New fanfic. Sorry I haven't updated some of the others. I'll try to, but no promises. Real life sucks and all. I'm writing this to help take my mind off of everything.
I always wondered what the hell happened with Scarecrow's family after his Year One comic. Here's one guess.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters involved; they all belong to DC except Hester-Mae's schoolmates. Hester-Mae's not technically an OC; she was Scarecrow's pig-tailed baby sister in Scarecrow: Year One. I just flash-forwarded her a few years into the future.
Enjoy!
The Scarecrow Letters
Dear Mr. Jonathan Crane,
Hello. I am Hester-Mae Keeny and I'm your sister! I saw a newspaper thingy with you on it that Mama had in her secret box that I shouldn't have been looking in but I did anyway and looked you up on the internet and I found out you were my big brother and I wanted to write and say hi. Mama has never talked about you and the newspaper thing she had of you was in her secret box and so I have to keep this extra special secret so if you write back, you need to say that you're a penguin scientist in Antarctica or something on the little send-back thing on the envelope. I'll say we're penpals. Mama never checks my mail or nothing unless it's from school. She's usually busy hanging out with a boyfriend. I used to have a daddy too, but Mama says he drunk himself to death. Maybe it was he drunk the apple juice they serve during the end-of-grade test breaks. I am almost out of second grade. Tommy Rucker drank ten of them on a bet and was sick the next day. I don't remember my daddy so I don't really care too bad.
Sinseer-
Sencerell-
From Hester-Mae Keeny
P.S. Did you really hold a gun to my head when I was a baby? I think that's really cool and when a bunch of us in class were talking about the scariest thing that ever happened to us and I knew I had them beat so I said the gun thing and everyone called me a liar. They're all mean to me.
Dear Miss Hester-Mae,
Hello to you. Yes, I am indeed your elder brother. Technically, I am your half-brother as we had different fathers. As you can see, I remembered your advice about not letting your mother know that someone from the most notorious insane asylum in the world is writing to you, let alone the person in the world she likely wants the least to do with you. To your note at the bottom of your generous letter, I must unfortunately say yes. I did indeed at one point threaten your life at gunpoint in a rage, but I am glad to see that you hold no grudge. I am sorry that some of your schoolmates are not as kind to you as they should be. Could you perhaps enlighten me a little more about your problems with others being mean? Perhaps I can help. After all, I am a doctor.
Sincerely,
Doctor Jonathan Crane
Dear Jonathan Crane,
Thank you so much for writing back to me! I saw you on the news yesterday because they were having a special on you guys in Gotham. You looked really cool. I wish stuff like that could happen in Arlen. It's so boring here. Did you make your outfit yourself? And I had to watch while Mama wasn't looking. She doesn't like me seeing stuff like that. I don't think she likes you very much. I do. I bet no one is mean to you beacause you're so scary. People at school pick on me and call Mama a hor. I don't know what that is and the teacher got me in trouble when I said it. I hate them. Everyone says I shouldn't use the word hate because it's bad but I do.
From Hester-Mae
P.S. Thank you for the pictures of penguins you gave me. They're really cute. They helped me lie better to Mama, too. It's probably bad to lie to my Mama, but she lied about you so there.
Dear Hester-Mae,
You are welcome for the pictures. I have an acquaintence that has more than enough penguin paraphernalia to keep up our little charade for a millenium. You saw a news special with me in it? Which one did you see, pray tell? Some are quite flattering in their depiction of the Scarecrow as a terrifying menace, but others are such insipid Lifetime-Movie-of-the-Week garbage that I hope no one watches them, much less my own kin. Yes, I do indeed construct my own garments for my nights out on the town. I am pleased that they are satisfactory to you and that you believe me to be scary. I am sorry that you are mistreated at school. As a matter of fact, I myself was bullied at school. Even here in Arkham some of the new, large, brainless thugs see me as an easy target due to my less than impressive physique. I quickly set them straight, of course and likely have a permanent place in their nightmares. Do you perhaps know what your classmates are afraid of? Do not do anything yet. Just gather some information for me. Their fears, what you know of their family lives, what they do during and after school, anything I can use to construct a way of helping you. As to why they pick on you, sadly enough, it's true. It's actually spelled "whore" and it is a fairly accurate description of our mother. That is no reason for you to be tormented. though. I may not be the most selfless of people, but I have something of a soft spot in my heart for those victimized undeservingly by those larger than themselves.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Crane
First letters down. I'll try to update this weekly to shake myself out of this lethargic period I've been going through.
Hester-Mae's a bit of a...special child. Takes a strange one to think that having a gun pointed at you as a baby constitutes bragging rights. And to start writing your infamous super-villain brother as soon as you find out about him. But that's kids for you. And I don't think Hester-Mae has too many friends.