The One Who Forgot His Keys

Wilbur ----

Hope stared at the doorway, behind Nancy.

He was somewhat nervous and at a loss.

But the dark-skinned, goat-like man did not appear there.

Only the faint sound of dogs barking could be heard.

He remembered that August had indeed mentioned that the library kept guard dogs, and this was the first time Hope had heard those dogs bark.

"Hmm, why doesn't he come in?" Professor Armitage asked.

Nancy shrugged. "Mr. John, Mr. John gatekeeper, won't let him in. His big white dog hates Wilbur and keeps barking at Wilbur."

Mr. John concluded that Wilbur must be carrying dangerous items, but Wilbur said he didn't, but refused to be searched by Mr. John —they started arguing, the librarians sided with Mr. John, and several security guards wanted to kick Mr. Wilbur out.

Professor Armitage put down his teacup and stood up. "I'll be right there."

Hope had to call out to Professor Armitage, "Please wait a moment, Professor."

Although Professor Armitage was puzzled, he waved his hand, telling Nancy to go to Mr. John first and ask them not to make things too difficult for Wilbur.

When Professor Armitage turned to look at Hope, Hope said, "Could you tell me about Mr. Wilbur? I'd like to know if he's very tall."

"Yes," Professor Armitage replied, "He is very tall and has dark skin."

"And it's ugly too."

"I don't want to talk about other people's appearances," Professor Armitage said with some surprise. "But it sounds like you know him. That's great, I was just about to introduce you to him—well, by the way, he's also from Dunwich."

Hope shook her head. "No, Professor, I think I must go."

"Go? You need to rest more. Don't worry about the long journey; Elizabeth has already said she'll drive you."

Hope thanked Elizabeth again and then recited the lie he had just devised, "You misunderstand, Professor. Wilbur and I are not friends. Our relationship is—somewhat complicated—but I don't want him to know I'm here. If he comes, I'll have to leave."

He didn't give a specific reason; he didn't make up any. If Professor Armitage insisted on asking, he wouldn't be able to answer anything.

But Hope guessed that, given Armitage's respect for others' privacy, the professor wouldn't ask too many questions.

Sure enough, Professor Armitage simply sighed, "Alright, I won't tell Wilbur you were here. But I can't guarantee he won't find out through other Pathway."

Hope looked at Professor Rice again, Professor Rice said he didn't intend to get to know Mr. Wilbur and would be leaving soon.

Hope smiled gratefully.

Besides, if Wilbur were to happen to learn of an albino patient named Love — Wilbur probably wouldn't care, Hope thought.

Elizabeth and Professor Rice helped Hope away. Hope soon realized that her muscle soreness had subsided, leaving only weakness.

It must really be due to a special physical condition----

Hope had no intention of exploring the secrets of her body; after all, this body, which was already five times over but almost entirely new, was related to the God.

Elizabeth and Professor Rice ushered Hope into a black van, which Hope soon learned belonged to Professor Armitage.

Elizabeth sat in the driver's seat, and Professor Rice waved goodbye to them.

Hope could have used the "Uncertainty" to quickly return, Elizabeth probably knew that too, but Elizabeth didn't mention it, and he sat quietly in the car, feeling the bumps.

He decided not to return early unless the Heart-shaped Padlock triggered an alarm.

This was the first time Hope had ridden in such an old-fashioned car. It had sharp lines, a low profile, and in addition to its black paint, it was decorated with gleaming metal strips that looked like gift wrapping ribbons, wrapping around the entire body.

The seat was probably some kind of leather, perhaps stuffed with something, so it was fairly soft. Hope couldn't distinguish between artificial leather and genuine leather, but he doubted whether artificial leather even existed in this era.

The windows were manually cranked, and the dashboard appeared to be a jumbled mess in front. There was no air conditioning. Hope had seen in the newspaper that radios were already used in cars, but this one didn't seem to have one.

Professor Armitage was clearly not the type to follow trends, Hope suspected that even by today's standards, it was an outdated model.

"Hope?" Elizabeth suddenly called out to him.

Hope looked over.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said.

Hope was confused.

"You saved my life," Elizabeth explained. "I haven't even had a chance to thank you yet."

"Oh," Hope realized what he meant, "You're welcome."

He was amazed by Elizabeth's skill; she may not have her own car, but she seemed to be a remarkably good driver, knowing everything about the vehicle and gracefully maintaining a safe distance from all other vehicles and pedestrians.

Hope asked Elizabeth when she got her Driver's License.

"Not long after I was admitted to Miskatonic University," Elizabeth replied.

"Did you take advantage of the holiday time?"

"Holiday? No, it wasn't a holiday yet."

"It seems your course load isn't too heavy," Hope said.

"Fine."

Is it difficult to get Driver's License?

Elizabeth paused for a moment, then said she didn't know where Hope had read the regulations, but in the Bay State, anyone who wanted Driver's License only needed to send an application to the police station with their name and thirty cents, and they would send a Driver's License within a month.

A Driver's License is only worth thirty cents.

Hope forced herself to accept this conversion.

He closed his eyes, exhaled, then opened them again to look out the window. After confirming that Elizabeth was indeed driving smoothly, he felt slightly relieved.

They chatted casually, mostly Hope asking questions and Elizabeth answering.

Hope didn't ask Elizabeth where she got the medium's candle; he was actually very curious, but Elizabeth was unwilling to talk about it.

Hope timed it; thirty minutes later, Professor Armitage's car left the city called Arkham.

Twenty minutes later, the road became increasingly difficult to navigate, and the car began to climb steep hills.

Elizabeth was introducing Nancy to Hope, saying that without her, Nancy would definitely sleep until noon every day.

Hope felt that Elizabeth had become much more talkative.

She deliberately avoided the topic while Hope spoke with the two professors. Hope guessed that she might be reluctant to discuss occult knowledge.

As the car drove into a forest, looking at the unusually tall Arbor, Hope felt as if she were recalling something.

"Squeak!"

Elizabeth suddenly slammed on the brakes.

Hope was half-reclined in the back seat.

Recalling those overlooked memories does evoke some feelings. It's not like a sudden epiphany, but rather like the surprise of remembering your keys after forgetting them when you're walking down the street.

Elizabeth turned to look at Hope, and Hope looked back at her.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said. "I hardly remembered anything after I went back to college."

Hope shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it. I can't remember anything either."