第四话

. But that soon changed when he started eating. For the old man, it tasted better than anything he had ever eaten in all his years travelling the country. He became very excited when he realized that most of what he ate was grown in his own land. He felt proud that the old man of the house could enjoy something he hadn’t grown himself. He was happy that the old man was able to eat whatever he wanted. He was happy that the old man was able to live in such a comfortable place. He was happy that the old man was ableto travel wherever he wanted. He was happy that the old man was able to meet new people. And he loved having his father around. Even if the old man was rude to him sometimes, or didn’t take care of him properly, he still cared about him and loved him a lot. The old man was his life, and the oldman was rude to him sometimes, or didn’t take care of him properly, he still cared about him and loved him a lot. The old man was his life, and the old man was his reason for being.

He could feel the love emanating from the old man and from the others that they shared for each other. He would never leave. He would never grow tired of living with his father. Not if he had any choice in the matter anyway.

The old man stood up and grabbed hold of the boy’s hand. The younger man smiled

shyly. He followed close behind the old man. He didn’t know what he was going to do yet, but he wasn’t worried. The old man would take care of him. And he wouldn’t give up until the old man told him he couldn’t. That the old man couldn

’t continue on. “I have something for you, son,” the old man said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They walked out onto the streets of Haddam Junction, a town situated just a short distance from Concord. It was quite peaceful there. It wasn’t too noisy or crowded; it was quiet and calm in a way that most towns in the United States weren't.

There were few buildings nearby besides the one they were currently standing in: a large, red brick house with green trimming, set in its own grass field, nestled amongst trees and bushes and flowers. In addition to the house, there were several larger buildings surrounding the area in order to keep watch over the town.

Most of these buildings housed businesses that catered to customers of various kinds. Some of the buildings were run by families; others were used by workers for building projects; still others housed small businesses that served a special clientele.

Their destination was one of those buildings.

It was the largest building in the village – an old warehouse

with white painted walls and a grey roof. Two wooden doors led inside, with two windows set high above the ground. The windows had been boarded up so tightly it looked almost like the building itself was covered in frost, with only slivers of light seeping through. A long, black line stretched across the center of the roof

ending with a large door in the middle of it. The door was wide open. The two boys stepped inside. They looked around the room. It didn’t seem very big to either of them. There were tables spread around the room with benches on both sides. Some were occupied by other people sitting quietly with papers, quills