhaling deeply, attempting to catch up on lost air after having a fuck. He was still inside her, ensuring that he had ejected all of his seeds to her. He kissed you again and buried his head in your chest.

After a minute, Gi-Hun decided to take out his softening member and descend to view his masterpiece. He placed his fingers between your openings and spread them wide to see the fluids mixing as they leaked out of you pussy.

He climbed out of bed to get a clean cloth to wipe the fluids that were leaking onto you. After your passionate moments together, he joined you on the bed with a smile on his face and put his arms around you in a possessive manner, protecting and caring for you.

He placed the cigarette on his lips and lit it before exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. He looked at you then he chuckled as he could not believe you two had finally made it.

“ Finally you are mine, Y/n.” He spoke as he glanced at you, who was dozing off on his arms. He kissed you on the forehead and gently brushed your hair.

After this, he promised himself that he would do better in order to win your heart. Gi-Hun has made a commitment to himself that he will never let go of you, no matter how difficult the challenges he faces in the future may be. He will stop at nothing to ensure your happiness.

Guilt rushes toward him as he looks at the ceiling. He has a daughter in the United States who is waiting for him, but he is stuck here—both due to his trauma and his obsession with you.

Furthermore, he is unsure of how to discuss that matter with you.

[lost-in-thoughts03]

Strawberries and Cigarettes // Cho Sang-woo

Summary: Cho Sang-woo is your Organization and Management instructor this semester. His interactions with students are different from those of other professors. He is calm, but his presence is intimidating.

He is a strict teacher because he wants all of his students to understand the significance of rules. In each class he teaches, he consistently asserts that he has no fear of failing a student.

Sang-woo expects his students to be obedient and disciplined.

When he meets you, will he still behave according to his own rules? How does he get destroyed by his own values, and how long will he continue to conceal the desires that are slowly consuming him?

" But strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you."

Warning: 18+, Slight angst, smut, kissing, smoking, age gap, grammatical errors, teacher x student

A new semester starts. In other words, another issue will arise. Another source of stress will drain our energy and have an impact on our mental health.

College life is extremely difficult. This is not the college life you have seen on telenovelas or read about in teen fiction. According to the saying, you meet someone while attending college, but you are already a damn college student.

You have yet to find someone who fully embodies your personality.

Y/n is an average student. She did not want to put too much pressure on herself academically because all she needed to do while staying here was survive while learning new skills and expanding her opportunities.

Y/n is enrolled in BSA. Fortunately, she managed to pass those qualifying tests and keep her spot in the lethal course. One of her friends, regrettably, was moved to a different department after being disqualified from their course.

When you are in BSA, remain resilient. Along with the stack of books you read, you also need to pray for a rosary to pass.

“ Y/n!” Her pals gave each other a hug.

" So, have you seen our schedule for the entire semester?" A friend of hers inquired.

Y/n shakes her head. She was scowled at by her friend. " Anyway, our schedule for today is Borgmt - B045. Room 703 is assigned at 11:15 a.m.” Janice informed everyone inside their circle.

Kevin asked. “ Who's the professor?”

Janice glanced at her phone. “ Mr. Cho Sang-woo.”

Kevin sighed deeply. “ Mr. Cho? Shit, we are all fucked." He remarked. Janice's eyebrows went up at her boyfriend.

" Have you not heard the rumors about him? According to his previous students, Mr. Cho is an extremely strict professor. He prefers to be in command at all times. Furthermore, he has failed numerous students." Kevin told them.

Y/n huffed. " He has a reason for failing those students. Our responsibility is to comply and do our best in all classes. So, if you are unable to meet your own obligations, you will face the consequences." Janice and Kevin gasped as she spoke, astonished by Y/n's capacity for thought.

…

Sang-woo took off his glasses because he was under a lot of stress today. As he read and graded the work of his students, he clutched his hair. He surrounded those incorrect grammatical usages.

“ Fuck.” He swore when he discovered that some of his pupils were utilizing artificial intelligence. Right away, he marked them as zero.

He grew increasingly disillusioned with today's youth. Their constant reliance on technology prevents their minds from fully maturing and releasing the originality of their works. For this reason, he severely forbids using any devices in class.

This rule is a source of torture for his students. They simply do not have internet access while sitting in his three-hour lecture class.

Sang-woo made the decision to leave school in order to smoke cigarettes. He took the essential items out of his bag and put them in his pocket.

He was essentially avoided by the students when they saw him. He merely smiled half-heartedly as some of his courteous students greeted him.

He saw that he was the object of most of his students' crushes. A handsome middle-aged man named Sang-woo is dressed in a gray suit that has been expertly tailored to fit him. When they showed him appreciation, he could not help but feel happy.

Nonetheless, some of his pupils are attempting to attract his attention. Letters and flowers bearing their own kissing marks are given to him. After accepting them, he tossed them in the trash.

The worst part is that they are making advances on him. Sang-woo ignores them entirely until they finally start to feel embarrassed. That was their fault for flirting with their teacher. His students didn't care when they flashed themselves at him. He was never aroused by that situation, but rather disgusted by it.

They were dragged inside the OSA after Sang-woo called them out. And let the school administrator lecture them about their peculiar, yet repulsive, actions.

He does not have enough time to tolerate all of their nonsense. If they are to submit papers to him in order to gain his full attention, it should only be academic papers. Sang-woo believed that such acts were all foolish, so he did not tolerate them.

They rush into any kind of relationship while still young, which makes him feel ashamed and disappointed in his students.

He was once caught being harsh by one of his students, who essentially freaked out and turned their admiration into hatred.

Sang-woo simply did not give a damn about them. Initially, their actions were completely incorrect. They are lusting for a licensed professional at their school, which is immoral and sinful.

Despite his belief that age is irrelevant, Sang-woo finds them all too young. He saw that the majority of young people are too naive and violent in their thoughts and emotions.

Furthermore, Sang-woo is already happy with his single status. Aloneness is perfectly acceptable. It is too peaceful. He is free to act however he pleases. He has plenty of free time and is not required to do anything to please his partner.

Sang-woo is a busy entrepreneur. He does not have time to entertain a lot of people and get into a fucking relationship. He is content being by himself and wants privacy.

Love is a complete waste of time. He has experience getting into relationships. Despite having numerous past lovers, none of them are still with him. Because of his heartbreak, he lost concentration on his business, for which he blamed himself the most.

He was strolling down the hallway when he ran into someone. The books clattered to the ground. His irritation causes him to click his tongue. He must assist the student in gathering their belongings because he has no other option.

He pushed up his glasses. He handed the book back to the owner. Her skin touched his own, sending chills down his spine as she accepted it.

Sang-woo quickly withdrew his hand as he started to feel anxious. The student in front of him caught his attention. The girl's beauty was too much for him to ignore. When their eyes met, his entire world came to a halt.

She has pretty large brown eyes. Her bangs look great on her and complete her cuteness. Sang-woo quickly looked at her mouth.

“ What do those lips taste like?” A foolish query suddenly entered his mind.

" Sorry for bumping you, sir." Sang-woo felt an odd sensation after she finished speaking.

The extreme heat made him sweat uncontrollably. It resembled a tiny fire that would keep burning brighter and brighter.

He left right away before his desire for the woman could intensify. The woman was left speechless.

At last, Sang-woo made his way to his room. After forcefully closing it, he moved to his chair and sat down. He removes his glasses and rubs his eyes, attempting to get rid of the picture of a young woman he saw in the hallway. He placed a cigarette against his lips and lit it. He inhaled deeply as the memory of the unidentified student warmed his icy heart and captured his attention.

…

" Best wishes for our first day on Mr. Cho's subject." Kevin mumbled as he opened the door for the ladies. He blushed after receiving a cheek kiss from his girlfriend.

As soon as you walk into the room, you find a seat that is comfortable for the session. Kevin and your friend Janice are seated next to each other. You keep your distance from them in order to give them space to enjoy their precious moments together because you don't want to be the third wheel again.

The entire room was filled with laughter and voices from various speakers. While you wait for your professor to arrive, you are looking for your phone so you can take a moment to browse through your social media feeds.

You have stored various edits of your favorite celebrities in your file after viewing them. Taking mental notes on what you will post in your myday to flex and show your followers how much you love them.

You found yourself smiling when you saw your crush's picture on your school's timeline. A wave of guilt overtakes you as you want to save his photo to your phone. You find it too unsettling to save someone's photo without their permission. If someone discovers that you have a crush on him, it can be rather awkward.

