The professor smiled and sighed as he read along the final lines of the last letter in Randall's pile that wasn't either a bill or propaganda. Randall looked up curiously.
"What is it, Hersh?"
"Luke is more of a gentleman than I thought he was!"
"Really? What makes you say that?"
"He says he's made a new, blind friend back in the States. She loves adventure stories apparently, so Luke is going to learn how to write in braille and write a series of books for her based off of our old adventures!" Randall smiled.
"Well if that isn't the sweetest thing! I think he likes her!" The professor gave Randall a solemn face. "Just joking!" Randall said in his own defense.
"How about you read this segment of the first one he's going to write that he sent me in English? It's our first adventure! He's going to call it either 'Professor Layton and the Last Specter' or 'Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call'." Randall nodded in agreement, and the professor handed him the letter. Pointing him to the right area to make sure he knew where it was. Randall read it aloud.
"'The screams of my neighbors… The stomps of the beast unknown… Surely a witch's laugh was the most beautiful of sounds in comparison to this. There I was, in absolute terror. I knew and felt nothing but the shaking of the ground below me. The comfort of my bedroom was now like a prison cell ready to swallow me alive. My then tiny hands held on to nothing for dear life, tears steamed ever so quickly down my face as I tried miserably to drown out the noise; to convince myself that I, my parents, and the neighbors that had been my family for so long would make it out of this alive. And then, all at once, the noise stopped, and a bitterly cold silence all but stopped my heart. I looked out my window in terror of what I might see. And there it was… The Specter.'"
Randall stared at the page for a few minutes before looking back up at the professor. "The kid has talent…" Was all he could seem to say.
"Yes… Yes he does…" Responded the professor.
"Was the specter really that bad?"
"…Yes… Yes it was…" The professor said similarly to his last reply. Just then, a doctor came quietly into the room.
"You're free to go, Professor Layton." He walked over to the chair that had the professor's clothes and hat and handed them to him. The professor went and changed in the dressing room, and then, Randall and Angela close behind him, he left the room and went over to the main hallway. At the sight of the doctor that had told him he could leave, Hersh made certain he was the one taking care of him the whole month and then walked up to the man and began to talk with him.
"Hello, Doctor."
"Ah yes, I see you're out… Hello."
"Thank you for seeing to my well-being the last month."
"It's no problem really! It's been an honor keeping the famous Professor Hershel Layton, collage professor and mystery-solver extraordinaire, alive to do what he does best at least once more!"
The professor opened his mouth to speak again, but Randall quickly cut in.
"Look, I know what the professor wants, so I'll save us all some time and be out with it. Do you know who found this guy and the girl he was with? And where's the girl now?"
"Now Randall-"
"I'm afraid he's right." The doctor said with a smile. "You don't have to be so formal with everyone all the time! I know that it was a truck driver that called us to come to the rescue. He had been in the accident and unfortunately died before we could get there. As for the girl, she's in that room over there." He pointed over at one of the rooms in the hallway. "You can knock on the door and see if one of the three ladies visiting her will let you in."
"Thank you very much Kind Sir! And, if possible, please send my condolences to the truck driver's family…"
"Will do. It was nice speaking with you Professor Layton, Mr. Ascot." At that, the doctor walked away; leaving Randall to take Angela back home and the professor to head towards Rosetta's room.
The professor knocked ever so gently on Rosetta's door. Catching the attention of one of the women there; who opened the door for him.
"Oh, Professor Layton! What are you doing here?" It was Melanie.
"I'm here to see Rosetta, if that's all right."
"Of course it is! There can only be three people visiting her at a time, but me and Rose's sister were going to go to the library anyway. She needs to school work and so do I. Come on Britney!" Rosetta's sister walked over to Melanie. "Brit, this is Professor Layton, Rosetta's… teacher. Professor, this is Britney, Rosetta's sister. We must be off!" Eager to get out, Melanie grabbed Britney's arms and dragged her out of the room before another word could be said. A little confused, the professor walked rather slowly inside the room.
In the room he saw an old woman who looked a lot like Rosetta would in the future sitting by a bed, and on the bed, was a sleeping Rosetta. She looked like such an angel when she was asleep… The professor just couldn't help but notice. "Hello, Ma'am." Layton said kindly as he made his way over to the woman. "I'm Professor Hershel Layton, Rosetta's archaeology professor at Gressenheller University. And you are?" The woman looked up at him and smiled.
