Once upon a time there was an orphan named Carlos. He had vibrant red ringlets that brushed against his frail shoulders, freckles scarcely sprinkled across his pale skin, and a delicate frame. His green eyes were welcoming, yet alarming. He dressed in potato sacks for he had no clothes to dress in, and no money to purchase any.
One day he was sulking down the sidewalk, looking glumly at a pebble that he was kicking down the pavement with his bare, callused foot. Not paying any attention to his surroundings, it took him by surprise when he ran into something large and dark.
Rubbing his head in disbelief, he looked up and saw a man standing before him, wearing a dark trench coat, pinstriped pants, and a tall black top hat that complemented his bland face.
"Who are you?" Carlos asked, his voice cracking with fear.
The man looked down on him with cold, dark eyes and said nothing.
Carlos quickly got to his feet and backed away. Even from his normal perspective, the man was taller than any human he'd seen before.
"Who are you?" He asked again, picking up a nearby stick, should there be any need for self defense.
The man shuffled around inside his bulky jacket and cleared his throat. With one swift movement, he plucked his hat off his head and bowed gracefully. Two thick side whiskers framed his narrow face. His thin lips pursed, he nodded.
"I'm Inspector Javert," the man said in a deep voice.
Carlos' eyes widened in astonishment. "This can't be true! You can't be Javert! Are you joshing me?" He asked.
The man did what some may have identified as a pitiful laugh. "No, young child, I speak nothing but the truth."
Carlos grinned, despite the fact he was having a conversation with a random giant on the street. "How did you find me?" Carlos had dreamed of this moment ever since he had been a young boy. Occasionally, once he'd drifted off to sleep, images of a tall man with lush sideburns filled his childish brain and dismissed him into a deep, deep sleep. It had been happening on and off for as long as he could remember.
Javert shrugged his bony shoulders. "I've been around town. Ever since that night, 7 years ago, when I began reappearing in a young boy's dreams so often, I had to seek out and find him. The temptation to not slaughter the boy in his sleep was unbearable, appearing in his dreams constantly deprived me of my much-needed rest. But killing a child would be a felony, and I would have had to arrest myself."
"You're so brave…I wish I were like you, Mr. Inspector. You have a nice face, and you're quite tall. And I wish I had facial hair. I haven't even sprouted my first armpit hair yet." He shamefully lifted the rags from his underarms to reveal bare skin.
Javert snorted. "You'll start to change when the time is right for you, young lad. But until then, I must ask that you keep me out of your dreams. Keep your thoughts mainly consisting of unicorns and teacups and other little boys that you fancy. I've concluded that you're into that sort of thing."
Carlos blushed and looked up angrily, yet didn't protest.
"Well, boy, I must be on my way," he bent down, gave the boy a soft pat on the shoulder, and whipped his jacket around, disappearing from view.
Carlos smiled and wrapped his rags more firmly around his shoulders, for the night was growing closer and the sun's rays were weakening. He walked happily to his usually sleeping area; beneath the roots in a cozy den under an oak tree. The sky turned dark and starry, and Carlos' eyes began to close. But before he fell asleep, he remembered Javert's kind words. He knew that although he was an orphan and didn't have any friends, he would eventually find his place and everything would be okay. He smiled and closed his eyes. But before he could get to sleep, a masked ninja snuck up behind the tree and shot Carlos in the face. He died.
The end.