Henry Jekyll's journal entry.
September 27, 1874. The following days passed normally, well, with another kind of normality that I was already used to... I moved on to something less lonely.
Sure, there are still those bad days, they never go away, but at least with Josephine by my side, they've gotten a little better.
As always, days start very early here; which is sometimes a problem due to my aforementioned trouble sleeping or annoying customers who sometimes visit the inn in the middle of the night.
Food is not good, however, it is enough to survive and gather energy without having to steal it from a store, as it used to do before.
Also, with the salary I earn, although it is little, Josephine and I put together a small percentage of it to buy bread from the local stall. (Something that I could perfectly do with my father's money, but I prefer to use what I have saved exclusively for my studies, or any emergency).
The point is, I'm writing all of this today because... After living here for several months, I hardly realize how much my life has changed into the kind of person I'm becoming.
One of those changes has been my perspective towards those who have less. I, who had the opportunity to have been born into a well-off family, managed to experience what a life of luxury without worries was ... Something that only I could feel, something that none of the people I know now could even dream of having one. life like that. That which I once had, but which I lost ... Because of my bad decisions?
Anyway, all that is already in the past, what matters now is my present. A present where life is not easy, but at least it is "freer" than what I used to have; to be able to do whatever I want without having to carry a family reputation or worry about what my peers might think when they see me.
I have seen how people here look at me, a mixture of fear, uncertainty and Pity? As if this is a curse placed by a higher god, or a disease that will end up killing me in no time. They are not looks that I would like to receive, however, that is all they are: Only looks, that little by little I am getting used to having in my life.
Well, I also rarely get more than just "looks," like people crossing themselves when they see me, and worse when I have had to clean a broken egg thrown at me while passing by on the street. All this is something that had already happened before I worked here, so the only difference between yesterday and now is that, in my present Josephine is supporting me, even the rest of the workers of the inn have ever been there. for me...
It is something very comforting, but I know that this is not going to last forever, I knew from the beginning that everything would only be temporary until the next school year. That's why I didn't want to get involved with anyone either, because once you make friends, goodbyes become much heavier than I imagined.
I have a few days left here; my suitcase is almost ready. The gloves that Josephine gave me are quite dirty, I will have to buy others, but these that she gave me I will keep forever to treasure her memory, regardless of whether I use them again or not.
September 30, 1874 I never thought I said this, but I must admit that I will miss her a lot when I go, and that she proposed me such a strange idea that I am still not sure if I will accept it or not.
She has offered me a family, a roof to live in, people with whom to share the breadcrumbs. His brother, Gabriel Utterson, was described to me as someone who is shy, but who is always observing everything that happens around him and is willing to help those who need a helping hand. I don't know him yet, though, if his curious sister appreciates him so much then he really must be admirable.
He will start next year at the same university that I planned to attend, so Josephine offered me to "take care" of her older brother for her, in exchange for letting me live with her family.
A small working-class family, but very united. Joseph told me that it is her mother who takes care of the house, as his father always works in the factory and his younger brothers died when they were younger.
- "I have to stay here to work, that's why! I am entrusting you to take care of something that I appreciate very much! My family..."
That was the last thing she said to me last night ... My departure is in 15 days, and I'm afraid I'm not brave enough to take care of that promise I made to her, because I have a horrible feeling that I'm bad at remembering promises ... I don't want to hurt her by accident. She is so kind, smart and charismatic! While I ... I have only been weak, apathetic, and even many see me only as a phenomenon ... I still have so much way to go, so many promises to keep; there is too much of me that I must change!
I- I'm scared, scared of disappointing others ... Scared of failing again, I do, but even with this fear ... I'm going to keep trying, not only for myself, but also for those who trust me and Josephine, at least you teach me that if it is possible to become a better person with the help of another, you showed me how to live a life ... Less lonely.
Last journal entry of Josephine Utterson.
October 16, 1874. I don't think I'll ever write here again; I can't imagine that my days will be as exciting as they used to be ...
Henry, he left this week... II I swear I didn't cry when he left, I also swear I'm not crying right now! It's just that, just that ... I would have liked to follow him and study with him, it's not fair that I have to stay here ...
Now that I think about it ... There are many things that I feel are an injustice, things that I previously saw as normal. So, I am so glad I met Henry! Thanks to him, I now feel that I am worth more than just a kitchen tool. Helping him made me happy, that feeling of giving without expecting anything in return, changing the life of another person just with your words, he... He gave me a purpose that I want to follow!
Because when I told him that I wanted to be a pianist, I was lying, since I didn't really have any goals in life so I had only said the first thing that came to me after seeing several advertisements on the street.
Before I didn't have a goal, not cause' I couldn't have one, but I didn't see the sense of having one and if surely it was not good to fulfill, however, now I know what I want, I know that I want to fight for those who live he has treated them as if they were the "freaks of the city."
Apparently, I'm a good listener and I have a lot of determination to finish what I do, or at least that's what Henry told me so ... I think I can put these virtues into practice in the future, hopefully the nearby!
Letter from Josephine Utterson to Henry Jekyll.
Hello! I, I don't know if you're going to read this, although I hope so since the man at the post office assured me that they offered the best service in town.
But hey, positively thinking that this letter is not lost along the way, I wrote it to you because: I want to thank you! Yes, even more than I already did before you left.
So, Henry Jekyll, I want to give you my sincere thanks, for all the courage you showed me in these 4 months that we were together, thanks for friendship, the time we shared together, and I almost forgot! Thank you for giving me your sketchbook along with your charcoals before leaving, I will appreciate them very much and I will continue practicing in my "free time."
(By the way, I was leafing through that notebook and couldn't help but notice that some of the pages were torn off ... Besides that, ... I also noticed a pencil portrait of me. It's the first time I've seen it, I didn't even know it existed so, uhm, thanks for that too!)
I know you will take good care of my family; I just know.
And that I did not know you for so long, but still my trust towards you is immeasurable, now all that remains for me, since I cannot accompany you on your personal journey, is to wish you the best of luck so that you can fulfill your dream.
Atte. Your friend, Josephine.
Cambridge University, London.
Principal Robert Lanyon's diary.
August, 1881. A new school year is approaching to begin, and like all the previous times, our brilliant new minds have enlisted at our doors to pursue a future with which they can float their family name.
We see the faces of the children of our former students, young people from illustrious families or relatives of those considered geniuses of our society.
Of course, we also have our exceptions. The children of workers whose surnames will surely go unnoticed in a deep sea of middle aristocracy.
Baker, Gardener, Utterson, Rider; are some of the few that I can remember. Annoyances that the State has forced me to accept within these doors, few manners and customs is all I can say about "them" who were lucky enough to meet the requirements to attend.
But even among our lowest social grade students, I managed to spot a small exception: Henry Jekyll (Jekyll... A surname I've never heard before, I'm not even sure it's British.)
The case of this boy is special, since according to his report he's truly a son of no one, an orphan since he was eleven years old, apparently because of a fire that destroyed his parents and brothers.
However, what surprises me about the boy is not him in question, but rather his anonymous sponsor that corresponds to the acronym A.R, always sending generous annual donations to our school, asking us to ensure the safety of the aforementioned boy.
He will start his school life this year, like my eldest son, and that worries me a bit, because you only have to look him in the face to suspect that young Jekyll is one of those who enjoy causing problems without having a clear objective. I just hope it is not an inconvenience or distraction to the rest of our student body.
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