They do. That's what hurts. It's been over a century since I've met this boy, you know? I don't know his name or anything like that. I wish I could have. These things are very vivid in my mind. I wish I could just be a fish. I don't think of anything when I'm a fish.

(maybe that last part is relatable now. he trusts peter to the point that the boy becomes the wolf, only due to the fact that the petting is nicer that way, and it'll make peter happier, too.)