How Bad Could We Be Together?

trouble in thneedville

Life was bliss. me and the Onceler were as happy as could be, and were officially the city's biggest story. our photo was on every tabloid, and so many people would compliment us as we walked by them. business was booming, profits were increasing, and yet... something felt wrong. the man I loved had begun to change. no longer would he hold me or spend time with me, he was obsessed with his company, and his company only. he'd sit in his office, counting money for hours and hours.

"hey babe, can we talk?" i asked nervously

"whats there to talk about?" he replied, no joy in his voice. he barely looked up at me when i entered the room. 

"well... I was hoping we could talk about... us" i said finally. He finally looked up from his work, and there was something cold in the way he looked at me. With an annoyed gesture he put down his pen, stood up and walked over to me.

"Aaron... let me get this straight" he said, slowly getting closer, "you interrupt my work, my valuable time, to talk about our relationship?" he said, a mere couple of inches away from my face. I was shocked, why was he being like this?

"Well, you're always busy, so I had figured it didn't matter when I came in..." I stumbled over my words, and trailed off, seeing the look on his face. He grimaced, as though he had stepped in something foul before... smiling? I was beyond confused, and very nervous now. 

"Look, Aaron, I'm a business man. I have work to do, money to count, laws-" he stopped himself, though I didn't know why. "I don't have time  to sit around and just do whatever. That makes sense to me, but you? I don't think you understand how this works. Is something wrong with your brain that this isn't clicking? I. Have. More. Important. Issues." his tone was malicious, and set alarm bells off in my mind.

I took a step backwards.

"What, are you going to run away? You ask to talk about us, and when we do you shrink away. Come on, we're talking, if you don't have anything to say then let me return to my work." I was at a loss for words, what the hell was his problem?

Bucking up my courage I replied harshly, "Well maybe if you weren't acting like a psycho I'd be more willing to talk. But no, right now you're sounding absolutely insane. I came in here with the intention of making sure we're okay, and you turn it into how much more important your stupid company is. I don't care about THNEEDS, i want to be with you, to have fun, to be a normal coup-"

"Stop." he said, deadly serious. "Get out, I'm too busy to listen to this shit."

Tears pricked my eyes, but I turned and left. Out of the office, down the stairs, out the door. I wanted to get away from this city, from the stupid advertisements, from him.

In a blur, I found myself outside the city, by the forests where it all began. But something was horribly wrong. This area of the forest was supposed to be left untouched, to preserve the natural state of things. It looked more like a wasteland. Burned stumps, machine tread marks, even a broken axe handle. 

What had been done here? 

who could've? 

surely not... no he wouldn't...

would he?