SWNOVELS Chapter 37 - A Riddle That Squeezes Many Brains
The candle totally disappeared, but not because it had melted, because this didn’t happen with magic candles, but because the sun came in through the windows of the room, warming the whole bedroom in vivid light.
Even though many of the other students didn’t wake up, she got out of bed. She couldn't stay that anxious anymore. She wanted so much to see how she could find out what was written in the diary, that she prepared twice as fast as usual and walked out of her room as if she were a witch on her broom.
She went to Johnny's door and knocked.
After a few moments, Johnny's roommate finally came to open the door.
“What happened to Elizabeth? It's still early ... it's Saturday.”
“Pepplyn, I’d like to talk to Johnny.”
Pepplyn Hallow left the door open and invited her inside.
Johnny woke up when he heard the knock on the door. He was dressed in some kind of nightie and a hat on his head, as if he were a little girl.
Elizabeth when he saw him, smiled, and Johnny in the nightie, ashamed, hid.
“I'm waiting outside.”
The boy went back into the room and called Johnny:
“Elizabeth Edwards is looking for you.”
“Tell her I'm coming immediately. I'm going to change clothes. And close that door!”
The roommate wanted to tell the girl something, but she interrupted him:
“I heard him. I'm waiting for him.”
The door closed.
Within two minutes Johnny appeared dressed as he thought a boy should be seen dressed. One could see on his face and through his timid gestures that he felt not only a little ashamed of his night outfit. But as Miss Edwards didn’t comment at all, he gasped in relief.
“What happened? Why don't you sleep and come to wake us up?” the boy frowned at her, though in a slow voice, so as not to wake up the others.
“I have a problem and that's why I came to you.”
“Why don't you go to your Soimescu friend?” the boy spoke in a wicked tone.
“Johnny ...”
The kids started to leave the rooms, not because the two children were too fussy, but because that was the Saturday habit. Everyone hardly woke up during the week, but on Saturday, when they could rest longer, most of them woke up early. Because they wanted to make the most of their free time on Saturdays.
“Go to him, since in the last months as you didn’t need my help, you were only with him.”
“Mr. Knudlac called him my guide and I wanted to learn how to read ...”
“Well, what, I couldn't teach you?”
“But Mr. Knudlac said ... I ... You're my best friend.”
The girl didn't know what to say and how to apologize to Johnny.
The boy was very irritated at first, like a badger when you try to take his food, but when he heard about friendship, he became a little gentler. He even smiled a little.
“Am I your best friend?” he smiled.
“Of course you are.”
“What about Soimescu? You've been together for so long ... you’re certainly good friends.”
“Alexander and I didn't get along. In fact, he didn't get along with me. I wanted to be friends, but he didn't. He doesn’t want to be friends except those of his kind. Or if I think better of him he isn’t interested in having friends, maybe just servants. He kept telling me that I get him bored and he does everything because Mr. Knudlac asked him.”
“Yeah, he’s a snake. Like his guardian,” Johnny told her. “But let's forget it. What’s your problem, dear friend?” he smiled now.
Elizabeth looked around her. As some of the children started to leave the room for the morning exercise or to have breakfast earlier, she didn’t answer immediately. She waited until there was no one near them and asked the boy:
“Can you keep a secret?”
“I swear on my guardian.”
“I have a magic diary.”
The boy looked at her a little confused.
“Yes ... I have two. It’s 4 silver coins one, at the shop. I tore one up angrily a week ago. And I lost another once ...”
“I think my diary is more special. I couldn't open it when I wanted to.”
"I managed to open mine only using my own magic,” Johnny smiled. “Let me show you...”
The girl took the diary out of her outfit’s sleeve in her left hand. The boy quickly pulled out his wand, moved his hand following a triangular path and said:
“Patentibus!”
A little light went out of his wand and touched the diary. Under the magic, it got a little electrified and the diary cover opened. But the pages were still empty.
“It worked,” Johnny told the girl as if he could manage to bring someone back to life.
“No, it didn't work,” Elizabeth said, sadly. “I could do that without magic. Look, I did it countless times last night after it opened by itself.”
And the girl closed and opened the diary lock without any problem this time, showing the boy the blank pages.
Johnny didn't know how to help the girl, but he looked around intently for someone who could find a solution.
“Here’s Miss Harmony. Let’s ask her…”
And without waiting for a response, the boy ran to the professor as if his life depended on it.
“Miss Harmony, I have a problem ...”
“What problem, dear?”
The boy, caught unprepared, didn’t know what to answer, and stood there gaping like someone who gets to a place and doesn’t know how or why he got there.
“Elizabeth, what’s the problem?” asked the boy, confused.
The girl got close to Miss Harmony who smiled, willing to help the children ... as always.
“I have a diary in which we think something isn’t visible. And we don't know how we can see what is written there.”
Miss Harmony, who at first thought it was something much more serious, for which she was willing to offer help, sighed hearing why they needed her ... for this small thing.
Too many times children have come to her because some object wouldn’t open or a book or diary was bewitched by one of the students, or a box was closed with a magic tool by other young naughty schoolchildren for their simple amusement, so she answered them without smiling:
“My dear, unfortunately I have no time to help you with such problems. Mr. Knudlac asked me to coordinate the feeding of mystical and non-mystical animals. And then I have to go to the Magic Consulate ...”
The two children sighed, hopeless.
“But, I recommend you go to the Wisdom Pavilion,” the professor smiled again.
“How come we didn't think about it?” Johnny said reproachfully. “Let's go ... and thank you, Miss Harmony.”
The boy glanced at his watch, grabbed the girl by the hand and began to run, taking her after him.
“We still have time until Saturday Meal starts. Let's go to the Wisdom Pavilion.”