LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 67: CHAPTER 67 – WIGHTS AND HOLLOWS
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I followed Miss Peregrine into her office while I was deep in thought about all that had happened yesterday. What did I do wrong? Why did fate want me not to be able to say goodbye to my father properly? Should I have made up a better excuse? How will my father be right now? Has he already called my mother? A multitude of questions assailed my mind continuously; struggling to make me sad.
"Sit down, Mr. Portman" - said Miss Peregrine suddenly.
When Miss Peregrine took me out of my thoughts, I realized that we were already in her office, Miss Peregrine was sitting at her desk and kindly asked me to sit down too.
"Yes" – I nodded.
And I sat down.
"First of all, tell me, Mr. Portman: Why have you never asked me about what killed your grandfather?" - asked Miss Peregrine.
She sincerely believed that Jacob would ask her about that horrible creature that murdered his grandfather, but to her surprise, he didn't ask anything about that.
"Would you have told me if I had asked you?" – I said.
"No, you were not prepared to know the truth of the incident" – Miss Peregrine denied.
"And now I am prepared?" – I asked.
"No, but I have reflected on it and I think it is unfair that you don't know what kind of creature killed your grandfather, that's why I have brought you here today, to tell you everything" – said Miss Peregrine.
If I wasn't ready. What did I have to do to be prepared? Anyway, whether I'm prepared or not, it doesn't matter because I already know everything she's going to tell me, even so, I have to pretend to be ignorant and listen to everything I say carefully.
"I hear you" – I said.
"That creature you saw that night... we know it as "Hollow". Hollows are monstrous creatures, born from a failed experiment in unbridled ambition, before, they were peculiar who tried to transcend their natural limits, defying the laws of our world, however, in their quest for power, they became something more: grotesque beasts, driven by an insatiable hunger, hunger... for us, Jacob, hungers of peculiar children, they eat us in order to survive" – explained Miss Peregrine.
"I don't fully understand it. What do you mean by 'transcending their natural limits'?" – I asked.
Although I know everything, I can't help but ask, it would be suspicious.
"To be immortal" – said Miss Peregrine.
"Do they want to be immortal? For what? I mean, in the loops they're immortal, why they will try to be immortal?" – I asked.
"We are not immortal, Jacob, we are simply people who repeat the same day over and over again, thus paralyzing our aging and yes, living eternally, but, in return, we are tied to the loops, unable to get out of them, we are restricted to being inside the loops without being able to see the outside world or else we would age and die" – said Miss Peregrine.
We all know that they, despite their current appearance and age, are not immortal, simply their bodies are paralyzed in time.
"Then, I suppose the 'Hollows' seek immortality" – I said.
"Hollows are just unreasoned creatures that are guided by instinct, those who seek immortality are the wights" – said Miss Peregrine.
"What exactly is a wight?" – I said.
"Wights are the result of a hollow that has consumed enough peculiars. By consuming them, they have been able to obtain a more human form. At first glance, they might seem ordinary humans, but there is a detail that gives them away: they have no iris, only completely white eyes" - explained Miss Peregrine.
"And once they evolve into those so-called 'Wights', they help their fellow 'Hollows' consume more peculiars and help them evolve again: Am I wrong?" – I said.
"No, in fact, the Wights are not only looking for power, but a way to destroy our way of life, they infiltrate the circles of the commons, manipulating and exploiting them to capture us" – said Miss Peregrine.
"And we can't do anything to protect ourselves? I mean, we have our peculiarities, we can use them to eliminate those monsters" - I said.
"Unfortunately it is impossible" – said Miss Peregrine.
"Why?" – I asked again.
I know, but I'd like to hear it from her.
"Because the Hollows are invisible to us, we cannot see them and, therefore, we cannot kill them because thanks to their abilities, they would kill us before we realized that there is one near us. That's why loops are essential, they are essential to protect us, here, we are safe and as long as we stay together, as long as we are cautious, we can resist, but we must always be on the alert because our enemies never rest" - replied Miss Peregrine.
"But there is something that does not add up for me, I can see them, I am able to see the hollows" – I said.
"That's right, and that's one of the things that struck me most about you, your peculiarity to see the Hollows, a peculiarity that, until now, only Abe had possessed, a peculiarity that you have inherited from him, that peculiarity is, right now, one of the rarest and most valuable of all those that exist, no one but you can see those horrible creatures" - said Miss Peregrine.
