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

2.3 || The House with the Broken Lamppost ||

"Troubled mind, huh?" asked Garron, serving Alwold a plate of pasta on the table after Alwold entered the kitchen.

Alwold spoke nothing. He sat down, took his fork and began eating.

"Look, Alo," he said leaning over to him and placing his hand on his shoulder, "You can't keep being upset just because mum and dad are gone—"

"No, I'm not upset about anything Grampi, you might as well forget about it, please," he said, gently sliding down his grandfather's hand from his shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it. And I'm fine, thank you."

"Rude," muttered Hale.

"Shut up!"

"I wasn't talking to you."

"Yeah? It felt as though your remark was on me."

Hale stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hale!" ranted Garron, and Hale looked down sipping her soup violently off every spoon.

"Cut it out, Hale!" rebuked Alwold.

Hale slurped her soup even louder.

"Please, please, for the sake of—please, don't fight at the table," reasoned Garron, sitting on his chair facing his grandchildren. "Now listen, I've been thinking of—pass the soup to your brother."

Hale reached out for a hot bowl of soup and passed it to his brother without looking at him. Alwold received it without any disapproval and paid attention to what his grandfather wanted to say.

"Both of you don't need to start another apocalypse again," said Garron, afraid his peace of mind would be destroyed. "I had enough of that last week, yes, thank you very much. One more of that again and you'll be spending another week with Aunt Gitch."

"No, not her!" Both his grandchildren cried, their faces irked.

Hale almost regurgitated the pasta through her nose.

"I couldn't even handle a single day at her wretched house," said Alwold.

"I doubt whether I should even call that place a 'house'," said Hale in contempt, sniffing her nose hard and rubbing it.

"—I'd rather spend my time locked in the garage."

"There is nothing we get to do there."

"And her meals are tasteless—"

" —Just like her wretched soul!"

"She never even lets me near her T.V."

Hale shook her head in agreement, her eyes still fixed on her device.

"Right, so you know better to behave," Garron said sternly, stopping the thread of complaints and letting out a light cough.

Garron took a sip of water from the glass and placed it quietly on the table.

"I never thought Alwold was so observant."

Hale sniggered.

Alwold glared at her.

"How about we go out for a movie this weekend?" suggested Garron, attempting to cheer up the mood.

"Don't!" said Hale before Alwold even began to say anything. "Nothing is going on that interests us. Plus, it'll be raining this week judging by the dull climate today, and I might wanna save myself the trouble of going through heavy traffic, so no, thank you," she completed with a wide smirk looking at Garron and returned her attention on her meal.

Garron looked at her with a reminiscent expression evident on his face, as though a long lost memory had just sparked into his head.

"Yeah, I think I knew that," said Alwold rather bored. "The sky was already gloomy when I looked out the window," he said, rubbing both his upper arms back and forth.