A/N: For Haylis' From A-Z And In Between challenge. My character was Winky, and my prompt was Anyway.
Winky is seeing Mr. Crouch, and Mr. Crouch is not seeing his son.
Mrs. Crouch isn't seeing Master Barty either. Much, much too sick, she is.
No, no, Master Barty is not being seen. Not except for Winky. And Winky is seeing him leave with his black, black cloak, and his dark, dark friends, and Winky is not happy. For Winky loves Master Barty; Winky raised Master Barty, and Master Barty is into things that isn't good for him.
Winky is a good elf and so Winky is telling Mr. Crouch, even though Winky is needing to punish Winky's self straight away after. But Mr. Crouch is not listening. Too busy is Mr. Crouch. Much, much too busy.
Winky loves Mr. Crouch, too, and Winky isn't much happy with him, neither. Too pale and too tired and too angry and empty inside. Winky knows. Winky can't do nothing.
Then one day, Master Barty isn't coming home. And Mr. Crouch isn't coming home either. And when Mrs. Crouch is standing on the railing on the balcony, Winky knows that something is wrong.
The next day Winky is finally hearing the news. Master Barty has been found out. Winky is crying when no one is around. Crying for her poor, poor Masters and her poor, poor Mistress, and maybe even crying for Winky's own poor self.
Winky watches as Mr. Crouch gets worse and worse, and as Mrs. Crouch gets worse and worse, and Winky is knowing that Mrs. Crouch is dying, and that Mr. Crouch won't never get better neither.
And then Mrs. Crouch is leaving, and Master Barty is coming home, and anyway it's for the best. Winky is a good, good elf and she will help Master Barty be good, too, and she will help Mr. Crouch be good, she is hoping. And she is sad that Mrs. Crouch is going to be dying, but Mrs. Crouch is going to be dying either way.
And so Mrs. Crouch is gone. And Mr. Crouch still is empty. And Master Barty still is bad. But Winky still is good and Winky is still loving them all.