Saw a Ghost on a Chair
When I watched the movie, I wondered why birds? Why do the monsters specifically look like that? Exactly how those scientists gain "power" by eyes? Do they experiment by eating peculiar children's organs to figure out that 'oh, we'll be more powerful if we eat the eyes instead of the heart or kidneys or brain'? Wait, it's eating that mad scientist's eyes? So that man was a peculiar who grew up? Wait, I thought the scientists were in cahoots with the monsters! I don't understand.
So, I wrote this to try to answer those questions. I have not read the book, so forgive me if I offend any canon facts sensibilities you may have.
*singing video killed the radio star~*
Disclaimer: This dark fantasy film is directed by Tim Burton and written by Jane Goldman.
Summary: Peculiar abilities are passed down in a recessive geen, so it passes many generations in family trees. Jake was one of a kind to inherit the same ability as his peculiar ancestor, who was close to his treeline as a grandfather and not further – the ability to see pass illusions and lies.
. o . 0 . o .
"Jacob! What have I told you about shortcuts?!"
She could have called his name softly and asked nicely. He didn't like how she towered above him. He hated craning up his neck just to look at adults in the eyes.
"Not to."
"And what are you doing?"
"Taking the simple way."
His mom frowned and she snatched the phone in his hand. "No. You're taking the easy way. I do not like you using your phone for your homework. It's going to make you lazy and not use good books and you're not going to succeed in life if you can't even be bothered to read."
The textbooks don't know everything, Mom. The internet gives a lot more information for these questions teachers give students in which the papers will be stored in the cabinet and thrown away in two-three months, Mom. I hate that you're making everything as a race against humanity for me to get a rich life, Mom.
Jake didn't say those. He could tell she didn't mean anything bad. She's just stuck with the image that a good student should only find answers in books and that kids who hold phone are only playing games or busy making useless comments in social media.
"Finish your homework quick or I won't take you to see Grandpa," with that ultimatum she left with his phone in her pocket.
Jake made a long-suffering sigh – the type that can only be expressed by toddlers and teenagers.
. o . 0 . o .
In this world, sometimes children are born with strange abilities. No one can explain why. Perhaps because not many 'samples' were experimented by scientists to create a cold hard theory. Barely any scientists even knew of their existence, because these children were protected by Ymbryne birds.
Peregrine falcons are the fastest birds on Earth. They're shape-shifters, the way they streamline their bodies in the air. Ymbrynes watch over peculiar children and guide them due to their innate, maternal compassion. They are very few, only seven in every lifetime out of every human who are growing in numbers every day.
But that's alright. Rarely do they would find two peculiar children in the same town, or even country at the same time. They have time to take care of the young children in need, steer them clear of those who would be harmful and keep them fed, clothed, hidden and steeped in the lore of their people.
At first, it was a comfortable lifestyle that consisted of a peculiar child living in the world with the help of his or her somewhat estranged, yet friendly bird companion.
Until a peculiar child was born with the ability to create monsters.
Sam was… Sam was not hateful. Sam was just rather sadistic for a child. Sam was also very selfish. Sam did not take kindly to know that there are other children with powers that might be much more powerful than Sam. So the child created a monster that embodies many nightmarish features; that will remain hidden from sight; that would hunt for other peculiar children's eyes.
Sam created so many of them and let them run loose all around the world. Since they're all invisible the Ymbynes could not fight them.
So the birds used their powers to manipulate time fields to create loops – hidden all around the world and brought the peculiar children to safety. Ymbrynes regularly goes out of the loops to find peculiar children and rescue them before their eyes are taken away by the monster rampaging all around the world, hidden from view, always hungry for peculiar children's eyes. It didn't help that some peculiars who grew up became mad scientists and performed experiments to control those monsters and somehow discovered that they could gain power and immortality by consuming other peculiar children's eyes.
Their journeys are often unfruitful, because peculiar abilities are passed down in recessive genes and can pass many, many generations in a family tree.
Jake was one of a kind to inherit the same ability as his peculiar ancestor, who was close to his treeline as a grandfather and not further – the ability to see pass illusions and lies.
. o . 0 . o .