The boy blubbered and cried into the wizard's rich robe, but Belboz, for all appearances, didn't mind. He stroked the child's hair soothingly and murmured, "There, there, my dear boy, it's all right." Fred had lost any vestige of control. He'd been through many a trial in his time, but never before had he been subjected to anything remotely similar to this, and sobbing openly felt cathartic. He didn't do much thinking, just buried his head into the soft silk of Belboz's robe and tried to block out all his sadness. In fact, as the tears kept pouring, that sadness seemed farther and farther away. Belboz kept on stroking the boy's straw-coloured hair, and when his tears had slowed from a flood to a small stream, he gently stood the boy up, stood up himself, and said brightly, "Now, enough of that. You must be hungry, and I know just the thing for a young lad of your age." As he started on the short walk to the kitchen, the little boy followed him, still sniffling but no longer bawling. "Why... Why'd you do dis to me?" "Oh, Winthrop," Belboz said as he removed something from a cupboard, and the boy barely even wondered at the use of the unfamiliar name, "you needn't concern yourself with that. Now, look what I have for you!" The boy let out a small but completely involuntary squeal of excitement when he saw that Belboz was holding a jar of biscuits. "Yaaay!" he cried, bouncing up and down and reaching his short, chubby arms held up high. Belboz smiled and gave the boy one of the biscuits, which he took gleefully. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, frowning, as if realizing that something about this was not right, but the pause was quick and he gobbled up the treat just like any small child would.
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2/11/2014 5:54:40 PM
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