The door opened abruptly, and you turned to see someone entering. Your world seemed to slow down and your eyes widened when you recognized the man you had bumped into earlier is your professor.

A ton of papers he was carrying were slammed onto the table. Everyone in the room fell silent when they noticed your professor standing in the center with his arms crossed.

You are genuinely frightened by his dominance. He is observing each student. When his eyes met yours, he froze. He stares at you, unable to believe he has finally met you again.

After clearing his throat, he grabbed the marker from the table and wrote his name on the board.

Cho Sang-woo. A stunning man with a lovely name. His gaze remained fixed on you as he set down the marker. Apparently, he does remember you. His looks make you feel nervous all of a sudden, and you blame yourself for bumping into him earlier.

“ My name is Cho Sang-woo as I wrote on the board. Nobody dared to address me by my name. Only, sir, I'm perfectly fine with that." His voice boomed throughout the room. His words are being attentively listened to by your classmates, who are nodding their heads.

" I will be your instructor throughout the semester. I hope we develop a positive relationship with each other. That only occurs in my class when you abide by my rules.” He went on.

" Because this is your first day, now is the time to introduce yourself in front of others. I know some of you already know each other's names, but I would like to give the spot to those students who have not made any friends here." He continued.

The room is growing noisier. On the first day of class, most students are sick of having to introduce themselves in front of the class.

" Did I permit you to speak? This isn't your time to speak, so you should keep your mouths shut." The class fell silent.

Sang-woo was actually unconcerned with the names of the students or any of their bullshit. He never asked his former students to introduce themselves on their first day, but Sang-woo is keen to learn the information from you.

He will do it even if it seems like a waste of time.

The fortunate student got out of his chair and began to introduce himself to each of you. He received a slight nod from Sang-woo to move on to another pupil. They continued in this manner until the time for you arrived.

You got up and turned to face everyone, avoiding Sang-woo's fierce glare. After clearing your throat, you began sharing and introducing yourself to everyone.

Sang-woo, however, made a mental note of the information you were providing. Your name, age, birthday, and place of residence—not precisely, but it gave him a clue as to which city in Seoul you are currently residing in. Just as you were finishing your introduction, a door suddenly opened, revealing a student with purple hair and his friends.

They did not mind if they were too disruptive and loud when they arrived. You noticed Sang-woo's jaw clenching at the moment. You could see that he was annoyed by the newcomers because his lips were quivering.

“ Well…well…guess who's back. Our professor is none other than the mighty Cho Sang-woo." His friends are just giggling at his comments as he shares it with them.

The student with the purple hair came cockily up to him. " I am glad to see you again, Sang-woo." He whispered.

When he stared at him, Sang-woo's eyes were considerably colder than Antarctica. Seeing that his professor was growing irritated, the student grinned. " This is your third time attending my class, Su-bong." He said with firmness.

" You love my subject, which is why you keep coming back to me." Sang-woo added that made everyone gasp.

Thanos laughed. " I do not have a fucking option, Sang-woo. The dean consistently recommends you as my teacher. Actually, I don't really like your teaching style. It's old school—yeah, I get it because you are already old.” Friends of Thanos are giggling. They were forced to keep their mouths shut by Sang-woo's lethal gaze.

" Poor old single man. Don't find a lover because he's too bus—” Before Thanos could finish his insult, Sang-woo seized his collar violently. The man gritted his teeth and maintained a firm grip on his shirt.

“ I'm a patient man, Su-bong. However, your insults are too much for me to handle.” Then he let Thanos go.

" If you don't want my class, the door is always open. I don't want to see your face either, so it's mutual.” He carried on.

Thanos groaned and cocked his head towards his friends. They just go with the purple-haired pupil.

“ You! Find your seats, now!” He gave me them an order. His authoritative demeanor makes you shiver.

“ Also, Su-bong. Did the administrator require you to color your hair? This is not a fashion institution." Sang-woo expressed his thoughts. Every time Sang-woo gets angry, his voice gets deeper. He groans when he is frustrated.

“ Will you even temperate my hair as well? You're such a hypocrite.” Thanos answered his lecturer. In order to avoid arguing with a dimwitted student in his class, Sang-woo kept quiet.

Sang-woo returned to the table and took the book out. The way his fingers flicked across the thin paper made you fantasize about your professor. All you have to do is shake your head to get rid of those unwanted thoughts.

He began to discuss the syllabus and invited some students to participate in answering his questions about their perspectives on the topic. His eyes are constantly on you when he is speaking in front of you. He turned away from you when he became aware of how long he had been looking at you.

Following his nearly one and a half-hour lecture, he gave out papers for the students to complete the exercise he had prepared for each end-of-class discussion. Now that you have the paper in your possession, you gave yourself a mental slap when you realized that the majority of the questions required essay-style responses.

Once your classmates have received the paper, you can also hear their moans.

" You only have one hour to complete this activity. Finish or not, once the timer runs out, pass it down the aisle. I will count from one to five."

He rested his back against the whiteboard. " If your paper isn't at the front after I count, I consider it zero." He instructed everyone.

" You may begin answering your activity." He spoke as he pressed the play button to start the timer.

…

Sang-woo found himself in his office, smiling broadly like a teenage boy, when his crush finally noticed him. He found himself grinning and feeling more driven to complete all of his schoolwork, even though he had a lot of it to mark today.

He removes his glasses. He bit his lip to keep from making a sound. When Sang-woo is bored in class and most of you are responding to his nose bleeding exercise, he is looking at the picture he took of you. He smiled as he reminded himself again and again of your beauty. You look so cute every time you wrinkle your nose in frustration while responding to the questions.

He continues to move because of you. It may seem strange to someone like him, but that's the truth. As his long-term, hard-won business slowly loses money, he no longer has the will to live. His career is the only thing that keeps him wanting to live. His motivation would have been straightforward, but he met you out of the blue.

" Sang-woo, my son, when do you intend to marry?"

" Mom, getting married is not on my mind. I am still too preoccupied with my business to meet a woman I could marry."

" But you are growing old, my son. You are now old enough to start a family."

" Perhaps the person meant for me has not arrived yet. I can still wait, mom. The right person will come for me.”

" I promised to give you grandchildren...soon."

Sang-woo remembered how his mother had pushed him to get married. He always comes up with as many reasons as he can to avoid talking about that subject. At times, his mother's constant reminders about starting a family can even cause pain in his ears.

Despite his advanced age, he acknowledged that it is not his fault that he is not yet ready to start a family. He does not have time to tease and woo others because he is too preoccupied with his business.

Additionally, he has a sizable debt that must be settled right away. He must thus work around the clock in order to increase his income and pay off the debts he owes to others.

He sighed as he picked up and carried his student papers. He stepped from his room.

…

" Only 13 out of 43 students passed our daily assessment." Sang-woo left the paper on the table.

" I tried everything I could to help you learn, but it was not enough. Does everything I am saying in front of you fade away with each nod you give?" He addressed them directly. Even though Sang-woo's gaze is fixed on you, he let out a sharp sigh when he saw you conversing with your male friend.

Sang-woo was overcome with jealousy. Sang-woo's blood boils with rage at the way you are smiling and acting at ease around that pitiful boy.

He continued to stare at you while clenching his jaw. He folded his arms. " Ms. L/n, stop talking to your seatmate. If you can't wait for your gossip, the door is open for the both of you.” You were called out. Francis and you both kept your mouths shut.

You simply stay out of Sang-woo's line of sight when you look into it. The fire in his eyes is visible right away.

“ Also, Ms. L/n, come to my office later. I am going to address your recent performance in my class." He spoke firmly. Your classmates are all observing you. You couldn't help but to blush.

His friend chuckled behind his back as Thanos made a blowjob motion with his hand. Sang-woo shut them out by slamming his hand against the table.

" Go girl, seize the moment." Thanos yelled.

“ Su-bong, can you shut your damn mouth? You are already disrespecting a woman." Sang-woo stood up for you, and you were grateful.

Thanos moaned and muttered something to himself.

…

Your second class of the day is finally over. Going to Mr. Cho's office, however, presents a new challenge for you to overcome. You acknowledged that you lost interest in doing well in school.

You are simply exhausted by your current circumstances. Your parents argued last night and made the decision to split up as soon as possible. They continue hurling insulting remarks at one another as you stand there like a dreadful mannequin. You were at a loss for what to do, and if you try to get involved, they will be angry with you. You will be held responsible for everything.

