New Earth-Chapter 2

"Sir, we have company." Alferdo turned to see his messenger at the doorway. He was on his way out, holding a staff and already wearing a jet-black coat over his equally-dark priest gown, both proving excellent contrasts to his silver long hair and beard. The days were cold, but the nights were colder, and the evenings neither were of a comfortable warm. Alferdo took one last glance at the iron-grey skies and followed his messenger out.

"Who is it, Matthew?" he asked in his wizened old voice.

"It's more a question of 'What',sir. I have seen such a creature only in the thousand and two books in our library."

"Well then I ought to be quite intrigued."

They walked, until they reached the south wing, where the"Odd Creature" had taken it's seat in an armchair. Alferdo smiled in good humor, it was a dwarf. And by right Matthew would not have heard of it. Such reserved creatures dwarfs were.

"What a pleasant surprise, Barney," he said. Barney smiled back. Small, even by the measures of dwarfs, he was about three-halves of a foot tall, and made the armchair he was sitting in, the smallest in the room, seem huge.

"The reawakening of beasts has been unhappy on us dwarfs. Annoying are 'Specially the gnomes. Keeps stealing our vegetables. We tried stealing back, but it be of no use, since they didn't have much."

"Alas, even the best of friends argue. If you want to borrow my security charms I will understand," said Alferdo, both amused and concerned.

"Just what I came to ask for", and the gnome laid his glassy, twinkling eyes on the nearest bookshelf. Alferdo stood up, tall and ancient, and picked out a deep maroon leather-bound book, which he handed to the gnome

"Don't want to hinder travelling," and a second later, he was not there anymore. Alferdo sighed, and looked out of the window again. The bright white Pegasuses had come out to graze, and a second later, he was gone as well.