Impish Animator

A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story

Chapter 2: Bendy the Eavesdropping Demon

Bendy was getting irritated; where the hell had that old man gone?! He sloshed down the steps in irritation, wondering how he managed to outrun him; the old man wasn't that fast! Bendy paused as he heard Sammy and Boris.

"Are you sure kiddo?"

"Child, that can't-"

"My name is Henry!" A small child's voice snapped back, peaking the demon's interest; he hadn't heard a child's voice in so long.

"...Henry. You couldn't have created Our Lord."

"He's not a lord, he's a dem-I mean cat!" There was a snort from Bendy as the child chuckled nervously. "He's a cat…n-not a demon..."

"Uh huh." Sammy didn't sound impressed or convinced.

"Why would you think Bendy's a cat and not a demon?" Boris asked gently as Bendy poked his head around the corner, to see what the kid looked like, the boy deciding his shoes were suddenly very interesting as Boris knelt to be at the kid's eye level. "It's ok, we're not going to judge you." Sammy made a scoffing noise and Boris flicked the back of the former Music Director's knee, causing the man to stumble and bit back a curse. Bendy quietly snickered, glad his friend was back to his goofy no nonsense attitude as the boy sighed and ran his hand through his brown hair, the demon noting that the boy was rather short and skinny.

"Well...I don't want to get in trouble, especially with Father Lawrence…" Sammy stopped and looked at the boy, but Boris spoke up before he could press further.

"Is that your dad?" Henry shook his head quickly.

"No, he's a preacher...he just moved into the town…My father doesn't like him…"

"Why?"

"He says that Father Lawrence doesn't have a sense of humor and is too high strung…" Henry looked at the wolf and Sammy. "And he also doesn't like it when Father Lawrence doesn't let me do the things the other kids do."

"W-Why?" Bendy noticed that Sammy's voice sounded shaky, almost as if he was nervous, which was confusing for the dancing demon; Sammy was always confident, even it borderlined cocky and inflated. Henry sighed and looked away, Boris gently patted the boy's shoulder.

"Father Lawrence says that I'm a danger to the other kids...cause I had gotten sick…" Bendy gasped; what kind of monster wouldn't let a kid play with his friends?! Bendy growled; if he ever saw this 'Father Lawrence' fella, he'd give him the what-for. "And he doesn't like I that I ask too many questions about his sermons…I mean I only ask him, cause I don't get it! And I only ask after church is done!" Henry rubbed his eyes. "I don't know why he doesn't like me…or calls me a bad influence..."

"Henry," Boris said softly, his heart breaking for the small child as Bendy decided he needed to help the kid.

"I think that guy's a few screws loose!" Bendy exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention. Henry gasped in shock as Sammy would've lit up if his face wasn't covered in ink.

"M-My Lord!" Sammy fell to his knees and bowed. Bendy resisted rolling his eyes; his prophet was a tad over dramatic.

"Good to see you too, Sammy." Bendy said before turning his focus to Boris. "Anyways! So kid-Wait, where'd he go?!" Boris turned and saw that while Bendy had looked at Sammy, Henry had bolted, running down the hall. "Oh no! We need to catch him!" Bendy turned to Sammy. "You stay put in case he comes back!"

"Whatever you desire my Lord." Bendy looked at Boris, who shrugged, before the two ink toons ran off down a direction, hoping to find the kid.

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"Thank you so much for watching him for me while David and I head to town." The older woman said as Henry's mother chuckled nervously at the annoyed death glare she was getting from the woman's husband.

"It's not a problem...it's the least we can do…"

"And this~" Henry said as he showed the younger boy the parlour, as their mothers finished talking. "Oh! Father, are you going to play?" Henry's father looked up from the piano keys he was wiping down and smiled at the two boys.

"I suppose I could, have a seat boys." Henry nearly dragged the other boy to a bench and excitedly sat down.

"You don't have music sheets?" The other boy asked curiously as Henry's father positioned himself at the piano bench.

"Don't need 'em." The man said simply, with a smile on his face. "When you've been playing as long as I have, it's just natural." He chuckled. "And spilled drinks tend to ruin music sheets." The boy looked at Henry, confusion apparent on his face, before looking back at the man, who shrugged. "My father used to help run a local tavern, and, your mother will attest to this Henry, since I am not as graceful in the bar as hoped, I helped by playing the piano for the ladies." The boy furrowed his brows.

"Father says that those places are tools of the devil." Henry saw his father look mildly irritated before sighing.

"True, sometimes there's some….reprehensible things that happen in a place where there's drinking, but for the most part, it was a place to celebrate and enjoy what life's for." He saw the confusion in the boy's face before chuckling. "Let me show you!" He turned to the piano and within moments, his fingers flew across the keys, creating melodies that the boy had never heard before. The boy watched in awe as it seemed the man's fingers danced across the keys, creating an upbeat and lively tune, a stark contrast to the hymns and monotone songs that the choir and organ player did during his father's sermons. The boy stole a glance at Henry, the other boy bobbing his head in time and a proud smile plastered on his face before looking back at the man; to think that music could do that, bring happiness and joy to people, instead of having to listen to his father and beg and say or do anything to be 'saved'.

"I want to do that…" The boy managed out quietly as he watched the man continue to play.

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Henry rounded a corner, panting heavily as he hoped that he lost whatever that horned thing was. This place was a madhouse and he just wanted to go home. Unfortunately, Henry wasn't looking and ran into a wet, inky wall. He made a grunt and tumbled back, landing in a small pile of ink with a wet splash.

"Offph!" He managed out before looking at what he ran into and made a quite startled gasp; it definitely wasn't a wall as the mass of ink shifted and turned to see what hit him.

"WhAt wAs tHaT?" The creature sounded like it was underwater and Henry saw that it almost look sort of human, or some drawing of a human being. Henry was frozen in place as he tried to process was happening in front of him. "hUh, yOu dIDn'T GEt liKe eVEryOnE ElSe…"

"W-What?"

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A new story, and a sort-of AU of my AU, but either way Enjoy!