"Professor Layton! I've heard so much about you! Rosetta simply couldn't stop talking about you in her letters! She seems to really like you!" The professor blushed just a bit at this statement. "I'm Rosetta's mother, Rosa Stone… Here, have a seat!" The professor, a bit hesitantly, sat down in one of the chairs left over by Melanie and Britney. "Have you come to visit my daughter?"
The professor nodded. "Quite."
"Excellent! While you're here, do you mind talking with me so I won't feel lonely?" Hershel smiled and nodded once again.
"So, what do you think of Rosetta?"
"She's a sweet girl. She just comes on a little… strong when she wants something…"
"That sounds like her all right! She also believes people far too easily… She reminds me so much of her father…"
"What's her father like?"
"He was a dreadfully kind man. I still remember the day I met him…" The woman seemed to drift off in her own little memory; piquing Hershel's curiosity.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"Of course! I'd be happy to!" And she went on with her story without a single hint of hesitation.
"All my life I'd lived in America, New York, to be exact. Through the years, no matter how much my other dreams would change, my dream of becoming an author never would! Over collage, I'd learned to speak, understand, read and write Japanese. After reading a Japanese mystery novel, I was hooked on the idea of not just writing a novel, but a Japanese novel! I don't know why, I just did! So one day, I did it! And the next thing I knew it was going to be published! I had to go to Japan, of course, but I didn't care! I lived in an orphanage all my life anyway… I had no one to leave. So I left to Japan, and I met my publisher… He was a handsome young man. I could only talk to him in Japanese. At the time, I was so focused on getting my book popular that I hardly even paid attention to the man… His name was Hiroshi, Hiroshi Sato. I don't know what happened, but by the time the entire publishing process was over, I was in love with Hiroshi! We were married, and we lived in Japan for years in complete and utter happiness. And I'm not sure why, but I never changed my last name. I think it had something to do with the fact that whoever read my book would know me by my maiden name, so it would be bad for if I wanted to publish something else… Rosetta was born a few years later; she got my last name because Hiroshi insisted he liked it better than his… and a few years after that, her sister Britney was born; she got his last name because I insisted, just like him... A year after that… There was a car accident… Hiroshi died, and I went back to New York with all our money and the girls. When Rosetta told me she was going to go to London to study archaeology… I was devastated. After the relief I had when she started going to a local collage… I didn't want her to go, but I had to. So she went, and I would get letter after letter after letter. I would send letters back of course… Then one day I got a letter that was from London but not from her. It said she was in a car accident of all things… and that she got into a coma… All I could think was 'No, not again! I can't lose someone else! And to a car accident again? No, not again!'" Rosa burst into tears and put her head on the professor's shoulder.
"I'm sorry…" She sniffled. "I shouldn't have said all that…"
The professor had to think of something, and quickly! "It's quite all right! I had a similar story of loss burning inside me for ten years before I opened up to anyone… I was such a relief when I finally did... Opening up is a good thing, not bad!" Rosa smiled.
"Thank you, Professor!" She said as she wiped away her tears.
"Please, call me Hershel!"
Rosa smiled and nodded. "Of course… Hershel! So… Do you mind telling me about your loss or no?" The professor seemed taken aback. But smiled and nodded. He was done being so protective of this story… It hurt too much to be.
Hours upon hours passed as the two talked. The conversation getting less and less serious as the time went on. And eventually getting a bit mindless when the clock was near striking midnight and even more so when two more hours passed.
"Oh dear! I've got to get going…" The professor cried out as he realized how long he had been talking with Rosa.
"Do you have a car to go home in?" The professor didn't even think about that when he let Randall leave! "It's ok, you can drive my car! I can drive myself to my hotel." Layton shook his head.
"No, I'll drop you off at your hotel and then I'll walk back home!"
"Oh my, are you sure? It may be an awfully long walk…" Layton nodded.
"Of course! I'm used to walking long distances… Thank you for helping me, by the way!"
"I think it's me that should be thanking you!"
And at that, the two went home. For the next month, Rosa would go to the hospital with Britney first thing in the morning, while Melanie and the professor would do their daily duties. Later on, Melanie would sit with Britney and Rosa until later on in the afternoon when the girl's would go to the library and the professor would sit and talk with Rosa until they got tired and he took her home, after that going home himself. Eventually a lack of sleep began to catch up with him, but he easily ignored it. At this point, Rosa was almost like a second mother to him. As his old mentor was a second father to him. He knew it had only been a month he'd known her, but he probably spent more time with her in that month than he had spent with most others in the time it took for them to become friends! He would stay up as late as he could in order to keep her company in her time of need.
I hope you liked it! :D