"I see..." – I nodded.
"But even though you've inherited your grandfather's peculiarity, that doesn't mean you can only do that. I know you threw a ball of water at Miss Bloom in your first encounter, which means you can control the water too: Do you have any other peculiarities that you have not shown me?" - asked Miss Peregrine.
Ehem, I can't tell them that I have several, mainly I can't say anything about most of them, but to disguise it, I can say that I have a specific one.
"Well... I don't know if it's a peculiarity or not, but the other day I cut myself with a wood chip and the wound closed quickly" – I said.
"Regeneration... Actually, you have 3 peculiarities. Two support and one attack to be able to defend yourself; Amazing" – said Miss Peregrine.
"Is it rare for a peculiar to have several peculiarities?" – I asked curiously.
I would like to know that because the book does not talk about this subject, they don't even mention that a peculiar can only have one peculiarity.
"It's very strange. In 99% of cases, peculiar are only born with one peculiarity, but there are rare cases like you that have several peculiarities, the reason why is not known, but what I do know is that those peculiar are the ones that wights and hollows desire the most" – said Miss Peregrine.
I see, maybe that's why the book doesn't mention anything about it, because surely having several peculiarities is so rare, that the author did not even want to explain it or mention the subject. Although the author had several mistakes when writing the books... Is it possible that he planned to mention it, but he forgot? It's possible.
"Back to the subject. Is the Wight's goal just to catch peculiars so that the hollow evolve and have more friends?" – I asked again.
"It's a good question, until now that had been their goal, but then, all the ymbrynes began to ask ourselves: Is that really their only goal? To make it easy to understand, in exchange for their immortality, the Wights have lost the ability to use their peculiarities and their memories when they peculiar, so let's just say that, when they transform, they become a whole new person" - explained Miss Peregrine.
"I see, they gained the immortality they desired, but in return they lost the peculiarities that made them special" – I nodded.
"That's right, that's why we thought: Were they really going to let that go unnoticed? We are sure that, the Wights are trying to regain their peculiarities, to regain the power they once had" - Miss Peregrine agreed.
"How?" – I asked curiously.
Despite having read the books, my memories are sealed and prevent me from knowing what the Wight's real purpose is and what they are doing, It's a pity that I can't remember everything properly.
"We don't know, the only thing we know is that only wights can pass through loops, while hollows do not have that ability" – said Miss Peregrine.
"That's why the loops are so hidden" – I nodded.
"Among other things" - Miss Peregrine nodded.
For a moment there was silence between the two; as if neither knew what to say.
"Listen, Jacob, now that you know everything we know about wights and hollows, I don't want you to do something reckless like going out and looking for them, many peculiars have lost their family because of them, but none would commit the recklessness to go after them, they wouldn't even do it even if they could see them like you" – said Miss Peregrine.
"Don't worry, Miss Peregrine, I will not do such imprudence. The angry emotions I'm feeling right now won't make me make a mistake like that" - I said.
I don't know if it's because of Jacob's soul, but when I heard the whole story, I began to feel an irrepressible hatred against wights and hollows, something I don't understand. Why didn't I feel that fury before and now I do? I mean, I already knew what she told me.
[You may not have thought about it in depth until now and that's why you didn't care too much, but when you've thought more deeply about it, you've realized that your grandfather died at the hands of those horrifying creatures]
It's possible...
"I'm glad, because I don't want anything to happen to you. You are now part of our family and I will not allow anyone to harm you or any of the children who inhabit this house" – said Miss Peregrine decisively.
This woman... She appreciates her family as much or even more than I do.
"Thank you" – I nodded.
"And having said that and before ending our productive talk, I would like to tell you one last thing" – said Miss Peregrine.
"Of course" – I nodded.
What does she want to tell me?
"Take care of the girls, please and if the day comes when something bad happens, promise me that you will protect them" – said Miss Peregrine.
This woman is extremely intelligent, amazing...
"I will protect them with my life if necessary" – I nodded.
"Fine, but please don't take your life so lightly, if there is a solution that does not require your sacrifice, do so. I don't want to lose you or anyone else" – said Miss Peregrine.