20

your grandma hesitates. When she next meets your gaze, you see that her eyes are beginning to water.

"Huknock—there are things that I—in the belief, in the hope that I was protecting you—haven't told you. I've already told you that I believe our magic originates in Alberobello Forest, and that I thought there was a chance it could be destroyed if it was interfered with. But…that isn't the only reason I was afraid of it being discovered. In fact, I would rather it just be destroyed than have it be found, which is why I was so panicked when I thought that company might have stumbled across it. At the very least, if they have, they don't seem to be interested in sharing it publicly; so that's something. But there could still be a chance that someone else find out the truth, and—I wanted to say two things."

Licking her lips, she seems to take a moment to fully prepare.

"Firstly, Huknock—I don't want you to have to go through your life worrying about keeping this secret. You're your own person, and I can't expect you to do exactly what I would do for the rest of time. It wouldn't be fair. So just know that whatever you choose to do—and whatever happens in the future—I will never blame you for anything, But secondly…I don't want to frighten you, Huknock, but I do at least want to try and prepare you in case this ever happens. I think that's something I should have done a long time ago, if I'm honest, rather than saying nothing and hoping things would just stay as they are. But there is a very real reason I never wanted our secret to get out. I truly believe it could be dangerous—and not only for us. For many other people as well. The trouble is, that…I'm not sure if I can tell you everything I think I know. Not because I don't trust you, Huknock, but—because I think it would put you in too difficult a position. It shouldn't be your burden to bear, but mine. I'm the one who dug too deep, found out things I probably should have left alone. The more people know about it, the more likely it is that that danger could occur."

You can see tears falling down her face, but she doesn't lift a hand to wipe them away. After a few moments she blinks, and straightens her back, as if wanting to move on from that moment of such uncertainty.

"All of that said, though—it is just my own speculation. My worst guess. There's no way of knowing what could happen, good or bad. And I don't want you to live in fear, Huknock. The unfortunate truth is that bad things can happen for so many reasons, sometimes without warning. This is just one unlikely eventuality out of many; and I don't think any of them are worth dwelling on if there's truly nothing we can do about it. We hold onto the good things—the solid things in our lives—and let everything else come and go with the tides. And there's also the possibility that I could be wrong entirely. More than anything, I just want you to know that whatever happens, you won't be alone. I'm here for you, always."

With that, silence falls. You don't know quite how to process what you've just heard; and although your grandma's expression is calm, you can't help but wonder how much genuine fear she might be hiding. When she says something might be "dangerous", just how dangerous does she mean?

One other thing that comes to your mind as she finishes speaking is the fact that, before the two of you went through with your grandma's plan, you lied to her about how committed you were to keeping your magic a secret. And before you lied, you remember that she told you it could be potentially dangerous if your magic was ever found out. If you had told her the truth at the time, you know there's a chance that your grandma might not have agreed to go through with the plan at all—but since you lied, does that mean there's more of a possibility that your magic could be found out?

And given that possibility—should you tell your grandma the truth now?

You can see that your grandma is watching you, waiting for you to reply. In the end, you simply say: