Imagine: Sweeney Todd singing "Pretty Women" about you 🥵😳
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You were sitting on your cot in Sweeney's Barbershop reading a book while Sweeney was cleaning his razor. You weren't paying much attention to the room around you but you looked up at the sound of the bell to the door ring. "Mr. Todd?" A deep voice beckoned. "At your service. An honor to receive your patronage, my lord." Sweeney glanced at you warily. "You know me, sir?" The man seemed confused as to how Sweeney knew of his existence when he had seemingly never met him before. "Who in this wide world, does not know the great... Judge Turpin?" It clicked in your brain. This man was THE Judge Turpin and he was holding your boyfriend's daughter captive in his home.
"What may I do for you today, sir? A stylish trimming of the hair? Soothing skin massage? Sit, sir, sit!" Sweeney offered. Turpin sat on the infamous chair and you knew it would be the last chair he ever had the pleasure of sitting on.
"You see, sir, a man infatuated with love! Her ardent and eager slave! So fetch the pomade and pumice stone, and lend me a more seductive tone! A sprinkling perhaps of French cologne but first, sir, I think" There was a moment of silence in the bleak room. You could hear a mouse squeal in the basement if you strained hard enough. You looked up from your book to see what had started the silence. Cold, dark eyes met yours. Even sitting several feet away from you, you couldn't seem to break the man in the chair's gaze. "...a shave...!" He finished his request.
"The closest I ever gave!" You finally broke contact and met eyes with Sweeney, your boyfriend of five months since meeting him on board a ship taking you to London. You knew he had seen the strange moment you had just shared with the man who kidnapped his daughter and imprisoned him and your stomach did flips hoping he would understand it was just a look, nothing more. Sweeney was the best man you could ever dream of, but he just whistled it off.
"In a merry mood today Mr. Todd?" Judge Turpin questioned. "'Tis your delight sir catching fire from one man to the next!" "'Tis true sir love can still inspire the blood to pound the heartly pyre! What more?" "What more?" "Can man require" They both joined in. "Than love sir!" "More than love sir!" "What sir?" "Women!" "Ah yes women..." Judge Turpin glanced at you. "Pretty women..." Sweeney joined him in the staring contest at you. Eventually they both regained their focus, Turpin, on preparing himself in a simple shave and Sweeney readying his razor. You were sure you knew what happened next. He was about to become mince meat. Sweeney's gaze darkened and he became trance like. "Now then my friend, now to your purpose. Patience, enjoy it, revenge can't be taken in haste." "Make haste and if we wed you'll be commended, sir!" You could tell that the Judge seemed to be in a hurry and you grimaced at the thought of him marrying Johanna. "My lord! And who may it be said is your intended sir?" "My ward! My pretty little rose bud." You went back to your book hoping Turpin didn't "Pretty as her mother?" "Huh? What was that?" "Nothing, sir! Nothing!" Sweeney quickly covered changed the subject.
"Pretty women, fascinating, sipping coffee, dancing, pretty women, are a wonder, pretty women! Sitting in the window or standing on the stair! Something in them cheers the air. Pretty women." You heard Sweeney's words and blushed."Silhouetted...""Stay within you.""Glancing..." You could feel two pairs of eyes on you, almost stalking your every move from when you wet your finger to turn the page to when you would lose your place in the story due to heavy tension in the room, causing you to get distracted. "Stay forever" A finger was placed under your chin, forcing you to look up from your book. Sweeney had moved to stand right in front of you. "Breathing lightly...""Pretty women!"
"Pretty women!" He pulled you up from your comfortable seat and waltzed you around the room. The Judge or any other man meaning nothing to you from this moment forward."Blowing out their candles or combing out their hair. Even when they leave they still are there." "They're there, Ah! Pretty women..."
"At their mirrors!""In their gardens!""Letter-writing!" He held your waist and glided you around the room. "Flower-picking!""Weather-watching!"
As soon as Sweeney was about to press his lips to yours, the door swung open and the bell sounded like an alarm. The moment was over.
This took me FOREVER to write out. Tried something a little different transitioning from story to lyrics, let me know what you thought and if you like how it turned out!
