Needle and Thread

IV. The three children

As the curious little boy made his third and last visit to the other world, his other mother waiting in the living room sitting on a sofa that seemed to be in good condition like it has not been touched with a vertical striped box wrapped in a salmon colored bow.

"Hello there, I have a present for you!" she handed him the box as he eagerly took it. The boy opened it, his smile dropped seeing there was nothing but two big black buttons and spool of black thread in between with a sewing needle tied on it's top. What were these strange things? They looked like the ones his real mother use for her dress and dolls. 

"What is this?" The boy asked in confusion. 

"Your present, dear. If you want to stay forever. You can have things like treasures, treats, and games to play. But there's one thing we have to do first, I have to sew the buttons in your eye sockets."

At first the boy look scared by the mention having his eyes for buttons. But then he thought for a moment thinking. If he did had buttons for eyes, would he still to be able to see? Will it hurt?After that, he could have anything he wished for. Though there was a another question he had in mind...

"What about my real mommy and daddy? Won't they miss me?" 

His other mother put on the best sincere face she could manage and said...

"No, I think they'll like you to stay here so I can take care of you. And love you as my own."

The boy agreed which made his other mother really happy to hear. Though the procure for the sewing of the buttons was indeed painful for the boy, at least it didn't take too long. But everything he saw was in sharper focus, but the all the colors were gone. Everything was in black and white. 

The Beldam got what she wanted, the boys eyes to keep her living and eventually his soul for power. However one soul wasn't enough so she had find more unexpected children to lure in as soon as the boys' parents leave and for a new family to move in. She couldn't lure in adults for they were not to be fooled by temptation. 

Decades later there was another family in the Pink Palace. A very wealthy family with one daughter. The girl who had golden ringlet hair and often wore her white sun hat. Though being a child of a very successful business was not always exciting as many of the children think. Yes, the girl's parents would buy her lavish gifts and toys she wanted but hardly spent any spare time with their daughter. 

Anytime the girl would ask her father to play with, he would say...

"Not now, father's very busy with work."

Or anytime she asked her mother, she would say...

"Sweetie, there's no time for games. I must attend a social event. It's very important not just for me but for all of us."

The girl was angry and depressed, she felt lonely. She wouldn't dare argue with her parents for she was afraid they be furious. One day her father brought her a gift. It was a doll that looked exactly like her, expect for the eyes as buttons. From then on the girl felt a little less lonely now that she had a friend by her side to bring wherever she went. At times the doll would disappear and to be placed by the smaller peculiar door and appear by the one of the drawers in the kitchen. Inside was unused, only a black button key.

"You want me to use this for the small door?" The girl asked her little doll friend. Of course, it wasn't able to speak or respond back, but she pretend it could. So she goes back to the living room and turns the key inside the hole then opened it. There it was a portal leading to the other side, without hesitation she crawls inside curious of what's on the other side. There stood her parents standing in front of her looking down at her. She looked up to see they had black button eyes like ones on her doll. They were smiling that their smiles reached those buttons eyes.

"Welcome home, daughter!" her mother greeted picking her up and carrying her.

The girl was suspious by all this. Were they really her parents? Or were they imposters? 

"Are you really my parents?" 

"Yes, we are your other  parents." her other father said cheerly. 

So there on when the girl's real parents were preoccupied as usual, the girl would sneak inside to the other world, playing with her other parents as much as she liked but the end of all was sacrificing her reals eyes for buttons. Without thinking, she accepted as her life was taken away, learning the truth in the afterlife. Her world taken before her very eyes by the witch was disguised her mother. 

The Beldam waited for a third to come, as another moves in. There was not one but two girls. Twins  that were identical to one another. Both having braided pigtails, wearing pink laced dresses and a bow. One day they found a doll that looked just like them, but with buttons for eyes. They would fight over the doll constantly as their parents would scold at them and tell the girls they have to share it.  At night one of the twins would break curfew to follow the mysterious mice that led to the small door, discovering a world just like the one the twin lives but more vibrant and full of life. Of course, there was her other mother, other father, and her other twin sister (but she couldn't talk). She was given everything she ever wanted, toys, games, entertain. Though the twin still wanted more, so she let her other mother sew buttons and taking her old eyes. 

Her sister however could not be easily persuaded as she more the wiser. After her sister's disappearance she began to realize that the Pink Palace was dangerous. But kept the doll as memory of her late sibling, the only that was left of her. To children that is after hearing two other incidents of two children going missing. 

The Pink Palace went through changes over the years as it was divided into three apartment complexes one of the basement and the attic. As for the small door was sealed with red bricks and covered in wall paper. 

The Beldam was only successful by capturing just three children, but grew despite and impatient for a new fly to catch in her web unwinding. Her powers were blossoming with each new victim claimed, locked away like forgotten possessions but still lingers around all their happiness and hope squeezed out and devoured by the spider witch imposing as their mother all those years ago.

But there was this cat. The cat that would come and go as it pleases whenever it likes to. The Beldam preferred rats (as mice) as company since they were more loyal and devoted to their master. Unlike felines since they don't play by the rules or obey when given instructions. But not like this cat with blue eyes and black fur, this one seems to have a voice. Knew what the Spider witches' plot to use children souls for vitality and strength. So she would try any possibility to keep the nosy beast out from her world without going back. 

Or so she thought...