Additionally, completing the tests that your other professors have given you wears you out. Your body weakened recently, and you were constantly sick. That explains your frequent absences from class. A few instructors do not mind if their pupils leave them in the middle of the lesson. But you can not avoid it in Mr. Cho's class.

He has a rule that if we all miss class, you have to show him your medical records the next day so he can reevaluate your attendance and, if you can persuade him, he would give you a special evaluation.

You are now standing outside his office. Fearfully knocking on his door. To alleviate the anxiety that was still bothering you, you adopted a new breathing technique. At last, you lifted your arms and knocked on his door.

A faint voice can be heard from his room. A moment later, he opened the door. He is clearly in awe of you when he sees you. Despite his expectation that you will arrive, he is captivated by your presence. His face is still cold, though.

" You have finally arrived, Ms. L/n." He said this while allowing you to enter first, then shutting and locking the door.

" Take your seat. Don't be scared. I won't bite.” He spoke as he sat in his swivel chair. You took the empty chair as well.

" Why would you want to talk to me, sir?" You asked.

His gaze focused on yours. “ It's obvious, Ms. L/n. It is all about your grades.” He replied.

You stay out of his angry gaze. “ I'm sorry, sir.” You offered him your apology.

His sarcastic laugh was audible to you. " Do you think saying sorry to me will help and save your deteriorating grades?" He queried. Even though Sang-woo felt bad about how hurtful his remarks were to you, he made an effort to keep the two of you professional.

Sang-woo is keeping himself from going crazy whenever you and he speak. He really wants to take you in his arms, hold you in his lap, and kiss you until you forget all of the issues that have been bothering you.

He began to become aroused due to his fantasy. He is aware of how tight his pants are. He makes an effort to adapt in order to feel at ease. He is riskily playing with his zipper with his other hand. He wants to make a noise, but you are still here. He does not wish to startle you with his odd behavior.

Sang-woo inclined toward his table. " Tell me, why do you have such poor academic performance this semester?"

You bite your lip, hoping not to cry in front of your professor. " This is too personal, sir. I would rather not tell anyone about it. I hope this makes sense.” You responded. With a sigh, Sang-woo reclined in his seat.

He approached you. The empty chair across from you was occupied by him. His finger is moving toward your chin. He attempted to get you to look at him by raising your chin. Sang-woo saw the sorrow and anguish in your eyes. He is curious as to what is causing your sadness, as it may have an impact on your academic performance.

He sighed. “ Fine. Take your time. Please let me know when you are ready. As your instructor (someone who secretly admires you), I am concerned about my students, particularly those who excel in my class and demonstrate an interest in my subject." He spoke quietly.

You sobbed at him and nodded your head. Finally, someone wants to respect your decision and not push you to express yourself. This time, you approach him and give him a firm embrace. Your face is resting against his chest. He radiates warmth that you can feel. You can also hear the beat of his heart.

Sang-woo froze at your abrupt motion. However, he simply let it go and gave you a stronger embrace. Sang-woo came to appreciate it after a long period of not feeling loved. Something inside of him awoke, making his heart warm again after a long period of coldness.

He thought he wouldnt mind. He believed he would never fall. Look at him; he has turned into a fool as a result of his stupid feelings for the girl who is younger than him.

He felt alive for the first time in his life. If only you knew how fortunate he was to have met you. He gave thanks to all the gods and goddesses that you and he happened to cross paths with that day. His world most likely would still be in disarray and chaos if he had not met you.

You withdrew from him after a lengthy embrace. Sang-woo already longs for your warmth.

" I sincerely apologize for my unusual approach to you, sir. I just…ahm…I just want to express my gratitude for your words." Your eyes flitted to the ground as you spoke.

Sang-woo laughed heartily. Your adorableness in front of him makes him want to pinch your cheeks when he sees you getting frustrated over the hug. “ Don't worry, Ms. L/n. Your secret is secure with me." His jokes made you chuckle quietly.

" Are you taking the bus again? He asked, changing the subject.

“ Yeah. As usual.” You replied.

“ It's late now. I will drive you home.” He extended an offer.

You glance at him right away. He gets confused when you shake your head. " No, I do not want to bother you anymore. It is only enough if it happens once.”

Sang-woo gave a sly smile. " You don't bother me, L/n." He replied.

“ It is dangerous outside. I never let my students wait and walk in the dark. Thugs are everywhere, and I do not want anything bad happen to you." His voice became softer and more worried.

“ Bu—” He put his finger to your lips before you could finish speaking. The sight of his finger causes your eyes to enlarge.

“ Please, I insist. I care about your safety. That's all.” He spoke.

…

You are forced to accept Mr. Cho's invitation to go home. His beauty and the way his eyes make puppy dog eyes are irresistible; he was so adorable that you nearly lost yourself.

When he smiles, you practically pass out. What if he does it again?

You had been getting along well with your professor lately. Every time you catch a glimpse of him, your heart beats faster. You also make a conscious effort to visit his office, despite the fact that it is somewhat distant from the room you were given. You are also searching for Mr. Cho when you are not at school. You wish you might run into him again at some unanticipated moment.

There are moments when you question whether your feelings for him are still typical. Do you believe it is appropriate to progressively get to know someone like him? This is strictly prohibited by law and in the opinion of many. Developing a romantic relationship with your teacher is a grave error and a sign of ineptitude.

However, why do not you keep doing it if you can conceal it? There is nothing wrong as long as no one knows.

You and Sang-woo chose to take a break on the bay side and take in the peace and quiet rather than heading straight home. Additionally, he purchased food from a convenience store to consume when one of you becomes hungry.

" I hope your parents do not freak out if their daughter gets home late." Sang-woo spoke while smoking his cigarettes.

You let out a sigh. " My parents did not care about my presence. They only need me if they want to blame someone for their mistakes." You responded. When Sang-woo looked at you, he was astounded by how poorly your parents treated you.

He pursed his lips in an attempt to avoid saying anything offensive. Because it is still your parent. Even if your parents are disrespecting you, you still need to respect them according to human ideology. It is a flawed ideology.

Sang-woo reached for a cigarette and handed it to you. You turned down his offer once more. " Here, take this. It will help you deal with your problems in some way—just do not become too attached to the cigarette; it may lead to a health problem." You sighed, accepting the cigarette.

" Is that why you are always chain smoking, Mr. Cho? It appears that you have a number of issues that need to be addressed in the meantime." You expressed yourself innocently. Sang-woo chuckled at your answer. He ruffled your hair because you are so cute.

“ Maybe.” He shrugged.

" What if your coping mechanism habit eventually leads to your premature death?" You posed the question.

“ Much better.” He responded with bitterness.

You take hold of his hand as you reach for it. Sang-woo was taken aback by your actions. He pursed his lip.

" I am not sure what your problem is, but I hope you do not end your life like this. There are many people who still love you and support you."

You looked up at the sky. " There is only one life, Mr. Cho. So we must not throw it all away. Cherish the moment while you can because time is running out and we do not know when or where our stories will end.” You proceeded. Sang-woo is simply paying attention to your words.

Sang-woo allows you to talk and hear what you are thinking. You have never spoken for this length of time before. You only respond in the short term when you are conversing with each other. He gets irritated sometimes when you still feel uneasy around him.

Your word of encouragement has amazed him. He had no idea how good you are at giving advice and making people better.

He made the right decision in selecting the person he would love.

“ Where's the lighter, Mr. Cho?” You asked. Sang-woo smiled before passing the lighter to your palm. When his hand came into contact with yours, he could not help but shudder.

As you lit the cigarette, Sang-woo fixed his gaze on yours. The fact that you lit a cigarette makes you appear even more gorgeous. Your actions seem to have caused his world to slow down. The way you suck the cigarette on your mouth and release a dense cloud of smoke caught his attention.

" Is this your first time smoking?" Sang-woo asked.

Then you suffocate on your own saliva. Sang-woo placed his hand on your back and stroked it while you were coughing violently. “ Hey, are you okay?” He asked you. The only reason he leaned was to check on you.

When you looked around and saw that your faces were too close to one another, you gasped. Your current level of anxiety caused you to swallow. Sang-woo is using the triangle method, and he never looks away from you.

Some hearts are attempting to express their true feelings through silence.

“ Sorry.” You said, stepping back from him. Rather than release you, he drew you in close and pressed his lips to yours without hesitation.

Sang-woo no longer cares about his reputation. In any case, he is prepared to give up his license. As a businessman, he's willing to take a risk just for you.

As you relish the sweetness of his kisses, you close your eyes. Sang-woo touched your cheek to intensify the kiss. Your hearts are dancing as you both seize this opportunity.

You two are aware that this will never occur again. Tomorrow, after this night, when the sun rises once more, things resume as usual. For the two of you, these experiences will seem like lovely, undiscovered memories.

Sang-woo caught his breath and withdrew. He tucked the loose hair behind your ear. He grabbed the cigarette from your hands and placed it in his mouth. Then he pressed his lips against you again, transferring the smoke to your mouth. You almost choked from how hot this scene was.

He backed away, smirking. You blow the smoke from your mouth. Sang-woo laughed as he saw your worried expression.

“ What was that, Mr. Cho?” You asked him.

" Some stupid things I knew." He responded. He stomped on the cigarette after throwing it to the ground.

“ What I mean is…what was that, Mr. Cho? The kiss?” The smile on his lips vanished.

He tightened his jaw and gazed at you. “ It was a kiss.” He answered.

You were not happy with his response, so you sighed. “ Why did you kiss me, Mr. Cho? You are well aware that everything was wrong from the start. You are my professor, and I am your student. That violates the rules." You told him with firmness.

“ I know. I know it's wrong.” He was looking at you.

" Is it still wrong if I tell you how much I love you?" He smugly said.

“ Love? Mr. Cho, we only met a month ago. A-Are you crazy? Tell me it was only a joke." You stated.

He laughed quietly. " Perhaps I am crazy." He replied.

All you could do was sigh. “ This is wrong, Mr. Cho.”

He grabbed your hands and held them. He had a variety of expressions in his eyes when you looked at him. " No one will know if neither of us opens this issue, right? So, don't overthink it." He placed his hand on your cheeks and caressed them gently.

" I apologize if I did that." He made an apology.

" Let us forget this happened." He began to speak. He drew his hands away from your face after grinning.

" But I will never forget this night because you made me feel alive again."

…

Following that encounter, you and Sang-woo started to drift apart. It was you who stayed away from him. You just made up an excuse to get away from him when he was about to call you into his office. There was no other reason to speak with him after you responded to his questions each time he called your name for recitation in his class.

You also saw that his eyes darkened after you treated him coldly. Everything was different after that night. You can still feel his lips on yours. The way the smoke from the cigarette he exhaled was in your mouth and you both shared it. You simply rejected Sang-woo and avoided him when he confessed his love to you.

However, you enjoy—no, love everything about it. There were no regrets after you two shared a kiss. However, your brain was only being affected by excessive fear. The situation becomes more complex when you are with him.

Additionally, you are unsure of your true feelings for him. You forgot you had a crush on someone else before Mr. Cho entered your life. Now you are making yourself relive the emotions you had for your crush instead.

A hard pat on the shoulder. When you looked around, you noticed Thanos grinning broadly at you.

“ What?!” You asked sourly.

" Your mind is off somewhere, my friend. I called your name several times, but you did not hear me." He responded.

You and this stupid jerk have known each other since primary school. You never became friends with him because he was the bully at your school, and you were a victim of his. Even so, when you were both in secondary school, your relationship with him was somewhat set in stone.

“ What do you want, Su-bong?” You annoyingly asked him.

“ Ahm…” Thanos dragged you into an empty classroom. He ensured that no one would be watching someone else and locked the door.

Your body begins to tremble with fear. “ What…what are you gonna do?”

He groaned. " Enough of thinking negatively about me, Y/n. Don't worry, I'm not going to assault you. I locked the fucking door because I want to speak with you privately." He responded vehemently.

He reached for his phone and aimed it directly at your face. " Someone has photographed you and Mr. Cho outside. According to what you saw, you were kissing him or he was kissing you." Thanos allows you ample time to study the image.

Indeed, it was both you and him. The fact that you were caught that night makes you uneasy.

“ Where did you get that?"

Thanos grinned. “ It's none of your business.”

" Are you two dating? It is against the rules, Y/n.”

You gave him a hard stare. “ Me and Mr. Cho didn't date, okay? We barely spoke to each other inside of this school, and you hypothesized that something happened between us?" You exclaimed angrily.

Thanos grumbled. " Have you noticed how the creepy old man looks at you? If you were made of ice, you would have melted." He became enraged.

“ Y/n, that man is dangerous. He may appear to be an angel, but he is actually the devil hiding himself from everyone.”

“ Why did you tell me about this, Su-bong?”

Thanos let out a sigh. His eyes are filled with worry. " I am just letting you know. I sensed you were never going to tell the truth; at least I can warn you."

" Keep away from that man, Y/n. That man is no good for you. I have known that man all my life, which is why I do not respect him. You know me; I will only respect those who deserve it.”

Thanos shrugged. " I do not care if you like, love, marry, or fuck anyone who is twice or three times your age. But Cho Sang-woo should not be on your damn lists."

You folded your arms. “ So what's your point here, Su-bong?”

Infuriatingly, he ruffled his hair. “ Y/n! Quit criticizing me. I am so worried about you that I will allow you to view the photo.” He argued.

“ For Pete's sake, I know that man, Y/n! There are numerous issues related to him. And I am not sure if he is manipulating you or just trying to gain your trust."

" I came here because I am concerned. I have known you since we were kids. Maybe our relationship is not as good as the others, but I am still concerned about you. That's all.” He clarified.

" Su-bong, perhaps the pictures were created using artificial intelligence. Today's technology is becoming increasingly creepy. They are capable of making something realistic." You responded.

Thanos snorted. “ Fine. I am going to stop here." He returned his phone to his pocket. " But I have already warned you, Y/n."

" Just stay away from him while it is still early, and do not let your feelings for him grow. Just a bit of advice for you, my friend." He said before walking away.

You appeared to have passed out and sat on the ground, allowing your eyes to well up with tears. You have a lot of questions, but you are not sure where to find the answers. It's as if you are conducting research without RRL; it is invalid. It is unrealistic.

However, your feelings for him are genuine. You want to take a chance, but you are overcome with a sense of unease and anxiety.

…

“ Mom, I'm home~!” Sang-woo stated as he attempted to walk directly to their residence. He holds an alcoholic beverage in his hand and consumes it all. He unbuttoned his shirt as well.

He arrived home late. Sad and shattered. Sang-woo's mother came up to him, and because of how heavy Sang-woo's body is, they nearly fell to the ground. “ Son, what happened to you?” She asked him anxiously.

Sang-woo stutters. " Mom, my friends have invited me to a party. We have some fun. So~ much fun that I almost forgot that I needed to come home.” He answered his mom. Sang-woo was carried to their couch by his mother, who then threw his body on it.

" This is the first time you have behaved like this, son. I will talk to you once you have sobered up.” As she walked to the kitchen to get a cloth and some warm water to use to wipe his body.

In actuality, he drowned himself in alcoholic beverages while at the pub. He is making an effort to lessen the suffering he has endured over the last several weeks. Your avoidance of him and your constant use of a weak excuse to completely avoid him when he tries to approach you have a real impact on him.

Due to his disruptive behavior, the bouncers are ejecting him from the pub. He was defrauded by the investment firms he applied to, which is another factor contributing to his intoxication. Even worse, all of his clients had already paid him, and he had no idea where he could locate the enormous sums of money he owed them. He is being haunted by some of his clients because of this.

Due to his problems, Sang-woo also submitted a resignation letter to the dean's office. He does not want his carelessness to damage the university's reputation.

The dean tells him that before she signs Sang-woo's resignation paper, he must complete the semester here. He has no choice but to accept the cold treatment that you have shown him.

He met a man in the subway who asked him to play a silly game. He defeated the stranger in numerous rounds and took the money they had agreed upon. He was also given an odd card by the man, along with a number that Sang-woo could call if he wanted to take part.

Time passed, and Sang-woo awoke with a terrible headache. He tried to stand up, groaning. “ Mom?!” He called his mom.

" Sang-woo, you are finally awake. You are completely awake, and I am preparing your favorite dish. I also purchased medicine to alleviate your hangover." She spoke. Sang-woo gave her a pleasant smile.

“ Thank you, mom.”

…

Sang-woo's last encounter with his mother would be that day. He observes his mother from a distance as she goes to their store to pay her a covert visit. He desperately wants to speak with his mother and admits that he is lying about being on a business trip and meeting his client.

