Tricks and Treats

18 - Take Me To Sea

Captain Puffy was in her late thirties, looking through the logs at her therapy building. She checked every day, hoping that she could help someone. Anyone. She needed to be helpful because she failed someone she promised to protect.

She also needed money. She would be going to court the following week to get the rights to the Innit Hotel away from Jack. If push came to shove, Puffy wasn't above bribery. Puffy had claimed Tommy's dirt home, kicking ConnerEatsPants out when he tried to take it back. She had collected the small plot of land that Logstershire once resided on, planning on building a memorial there with a vacation house when Puffy wanted to be close. All of that costed money that she didn't have.

So, Puffy looked through the books.

Please help me

Desperate words without context. What did they need help with? Was it a joke, and they needed help with building? Did they want a therapy session? Puffy continued reading, pen hovering above her calendar to see when she could schedule the meeting.

TommyInnit

The pen broke, ink splashing over Puffy's hand and calendar. Her breath hitched as she struggled to wipe the ink off. She searched the book for more clues as to what was happening. Just the three words: Please help me. That was all Tommy wrote.

Captain Puffy ran out of her building, eyes searching for a sign. Anything at all. Her eyes found him. He was walking along the path, eyes watching the world around him. When he turned to Puffy, he gave her small smile. "Mom."

It was probably a trick. A hallucination her mind created to make her feel better. He was a ghost, if anything. That didn't stop Puffy as she ran across the grass, jumping across potholes in the ground as she scrambled to get to him. When she landed beside him, she realized that he wasn't a ghost. He wasn't translucent or hovering above the ground. He was solid, made of flesh and blood.

"My baby!" Puffy called out, hands crossed above her mouth like her breath would blow him away. After the discovery of her own mother, Puffy was more sensitive. Even still, Puffy didn't wait to throw her arms around his neck.

After the past week, Puffy had spent most of her time crying. At the end of the week, tears simply wouldn't come. She was sad and desperate to cry but she wouldn't tear up. Now she was happy and couldn't stop the tear flow. They caught on Tommy's shirt, soaking into his sleeve. Puffy was about ready to collapse when Tommy tried pulling away. "Mom-"

As Tommy tried to pull away, Puffy pulled him closer while whispering. "Please don't leave me, Tommy."

"Mom, I'm going to stay right here. I won't let you go, I promise. Please, just let me see your face," Tommy replied with a kind smile that he wasn't sure he had anymore. Puffy pulled back. Bags showed sleepless nights with red eyes and cheeks while her face was twisted with such terrible pain as her lip twitched and eyes cinched close.

"The nightmare is over. It's me and you," Tommy reassured Puffy. She grabbed his hand, grip tightening like if she let go he would be gone. Tommy placed a wing around her shoulders. "Let's go home."

Puffy felt like she was the child as Tommy walked her back to Sam's base. He was serene while she was sobbing. He comforted her while Puffy couldn't say a word. She was supposed to be taking care of him, not the other way around. Puffy couldn't bring herself to do much more than say his name and squeeze his hand to make sure he was there.

"Phantommy?" Someone asked from the side. The voice belonged to a garden fairy with an affinity for roses. Behind her, Awesamdude was using a hoe to clean up red vines that choked the house. The fairy fluttered above the ground, bringing Tommy into a hug. "I haven't see you in weeks! How are you? Who is this? Did you find someone that missed you?"

For all Tommy was, he was still a teenager. When a relatively cute girl (let me expose myself real quick, Hannah the streamer is beautiful) gave him a hug, he felt a blush rise to his cheeks. Tommy cursed hormones as the fairy backed away with a hopeful expression. "You must be confused. My name is TommyInnit, usually called Tommy. I've been good, and this is my... not legally adopted mom. I don't know what you mean by that."

"You really don't remember?" Hannah's feet touched the pavement as she frowned. She took a deep breath before reaching a hand out, "My name is Hannah Rose. It's a pleasure meeting you."

"Tommy, shouldn't you be home by now?" Sam asked, dumping some of the red vines in a nearby chest. Tommy chuckled into himself.

"Needed to make sure people knew I was alive. Couldn't let everyone keep celebrating," Tommy laughed like it was a joke. Captain Puffy grimaced as she thought about the Eggpire, and Sam snarled at his recollection of Dream and Jack.

"That can't be all true. Several people missed you it seems. Sam was just telling me how proud he was of you," Hannah butted in, not finding it funny either.

"He was?" Tommy said rather quietly. His thoughts trailed back to his mother, whose spirit haunted his mind. Even now, Freya was sitting on the roof, nestled between two strands of red vines.

"I was. You make me really proud, Tommy," Sam said, pulling Tommy into another hug. "I can never take back what I did. I can't erase the pain you went through. I can't rebuild your childhood or save what you've lost. I can hug you like this, though. I can give you a bed to sleep in and food to it. I can stand by your side no matter what you do."

It was Tommy's turn to cry. Puffy wiped away the last of her tears as she joined the hug from behind. "We'll always be there. No matter what happens. You called me your mother, and I will do everything I can to live up to that title."

Tommy felt so genuinely happy. He hadn't in a long time. He couldn't tell when his happiness began to ebb away, but he was sure this moment was when it would all turn around. His happiness grew even more when Hannah took his hand, "You may not remember me, but I was your closest friend for awhile. I swear that I'll never abandon you, even if you hurt me."

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Specifically about my story