This is my first attempt at a one-shot. Centered around Sweeney Todd (the Burton/Depp/Bonham Carter movie), it takes place near the end just after Antony discovers Johanna's whereabouts and informs Todd.
Just some delving into Todd's mind, and a bit more of a motive...not that he needed a better one, but now he's got something bigger planned too. :) I wrote this out in about an hour-and-a-half (completed around 1:30 in the morning, mind you), so if it appears somewhat lackluster...that would be why. But I liked it and went with it. :)
And He Was Naïve…
He had him now…after all the long years of festering away in that dingy, cold, dark prison cell over a crime he never committed, hoping, praying, that someone would smile down on him and change his luck…all the years of asking 'Why me? Why us?' without a shadow of an answer…his escape into the dark and freezing waters of the sea, and being discovered by the young, kind sailor Antony…his return to London to discover it an even filthier, more disgusting, and utterly repulsive shit-hole than ever before…all of the planning, the longing for vengeance, the innocents who he had so easily murdered in cold blood…after all he had been through, all the pain, suffering, sorrow, sadness, anger, the hate…Oh, the sheer, unending, white hot loathing he experienced every second of every miserable day…after every single thing…and now…he finally had him.
Vengeance would be Todd's tonight.
Until mere hours ago, he had almost actually considered giving up and moving on with his life; starting anew with Mrs. Lovett and Tobias; or rather as 'new' as he could. After all, even if he had his vengeance, what good would it do? What more would there be to live for? It had been weeks since the encounter with Turpin, and there wasn't one sign of him since. The judge would surely never return to the shop again; not after the way he reacted to Antony's intrusion. So how else could he get the Judge alone, short of breaking into his house, which would surely attract far too much attention. No, there was certainly no way to accomplish his plans now…with the Judge far from his reach, there was nothing at all that could be done.
Luckily, Antony's discovery of Johanna's whereabouts in Fogg's Asylum woke him from that weak and foolish stupor. With that little bit of information, a plan came together; simple, yet effective. All he needed was to help Antony free Johanna…and then inform the Judge of the escape, which would surely place him in the judge's favor once more. And when he had the Judge alone once again…there would be no hesitation this time.
As Antony's cloak whipped around the corner of the door and his heavy footsteps thudded down the stairs, Todd turned and moved to the window.
"Fetch the boy." He said coldly to Nellie Lovett, who stood in the corner of the makeshift barber shop, staring at Todd with uncertainty.
"Don't you think we should leave…" She started, a hint of pleading in her voice. She loved the boy like her own son, and Todd knew it. But he had no patience for her pleas, not when the moment that the last 15 years of his life had been leading up to was within his grasping fingertips. He fixated her with a glare, and she silenced herself. With one final look, a mixture of anger and fear, she crossed the room and disappeared around the corner and down the stairs.
Hastily, Todd crossed to the desk, sat down, and scribbled a note to the Judge.
To the Honorable Judge Turpin,
I write this urgent note to warn you that the young sailor has abducted your ward Johanna.
Hoping to gain your favor, I have persuaded the boy to bring her here tonight to my shop.
Hurry after night fall, and she will be waiting.
Your humble servant,
Sweeney Todd
Yes…yes, this would surely bring the Judge running to his doorstep, where Todd would be waiting patiently with his friends, a smile on his face.
As he finished signing his name, the door swung open and in stepped Toby, looking as dirty and matted as ever. Such a naïve child, thought Todd, taking orders and doing as he was told, believing the best of people. Such respect for Nellie when he had no clue of the acts the pair of them had committed…Todd could only imagine how the boy would react if he knew what really went on down in that cellar…
"Mr. T?" Toby asked patiently, bringing Todd back to reality.
Todd folded the note and placed it in an envelope. He turned to Toby, who stared at him, waiting for his task.
Well, at least his naivety will be of good use to me.
"Do you know where the old bailey is?" He said to the boy.
"Yes sir, not that I've ever been there." Toby replied curtly.