He really does not want his mother to be overly concerned about his safety. He was just lying about the fictitious business trip, and he felt bad every time his mother called. Sang-woo continues to be reluctant to call the number on the card. He needs to resolve the unresolved conflicts first, particularly for Y/n, before he can dial those numbers.

Y/n is the person he loved. His feelings for her remain hopelessly romantic. Sang-woo is observing her from a distance. Although he may come across as a spooky stalker, he followed her to ensure her safety at all times.

Sang-woo is reading and analyzing the lesson he will be discussing today while he is in his office. Additionally, he double-checks his assessment paper to make sure all of the words he entered are correct.

It's 11:10. Raising himself from his seat, Sang-woo carried the papers and his bag. Their midterm is in two weeks, and he has spent the last few weeks working on the exam's questionnaire.

He arrived in the room at precisely 11:15. As soon as they saw him, the room fell silent. The papers were slammed onto the table by Sang-woo. He launched his laptop and began talking about the lesson. He called on his students to join in his recitation by selecting them at random from the index card, as he always does.

Three hours have gone by. All of his class papers from today have now been turned in to him. Sang-woo waited until his pupils had left the room.

Sang-woo gave you a quick look. He just pursed his lips because he was sad while you were repairing your belongings.

“ Ms. L/n.” The whole room is resonating with his voice.

You whirled around to face him. Sang-woo's heart skips a beat and he freezes when he sees your beauty again. “ Can you stay here for a while? I have some important things to discuss with you." He spoke.

Jade and Kevin are raising their eyebrows and secretly laughing. They left you and Mr. Cho alone after waving their hands at you.

You stood like a statue when your friends eventually left. “ What are we going to discuss, sir? If it is about my academic performance, don't worry; I will do my best to excel again in your class."

He stepped closer to you. " Why are you trying to avoid me?" He asked you.

" With all due respect, sir—how come I avoided you? I am actually talking to you. If I'm av—”

" Stop being so stubborn, Y/n." He did not allow you to finish.

You rolled your eyes and scoffed in frustration. " What is your true intention, sir?" Your arms were crossed.

Sang-woo's jaw tightened. He leaned in your direction. " I do not tolerate this kind of behavior, Ms. L/n." His voice thickened and grew deeper.

“ Don't tempt me, L/n.” He said.

“ I don't tempt you, sir.” You spoke with ferocity.

You can feel Sang-woo's hands stroking your cheeks. You seem to be gasping for air due to the simple action he performed. Your lips are being brushed by his thumb. He slowly inserted his thumbs inside your mouth while he was staring at you. As you rode to his trip, he growled. You start sucking his thumb as if it were a lollipop.

You nearly gagged when he pressed his thumb further. His thumb is moving around inside your mouth. Your saliva created a long, elastic line that slicked to his skin after he pulled out his thumb. After pulling you, Sang-woo planted a kiss on your lips.

The kiss remains enchanting for the third time. You still get butterflies in your stomach from it. It appears that you have surrendered to your emotions. You do not give a damn about the consequences if you are caught engaging in inappropriate behavior in class.

You returned his kisses. You wanted to kiss him more deeply, so your hands kept moving to his head and gripping it. Now your mouth is filled with his tongue. He is exploring within you. You simply let him do whatever he wants to do because you are inexperienced with this. You have already given your full consent to the experienced man standing in front of you.

He drew away from you, his breathing heavy. Sang-woo is waiting for you to speak, but he chooses to carry on what he began when you do not respond. He puts his head right down on your neck and starts sucking you like a vampire who is thirsty and wants to taste your blood. Your new sensation drives you crazy. As he begins sucking your skin, you are letting out a moan.

You squeaked when you felt Sang-woo's hardness against your skirt after he pressed his body against you. He is starting to grind himself against you. He escorted you over to the table and raised you up so you could sit on it. His hands are now unfastening your uniform's button.

“ Are you sure that you want to continue?” He asked you.

You gave a nod. He grinned. He grabbed your chin. “ That's my good girl.” He spoke softly.

He took off both your bra and your uniform. He nearly passed out upon seeing your breasts. He begins by planting a kiss on your neck and then moves his lips down to your breast. His lips begin to lick your erect nipple. The feeling you have had made you simply hold onto his hair.

His hands are moving towards your covered area. You moaned louder as he made a circular motion toward your clit. Sang-woo smirked as he sensed how wet you were for him. He removed your panties and placed them in his pocket. He went down to taste your soaking cunt.

He began tasting you as he licked it. To Sang-woo, you have a strawberry-like flavor. It is the ideal complement to his cigarettes.

You were drawn to Sang-woo's lap as he sat on the chair. He made sure your pussy was directly pressing against his aching member. He began to give you advice on how to increase friction between you two. He hissed when he felt you, despite the fact that he was still fully dressed. You began directing yourself toward him as well.

“ Please, I need you…” You spoke in between your moans.

" What exactly do you need me for? Be specific, love.” He responded.

" I want to feel your fucking cock on my pussy." You groaned.

" You are such a fucking slut for me, L/n. You are begging your teacher to fuck you mercilessly." He let out a moan.

" You said it was morally wrong, and now you are bouncing in my fucking cock, L/n." He continued grinding to you.

After losing self-control, Sang-woo unzipped his fly and let go of his sore member. Its head pulsates and leaks pre-cum. He raises you so he can slide his member over you. Feeling him inside of you made you moan. You feel like he is ripping you to pieces. He wanted you to get used to his size, so he did not move.

A tear slips out of your eye. He wipes away your tears and gives you a passionate kiss before moving slowly.

“ So tight for me.” He spoke quietly between your ears.

“ Mine.” He snarled as he pushed violently toward you. As your tits bounce in front of him, he fucks you hard and sucks one of your nipples. Sang-woo held on to your throat. He hit your spot, causing you to lean backwards and make loud, lewd noises.

Also, you sensed that he was getting close to his edge. “ Do you want to cum, Y/n?” He spoke.

You simply nodded. No words are escaping your lips. As he thrust deeply inside of you, Sang-woo carried you to the table once more and pressed your body against the wooden surface.

“ Then beg for me.” He spoke while clutching your neck.

“ Please…fuck…please make me fucking cum!” He thrust more quickly after you yelled, causing you both to curse and groan. You two no longer gave a damn if people found out that you were having sex in the school building.

You both arrived in one final thrust. Your mouth produces a loud moan. His seed has been spilled inside your womb. He stayed inside of you, then slowly slipped out of your hole after leaning his head to kiss you. Something was already missing from you when he pulled away. The extra fluid is leaking into your hole. Sang-woo was gasping for air as he gazed at your cunt, which was artistically painted with his seed.

That was the most magical experience for both of you. They let you both feel what it was like to be in heaven for a little while.

He assisted you in fixing yourself. Both buttoning your uniform and fastening your bra. In order to brush your hair, he also took out his comb.

" Could you still stand?" He seemed to be making fun of you when he asked.

He laughed when you slapped his arm. He got you to stand up. The most surprising thing was that he carried you like a bride.

“ Hey, someone will see us!” You spoke while slapping his chest.

Sang-woo gave you a look. " Do you still think about that? After you let out a loud moan while I was fucking you? Unbelievable, L/n.” He replied, which made you blush.

" I do not care if they terminate me from this school."

" I have already decided." He has his gaze fixed on you. " I am willing to put everything on the line for you, my love." He continued.

" Even if making you mine means my death, I will not care as long as you are with me."

" I am ready to die in your arms, Y/n. When you come across me in the corridor, you already take my breath away."

[lost-in-thoughts03]

Yo, it's my birthday today. In my twenties now and I don't know what will be going to happen in my life. I believe this is the start of everything.

Don't care about the feist. I want to be rich—just kidding. 🤣

[lost-in-thoughts03]

Hello! It's already evening here in my timezone. Anyway, this is my first ever post here in this app. I don't know how to use it properly but give me time to explore further in this app then I could go crazy around once I gather some info.

Anyway, I hope you're doing great today, and you will always be great. Always remember that!

- Iffy xoxo

[lost-in-thoughts03]

𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭! 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

❝𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲:❞

𝐘/𝐍, 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐩 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤. 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐛𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐘/𝐍 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐜𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧'𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 – 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 – 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝.

❝𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭❞

❝𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧❞

𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟻, 𝟷𝟿𝟼𝟺

𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚠𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚡 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚊𝚋𝚢𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎, 𝚋𝚞𝚣𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚞𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢. 𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚒𝚜𝚎.

