Discovering the Future

Chapter 5- Chapter 2 (Part 3)

Oh. My. God.

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I want to give a special thanks to "Harriet" and "nature_nymph" because both of them sent me copies of the letter. Thank you both very much!

Disclaimer: I don't think I own Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I mean, I don't know, I could be wrong. It's happened before.

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"A new book!" my mom exclaimed. "That's a phenomenal idea, Frank.

Enoch snorted. "Really? You mean like the other books?"

Speaking of which, whatever happened to that last book you were working on?"

Enoch snorted again.

Clearly, she'd had a few drinks.

"No really?" Victor sarcastically questioned. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"I'm still ironing a few things out," my dad replied quietly.

Hugh raised an eyebrow. "Is that what it's called now?"

"Oh, I see." I could hear Uncle Bobby snickering.

"These are my kind of people," Enoch said, smirking slightly.

Emma shook her head. "You three are terrible.

"Okay," I said loudly, reaching for the last present. "This one's from Aunt Susie."

"Actually," my aunt said as I began tearing away at the wrapping paper, "it's from your grandfather."

Emma's head tilted to the side and her eyes narrowed.

I stopped midtear. The room went dead quiet, people looking at Aunt Susie as if she'd invoked the name of some evil spirit. My dad's jaw tensed and my mom shot back the last of her wine.

"Yes," Horace said, rolling his eyes. "Wine will solve everything."

"Just open it and you'll see," Aunt Susie said.

"Ohhh," Olive said. "A mystery."

I ripped away the rest of the wrapping paper to find an old hard-back book, dog-eared and missing its dust jacket. It was The Selected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I started at it as if trying to read through the cover, unable to comprehend how it had come to occupy my now-trembling hands. No one but Dr. Golan knew about the last words, he promised on several occasions that unless I threatened to guzzle Drano or do a backflip off the Sunshine Skyway bridge, everything we talked about in his office would be held in confidence.

"How did that work out for you?" Enoch asked.

I looked at my aunt, a question on my face that I didn't quite know how to ask.

"Why not just ask it?" Claire asked.

She managed a weak smile and said, "I found it in your grandfather's desk when we were cleaning out the house. He wrote your name in the front. I think he meant for you to have it."

Millard nodded. "Marvellous plan, Abe."

God bless Aunt Susie. She had a heart after all.