Chapter 1

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The room was a mess, to say the least. Books were scattered around the room, several pieces of clothing hung over several pieces of furniture, old papers lay open on a chair near the burned out fire place, the ashtray was completely full and some of the cigarettes lay next to it on the wooden table. This was a weird thing, because his friend was one of the tidiest persons (not completely tidy, though… He had a lot of stuff and not much space, but it was always organized) he knew, and he had stopped smoking for ages.

In the corner he sat, and old paper over his knees and a book in his hands. A cigarette hung from his lips. His hair a mess, his chin unshaven. Yet another curious thing.

Where was the gentleman that owned the place?

The young man took a step forward and almost tripped. When he looked down at his feet, he saw the familiar, big brown hat, catching dust on the floor. The boy picked it up and brushed off the dust with his hand. 

Out of the corner came a soft humming as the older man raised his head and took the cigarette from between his lips.

"Luke, my boy", he spoke, a small smile around his lips.

Luke looked up from the hat in his hands. "I assume this is yours", he said, tossing it to the man in the corner, "professor?"

The man in the corner caught the hat and rose to his feet.

"I haven't been wearing it for quite a while...", he muttered. After that, he looked around the small living room. "Oh dear, what a mess."

Luke softly grinned, but his curiousity grew even more. What had the professor been doing all this time? What had happened?

Luke sat down on the couch as the professor came back from the kitchen, two cups of steaming tea in his hands. Carefully, he stepped over the books and all the other stuff that was scattered and piled up all around. The young man thanked him when he was handed the cup and he wrapped his fingers around it. The professor sat down opposite of Luke, on the floor, between the books. His cup was on the table and he reached inside the pocket of his trousers, grabbing the pack of cigarettes. 

"So...", he started, pulling out a cigarette and placing it between his lips, "what are you doing here?"

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