Porcelain Walls | Candy Pop x Jason the toymaker [One-Shot]

An Unexpected Meeting

     As the night falls, the lights which came from the windows were turned off one by one. It was the time when adults were back from their jobs, most of the young went to sleep, and the kids wrapped themselves in their covers shrinking in fear, afraid of the monsters under their bed or in their closet. Every child was terrified of the boogeyman, even if they were not so sure what or who exactly it was; they knew that it was bad and it wanted to damage them. The dark, mysterious monster who hunts those who simply want to have a good night of sleep — no matter which country you live in — there is always a myth of a scary creature that torment children during rest time.

     Candy Pop, however, was a vibrant, appealing being, whose appearance would seem innocent at first sight. His clothes were as colorful as the fireworks of fourth of July, while his pink-colored eyes along with his ocean blue hair, lured the ones who were easily interested by his unique looks, although their fate was mostly being murdered by the deceitful, and colorful Jester.

     You could say that his personality matches his dressing style, but it depends on his current mood, that can vary in a brief time, going from gentle and kind to a furious train wreck in a matter of seconds. But, he was quite playful, and little did he care what people said or thought about him. What only could make Candy Pop truly delighted, was doing what he had always done: Sail his journey without a destination, making as much chaos and destruction as he can along his path. He was the real boogeyman, the one who would not let the poor children rest. It was told in his myth, that not only did he terrified people before they slept, but also inside their dreams, too. For him, it was much funnier, of course, since he was able to force them to live their worst nightmares, continuously, until they felt so weak and helpless that Candy Pop could consume their souls with ease. The soul of humans was his favorite dish, even though it wasn't necessary to torment them before consumption, the Jester desired to do so only for the satisfaction he got from it. He enjoyed watching the discomfort and fear in people's eyes due to his doing. Seeing them beg for mercy, as it only made their death slower and more painful, made him feel alive.

     Candy Pop had to collect human's essence to survive; it was not superfluous, it was a need. He would teleport himself into people's dreams and scare them to death, therefore consuming their souls. However, being forced to do so for his health annoyed him deeply. Torturing them before getting the essence of their lives was enjoyable but it took him time and effort to create an efficient nightmare where the person would prefer taking their own lives rather than living that moment forever. He had to think, plan, and search for horror elements for every single one of his victims, just to make it as personal as he wanted it to be. Obviously, besides the fun he had to execute his planned nightmares, it was tiring. Nevertheless, feeling mentally exhausted as he was, he still needed his energy from souls to maintain his powers.

     The jester's exhaustion made him distracted, as he teleported to the wrong reality that he was looking for. Unfortunately, lacking his usual strength, his mood was unstable, which was a mortal trap for anyone who dared to challenge his patience.

     Adjusting his vision, as he analyzed his surroundings, he finds himself in some kind of workshop, full of all sorts of toys. His eyes dashed around curiously at the place, noticing the unusual combination of handcrafts. Ragdolls, stuffed toys, porcelain dolls, puppets, along with different versions of music boxes were seen on wooden shelves fixed on the walls. There were hundreds of human-sized dolls spread across the room, some of them with cloth covering their faces, others without legs, eyes, arms, or even with their mouths or eyes stitched up shut. Each of them seemed to have a unique characteristic that distinguishes them from the others, too specific for it to be unintentional.

     The place seemed perfect for kids due to the number of toys, but to his surprise, he saw no children, only a tall man looking at him with a serious expression. But as soon as they made eye contact, he seemed to get angrier than before, his long ginger locks hiding half of his irritated look.