Life and Death {Enoch O'Connor}

10

"Un - duex - trois - quatre - cinq - six - sept -" Enoch counted each skip he took down the sidewalk. He'd just begun to learn some French in school and he was itching to show off his skills to his parents when he arrived home.

As he skipped down the road, he hopped over ever crack in the pavement, the contents of his school bag shaking around on his back.

"Dix" He didn't know any numbers further than ten, so he started again. "Un - duex - trois -" he paused when he noticed someone sitting on the curb not far in front of him.

It was the little boy he'd seen a few days ago - Bentley was it? The little boy whose cat Enoch had returned.

Bentley  sat, his face him his hands, staring across the road. As Enoch got closer, he could hear the boy emitting little sniffles.

"Are you okay?" Enoch asked when he was near to him.

Bentley buried his face into his palms, letting out a muffled sob. Enoch was starting to feel uncomfortable and was tempted to just continue on his way and leave the boy be.

But then the boy look up to him, his cheeks stained with tears, "Ashes died!" He exclaimed.

Enoch blinked, "The cat?" He thought back to a few days previous when he found the cat dead in the woods. But then he'd brought it back. Could it really have died again already?

Enoch frowned as Bentley nodded with a sniffle. He felt bad and confused. Why had the cat come back only to die again so soon? It must have just been a terrible coincidence.

Enoch took a seat on the curb next to Bentley, "Don't worry. Ashes went to a better place." He repeated the words his dad had told his clients almost every day.

"That's what mummy said," the boy sniffed.

"It's true," Enoch nodded, feeling like an expert in the subject. "My parents told me about death. It's beautiful, really. They get to leave this place and go somewhere where they can be happy. I bet Ashes is playing with a bunch of other kitties and has loads of mice to chase where he is now."

"Do you think so?" Bentley looked up to Enoch with hope in his eyes. "Do you think he misses me?"

"I'm sure he does," Enoch told him.

"Bentley?" A woman's voice called from behind the two boys. Enoch turned his head to see her walking towards them. "It's time to come inside."

Bentley's mother reached out, offering her son her hand to help him off the curb. She examined Enoch sitting next to him, "Who are you, darling?"

Enoch stood - it was the polite thing to do when greeting someone, his father taught him.

"My name is Enoch. Enoch O' Connor." He told her with a smile.

"O' Connor?" The woman repeated, trying to remember where she had heard that name before. Her mouth twisted as her eyes flickered with realization, "Oh, the undertaker's son..."

"Yes!" Enoch nodded with pride. He didn't know that his family name was so recognizable around the village.

The woman looked at him warily, pushing her son towards the house, "Come inside now, Bentley. Let's go." She led him away from the the undertaker's son.

-

At breakfast the next morning, the peculiars took their usual seats, overlooking the breakfast spread on the table in front of them.

"Good morning, children," Miss Peregrine greeted them, taking her spot at the head of the table. She plunked a sugar cube into her tea, delicately stirring it with a little spoon. "After breakfast, we will all be going into town today."