A Helping Hand - MPHfPC

chapter 5

"Olive, could you set the fire please?" Patricia asked as she handed everyone a hot chocolate from off a metal tray.
The children were happily settled into there usual seats and Jake was situated next to Emma.
Horace, sat in an armchair in front of the screen, pulled out a small metal contraption and placed it over his left eye. A jet of light streamed out illuminating the screen.

"My grandpa told me about this. Horace projects his dreams, right?" Jake asked Emma quietly.
"He used to listen to the radio. It gets rather tedious when you know every word of by heart," Emma explained.
In the dream, Horace was trying on a suit in front of a mirror with three men watching him. He turned to one of them and said, "splendid! I'll take it."
"He dreams about clothes mostly," Emma informed Jake.

The dream morphed into the image of the garden and showed Horace greeting Jake this morning.
"When did he dream this?" Jake asked.
"Last night," Emma replied, "some of his dreams are prophetic. But, mostly they're about clothes."
"Prophetic as in he can see into the future?" Jake asked.
Emma only nodded in response.

The dream changed again and revealed a dark room with a cage full of birds. Then a woman, who was strapped to a table, was wheeled down a corridor by three men with white eyes.
"An Ymbryne! Who is she? Miss Peregrine, do you know her?" Asked Fiona.
Hugh, who was sat next to her, reassured her, "don't be silly. Horace will have had a bad dream. That's all."
Patricia rested her hand on Horace's shoulder comfortingly, understanding that he was reliving his dreams and nightmares.

Once again, the projection on the screen changed. The perspective switched from Emma to Jake and back as the two leaned in for a kiss. Jake leaned forward on his chair towards the screen while Emma sat with a unreadable expression. The children's heads turned rapidly from the screen to the pair on the sofa. Uncomfortable, Emma looked down at her lap.
"Turn it off," the headmistress commanded.
Patricia walked over to the wall and flicked on the lights while Horace removed his eye piece - stopping the projection.

"I should probably get going," announced Jake, wanting to escape the awkward situation quickly.
"You could stay the night. I'm sure Patricia could make you up a room," Miss Peregrine offered, "if you wanted to. Rather than walking home alone in the dark."
"But the island is very safe, isn't it?" Emma asked in a worried tone.
"Of course!" Miss Peregrine assured her, "I only meant the path is dreadfully bumpy. Jake could trip. Perhaps you could show him the shortcuts. Should he ever need to avoid bumps. Either that or I'll have Patricia take him back."

"Won't you at least stay to watch the reset, Jake?" Olive inquired hopefully, "it's really quite spectacular."
Enoch let out an tired groan obviously annoyed by Jake's existence.
The rest of the children gave shouts of encouragement and began to get up.

As they walked out the door, Patricia handed them each a gas mask before collecting the last one for herself. Rain poured down onto the group and the headmistress put on a radio. The song "Run, Rabbit Run!" began to play from the vinyl. Everyone then put on their gas mask as flashes lit up the sky in a warm orange glow. Planes flew over the home - Miss Peregrine's eyes flickering from the sky to the pocket watch in her hand.

A plane that was straggling behind the other flew over the house, the hatch at the bottom opened and a bomb fell from the plane. The bomb hurled down to the home. With a click of the pocket watch, time slowed. Raindrops were hanging still in the air and the bomb was frozen in time. The music was stopped; it was silent for just a moment.

Miss Peregrine began to spin the dial on the watch backwards and the rain flew up into the dark sky and the music didn't sound real. The bomb never hit the house and instead flew back into the plane. Everything that had happened was reversed before their eyes. They watched the sky change colours from the sunset to midday to the sunrise only for it to be night once more. The children lifted their masks with smiles plastered to their faces.

Miss Peregrine and the maid said goodbye to Jake for Emma to take him back to the pub.
"I'll go and put the younger children to bed," Patricia informed the headmistress.

After she had tucked the children (the twins, Fiona, Claire and Bronwyn) into bed, Patricia walked down the stairs only to be greeted by a yelling Emma. She was holding an injured bird, who she assumed was an Ymbryne. The maid scoped up the hurt bird into her hands and carefully carried her to the awaiting headmistress.

When she left to collect some warm water in order to wash the bird, the maid was welcomed by several faces of worried children.
"Emma, could you fetch some warm water for Miss Peregrine while I sort out the children?" Patricia asked.
The girl ran off to the kitchen without a word.
"There's no need to worry children," she reassured the concerned peculiars, "Miss Peregrine is simply caring for an injured Ymbryne. You all need sleep and I'm certain that she shall explain everything in the morning."