The Great Translator, Hope

The rain started suddenly.

Hope was pulled by the drunkard named August Derleth to take shelter under the library's eaves.

They leaned their backs against the wooden door. August raised his bottle again, took a swig himself, then extended it toward Hope:

"Rain's heavy. Warm yourself up!"

Hope looked at his bottle, suspecting rainwater had already gotten inside. He shook his head. "No thanks."

"Too bad. This is good stuff." August said, gulping down the rest of the liquor in big mouthfuls, then glanced around with the empty bottle in hand.

Hope guessed he was looking for a trash can, but it was raining outside, the library was closed, and they were trapped in the small space under the eaves with no bin in sight.

So August let out a burp. This college-educated drunk still had some wits left—he didn't just litter. He pulled open his coat, trying to stuff the bottle into an inner pocket.

But that pocket seemed to already hold something else. August fumbled, tried to pull the bottle out and reposition it, and when he yanked it free, the contents came tumbling out.

A stack of paper rolled into a tube scattered across the ground before it even landed.

August clutched his head in dismay. To keep the wind from sweeping the papers into the rain, Hope crouched down to help him gather them.

This doesn't look like New Federation script... Hope thought as he picked them up. He straightened one sheet. Compared to New Federation writing, these characters had many long wavy lines.

But Hope could still read them. Number One Hope was well-learned: "Sweetened foods are often associated with health effects; for example, excessive intake may increase the risk of dental caries..."

"You can read Hextic?" August suddenly asked, stopping what he was doing to stare at Hope.

So it's called Hextic...

Hope nodded. "Yes."

He handed the papers back to August, only to find August sizing him up.

This drunkard looked at him like he was appraising labor at a slave market—focusing on Hope's waist, chest, hands, arms.

Hope half-expected him to next pry open his mouth and check his teeth.

"You..." August hesitated. "You... are you a vagrant?"

Shouldn't you be the vagrant... Hope retorted inwardly, but he quickly understood why August asked.

Matted hair that hadn't been washed in who knows how long, worn-out clothes and trousers, a faint sour smell if you breathed in close, dull leather shoes with one heel missing, long uneven nails.

"Yes." Hope admitted. No point arguing with a drunk, especially one who didn't look much better off. "So what?"

"You want a... a job that pays?" August asked.

Hope had never seen money before... He felt this Mr. August was a good way to learn about Miskatonic University.

Their conversation woke the library's caretaker, but the caretaker recognized the drunken August. He lent them an umbrella so they wouldn't have to leave in the rain or spend the night there.

August's place turned out to be nearby... but it was empty inside, like nobody lived there. If August hadn't actually had a key, Hope would have thought he'd just picked an abandoned room.

"It's a dormitory... Even though I'm not a student anymore, I used to live here." August said. "The freshmen haven't started yet, so no one's moved in. Sometimes when I leave the library too late, I crash here for the night."

Hope thought about August's bottle... He had his doubts about the "leaving the library" story. But—freshmen haven't started yet? Miskatonic University's calendar must be different from North Oak's.

"How do you have a dorm key?" Hope asked. "Didn't they take it back when you graduated?"

"Of course they did. The dorm manager's strict about it." August replied. "But I had a copy made off-campus beforehand... Don't look at me like that. Everyone does it. It's a precaution."

So he sneaks in... Hope remembered how boldly he'd followed August inside, even saying how nice the place was, while August nervously told him to keep quiet—if they woke the manager, they'd be kicked out.

August laid the papers in front of Hope, casually struck a match, and lit the dorm's kerosene lamp.

He looked at Hope's albinism features. "Can you see alright?"

"Not a problem." Hope said, lowering his head close to the paper.

The letters didn't look handwritten—a few characters were identical, probably from a typewriter.

In his mind, he converted the Hextic script into New Federation language, then read aloud:

"Desserts can be broadly categorized as follows: candies and confections, cakes and tarts, fermented and fried pastries, custards and puddings, meringues and crepes..."

Hope had only translated less than half when August pressed down on the paper, signaling it was enough. He turned it toward himself, looked at it for a moment, then said:

"I've got a little partnership with a bookseller. He runs a small press that mainly publishes translations from other countries... This book is the Hextic Kingdom's Pastries, Candies, and Desserts... Interested? I've already translated half myself. About twenty pages left. I'll pay you ten cents a page. This is a trial—if your translation's good, there could be more."

Hope had no idea what ten cents was worth. It didn't sound like much. But he didn't really care about money right now. If he needed some, he could borrow from Paul.

He asked August: "Can you find me a place to stay?"

"A place?"

"Yeah. A single room. Close to the school. Somewhere quiet... Is that asking too much? I could chip in some money..."

August shook his head. He picked up the kerosene lamp and lit up the dorm around them. "What do you think of here?"

Hope froze.

August spoke in the tone of an old hand passing wisdom to a green recruit:

"It's only June. Miskatonic University's standard start date is August thirtieth. Freshmen might come a week early, but until then, this place is empty. I can give you the key. But watch out for the manager. Don't let him catch you."

Hope stood up, staring in amazement at the red brick fireplace. "It looks incredible."

"I think so too. This used to be a four-person room, but even so, you won't find a cheaper place like this anywhere in the world."