A Peculiar Time in 1944 - A Millard Fanfic (Miss Peregrine's Home) #wattys2020

Chapter 50

"Capital idea, coming into this loop." {Enoch O'Connor, pg 79 book 2}

The path that had ended at the wall picked up again at the top. It still hugged the cliff side and Millard worried about how they'd get Aurora across safely.

"The sign on the rope said Access to Menagerie. Do you suppose that's what's ahead?" Horace asked.

"You're the one who dreams of the future. You tell us." Enoch replied.

"What's a menagerie?" Hugh asked.

"It's a collection of animals." Emma explained.

"It's Cuthbert's friends!" Claire said excitedly before starting a coughing fit from both her mouths. "Do you think that's where the ymbryne is?" she asked when the coughing had subsided.

"At this juncture, it's best not to suppose anything." Millard said as he did his best to life Aurora by himself, to no avail. Enoch offered to carry her on his back and Millard could follow behind to make sure she didn't slide off.

"How is she?" Jake asked as he helped Millard lift Aurora onto Enoch's back.

"She needs rest and a good meal."

"Don't we all?" Enoch asked sarcastically as he took on Aurora's dead weight.

They started walking, all of their hope resting on the small chance that their was an ymbryne is this menagerie, that she could help heal Miss Peregrine and then they could all find a new safer home. The odds were weighing heavily on Millard's shoulders as was Aurora's health. He knew he should have made her eat something earlier but she'd adamantly refused. Now she'd gone and healed too much and passed out. He hoped she'd wake up soon, without her he was starting to lose faith, their whole situation seemed darker, the sun didn't seem to be shining as bright, and he desperately needed her endlessly positive attitude.

"Look! A house in the clouds!" Bronwyn cried as she stopped in the middle of the path and pointed ahead. Sure enough, there was a small house that seemed to be sitting on clouds. However, as they got closer they saw a tall thin tower made of stacked railroad pieces. As they reached the top of the hill they saw that the tower sat in the middle of a small field, there were other shacks around the edge of the small valley and further out a small forest. The quaint little oasis all sat nestled at the top of Cuthbert's mountain and Millard found himself itching to read Bronwyn's Tales. How ironic, he thought, having decades to read and re-read and annotate them all wasted because he believed them to be nothing but mere fairytales. He couldn't wait to find out what other peculiar secrets were hidden in their pages.

"Do you think it's the ymbryne's house?" Olive asked with Miss Peregrine hidden beneath her overcoat.

"Most likely." Hugh said, "Nothing to be afraid of."

Almost like fate heard him there was an instant growl that seemed to come from under the tower. A furry face appeared and snarled at them like a rabid dog.

"What in the name of Elderfolk is that?" Emma asked.

Whatever it was crawled out from the tower and leered at them. It looked like a man but it sat on its haunches and moved like an ape. It was dressed in rags and had dull yellow eyes and teeth, its hair a matted mess. It began to charge them when a new voice called, "Sit down and behave!"

The whatever it was obeyed and they all turned to see a dog with a pipe in his mouth and a pair of round green tinted glasses on his face. He trotted calmly in their direction.

"Don't mind Grunt, he's got no manners at all! That's just his way of saying thank you. That hollowgast was most bothersome. I hope you're not too offended. Grunt means well, but you'll have to excuse him. He was, quite literally, raised in a barn. I, on the other hand, was educated on a grand estate, the seventh pup of the seventh pup in an illustrious line of hunting dogs. Addison MacHenry, at your humble service." He introduced himself and gave a bow, as best as a dog could without losing his glasses.