𝚈/𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎, 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚒𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚖 𝚜𝚎𝚝. 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚣 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍.

“𝙷𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛?” 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢.

“𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙼𝚛. 𝙼𝚌𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚢. 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚎. 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚕,” 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚖 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝. .

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛. “𝚁𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝,” 𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍, “𝙰𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙼𝚛. 𝙷𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚗, 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝙻𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗.” 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, “𝙳𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚑𝚎’𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝙸 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜. ”

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚍, 𝚊 𝚠𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜. “𝙸’𝚖 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚖,” 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍.

“𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚛. 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝙻𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚕, 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚑𝚎’𝚜 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢.” 𝚈/𝙽 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 ����𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚖 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍, “𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗?”

𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗’𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎. 𝚂𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍, “𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗’𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜?”

𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚙, 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜. “𝙸... 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗’𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎.”

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚜, 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢. “𝚈/𝙽, 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚛,” 𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖, “𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑.”

𝚈/𝙽 𝚖𝚎𝚝 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚎. "𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚝, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚒𝚕. "𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜. 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝙸 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚒𝚝."

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚎𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎. "𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎. 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚊 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚋 𝚙𝚊𝚢𝚜."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚜 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚗 𝚖𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍, 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

"𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚝, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗," 𝚈/𝙽 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍. "𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚛. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜... 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔."

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙷𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚊 𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. "𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚛, 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜," 𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛.

𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚢, 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚐. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏. "𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸'𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙸'𝚖 𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜. "𝙻𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕, 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚞𝚕, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚢. "𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎."

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚝 𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝, 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚍𝚢𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗'𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙷𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙷𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚈/𝙽, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚛.

𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚖. "𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚎," 𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. "𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝," 𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚊 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐.

𝙷𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚐, "𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍... 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎."

𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚏, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗. "𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. "𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚈/𝙽," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎. "𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚋 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚜. 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚎𝚐𝚘𝚜. 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍."

𝙰𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚗𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜. "𝙸 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸'𝚖 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚝. 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗."

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚐𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕. "𝙸 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞. 𝙽𝚘𝚠, 𝚐𝚘 𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗’𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜. 𝚁𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸'𝚖 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞."

𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎. "𝙴𝚡𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽, 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑. 𝙰𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎���� 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐, “𝙸 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚞𝚙 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚠. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚐𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚗𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍. 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚜, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝, 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚔𝚕𝚢, 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚜, 𝚊𝚍𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚝𝚜. 𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜.

𝙰𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚝𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖, 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗.

𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚞𝚙 𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝙰𝚖𝚢, 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚞𝚙 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚟𝚎, 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖.

𝙰𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙰𝚖𝚢, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚋𝚘𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎. "𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝙰𝚖𝚢, 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝?" 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝.

𝙰𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚈/𝙽 𝚊 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎-𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛. "𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚏𝚎𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚜, 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞?" 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

"𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚎!” 𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢. “𝙸'𝚖 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗. 𝙷𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚖?"

𝚁𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜, 𝙰𝚖𝚢 𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝. "𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. "𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚜 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚗 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌."

𝙰𝚖𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍. "𝙶𝚘𝚍, 𝚠𝚑𝚘'𝚜 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝙻𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎? 𝙲𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚜."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝙰𝚖𝚢'𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚟𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚢'𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚍, 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚈/𝙽 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝.

"𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙰𝚖𝚢," 𝚈/𝙽 𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍.

𝙰𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗’𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. "... 𝚂𝚙𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚢𝚎? 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚘? " 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍𝚕𝚢.

𝙶𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚢𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝, 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚊𝚢.

"𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗, 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒𝚏 𝙸 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛?" 𝚈/𝙽 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚢.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚈/𝙽 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍-𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚖. "𝙸𝚏 𝙸 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚗𝚘, 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐?" 𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚍𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚠𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚕𝚢. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚝𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛. "𝙸 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗. 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚜𝚔," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚍.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. "𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛, 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐?" 𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝, 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽, 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎, 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚑-𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝.

𝚈/𝙽, 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜, 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚝 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗. "𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗, 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔, 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚎?" 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎, 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍.

𝙹𝚘𝚑��� 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛, 𝚊 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚔 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚈/𝙽. 𝙷𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍'𝚜 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢. "𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚕𝚎𝚝'𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝, "𝙸 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠. 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗, 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚒𝚝?"

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚈/𝙽 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘, 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛. 𝙹𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜, 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢. "𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢, "𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠, 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎. 𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎."

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚙𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖. "𝙰𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑. 𝙾𝚞𝚝, 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞," 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚘 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚈/𝙽 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛. "𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢," 𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚝𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍, 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜. "𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗, 𝙸... 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢. "𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸... 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝."

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚝𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗. 𝙷𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚈/𝙽, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚢𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝚂𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛. "𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎, 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗’𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚝!" 𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚝. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚜𝚑 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢. "𝙸... 𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐. "𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙, 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍."

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗. "𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸’𝚖 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢. 𝚄𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗, 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝!"

𝙵𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚖𝚎𝚍, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚗𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝. "𝚈𝚎𝚜, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗. 𝙸'𝚕𝚕... 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝.

𝙰𝚜 𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚏𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚌𝚢, 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝, 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚢𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝.

𝚆𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚜, 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍, 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚠𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚌𝚢. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏, 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚋𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍.

𝙰𝚜 𝚈/𝙽 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜, 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙, 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚢-𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚛'𝚜. 𝙸𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕, 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚍-𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚒𝚖𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚑𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚖.

"𝙾𝚒, 𝚈/𝙽, 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚌, 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞?" 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚏𝚞𝚕, 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚍-𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚎, 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜, 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚝𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍.

"𝙷𝚎𝚢, 𝚈/𝙽, 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞," 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚕 𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. "𝙻𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗, 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝙸 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑. 𝙳𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖? 𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝙸 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝'𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝."

𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢'𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚜, 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚈/𝙽 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚓𝚘𝚋.

"𝙾𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎, 𝙼𝚛. 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚢, 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢," 𝚈/𝙽 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘'𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚡𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛.

𝙰𝚜 𝚈/𝙽 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎, 𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛. "𝙰𝚑, 𝚊𝚑, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘, 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛? 𝙽𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕 𝙼𝚛. 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜," 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔, 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢. "𝚁𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘, 𝚖𝚢 𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚎𝚜," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖.

𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘'𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍. "𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝. 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛," 𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚜-𝚞𝚙.

𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘'𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝-𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑-𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚓𝚘𝚋 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚛.

𝙰𝚜 𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚠, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚞𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏-𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐'𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗. 𝙴𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚊 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚑-𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝.

𝙷𝚊𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝-𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚑-𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚋? 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏-𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚏 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚜.

𝙰𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚎. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚢; 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗.

𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗, 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜.

𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍, 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝, 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚞𝚖. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍. 𝙸𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚎, 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚘𝚋. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙, 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔, 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍.

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚢 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏-𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎, 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗. 𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝, 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍.

𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚞𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢. 𝙷𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖 𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎, 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛, 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚞𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎.

𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗, 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, "𝙸𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎?" 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚙𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚝-𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚘: 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚙𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗.

"𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚞𝚖, 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 ���𝚗 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚗, 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚞𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚍-𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. "𝙸 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗. 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝?"

𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚈/𝙽 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎, 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚝.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚝, 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛. "𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, "𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕." 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚢.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚢. "𝚈/𝙽," 𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢, "𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎. 𝚆𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚎𝚛, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚗𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚜𝚑. "𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗. 𝙸 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚛. 𝙸, 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝... 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚖𝚎𝚍," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚈/𝙽 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚔, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜. 𝙷𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. "𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜, 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎. "𝚂𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢?" 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚞𝚣𝚣𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜. "𝙼𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙," 𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚕𝚢. "𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚝."

𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎. "𝙸 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎. 𝙸𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗'𝚜 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗; 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜. "𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝. 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚊 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚈/𝙽, 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚜 𝙸 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚑 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚍, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚞𝚛, 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. "𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗. 𝙸’𝚖 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝."

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚈/𝙽 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢, "𝚂𝚘, 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑?"

𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍. "𝙽𝚘, 𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚎," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚢.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎, 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. "𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜, 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞?" 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗'𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚠 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍, "𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍, 𝙸 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍. 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖." 𝙷𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚈/𝙽 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚞𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚗𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝. "𝙸 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚝, 𝚈/𝙽. 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏."

𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐. "𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, "𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚘 𝙸 𝚜𝚊𝚢? 𝙸 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚘 𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚢."

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗'𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛, 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜. "𝙻𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚕𝚢, "𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚂𝚊𝚢, '𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚢𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚍𝚊𝚢. 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔. 𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎.'"

𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝.

𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚙 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐. "𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜, 𝚈/𝙽."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗. "𝙰𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢, 𝚏𝚊𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚣𝚘𝚗𝚎. "𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚢," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝, 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚛. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚊𝚜 '𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗' 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 '𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗.' 𝙸𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚏𝚞𝚕, 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢.

"𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗!" 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍. 𝙷𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍, 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚔𝚢 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎. "𝙸, 𝚞𝚑, 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚢𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚍𝚊𝚢," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚠𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑. "𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔. 𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎, 𝙸’𝚖 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎."

𝙴𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝚈𝚎𝚝, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍, 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎, 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗. "𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚙, 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞?" 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚗𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚢𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽, 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚘𝚋𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎, 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍. "𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚊 𝚋𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚞𝚍. 𝙷𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊 𝚌𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍. 𝙻𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎, 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚒𝚗𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚎, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚈/𝙽.

"𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚎. "𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸'𝚖 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔. 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚞𝚢, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚖𝚎, 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚊𝚠𝚢𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎. 𝙷𝚘𝚠'𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜?"

𝚈/𝙽, 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚣𝚎. "𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢, 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗—"

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚌𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚖𝚒𝚍-𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚖. "𝙾𝚑 𝚗𝚘, 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎. 𝙷𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐. "𝙸 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚌𝚢 𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. "𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚛," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. "𝙸'𝚖 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚓𝚘𝚋."

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖. "𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚝," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢.

𝙵𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚒𝚕. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚜, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎. "𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙲𝚢𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚊. 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖. "𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚎."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚢𝚒𝚎𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛, 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜, 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕, 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚊 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 – 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝.

𝙰𝚜 𝚈/𝙽 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚍𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚢, 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍.

𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟼, 𝟷𝟿𝟼𝟺

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚠𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚜. 𝚃𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚛𝚞𝚗-𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗.

𝙰𝚜 𝚈/𝙽 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢'𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚢 𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕, 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚢. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚜, 𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚊.

𝙴𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚑𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚖𝚒𝚌 𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚊𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚌 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. "𝙷𝚎𝚢, 𝚈/𝙽," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎, 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜. "𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚒𝚡 𝚖𝚎 𝚞𝚙 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚍? 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔, 𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚠𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎??"

𝚈/𝙽 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍, 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. "𝙳𝚒𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖𝚜? 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢'𝚟𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚏𝚏," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚎.

"𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚑, 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢,” 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚊 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍. “𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠?"

𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚛𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝. "𝙷𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚜𝚎, 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚜𝚎, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚝, 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚡𝚎𝚍 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔.

"𝙶𝚘𝚝 𝚒𝚝, 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝," 𝚈/𝙽 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢, 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛.𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔, 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚍, 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝, 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜.

𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕, 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚢. "𝙾𝚑, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚈/𝙽," 𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, "𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖. 𝚂𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎, 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝?"

𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚍, 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚑𝚢𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎. 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕'𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚕. 𝙰𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜.

𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚗𝚘 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛. "𝚂𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚍, 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎?" 𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚢𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚐𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚍, 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝙸𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚙, 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚛. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚝 𝚞𝚙, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚞𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕'𝚜 – 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚛, 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝, 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢. 𝙸𝚝 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚌 𝚕𝚒𝚕𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝-𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕'𝚜 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚎𝚌𝚑 𝚜𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙸𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍, 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛, 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚢𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚖.

𝚁𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙, 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚢𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎. "𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗. 𝙽𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚕𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖. "𝚂𝚘, 𝚑𝚎'𝚜 '𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕' 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸'𝚖 '𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗'?" 𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝. 𝙷𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚈/𝙽, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚙 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚎𝚞𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚕. "𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎, 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝. "𝙾𝚑, 𝚗𝚘, '𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗' 𝚒𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎. 𝙸𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚝, 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔?" 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚝.

𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏, 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. "𝙰𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗. 𝙸𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞?" 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍.

𝙷𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝. "𝙸'𝚖 ��𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙, 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔, 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚒𝚏 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚜. "𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚖𝚎? 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝?" 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜. 𝙷𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑. "𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚖," 𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚔 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑.

𝙵𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎. "𝚂𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗’𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚊 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜. "𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎’𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚗𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚋𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐," 𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚍, 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚢.

"𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝?" 𝚈/𝙽 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚛𝚊𝚙 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕, 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎. "𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗’𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛, 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚍. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚗𝚎𝚞𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙. "𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊 𝚐𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚙 𝚓𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍.

𝙰 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝. "𝙶𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠," 𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚖 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜, "𝙸𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗?"

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝, 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚡𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚝𝚕𝚎, 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚞𝚙𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜, 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏-𝚕𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚎𝚏, 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚢.

"𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚠," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚜𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚖 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚒𝚡𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚖𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎. 𝙰𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚝, 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗. 𝚃𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝, 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚞𝚗𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚍.

𝙵𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝, 𝚊 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚑 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕'𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚠𝚒𝚌𝚑.

𝙰𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚏. 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚊𝚕𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚖, 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚖. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚜𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜.

𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚗, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕'𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚠𝚒𝚌𝚑, 𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚊𝚖, 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚜𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚘. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔, 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑. 𝚆𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚒𝚗 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕'𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖, 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎'𝚍 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝.

𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕'𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚜. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚜𝚎. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢. 𝚂𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍-𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚝, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚜, 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚞𝚙𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍.

𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚔𝚎, 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚔𝚎𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚙. 𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚎, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜.

𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚘𝚘𝚗, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜. 𝙴𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚝, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚛. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔, 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜.

𝙰𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚊 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚎, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚖.

𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟺𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟿𝟼𝟺

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔, 𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚘𝚕𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛. 𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚣𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚢𝚖𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚒𝚍𝚕𝚢, 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜.

𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚔, 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚏𝚝 𝚋𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜, 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎.

𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗, 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚊𝚝, 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚈/𝙽’𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚔, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎. “𝙸’𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔 𝚜𝚘 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽,” 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚢. “𝙸 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝.”

𝚈/𝙽 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔, 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎. “𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗. 𝙸’𝚖 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎,” 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚠-𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎.

𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚗𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢. "𝙸'𝚖 𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢 ��𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚕𝚢. "𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎, 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝."

"𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝚜𝚘 𝚒𝚝’𝚜 𝚗𝚘 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚝𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝.

𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍. “𝚂𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢, 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗—” 𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚈/𝙽 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚗.

“𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎, 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢,” 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚊𝚐.

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚘𝚛. “𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝙲𝚕𝚢𝚍𝚎, 𝙴𝚛𝚒𝚌, ��𝚒𝚖𝚘𝚗, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎, 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕, 𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎, 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘,” 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛. “𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢’𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚎𝚜. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗’𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚝, 𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎.”

𝚈/𝙽 𝚗𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍, 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢. “𝙸’𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞,” 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚜.

𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚕𝚢. “𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝’𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕,” 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚔 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚒𝚛.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢. 𝙰𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗'𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍, 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢'𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚣𝚣 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚔, 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚟𝚒𝚐𝚒𝚕. 𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚔, 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚎𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚊𝚍𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚔, 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚛𝚘𝚠. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚞𝚙, 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚛, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚎.

𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗, 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏-𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏-𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚋𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝, 𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚔.

𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘, 𝚝𝚘 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚘𝚋𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚟𝚎.

𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚔𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘, 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚞𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚍.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚜, 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘. 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗'𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚐𝚗𝚊𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑.

𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗'𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚋𝚋𝚎𝚍, 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍-𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚒𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚘𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚔𝚒𝚍𝚜 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚒𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚎𝚕, 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝟸𝟹, 𝚊 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚛, 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚠𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚎'𝚜 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.

𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚝 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕, 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘, 𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 - 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚐𝚞𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗. 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚗, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚟𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎. 𝚁𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚘, 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚊 𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝, 𝚗𝚘 𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚝, 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎, 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚞𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝙻𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚈/𝙽 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍.

𝙼𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚍𝚒𝚖𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐'𝚜 𝙴𝚕𝚟𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚎 – "𝙱𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝙷𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚒" 𝚘𝚛 "𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙲𝚛𝚎𝚘𝚕𝚎?" – 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚋 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜.

𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚒𝚍-𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚙 𝚋𝚞𝚋𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚛𝚞𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚟𝚢. 𝙰𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚕 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚛, 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜, 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚐𝚎, 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚎. 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚍𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚙, 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚈𝚎𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚜𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍, 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍. 𝚈/𝙽 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕.

𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚒𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎. 𝙳𝚒𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚐𝚊𝚣𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎, 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢, 𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜? 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚙𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚓𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜. 𝚂𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚛𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝. 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛. "𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗'𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚙𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚓𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜. 𝚂𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚛𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝. 𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛. "𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝙴𝚙𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗'𝚜 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎.

𝙾𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚖. "𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎," 𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚎.

𝙲𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, "𝙸-𝙸'𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝙸 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗?" 𝙰𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚎𝚍. '𝚆𝚑𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗?' 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝, 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚞𝚙 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚊𝚙𝚜𝚎.

𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎, 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒𝚝. "𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚝?" 𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎. "𝚆𝚎'𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝-𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎?"

𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. "𝙸'𝚖 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢, 𝙼𝚛. 𝙻𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚗," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏, "𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚍𝚊𝚢. 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝙸 𝚍𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐?" 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚙-𝚞𝚙.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗. "𝙸'𝚖 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎. "𝙸 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚠𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝, 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔?"

𝚈/𝙽, 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛, 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚠𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑. "𝙸 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚘," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚛𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚛, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 ���𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚠𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. "𝙸 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚘," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕.

