The Beldam's story: Coraline

The 3rd child (part 2)

I was starting to get annoyed that this child would not take the hint that we wanted to give him the buttons. The amount of gratitude he had for the two of us made him feel bad for us trying to give him anything. The moment we tried he would shy away like we had just hit him or tried to hand him a poisonous snake, burying his head back in whatever book he was reading to avoid eye contact.  

 Vermin started becoming impatient. As each night passed, he would hit me and call me a failure. Placing a timer on the boy, saying if we don't have his eyes in the palm of my hand by the time the timer runs out, it would be my timer too. 

***

''I told my parents about this place last night before I came here,'' William said as a passing thought as I came in to see how his studies were going. I almost dropped a plate of cookies I had delicately stacked on the plate in my hands. 

''You what?''

''They didn't believe me, told me that I had been dreaming the whole affair and that I was probably going crazy.'' Then he looked up at me. ''You can't be a dream, can you? Otherwise, I wouldn't be retaining any of this knowledge that I am learning here.'' For a young man, he was incredibly articulate. He then muttered something in Italian before taking a cookie and going back to his book. That's when the lightbulb went off in my head. The ding almost made me drop the plate of cookies again. 

''You know,'' I said, absent-mindedly, running my finger along one of the worn spines of the books. ''This place is a bit like a dream, you know. In that, it's real in the fact that you have to travel here, and when you eat too much your stomach gets full.'' I patted him on the head, before sitting on the edge of the desk. ''But it also a dream because you can wish for whatever you want and you can get it. You also have the ability to turn on and off pain.'' William had put down his book and was looking at me with curiosity in his eyes. 

''I can wish for stuff?'' I looked past him at the doll he decided to bring here tonight. It was the one I made to spy on him. The little buttons stared past my face and into my soul, or what is there now Vermin stole it to fuel this world. I discovered after being here for years that I really hadn't lost all my emotions and emotional responses to things. I just became numb to the notion. But right now, the doll knew that I didn't really want to do this. But in this world, it is killed or be killed, and I decided to put myself here in this situation. 

''Of course, you can, within reason. You can't ask for a dragon or something.'' That made William giggle, standing up and moving to a bookshelf. ''I wish for a copy of Wuthering Heights.'' He plunged his hand into the shelf as I imagined the book appearing in the hand. When he pulled it back, the book was there.

''Oh my god, that is so cool!'' He jumped up and down a few times, opening it up and reading a few sentences on a random page. ''It's an actual copy.'' 

''I told you that this place was magic.'' William now moved to the window, flinging it open and reaching his hands out. ''I wish for a little house to study in.'' Jeez, that was a big request. I watched as William flung his arms out a couple more times and even repeating the wish once more before turning back to me and saying, ''why isn't it working?''

''Well sweetie, you don't have buttons. With normal eyes, I'm afraid that you can only make things like books appear. But if you had buttons,'' I began to tap my own as I continued speaking. ''I could train you to make houses in the blink of an eye. But there would be one catch.'' 

''Which is?''

''If I let you have some buttons and become like a real-life wizard, you won't be able to go home. It would just be the three of us forever as we learn magic and languages and novels and history  all the time.'' I placed my hands behind my back and when they came around again, two buttons were resting in one hand as well as a needle and thread in the other. 

''But wouldn't that hurt?'' William peered into my open hands. I giggled at him, tipping the buttons into my other hands and using my spare one to hug the small boy. 

''Oh no, see you have the power to turn off pain. So you will feel nothing when I sew the buttons onto your eyes. It will be sewing into a little doll.'' I boop him on the nose and he smiles up at me warmly. 

''I have a question.''

''Ask away, William.''

''If I go home tonight and say goodbye to my parents, and friends, and baby Beth. Could I then come back and you can teach me magic?'' Based on the look on his face, I think he expects the answer to be 'no.' Instead, I just hold him tighter and nod. 

''Of course, you can, my little prince.'' William cringed. ''Mum, I'm ten! I'm not a little prince anymore.'' He called me mum, it made my heart swell three sizes in my chest. ''Okay, Prince William.'' I hold onto him so he can't run away from me. He takes the hug and wraps his arms around my shoulders. And that is where we stay for nearly an hour until William's breaths become heavier and heavier in peaceful sleep. I click my fingers, and he disappears back into the real world one last time. 

Vermin appears at my side, placing a hand on my shoulder. ''That was very smart of you to play on his innocent magic loving side.''

''Well, it's kill or be killed here. I did what I had to do.'' My voice remained neutral, even though it wanted to wobble, then sob. ''I applaud you for it, Belle.'' Vermin took my hand and kissed it softly. Why was he so hot and cold with me? I never knew how to act or what to think around him. ''Thank you.''

***

William couldn't have come into the kitchen quicker, sitting on the table and staring at me, his eyes full of hope and admiration. 

''I take it that you are a little bit excited for this, William?'' He simply smiled back at me and pointed to the buttons I had already set up for him. I came over slowly, picking up one of the buttons and pricking the needle against my finger. 

''Are you ready? Now you need to think really hard to turn off the pain.'' I cocked my head slightly signalling for the Other Father to move around the other side of the table and slowly pull William down to lie on the table. 

''Dad, what are you doing?'' The slight panic in his voice makes me want to throw up. 

''It may not hurt, but I am sewing buttons into your eyes which might make you flinch. We don't want that, so dad is just helping you. Okay,'' William nodded quickly, leaning his head back. 

''On the count of three...

One

Two

Three!'' 

He screamed as I did it. His legs kicked in a million different directions and thrashed about trying to get us off. He called us both liars and how we lied to him and how much it hurt. It didn't take long for him to lie still. Before I could register what I had done again, Vermin and I were feasting on his flesh while his ghost stared helplessly above us. His eyes appeared in my hand for us to use as fuel for the world. 

''Here, put it in this.'' Vermin handed me a small black ball. ''It was in the kid's bag, I think it has some sort of meaning to him.'' I nodded, shutting my eyes and hiding the eyes away. Grabbing the now ghost William by the ankle, I led him to the mirror where I had kept Victoria. 

''You'll have a friend in there,'' I tell him as a shove him into his prison. An eternity in the one room.

Vermin lied, It didn't get easier. 

***This will probably be my last part published for 2020 so Merry Christmas and I hope that COVID doesn't ruin your holiday xxx :)***

***Also, once I finish this story I want to keep writing fan fiction. So if you guys have a certain fandom you would want to see fan fiction from, comment because I don't really have any ideas. I am part of Harry Potter, LOTR, Doctor Who, Selection, Miraculous Ladybug, Phandom etc***