"Take this letter. Seek out a Judge Turpin. Repeat that." Just so there's no misunderstanding.
"Go to old bailey, find Judge Turpin." The boy said in monotone.
He may be naïve, but he's not stupid. I'll give him that.
"You put that in his hands. Only to him, do you understand?" Todd indicated to the letter, sure that this was the end of their encounter.
"Yes sir." Toby responded clearly. Todd started to turn to back when the boy continued speaking. "And while I'm out, do you mind if I stop by the grocer just to…"
"No." Todd said, impatience growing in his heart…or lack thereof. He stood up and started taking steps towards the boy, who started backing into the wall, fear springing into those young eyes. "You are not to stop. You are not to speak. You are to deliver the letter. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir." Toby said shakily. Then, as Antony and Nellie before him, he whipped out of the barber shop and down the steps, leaving Todd to his thoughts.
It would only be a matter of hours now…the Judge would be here by nightfall. Of this, he was positive. If there was one thing Todd had learned to count on from Turpin, it was his selfishness and his desire to ensure that what he considered his stayed his. He would be here tonight to claim his Johanna.
And so, he paced in the window, staring down the street, seeing each face of each man, woman, and child that passed by. Old or young, it mattered not. They were all so naïve. Every single one of them. He knew. He was once just like them; going through life, with menial cares and worries. Never once did it even cross his mind that all that he held dear could be ripped away fro him. And yet it was…with such ease too. And all because he was naïve…he was weak…but not anymore. Now he was hardened, forced to see the truth that he hated with every fiber of his soul, if he even had one.
That's what it all came down to, of course. Everything that had been, was now, and would be happening was all due to naivety. The innocence of the world would be its undoing. It was the naïve who put people like Turpin in their powerful positions. It was the naïve who never thought anything bad could happen to them. It was the naïve who found themselves in Todd's shop, only to find they'd never leave alive. It was the naïve who were ground into personal pies. And it was the naïve who consumed the tainted and unholy pastries.
But if these innocent and regular people could know the going-ons of the shop…and how these acts of atrocious and barbaric nature were just a mere drop of the blood-stained water that flowed in the river of the world, then their naïve minds would comprehend just what a shit-hole the entire world truly was; how false their lives truly were; how nobody can be trusted; how even the most innocent or unknown or unsuspecting person can be their own undoing. Because that other person would attempt to dominate, as primal instinct dictated they would. To them, you are nothing more than an obstacle; a mean to an end. Survival of the fittest.
Power, lust, greed…it was the only thing that drove this mad world now. And those who possess these things only perpetuate more and more brutality and lustful acts to gain more power. Nothing else in the world mattered. Decency, honesty, kindness, respect…it all meant nothing. But people continued to act as if it did, out of blissful or willful ignorance.
It was this naivety that Todd was trying to eradicate. If people would open their eyes, as he was forced to do so many years ago, then perhaps people like the Beedle and Turpin would become scarce…
And nobody would ever again have to suffer the injustices that were brought upon him and his family.
Yes, what he was doing now was no better than Turpin or the Beedle. And he knew it. However, his intentions were to help, in his own twisted way. Yes, some people would need to die. Yes, their bodies would be horribly mangled and dishonored even after death, and fed to the naïve ones around them. But it was a necessary evil…and when they finally did realize, and turned on those who they , in their naivety, had placed in positions of power...
Well…that's a step in the right direction. He thought, a smile twisting his pale face. Perhaps, with this in motion, the world would be right again for naïve to be the ones in control, for they would no longer be naïve then. Merely normal. No need for brutality, or selfishness, or power. The world would be a good place again, as he had once believed it was.
All he needed to do was strike the first blow...
Night had fallen as Todd continued to pace in the window. The moment was drawing closer. Turpin would be here any minute now…
The door behind him flung open. He whirled around, blood pounding in his head, ready to welcome the Judge to his final resting place.
Standing in the frame, tears in her eyes, was Nellie Lovett.
"The boy won't be a problem anymore." She breathed shakily.
Review please! :)