Lucy Locket has travelled with the carnival since the day she was born. A bright and curious girl in everything she does tough after an unexpected trip and fall she finds herself in Toybox, a place unknown to adults where toys of all shapes and size...
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The sunlight filtered through the window just as the moonlight had done a few hours earlier. Lucy squinted in disapproval as she pulled the patchwork quilt over her head and denied the fact she had to wake up. Ironically the bed was perfect. Not too soft, not too hard. She couldn't help but feel she'd heard something similar in a story before and for a minute she thought about home and if anyone would be looking for her. Picturing the faces of her parents and what they might have looked like after searching everywhere and finding nothing. The girls expression contorted to a frown as she felt tears prick the corner of her eyes and her stomach turned in somersaults causing her to retreat even further into the cave of blankets and pillows. She remained there comfortably until a waft of warm oats and honey circled around the room, breakfast of some assortment. Her stomach growling impatiently at the promise of food, Lucy peeped out from beneath the blankets and caught sight of Bjorn shuffling about over a large pot on the stove.
Deciding she could no longer stay in bed and feel sorry for herself, Lucy slid out from the blanket fortress and rubbed her eyes. Wiping away the sleep as she followed the smell of promising food out to the kitchen. On the table sat two wooden bowls piled high with rich brown oats and fresh berries, the scene before her looked almost too perfect to be real. Like something she'd read in a fairytale book and spend hours imagining how it would taste.
"You okay down there, you look like a zombie" He teased eyeing up the young girl as she rubbed her eyes with a half awake grumble.
The rucksack they had packed the night before now sat patiently on an empty chair neatly tucked in beneath the crooked table. Their eyes met for a brief moment, the pair trying to keep straight faces though Lucy quickly faltered and laughter erupted from her chest soon after. Reaching up to wipe tears from the corners of her eyes while her other hand held her stomach as if it were about to burst from the impromptu laughing fit. The laughter filled the silence and melted away the tension like a warm spring sun on the last of the winter snow.
Once breakfast was swiftly consumed and the wooden assortments were cleaned and put away, there was nothing else to do. It was time to set off and there was no longer time to stall or delay. Lucy's stomach did somersaults, a grin resonated on her face as excitement swirled through her body. Bjorn was also beaming, though as a defense mechanism to crippling nerves that nipped at the base of his spine. A clawing sensation he had hoped to lose by now at least. "Ready?" That was all she needed to say. A wide grin decorated her face, rocking on her heels in a boisterous fashion as she waited for the fuzzy armed companion to catch up with her. Her entire body pulsated with excitement, she couldn't stand still even if she tried. There was so much to see, she knew that and above all at the end she would perhaps find a way to return. To tell all her dear ones about an adventure she had been on and yet her thoughts turned sour again. It had been but a day since she had fallen through the funhouse, her mind began to conjure up unpleasant images of her parents. Of people spread out searching for a little girl they might not ever find, her hear thudded in a painfully heavy rhythm against her chest and hot tears stung her eyes uncomfortably. How long had it been back home? Had anyone even noticed? There were many questions she truly did not want to entertain. The buzz of the forest around her blended into a complete mess of noise, she raised her hands steadily to her ears and tried to block it out. The sound began to grow into a painful headache the more she dwelled on her thoughts, shaking her head as she tried to banish them into silence but the sounds only seemed to get obnoxiously louder.
"Shut up...shut up...SHUT UP!" She murmured before it grew into a shout, the desperation in her voice as she pleaded for a moment of silence. The sound causing Bjorn to snap his head around, a panic in his eyes as he watched the younger girl's cheery persona began to crack and falter. Almost instinctively he dashed to her side and placed his paws lightly atop of her hands. Careful not to scratch her skin with his claws. The coarse skin of the pads of his paws lightly scratching her knuckles. "What on earth!? Are you alright?" His eye widened and his voice wavered, His brows were furrowed as he stared back at her. A long sought after wave of relief showered over him as she lowered her hands from her ears and she stared back at him, her eyes glassy from the tears and her expression was blank and devoid of colour.
Her voice wavered, as if she was scared to speak. Her words locked away in her chest though she could picture clearly in her head what she wanted to say, over and over again she played out her words until they managed to slip out from the barricade of her lips. "Everyone at home, back where I came from. They must be so worried...Im frightened that they will forget...that I too might forget..." Her voice cracked and wavered, Bjorn raising a hand to her cheek once more. Giving an affectionate and supportive nudge. It was selfish of him to assume she had no problems adjusting. She was so young and so very brave which made it all the more painful to watch her buckle and fall victim to her own thoughts. "Nobody could forget you Lucy, I have known you but a day and I can tell you that for certain. If you stay determined and bright then I believe you will find your way home and your family will welcome you with open arms. I want you...to picture that image. In your mind, paint a picture of them and hold it tightly. Til your knuckles are white and your fingers are numb." He spoke with great confidence but the prep-talk itself came from a place of regret. He had done the opposite, carelessly assumed there was no way he could forget. He had let go so easily and now, he had nothing to hold on to.
"Bjorn...I..." There was a long pause, and she wished she had something inspiring to say to him in thanks of his words. He was a comforting figure, in such a short space of time too. Perhaps in time she would find the words she really wanted to say.
"Thankyou." She said holding her hands to her chest, bowing her head politely causing the contents of the rucksack dangling from her shoulders to chatter impatiently.
"We should get going, there's a lot of ground to cover." Bjorn said lifting the mood back up once again, walking alongside the girl. In contrast he felt like a giant in comparison to Lucy's tiny frame. So the pair set off. Leaving the cobbled cottage behind, weaving through the thick green forests with the sound of the chattering birds and creatures above to keep them company.
Though they had attracted some attention of another breed it seemed. Peeping at the pair perched atop a tree branch. Slick silver locks hugging his pale angular face, a wide and sly grin spread across his face.
"Finally, someone new to play with."
--------------- AUTHORS NOTE: Hey there~ So the pace is picking up. Please leave a comment or vote! Always happy to see feedback.
