{ Edited - 26th April, 2024 }
It was as if the entire town had been reset. I couldn't help but notice familiar sights from the day before: the wagon speeding down the path, its back wheel skidding in the gravel; the women queuing up at the well; a man still working on the rowboat, making no progress from yesterday. I half-expected to witness my doppelgänger running through town with a crowd chasing after, but reality didn't unfold that way.
"You guys must know a lot about what goes on around here," Jake said. "Like yesterday, with the planes and that cart."
"It's Millard who knows everything," said Hugh.
"It's true," said Millard. "In fact, I am in the midst of compiling the world's first complete account of one day in the life of a town, as experienced by everyone in it. Every action, every conversation, every sound made by each of the one hundred fifty-nine human and three hundred thirty-two animal residents of Cairnholm, minute by minute, sunup to sundown."
"That's incredible," I said.
"I can't help but agree," he replied. "In just twenty-seven years I've already observed half the animals and nearly all the humans."
My mouth fell open. "Twenty-seven years?"
"He spent three years on pigs alone!" Hugh said. "That's all day every day for three years taking notes on pigs! Can you imagine? 'This one dropped a load of arse biscuits!' 'That one said oink-oink and then went to sleep in its own filth!' "
"Notes are absolutely essential to the process," Millard explained patiently. "But I can understand your jealousy, Hugh. It promises to be a work unprecedented in the history of academic scholarship."
"Oh, don't cock your nose," Emma said. "It'll also be unprecedented in the history of dull things. It'll be the dullest thing ever written!"
Rather than responding, Millard began pointing things out just before they happened. "Mrs Higgins is about to have a coughing fit," he'd say, and then a woman in the street would cough and hack until she was red in the face, or "Presently, a fisherman will lament the difficulty of plying his trade during wartime," and then a man leaning on a cart filled with nets would turn to another man and say, "There's so many damned U-boats in the water now it ain't even safe for a bloke to go tickle his own lines!"
I was duly impressed and told him so. "I'm glad someone appreciates my work," he replied.
We strolled by the lively harbour until we reached the end of the docks, then made our way along the rocky shore towards the headlands where we found a sandy cove. The boys decided to strip down to their underwear (except for Horace, who opted to only remove his shoes and tie), while the girls went off to change into classic, modest bathing suits.
While I watched from the shore, Bronwyn and Emma raced in the water as the other children paddled around. After tiring themselves out, they rested on the sand for a nap. When the sun became too intense, they jumped back into the water. And when the sea breeze chilled them, they returned to the shore. This cycle continued until our shadows stretched across the cove.
We started chatting. They bombarded Jake and me with countless questions, and because we were away from Miss Peregrine, Jake could answer them honestly. However, I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to do the same. The children wanted to know about our world. They asked about the food, drinks, and clothing people had. They also wondered when science would conquer sickness and death.
They resided in luxury, yet yearned for fresh faces and tales. Jake shared all he knew. What truly astonished them was our era's technology and quality of life. Our homes were equipped with air conditioning. While they had heard of televisions, they had never laid eyes on one before and were astounded to discover that Jake's family owned a television set in nearly every room.
Air travel was just as frequent and economical for us as train travel was for them. Our military engaged in battles using remote-controlled drones. We carried pocket-sized telephone-computers, and even though Jake's device didn't function in this place (it seemed like nothing electronic did), Jake proudly displayed its sleek, mirrored casing to impress them.
As the sun began to set, we made our way back. Emma accompanied Jake to the cave, while the rest of us headed back to the house. Upon our arrival, Miss Peregrine has me reluctantly agreed to the suggestion of taking an early mark before dinner and the changeover. We both wanted to avoid a repeat of yesterday's incident.
As I trailed behind Miss Peregrine, we ascended the stairs until we reached her room. Standing before it, she tugged on a loose string dangling from above, causing a ladder to descend gradually. "The attic is where your room is located. I apologize if it is not very spacious, as it used to be the living quarters of Mr Portman's grandfather, Abe."
"I'm sure it's gonna be fine, you have done so much for me already, and I never really got to say thank you until now," I smiled.
Miss Peregrine smiled back in return, "After the changeover, I will come up here to inspect the wound before you retire to bed."
"Alright then," I said as I made my way up the ladder and just as I reached the top, it shut behind me. I suppose I could get used to this, it's quite cozy. Although, I doubt Miss Peregrine would come up here anytime soon. Is there any harm in taking a nap now?
I approached the bed and eased myself down onto my stomach, closing my eyes as I drifted off to sleep, feeling the pain in my wound. But you know what they say. . . . Pain is always at it's worst on the third or fourth day.
* * *
When I woke up again, it was due to a sharp pain in my shoulder. Letting out a sigh of frustration, I got out of bed and started pacing around the room. As I glanced out the window, I was surprised to see Jake and Emma running off into the distance. Where are they off to at this time of night?
I cautiously approached the exit, carefully descending the ladder, then swiftly pushed it back up. With a quick tiptoe down the stairs, I made my way out of the house, sprinting madly to keep up with Jake and Emma, while maintaining a safe distance from them.
I observed as Emma guided Jake through the bog, carefully tracing her steps. Initially, they were headed towards the town, but then they changed direction and made their way towards the rugged beach, which offered a stunning view of the lighthouse. Navigating down a steep path, they finally reached the sandy shore. Emma instructed Jake to wait there while she hurried off to fetch something.
From my hiding spot behind a bush, I observed the mesmerizing sight of the lighthouse beam sweeping across the surroundings. It illuminated the peaceful scene of countless seabirds nestled in the rugged cliffs, massive rocks revealed by the receding tide, and a decaying skiff slowly sinking into the sandy shore.
Emma came back to Jake, but I couldn't quite make out what she was holding from where I stood. They chatted for a little while before Emma playfully kicked some sand at Jake and began to walk off. However, she had a change of heart and turned around to return to him.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Emma overpowering Jake and wrestling him down into the sand. It was quite amusing to witness Jake, a guy, being taken down by a girl. Not only was she wrestling him to the ground, but she was also skillfully trying to remove his belt with one hand while playfully rubbing sand in his face with the other.
What the heck is happening here??
Jake quickly retaliated with a handful of sand, leading to an all-out sand fight. By the end, they were both laughing and struggling to get the sand out of their hair. After they both got their crap together, Emma and Jake ventured beyond the rocks until they reached a depth marker, where a canoe was securely tied. They hopped inside and Emma passed an oar to Jake. Together, they began paddling towards the lighthouse.
About a hundred yards away from the lighthouse, Emma suddenly stopped paddling and got out of the boat. I was so surprised to see her standing in the water, only up to her knees. It looks like there might be a sandbar out there. Weird.
After spending some time in my hiding spot, I found myself unsure about the next course of action. Should I return to the house or break free from this loop and return to the real world? With a sigh, I finally stood up and began making my way back to the house. The two are probably just doing some dumb teenage stuff.
As I continued walking, I suddenly heard a noise in the distance that made me feel uneasy. The world around me began to fog and blur, and memories flooded back to the place where it all started - the woods behind Jake's grandfather's house. The broken fence, the bloody flashlight, and the dying man. My heart raced with anxiety.
I paused my walk and attempted to pinpoint the origin of the running sound, gauging its distance and speed. I got scared when I heard it was getting closer to me. As the sound drew nearer, I swiftly sprinted towards the beach.