45. Helbo 2

Helbo stood in front of the sink. He was very unhappy at the moment. It shouldn't have taken ten seconds, but Tom still hadn't given him his magic wand. Helbo had to do even a simple cleaning job without magic, and that pissed him off.

"It shouldn't be this hard," Helbo muttered under the cold water, his hands shaking. "How hard can it be just to return a wand?"

"You'll understand when you get older," he said to himself, squeezing the sides of the sink. "But of course you don't care, do you? You're too busy drinking your coffee."

Helbo began to scrub tiredly. The sponge slipped and strained in his hands. "When I was young, everything was so easy," he sighed, "but now... everything is harder."

Finally finishing the dishes and cleaning the sink, he took a deep breath, dried his hands and walked into the living room. He sat down in the comfortable chair and sighed deeply, ignoring the slight pain in his knees.

Meanwhile, Tom came down the stairs with some books and sat down in the armchair where he always sat, looking out at the view outside. He put his books on his lap and looked out into the depths of the forest.

A little hesitantly, he turned to the other. "Will you give me back my wand?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. Tom did not answer and continued to look deeper into the forest.

He took a deep breath, feeling that he had to explain himself even more. "Take me seriously, I can't even do these simple tasks without my wand, and I promise I won't hurt you."

This time Tom looked up from his books and into Helbo's face.

Without taking his eyes off his books, Tom replied, "Not now."

Helbo's face fell. He took a deep breath, feeling that he had to explain himself even more. "Take me seriously, I can't even do these simple tasks without my staff, and I promise I won't hurt you."

This time Tom looked up from his books and into Helbo's face. "Why should I trust you? I hardly know you."

Helbo tapped his hand helplessly on the edge of the seat. "I'm just an old man without a staff.

Tom nodded slightly. "Perhaps. People change and so do places. But sometimes old habits die hard."

Helbo grunted. "Of course not. If I were you, I'd enjoy sipping your coffee as well." Then he continued in a more serious tone, "Old habits can sometimes be the most powerful influences that shape a person."

Tom's eyes returned to his books. "Maybe one day," he said, "we'll get to know each other better."

Helbo sighed and shook his head. "I hope that day comes," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "I will continue to live without my staff."

An hour or so later, Tom was reading his books and Helbo was sitting quietly in his chair. Inside, Helbo continued to complain about Tom. "What is he really up to? How can someone be so quiet and withdrawn? Young people are like that, it's hard to understand."

Just then there was a sudden knock at the door of the house. Helbo looked up in surprise. "A knock at the door? Who could be in such a remote place?"

Tom closed his books and frowned at the door. Helbo was curious how Tom would react. "I wonder who's here?" he thought. "I didn't expect a man like Tom to have visitors."

As Helbo worried inwardly, Tom got up from his seat and walked to the door. When he reached the door, he paused for a moment, took a breath, and then opened it.

Tom closed the door behind him and started talking to Alice in the garden. Helbo continued to sit quietly inside, lost in his own thoughts, not hearing what was said outside the door. "Who is that Alice?" he thought. "Why is Tom talking to her out there? I hope this guy doesn't give us any more trouble."

Alice approached Tom and said, "I just wanted to see you. How are you?" Alice asked Tom.

Tom said, "I'm fine. How are you?"

Alice wondered why Tom wanted to talk outside. She wondered who the guest inside was and why Tom was being so careful. Frowning slightly, she asked, "Is there someone in there?" with a slight look of jealousy in her eyes.

Tom recognized the suspicion and jealousy in Alice's eyes. "Yes, there is someone in there," he said. "But don't worry, it's nobody important. Just a guest."

Alice did not find Tom's answer satisfactory enough. "Who is this guest? How long has he been here?" she continued, her brow furrowed.

"He's been here a while," Tom said. "But he's not someone who should be bothering you."

Alice squinted at Tom. "I hope not," she murmured, trying to suppress her jealousy and suspicion. Alice's demeanor became even more pronounced. She folded her arms across her chest and grimaced.

Tom found Alice's trippy behavior endearing and took a step toward her with a smile. He opened Alice's arms and hugged her. "I trust you, you know," he said in a soft voice. "It's all right, I promise."

Alice softened in Tom's arms, but she frowned and kept her eyes on his. "Okay," she said, still skeptical. "I miss you, but am I not supposed to see anyone inside?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of Tom's.

Tom looked into Alice's eyes and smiled. "Yes," he said calmly. "Just trust me. This is what's best for both of us."

"Okay, I understand," Alice said with a sigh and turned away with a short answer. Tom smiled slightly at Alice's slightly annoyed and stumbling mood. He found Alice's behavior endearing and didn't want to upset her any more.

On a hunch, Tom took a step toward Alice and hugged her from behind. Alice hesitated for a moment as she felt Tom's warm arms around her, but then slowly relaxed.

Tom leaned down to Alice's neck and whispered softly, "Don't get me wrong, I really miss you.

Alice smiled slightly as she relaxed in Tom's arms, but turned her head slightly as if to show that she was still a little hurt. "Really?" she said softly, "Sometimes it's hard to forget."

Tom hugged Alice tighter, sensing the emotion behind her words. "Yes, I do," he said sincerely. "You mean a lot to me."

Alice, unable to resist Tom's sincerity, slowly turned and looked into his eyes. "Promise?" she said, still a little skeptical, but with love in her eyes.

"I promise," Tom said, looking lovingly into Alice's face. Then he gently took Alice's cheek and kissed her. As Alice felt the warmth of Tom's kiss, all her resentments melted away. She put her arms around Tom's neck and hugged him tighter.

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