Arcane | Enoch O'Connor

Three - "Welcome to 1940!"

As I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a soft light gleaming through the streaky windowpanes. It must have been about eight o'clock as the grandfather clock in the pub chimed, repeating the fact that I had to get up and get ready for the day. Slipping myself out of bed from under the lush, silk duvet, I made my way over to the dresser. My hair looked as if a hollow had tried to braid it. The moment I had finished doing my hair, Dad walked in, two coffees in his hand and a folded paper underneath his right arm.

"Good morning!" I jumped back as I felt something invisible squeezing me. Horace nodded at me and proceeded to root through my clothes until something took to his fancy. With the clothes Horace had picked out for me, I scurried into the bathroom to shower and change. I couldn't push last night out of my brain, the alluring skies and the feeling of the warm blanket that was draped over us. And Enoch. His eyes were the color of deep sienna, with a mischievous glint that seemed to reflect the corners of his mouth. They were every shade of brown you could imagine, a raw umber and caramel mix, dotted with bits of dark chocolate. They glowed with mystery and darkness, a beautiful combination of both.

"Stop taking your time in there!" Millard repetitively tapped on the door, his voice making me lose my train of thought. I walked out, chasing the only garment of clothing and accessory visible down the stairs to get breakfast. On the familiar table sat a feast for the eyes; two sausages, two scrambled eggs, crispy slices of bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and beans. My nose had a whiff and the breakfast had a confounding scent.

It didn't take very long for Dad, Horace and me to finish our food. Millard claimed he had breakfast before coming to the Priest Hole so that normal people, like Kev, didn't have to witness peculiar sights. He would complain a lot though, about how we needed to get back to the loop for a certain time and about how we couldn't share food with him. In the end, I began to ignore him.

Millard and Horace pulled us from the Priest Hole and we began walking towards the loop entrance. Cairnholm's population of ninety two really cared about nature and greenery. The winding road was bordered by large oaks and blooming flowers. A small cobble wall wound with the road and stopped when we reached the ruins of the house. We had been so caught up in talking that we had came to far. We turned around to be faced with Bronwyn, Enoch and Emma, the oldest children of the house. Bronwyn stood in the middle, arms crossed with a solemn look plastered onto her face. Enoch wore a lopsided grin as we made eye contact and I smiled back.

"Miss Peregrine isn't going to be happy, Mr Nullings, Mr Somnusson." The Miss Peregrine wannabe snarled. I wondered if she was always like this, or if this was an act. She was a strong girl, maybe that was just her mask. She stood there, waiting for Millard and Horace to acknowledge her.

"Bronwyn, standing here is going to waste time therefore making Miss Peregrine less happy." Horace pointed out, proceeding to walk down the path towards the house. The cavern where the loop was released a high pitched shrill and the pressure in my ears began to rise. I winced, it reminded me of taking off in a plane; an experience I hope I'll never come across again.

I felt a hand on my back and Enoch whispered, "You'll get used to it after a while."

"Welcome to 1940! We hope you enjoy your visit!" The boys announced, the echoes bouncing off the cave walls. Dad flashed a grin - it must have felt like a whirlwind of emotions for him. I couldn't begin to image how he felt when he first met the children, or when Abe died and he suffered for months. I didn't want either. I was happy in the moment and so was he.

The other side of the loop seemed pretty much the same, nature guiding the way towards the children's home. It was only when I saw the house that I knew how different the two worlds were. This was my Before and After.