Yearning//Enoch O'Connor

The Bird

I had dozed off shortly after I ate the night before. I awakened slowly to view an older woman standing at the foot of my bed. I gasped, not expecting to be watched at such an hour. 

"You are 3 minutes late, you slept in." The woman stated curtly. She crossed her arms over a sleek black dress that reached the floor. 

"Wha- are you the bird?" I rubbed my eyes and yawned. 

"Yes, some may call me that, but I would prefer that you call me Miss Peregrine." She extended a hand for me to shake.  

"Hi, I'm.. Dorian." I reluctantly took her hand.

She clicked her tongue when I stated my name. 

"That is a very nice name, Dorian." 

"So, why am I here? Who am I, and... why are all of my memories gone?" 

"Straight and to the point, I see." Miss Peregrine sat down on the bed and folded her hands. 

"Well, this may all come as a shock to you, but all will be explained in due time." She began. "This whole... situation started exactly four days ago. You met one of my wards while they were having their normalling lessons at the mall. The two of you got along well, however I was weary that you would find out about their... peculiarities. You soon met the other children in my care, and they all adored you, so I allowed you to stay. They all agreed not to use their powers, however Emma, you might have met her, got mad and accidentally started a raging fire... with her hands. I knew you must never remember this incident, and thought it best to rid your brain of these scenarios, so I took you out to the yard and wiped your memories. After I did so, you sort of stumbled backwards, into the shed, which also serves as a loop to a place called Devil's Acre. You, a fresh and malleable mind whom I thought was normal, found themselves floundering into a loop. What happened to you in Devil's Acre, I cannot say in good conscience, however, my peculiars recused you from an almost inevitable doom. I know this is all a lot to process at the moment, but I will explain everything." 

I had no clue where to begin with this story. I shouldn't have believed it. I should've brushed it off as the ramblings of an old woman, but something about it seemed so real.

"What's a loop? What's a peculiar? Am I one of those?" I couldn't figure out where to begin with my questions, so I started with the obvious. 

The bird explained to me what these obscurities were, ending with a searing sentence, "a peculiar can be many things; elusive, powerful, knowledgeable, among many more. And one thing is for certain: that you are a peculiar." 

Those words hit me like a gust of cool wind.

"But what can I do? What's my peculiarity? 

"I do not know, dear. That is for you to figure out. But for now, I have more explaining to do."

Miss Peregrine educated me on hollowgasts to the panloopticon, and from Perplexus Anomalus to wights. She explained the deep and complex history of peculiardom, and the recent battle at Devils Acre. She left me when the sun dipped under the clouds at precisely 4:00, with a pearly salmon creeping into the sapphire sky. 

"Dorian, will you be joining us for supper? I would very much like you to meet all of my wards." The Bird suggested, motioning to the door.

"Yes, I would very much like to meet them." I said as I got out of bed. 

I stepped onto the cushiony brown carpet and reached for my shirt which had been cleaned and laid on my bed. I pulled on my clothing and sighed, ready to stride downstairs and meet the people that I had once known, but earlier forgotten. But I had a feeling that I wouldn't forget them anytime soon.