Letters to Luke
WARNING! Contains spoilers from Professor Layton and the Unwound Future! Read at your own risk!
Dear Luke,
I received your letter that you sent to me, and I am finally responding, after much consideration. Your puzzle that you sent along with the letter was excellent, exactly what I would expect from you, my dear apprentice. Every day, it seems that I read and re-read your letter at least three times. I am glad that you have made friends and have settled in nicely in your new home. I am content that you are happy.
Since you left, Flora has been staying with me. She said that she would never leave me behind, and I have accepted her, since she has no real family to call her own. She even promised me that she would help me as much as she could in solving the mysteries that come our way. She is a very intelligent girl, and I adore her very much, but she does not take your place completely as my "self-proclaimed apprentice". I also recently enrolled her in school, and she has become a wonderful student (and cook, surprisingly. What they teach in school these days amazes me.) Flora misses you a lot, and she gets gloomy when we talk about you.
As for me, I have returned to my teaching job at Gressenheller University, after many months (or years) away from the classroom. I occasionally bring up our past adventures during class, but not often. Sometimes, after classes, students who know me will come up to me and ask, "Where's the little boy who follows you everywhere?" In which I reply, "He had to go with his real father."
I miss you, Luke. I miss your smile and your eagerness to solve any puzzle or mystery that came towards us. Whenever I see a stray cat, dog or monkey (I have seen them), I have to smile. I can always see you running to the animal, coaxing it to "talk" to you. During the time of our adventures was the best time of my life. We were able to solve so many puzzles and cases together. In truth, you were like a son to me, the son I never had. I was always watching out for you, much like a father is always cautious of his son.
I hope this letter arrives to you safely. I hope you send me a response. I may be gone on a business trip or really busy, but I will make sure to answer your letter. After all, that is what a gentleman does. Good luck, my boy, and I hope to see you again (for real) in the future.
Your teacher and friend,
Professor Hershel Layton
P.S. Enjoy the gift I have included.
Luke wiped away the tears from his eyes. They had been waiting to fall, but they never did. He was sitting on his bed, reading and re-reading the Professor's letter. He had become accustomed to his new town, and he even had some friends. But, he missed the professor. Layton was his first and one true friend. After calming down from the letter, Luke noticed the brown package that Layton had mentioned in the letter. "I wonder what puzzle Professor sent," he asked himself. He opened the box. Inside, there was a photograph. Luke picked it up, stared at it for a minute, and he smiled. It was a photo from when Flora suggested that they have a group picture after their adventure with the Elysian Box. In the picture, Layton was sitting in his high-back chair, his trademark top hat on his head. Flora stood next to Layton's chair, looking rather cute in her pink dress. Luke was sitting on the floor, cross-legged, a smile on his young face. Luke looked at the picture again, and he saw a caption under the photo. It read, "A true gentleman never forgets his best friend." This time, Luke had to cry. He hugged the frame to his body and sobbed. He cried for what seemed like years to him. When he had finished, he placed the frame on the dresser next to his bed.
"Luke?"
"Coming, Mother!"
Luke hopped off his bed and walked to the bedroom door. Before he walked out, he looked back and grinned at the photo. He then closed the door, knowing that the great Professor Layton would be there with him, even if he was miles and miles away. "After all," he thought, "a true friendship lasts forever."