Transparent Snail

Hope wasn't sure how long he'd slept, but when he woke up, the sunlight streaming through the small window was still blazing—still midday.

He found himself trapped in an awkward state of having nothing to do. No phone, no computer, no books, no one to talk to, not even any homework.

He had no idea how long it would take for that great Professor Armitage to descend like a divine soldier, punch Wilbur and stomp Old Whateley, saving the residents of Dunwich and himself from this misery.

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

Hope put back the things Robert had knocked out of place.

There wasn't much. The only things worth noting were a pencil stub and a book.

The pencil was only half left, the cut end still showing fresh wood color, untouched by dust. Number Four Hope must have used it to write on the newspaper.

Hope opened the only drawer in the nightstand and, sure enough, found a pencil sharpener inside.

The book was more like a notebook. Very thick, about two fingers' width or a bit more, with a kraft paper cover that was already somewhat tattered. The title seemed to be handwritten in pencil, called Common Herb Collection.

Hope flipped to a random page. Inside was handwritten content matching the title. He had to press his eyes close to the page to make it out:

Henbane, belonging to the Solanaceae family, contains hyoscyamine, atropine, scopolamine, and other alkaloids, which act on the parasympathetic and central nervous systems...

Hope closed the book and tossed it aside, feeling a splitting headache.

His fantasy of killing time with this book was shattered. He thought he'd never have to touch biology or chemistry again.

Too bad he hadn't found that newspaper—it would've been some entertainment... Lavinia said she'd given it to Number Four Hope. He could try asking her for a few sheets when she brought his meal.

Mm, no need to get Wilbur's approval for that. If Wilbur brought the meal, he wouldn't bring up the newspaper, because if Wilbur refused, he might also forbid Lavinia from getting any.

A strange noise suddenly came from outside the room.

"Get back!"

Hope heard Wilbur shout.

Who was he telling to go back?

It probably wasn't Lavinia. If Wilbur yelled at her like that, her retort would be even louder than his.

Hope had a guess.

He dragged his iron chain carefully toward the door. The chain was just long enough to let him reach it.

He opened the door a tiny crack.

The hallway outside was filled with a transparent, slime-like substance.

That thing had come out again?

The transparent monster, motionless in the corridor, suddenly moved the moment Hope opened the door. The light refracting inside its body began to shift, flowing toward Hope like the segments of a worm.

It wanted to come in!

Hope quickly shut the door. His hasty defensive move did nothing—the transparent monster squeezed through the crack again.

No good deed goes unpunished. Hope thought regretfully, hobbling backward toward the bed.

It's clearly coming for me. The moment it spotted me... wait, can't it see me through walls? Why does it act like it only found me when I opened the door?

Huh. It's been next door the whole time, but my "Uncertainty" hasn't failed because of it yet...

Maybe, when faced with a barrier that has no gaps or extremely tiny ones, its vision can't get through...

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

That explains why, when I was talking to Elizabeth, it opened the door—because when the door was closed, it couldn't actually see what was happening inside.

Only a small part of the transparent monster had squeezed in. That part turned into a tentacle-like shape, stretching longer as Hope retreated, always staying about an arm's length away from him.

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

Hope thought.

Otherwise, with the pressure it showed when dealing with Robert, I wouldn't have had a chance to resist, let alone play this childish game of you advance, I retreat.

But if that's the case, what's the real purpose of it coming into my room?

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

The transparent monster seemed affected by Wilbur. The tentacle reaching toward Hope paused slightly.

It seems a bit afraid of Wilbur... Wilbur might have some way to control it.

Hope suddenly felt his shin hit something.

"Ah!"

Damn it!

Lost in his thoughts and backing up, he hadn't watched where he was going. Before he knew it, he'd reached the bed. His leg bumped into it, and the inertia from his backward movement didn't stop, making him lose balance and fall.

That wasn't the worst part.

The previously sluggish transparent tentacle suddenly "grew" at lightning speed. Before Hope could react, it had already looped loosely around him several times.

"Wil—"

In his panic, Hope wanted to call out to Wilbur for help, but the moment he spat out the first syllable, that tentacle began to tighten...

...Hope felt no discomfort at all. The tentacle gently pulled on him, keeping him from falling, helping him maintain his balance and steady himself again.

This... could it be that it entered this room just to say hello?

Just as Hope was thinking this, the transparent tentacle released him, but it didn't leave. Instead, it reached toward Hope's injured calf.

Hope hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose not to resist, letting the transparent tentacle do as it pleased.

Its earlier actions had put Hope at ease, and he began to grow curious about its true purpose.

As if afraid of startling Hope, the transparent tentacle moved slowly—unlike before—wrapping around Hope's calf several times.

The transparent body touching Hope was cool and smooth, like a snail, giving Hope the illusion that it was covered in slime.

This slime coated Hope's wound, the cold numbing the pain, a cool, refreshing sensation that felt pleasant. The slime seeped through his skin, penetrating deeper inside.

Hope felt as though he could hear the sound of cells splitting within his body, creating new cells, expelling the dead ones, and reconnecting the wound.

"Get back!" Wilbur's voice rang out for the third time.

This time, the transparent tentacle obeyed Wilbur's command, leaving Hope's room. From outside the door came the sound of Wilbur climbing the stairs, and the transparent monster returned to its own room.

Hope touched his calf. The skin there was smooth and flawless, with no trace of injury.

He stood up, took two steps, jumped once, stomped his foot—no pain at all.

The transparent monster had healed Hope's injury at an unbelievable speed.

Hope rubbed his chin: Could it be that this was why it wanted to get close to me? I never thought I'd misjudged it...

No, that's not right. When it dealt with Paul, it absolutely wanted to kill him. Back then, it wasn't gentle like this—it was a monster that could stop a child's crying at night...

It must be special treatment for members of the Whateley family. That's probably also why it follows Wilbur's orders... So could I give it orders too? If I get the chance, I'll try it.