My Cutthroat Romance

Chapter 1 - No Place Like London

A young sailor boy and a man the boy found lost somewhere east of Australia and took on as a passenger, therefore rescuing him stood on the deck of a ship. As the prow broke through the fog they could see the harbor coming ever closer as the cold spray from the sea showered the boat with diamond-like droplets of salt water. The boy, Anthony Hope stared with an excited gleam in his eye, however, the face of the man formerly known as Benjamin Barker held a glare as dark as the sky above them.

“I have sailed the world, beheld its wonders, from the Dardanelles to the mountains of Peru. But there’s no place like London.” Anthony smiled quietly to himself.

“No there’s no place like London.” The man agreed bitterly.

Anthony looked at him curiously.

“Mr. Todd?” He asked.

“You are young. Life has been kind to you…you will learn.” He told Anthony before walking to the very front of the ship.

Anthony followed slowly.

“There’s a hole in the world like a great black pit and the vermin of the world inhabit it and it’s morals aren’t worth what a pig would spit and it goes by the name of London…at the top of the hole sit a privileged few, making mock of the vermin in the lower zoo, turning beauty into filth and greed. I too have sailed the world and seen its wonders. For the cruelty of men is as wondrous as Peru but there’s no place like London.” He continued.

The boy pulled a face that held a hint of pity as the ship entered the dock. The man, Mr. Sweeney Todd as he named himself proceeded to stare at his shoes until he and Anthony both walked off the boat. Mr. Todd’s mind became uneasy as his former life returned to his memory.

“Is everything alright Mr. Todd?” Anthony asked, wondering why the man seemed so awfully troubled.

“I beg your indulgence Anthony. My mind is far from easy. In these once familiar streets I feel…shadows…everywhere.” He replied, as though he read the sailor’s mind.

“Shadows?” Anthony asked.

“Ghosts.” The troubled soul replied.

He walked forward a few paces before beginning to answer Anthony’s unanswered question.

“There was a barber and his wife, and she was beautiful. A [i]foolish[/i] barber and his wife, she was his reason and his life and she was beautiful, and she was virtuous…and he was…naïve. There was another man who saw, that she was beautiful. A [i]pious[/i] vulture of the law, who with a gesture of his claw removed the barber from his plate. Then there was nothing but to wait and she would fall, so soft, so young, so lost and oh so beautiful…” His voice broke on the last word.

“And the lady sir, did she succumb?” Anthony asked somewhat hesitantly.

“Oh that was many years ago…I doubt if anyone would know. I’d like to thank you Anthony. If you hadn’t spotted me, I’d be lost on the ocean still.”

“Will I see you again?” Anthony asked.

“You might find me if you like, around Fleet Street I wouldn’t wonder.” Mr. Todd replied before walking away, beginning his journey to said destination.

“Until then my friend.”

Anthony held his hand out, but dropped it when Mr. Todd walked away.

“How strange.” He thought to himself.

“There’s a hole in the world like a great black pit and it’s filled with the people who’re filled with shit and the vermin of the world inhabit it.” Mr. Todd repeated in his mind as he walked, his feet in rhythm with his thoughts.

He stopped briefly once or twice to better remember which direction he was meant to take next, but did not stop entirely until he reached his destination. Mrs. Lovett’s Meat Pie Emporium in Fleet Street.