109AN: Hey readers. Take it easy on me – this is my first story being released. Ever. Well, here I go. I own it by the way – COPYRIGHT CLAIM. NOW YOU CAN'T COPYRIGHT IT – MWAHAHAHAHA.
But on the sane side – please review - I will give you virtual cookies...
Prologue:
Once upon a time, a little boy sang sweetly, skipping down the street, licking his rainbow coloured lollipop whilst clutching onto his plush purple teddy (this is not that freaky teddy from Toy story 3).
"La la la la lollipop, sugar honey ice tea...lollipop. Doobee Scooby doo..."
Meanwhile, in an isolated room, dark eyes narrowed at this sight seen through worn, ruined, faded white blinds.
Nevertheless, the sun was still shining and the sky was blue; the scruffy blonde haired boy squealed in delight as he threw his stuffed animal up into the air whilst his grey eyes twinkled with playfulness.
His smile fell however when the bear landed with a plump splash in a murky black puddle – imprisoned within the metal mesh fence of the deserted boarding school.
"Teddy..." the little boy whimpered, clinging to the fence pleadingly. He continued gazing at the drowned animal longingly...even though he only bought it for 10p at the most. It was his love, his life. He needed that strange thing.
Suddenly, like a godsend...or more so a hell-send...a withered, scaly hand lifted the once bright teddy by its head. The owner of the hand smiled a sickly sweet smile whilst the little boy's eyes lit up with false hope.
"You want the teddy my dear?" An aged womanly voice said.
The little blonde boy nodded frantically with a smile; stretching out a chubby hand as far through the fence as he could reach.
The old woman smiled wickedly and threw the purple teddy bear over the mesh fencing again, and the little boy giggled gleefully and danced with the bear in circles.
When he looked up, the old woman was gone.
"Mum! Dad!" He squealed in delight and ran towards his parents, ignoring the fact that they didn't give him a hug as he clutched onto their legs.
His mother – a tall, strict, brown-haired simple woman – shrugged him off and cleared her throat awkwardly. "Yes dear...let go of mummy now," she finished firmly.
She crouched down, giving her child a pat on the back. But, little the boy knew that this would be the last contact he would have for decades with his mother.
"Mommy, are we going to the beach now? You and daddy promised..." the boy murmured quietly.
"Yes love, we're going to the beach," the brown-haired woman spoke somewhat guiltily and nudged her husband.
"Yeah...son. Just wait right here with this lovely lady – her name is Mrs Penny," the blonde, tall man explained distantly to his unwanted son. "She'll look after you while we go and get your swimming trunks."
"Can't I come with you daddy? Please? Pleas-"
"No." He said harshly, but then rephrased when he saw hurt colour his son's eyes. "We'll be back in a dash. Just wait right here."
"As fast as lightning for you," his mother added with a tight smile.
"As fast as lightning?" The little boy whispered in awe.
"Yeah," his father said bluntly.
A wrinkled hand rested on the boy's shoulder as a familiar voice spoke. "The boy will be...safe...here."
The brown-haired woman smiled anxiously again and tugged her husband away from the little boy.
"Come back quickly," he shouted happily at his retreating parents.
They slowly walked away.
The blonde haired boy stared blankly at his sodden bear as the rain pounded in endless torrents. He was soaked now, caged within the mesh fences of the boarding school, perching on a worn wooden bench. It had been hours since he last saw his parents. They were going to the beach – his parents promised him. They were coming back... they had to.
"They're not going to be back by today sweet cheeks," Mrs Penny said in that similar sickly sweet voice of hers. "Let me take that teddy of yours love."
He wordlessly watched as she snatched the teddy from his chubby little hands and smiled cruelly. Swiftly and unexpectedly she tore at the teddy's head like it was paper and beheaded the plush toy before the child's eyes.
"Welcome to Hellberry High Timothy."