𝙾𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢. "𝙸 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑. 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑." 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎, 𝚜𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢.

𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚡𝚎𝚍, 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚍. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚜, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖. 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢, 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎. "𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚘𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛'𝚜 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚎𝚊, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚣𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘."

𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚔𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚊 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚞𝚣𝚣𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖, 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚘𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙. 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎, 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎, 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚌 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 - 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚎, 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏-𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎'𝚜 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝 𝚐𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜, 𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎, 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍, 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚏𝚝, 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍, 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚈/𝙽 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

"𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚓𝚘𝚋, 𝚒𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚒𝚝?" 𝚈/𝙽 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗, 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎𝚛, 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢.

𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚞𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚍𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚌𝚑, 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎. "𝙲𝚢𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚊 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸... 𝚠𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎." 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚈/𝙽 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚙𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚖 𝚏𝚊𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚙𝚎.

"𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝, 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 – 𝚜𝚢𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕, 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝.

𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚌𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎. 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑. "𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚑, 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕... 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝙸 𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚜," 𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚍𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚒𝚛, 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕, 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚊 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚑, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐. "𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢, 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝... 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚝𝚘. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎'𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍," 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚞𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎.

"𝙵𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍?" 𝚈/𝙽 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚎, 𝚞𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚠𝚔𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚕𝚢, 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑. "𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚔𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜, 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞? 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝." 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝, 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚊 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚖.

"𝙸 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚠𝚎'𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝... 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜, 𝚠𝚑𝚘'𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎." 𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏-𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚍. “𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚖𝚎, 𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝. 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝..”

𝚈/𝙽 𝚊𝚋𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚋𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚊 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 – 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚢, 𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚙-𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚜𝚝, 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚊𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎, 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚓𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎. "𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢, 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗. 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚞𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍. 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝... 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚍, 𝙸 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎. 𝙸 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚎."

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚍. "𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝? 𝙸 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚎, 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝙸? 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊," 𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚞𝚝, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚢.

𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚐���𝚝, 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎. "𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚓𝚘𝚋, 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐.

𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚈/𝙽 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚌𝚒𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎. 𝙸𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍, 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚒𝚛𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚈/𝙽, 𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚝, 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚓𝚘𝚋, 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍, 𝚊 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎. "𝙸 𝚜𝚎𝚎... 𝙸 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚛𝚞𝚋𝚋𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝, 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝙸? 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚍𝚘 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠. 𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚒𝚕, 𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚔𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠��𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚊𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐.

𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚝𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚢, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚒𝚕, 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚢 𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎, 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚙𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 – 𝚝𝚑𝚎 '𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕' 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚞𝚝.

𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝙲𝚢𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚊, 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗-𝚝𝚘-𝚋𝚎 𝚎𝚡-𝚠𝚒𝚏𝚎. 𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚃𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚊 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍.

"𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝙸...," 𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏𝚏 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚜𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜.

"𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝙸'𝚖 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝," 𝚈/𝙽 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚊 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜. "𝙸𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝙲𝚢𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚊. 𝙸 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗..."

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚛𝚊𝚠, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢. "𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽, 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝... 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎. 𝙸'𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙲𝚢𝚗𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚊, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝙸 𝚍𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚠. 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝, 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙿𝚊𝚞𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚝𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜, 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚝𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.

"𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜, 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜," 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝. "𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚖𝚎. 𝙸'𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚠𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝."

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚈/𝙽 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚖𝚘𝚒𝚕 𝚌𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙; 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚌𝚛𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎.

𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚞𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚔 𝚊 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛.

"𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝙸...," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚞𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚍, 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚗. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙, 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚖, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚌𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚗𝚍, 𝚊 𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎. "𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽. 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘."

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚗 𝚊 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚕𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚞𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚟𝚞𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢. "𝚈/𝙽, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍. 𝙸’𝚖 𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚍𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝... 𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚜𝚘 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚌𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚝, 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎.

"𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚜. 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗’𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎," 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗, 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎. "𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛."

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍, 𝚊𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔, 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚍, 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜, 𝚜𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚢.

𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚋𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍, 𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚜𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜.

𝚈/𝙽’𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚍, 𝚊 𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗'𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎, 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚙𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊. "𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎, 𝚈/𝙽, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎. 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝙸 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝... 𝙸 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍."

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚞𝚕𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊, 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚈/𝙽'𝚜 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚕𝚞𝚛, 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝, 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝.

𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑, 𝚈/𝙽 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚍. 𝙷𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝, 𝚊 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙. "𝙾𝚔𝚊𝚢, 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗," 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎. "𝚆𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚘𝚛 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝... 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝."

𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚔𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚕, 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗 – 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝.

𝙰𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝚊 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎, 𝚒𝚏 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚑𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚝, 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍, 𝚊 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛.

“𝙸’𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍, 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎.

“𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗,” 𝚈/𝙽 𝚑𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚔𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚕, 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗 – 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝.

𝙰𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝚊 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎, 𝚒𝚏 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚑𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚝, 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚊𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍, 𝚊 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛.

[lost-in-thoughts03]

Car Ride

-oneshot-

.With all the Beatles squeezing in the same car, Y/N finds herself going home on Paul's lap. Pairing F!Reader x Paul McCartney.

Warning: sexual content, fingering, dirty talk.

Word Count: 830

It's not like Paul is a stranger or someone you've never had any kind of physical contact with, but sitting there on his lap, feeling his hands lovingly hold you in place, created a uncomfortable pressure in your belly.

As soon as the car began to move, the dark streets of the city curved to the headlight, making everything feel like pure serenity. As if the whole world was asleep and you were wandering through an empty city with the boys. The comfort of the dark and the low voices of Ringo and Mal in the front seat finally made you relax. Relax against Paul.

You gradually gave in against his thighs, and before you could notice, your back was resting against Paul's chest.

"You can use me as a pillow, love. I won't charge ye" He said smiling. You couldn't help but smile too, noticing how you slowly melted towards him. George and John, who were practically sprawled against each other on your side, shared a deep sleep. Since the conversation in the front seat also dwindled, you figured Ringo was out too.

"Mal?" Paul's voice took you by surprise "Take the long way home, will ya?"

As subtle as the warm feel of Paul's hands on your thigh now, you felt him press you against him.

'"I wanna enjoy the ride."

The last part was practically whispered just for you.

Sitting between Paul's legs, with his face just a few inches from your neck, you felt his hand move slowly over your thigh.

Paul's warm body was an intense invitation for you to surrender to him.

His hands made a slow back and forth motion, threatening to rise to the point where your panties began. The movement of his fingers and the panting breath against your neck forced you to close your eyes and made it really hard not to grind your hips against him.

"Yer such a good little girl" He whispered, seeing you were already biting your lip to not ask for what you wanted "I need you to be very quiet now."

You already felt the pressure of Paul's cock against you, intense enough that his pulse mingled with the rocking of the car.

Paul's hands continued to climb, until his fingers played on the sensitive part of your inner thighs.

All it would take was for Mal to turn around or for John to wake up and they would see the mess you've become in Paul's lap.

"Yer such a good little girl, aren't u? So fucking good" he whispered, making you squirm involuntarily against him.

No longer able to control your lips, you planted kisses down Paul's neck as you whispered your pleas "Paulie, I...please..."

"Please what, little girl?" Paul's fingers stopped within inches of your pussy, already eagerly awaiting Paul's touch.

He could barely contain his hips either, rocking it up and down against you, hoping to relieve all the desire he felt for you.

"Is this what you want?" He whispered, letting one of his fingers press down on your sensitive spot through the panties.

All you managed was to say yes, before he pushed your panties to the side and penetrated you deeply. One of Paul's hands was over your mouth, to prevent you from doing more than just whimpering, and the other was quickly in and out of you, dragging out all the liquid that had accumulated with desire for Paul.

"Such a precious little hole" he whispered against your neck, penetrating one more finger along with the other "Already all wet, like a little bitch, huh? Don't even care about all the people who could see you like this, do ya?"

He was already a little out of breath, his hips moving even faster against you "Bet you would love it they woke up and used you like dis too, don't ya?"

When Paul's pressure became too much and you felt that you were close to coming, he removed his fingers and in a quick movement replaced them with his own member, already hot and equally wet.

Paul slipped inside you without difficulty, and the car itself already seemed to do all the work by rocking him inside you.

"Fuck, Y/N, I won't be able to hold out for long" he whimpered, lightly biting your ear as the hand that was covering your mouth went down to massage your clit.

You felt yourself squirming around Paul's cock with your orgasm as he pressed against you even more intensely.

He breathed heavily against your neck and let out the most adorable sound in the world as he filled your hole with his thick cum.

Paul remained inside you for the rest of the trip, gently kissing your neck and stroking your thigh.

When you finally arrived at Paul's house and everyone else had to be woken up to go in, you reveled in the secret that you and Paul now shared, trickling warm towards your panties.