Transparent Snail

Hope wasn't sure how long he had slept, but when he woke up, he could see through the small window that the sun was high outside. It was still noon.

He found himself in the awkward predicament of having nothing to do—no phone, no computer, no books, no one to talk to, not even homework.

He had no idea how long the great Professor Armitage would take to descend like a divine soldier, beat Wilbur senseless, stomp Old Whateley into the ground, and save both the residents of Dunwich and him from disaster.

Hopefully tonight... If time was too tight, before noon tomorrow would also do.

Hope put the things Robert had disturbed back where they belonged.

There was not much: a pencil and a book worth noting.

Only half the pencil remained. The sharpened end still showed fresh wood and had not gathered any dust. Number Four Hope must have used it to write on the newspaper.

Hope opened the bedside table's only drawer and, sure enough, found a pencil sharpener inside.

The book was more like a notebook, really. It was thick, a little over two fingers wide, with a battered kraft-paper cover. The title appeared to have been handwritten in pencil: Common Herb Collection.

Hope casually opened to a page. Its handwritten contents matched the title, and he had to press his eyes close to it to make out the words:

Henbane, a member of the nightshade family, contains alkaloids such as hyoscyamine, Atropine, and scopolamine, which affect the parasympathetic and central nervous systems...

Hope shut the book and tossed it aside, feeling as though his head were splitting.

His hope of passing the time with that book had been shattered. He had thought he would never have to deal with biology or chemistry again in this life.

It was a pity he had not found that newspaper. Otherwise, it could have helped relieve the boredom... Lavinia had said she had brought it to Number Four Hope. When she came to deliver food, he could try asking her for a few copies.

Right, there was no need to get Wilbur's permission for this. If Wilbur came to deliver the food, then Hope would not mention the newspaper. If Wilbur refused, he might even forbid Lavinia from getting newspapers.

A strange sound suddenly came from outside the room.

"Go back!"

Hope heard Wilbur shout.

Who was he telling to go back?

It probably was not Lavinia. If Wilbur scolded her like that, her retort would surely be louder than his.

Hope formed a guess.

Dragging the Iron Chain behind him, he cautiously walked toward the door. The chain was just long enough to let him reach it.

He opened the door a tiny crack.

The corridor outside had already been filled with a transparent, mucus-like substance.

That thing had gotten out again?

The Transparent Monster, which had been motionless in the corridor, suddenly moved after Hope opened the door. The refracted light within its body began to shift, flowing toward Hope in segments like a worm.

It wanted to come in!

Hope hurriedly shut the door, but his panicked defensive move did nothing. The Transparent Monster squeezed through the crack again.

Serves me right for asking for trouble. Hope regretted it as he limped backward toward the bed.

It's clearly coming for me. After noticing me, it... Wait, can't it see me through walls? Why does it seem as though it only noticed me after I opened the door?

Hah, it has been staying next door all along, but my Uncertainty has never failed because of that...

Maybe when faced with a completely sealed barrier, or one with only a tiny gap, its vision can't pass through...

It feels like it has an invisible periscope. With that periscope, it can see things in all sorts of blind spots. But if the gap is too small for the periscope to extend through, it can't see anything.

That would explain why it opened the door when Elizabeth and I were talking. When the door was closed, it actually couldn't see what was happening inside.

Only a small part of the Transparent Monster had flowed in. That portion took the shape of a tentacle and continued lengthening as Hope backed away, always keeping the distance of a forearm between them.

...It seems that, just as Wilbur said, it doesn't intend to hurt me.

Hope thought.

Otherwise, with the oppressive presence it displayed when dealing with Robert, I wouldn't have had any chance to resist, much less this childish game of me retreating while it advances.

But if that's the case, what exactly is its purpose in entering my room?

"Go back!" Wilbur's voice rang out again.

The Transparent Monster seemed to be affected by Wilbur's words. The tentacle reaching toward Hope paused slightly.

It seems somewhat afraid of Wilbur... Wilbur may have some way to control it.

Hope suddenly felt something block his calf.

"Ah!"

This is bad!

He had been so absorbed in his wild thoughts, and he had been backing up without watching where he was going. Before he realized it, he had reached the bed. His feet did not stop, and his calf struck the bed. The momentum of his backward movement remained, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward.

That was not the worst part.

The transparent tentacle, which had just been standing there blankly, suddenly "grew" at high speed. Before Hope could react, it had already loosely wound itself around him several times.

"Wil—"

In his panic, Hope tried to call Wilbur for help, but the moment he uttered the first syllable, the tentacle began to tighten...

...Hope did not feel any discomfort. The tentacle gently held him, keeping him from falling, helping him regain his balance and stand steady again.

This... Could it have entered this room just to say hello?

Just as Hope thought that, the transparent tentacle released him. But it did not leave. Instead, it reached toward Hope's injured calf.

Hope hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose not to resist and let the transparent tentacle move as it wished.

What it had done just now made Hope lower his guard, and he began to wonder about its true purpose.

As if afraid of startling Hope, the transparent tentacle did not move quickly as it had before. Instead, it slowly wrapped several loops around Hope's calf.

The transparent body touching Hope was cold and slick, like a snail, giving Hope the illusion that it was covered in mucus.

The mucus coated Hope's wound. Its chill numbed the pain, cool and comfortable, while the mucus seeped through his skin and penetrated deeper inside.

Hope felt as though he could hear the cells in his body constantly dividing. They created new cells, expelled the dead ones, and reconnected the wound.

"Go back!" Wilbur's voice sounded for the third time.

This time, the transparent tentacle obeyed Wilbur's command and left Hope's room. The sound of Wilbur going upstairs came from outside, and the Transparent Monster returned to its own room.

Hope touched his calf. The skin there was smooth and flawless, without the slightest trace of injury.

He stood up, took two steps, jumped once, and stomped his feet. He felt no pain at all.

The Transparent Monster had healed Hope's injury at an unbelievable speed.

Hope stroked his chin. Was that why it had wanted to approach me? I didn't expect that I had wrongly blamed it...

No, that was not right. When it dealt with Paul, it had absolutely wanted to kill him. Back then, it had been nothing like this—its image had been that of a monster terrifying enough to make children cry at night...

It must have been special treatment for members of the Whateley family. That was probably why it obeyed Wilbur's commands as well... Did that mean Hope could give it orders too...? If he got the chance, he could try it.