Witch.tv/DCA-One-Shots

"Not A Real Boy But He Has A Real Heart"

A/N: I wrote this awhile ago. (Like a year ago). So before Simon was Polymorphed (or as I like to call it, "Pinocchio'd"), and that's why he's still a construct in this. ~Quartz-the-Writer.

I sit at the foot of Papa Paultin's bed, looking at him straightening his purple blazer that he got for that party. I hang my head, my legs swinging back and forth. My feet hitting the bed. I wish I were real... I think, with a mechanical sigh, which sounds like a hiss. Papa turns to me.

“Hey, Simon. How are you doing?” He asks, placing his hand on my small, wooden shoulder. “I’m fine.” I sign, and am glad that I can’t talk, because if I did, I’d have a shaky voice, and I can’t cry, so no one will have to see me do that. Papa kneels down in front of me, and sighs. “Do you need to talk to your Mom?” I tip my head to the side, and my jaw adjusts into a frown. “I don’t want to talk to Mama Evelyn.” I sign.

“Alright, buddy. How about you go play with the other kids?” Papa says. I slid off the bed, and swing my arm out, and hold my hand out, and form a thumbs up. He grabs me, and picks me up. “You’re a good boy.” He says, I adjust my jaw to a smile, although I don’t feel like I’m happy. Which is one of the reasons I wish I was a real boy. At least I could be seen as being able to feel things.

I walk over to the door, and reach up towards the door handle, which reaches to my chest. I twist it open. “You know you can talk to me or your Mom, right, Simon?” Papa says, and, not knowing how to respond, I walk out the door. I stand in the hall, Nat is standing against the wall. I pull up my arm, and wave. She waves back. “Simon.” She signs, as she can’t hear like most humans.

Her sign for Simon is a closed fist (with the thumb on the inside), with three of her fingers dangling over her fist. The fist symbolizes the CSL (Common Sign Language) ‘s’ and the fingers symbolize my jester hat. She smiles at me. I hold up my hands curled into fists minus the thumbs and pinkies, which point outward. I shake my hands, the symbol for ‘play’ in CSL.

Nat shakes her head, and signs that she can’t play. I hang my head. “Are you doing dagger training?” I sign, and she nods. I sign a CSL ‘j’, which is the pinkie finger moving in a ‘j’ arch, and ball up my hands and pull them apart. This is the sign for Jenks. I hear her sigh, and she shakes her head. I then do the CSL ‘s’, and flip my hand; the sign for Squiddly. Again, she shakes her head.

My shoulders slump down, and I turn back to Papa Paultin’s room. I open the door. “Nobody can play with me.” I sign, and Paultin sighs. “You can play with me?” Papa says, picking up his (stolen) three stringed lute. “Okay.” I sign, and sit down next to him. He starts to play, but stops himself. “Do you wanna try?” He asks, holding the lute out to me. I point to myself, and my jaw aligns itself to a frown.

Papa Paultin shrugs. “Sure.” I take the lute, and play a chord from a song I have watched Papa Paultin do. I’ve committed it to memory, as it is one of Papa’s originals. I strum the lute, and Paultin gasps. “Oh my -- Evie needs to see this, hold on. EVELYN!” He says, and pops his head out the door. I hear Mama Evelyn’s door open. “PAULTIN?!” She says, sounding worried. “I need you to see something, leave the axe.”

I hear her axe Tree Bane clatter down, and Papa, with Mama Evelyn in tow, come into the room. “Do it again.” I strum out the chords again, and Mama gasps. “Our son!” They say, together. I see that both of them seem to be proud of me. “Did I do good?” I sign, and they nod. “Honey, you did a great job. I’m proud.” Mama says, and Papa nods. “Good boy.” I smile, for real.