Chapter Two: Images
The pictures in his mind became clearer as a story started to fall into place. A story that he had long forgotten,
for the only one he remebered was the dreadful story of his wife, and the judge. No he thought to himself, not his wife, but Benjamin Barker's wife.
He would not let himself forget this. Ah, yes. A small fountain that began as a blurred image cleared up. A girl sat on the edge alone.
She avoided everybody eyes. She rested her elbow on her dress while staring into a far off distance as if she would see something there.
A boy...yes a young boy. He looked at her. He approached her, and took his right hand and shoved her into the fountain water
before running off laughing. She stuck her head out of the water and miserably climbed back over the edge and resumed her original position. Her dress was soaking wet, and her hair was the same.
She caught site of a boy staring at her. An admirable boy who smiled at her. He looked into her eyes, almost demon red in the blaring sun. "You okay?" He asked her. She simply nodded. And from then it started.
The images in his mind soon wove into a short movie. "Nellie...if we ever have kids what should we name them?" He asked her while she threw pebbles into the water.
She smiled and said "Madeline for a girl...and..." She stopped. "Todd for a boy." He finshed her sentance. She grinned ear the ear and he sighed.
"Bennie? Do you really think we'll get married someday?" she asked into the night. "Of course." He responded certain of himself. "Yes, my love. We'll have the biggest wedding ever."
"With lots of flowers, and guests...and you'll be so pretty...no not pretty, gorgeous." He rambled on about the reception and dancing.
"What about after that?" she asked "We'll move somewhere far away. And have the prettiest children anybody had ever seen."
"Where will we move to, Ben?" He shrugged. She gasped. "By the sea! Oh, you'd love it. You and me...and our kids." He smiled "Sure." He said "You, me, Madeline and Todd, out by the sea, and the rest will be...history."
She snuggled closer to him. He looked at her. Into her eyes, and he could almost see her imagining the life by the sea. No, not the sea. Her sea.
She wasn't like the girls his friends were talking about, she was...different. Pretty...okay not pretty, beautiful in her own way. She stopped throwing rocks and sat down beside him. "Ben?" she whispered.
"Do you wish on stars?" She asked. He laughed and said. "Well, I don't know, isn't it more of a girl thing to do you think?" he asked her.
She shrugged and looked up into the sky. He didn't want to ruin the moment for her but all of a sudden he just decided to say,
"I heard that stars lie." She glared at him. "I trust them." she said. "why?" he asked in a barley whisper. "Because, I wish with all my heart." she said as if it was the most obvious answer in the whole entire universe.
The night air was quiet. It was still, and only the sound of the water could be heard. He reached over to her, and began to tickle her.
A childish thing to do, but she laughted hysterically and begged him to stop.
She jumped up out of sitting position and unlatched small locket. that hung around her slender neck. "what's in that locket, Nellie?" She smiled and didn't answer.
"No really, Nellie, what's in there?" She smiled and said "You'll know Benjamin, when you have the key to my heart."
He remembered thinking at that moment, don't I already? "watch this." she said. She took a deep breath, looked into the sky and clasped her locket tightly.
She held it by the heart and tossed it not too far. Instantly, a shooting star appeared, soaring across the summer night sky. "How'd you do that?" he asked. "Magic" she whispered.
She closed her eyes. "Make a wish, Bennie." He clasped onto her hand tightly and wished to find the love of his life. The shooting star passed slowly. She opened her eyes. He asked her "What'd you wish for?"
They ran down to find her locket. He looked at it and wondered when he would be able to see the contents that meant everything to her.
She said "You ask to many questions." He pulled her into his embrace and said "And I don't get enough answers."
She giggled and leaned in close. She whispered into his ear; "I wish...that we would never forget this moment." He smiled. And whispered softly in her ear "I promise."
But stars had lied. He opened his eyes and found himself sitting in his own barber chair. He forgot because of the nasty things the judge did. The plans he crafted, to break him apart from Lucy.
But this story wasn't about Lucy. She wasn't in it. This wasn't that story. It was the story of Mrs. Lovett and him. She was a different girl back then. And as he was a different boy. She had her life all planned out.
She said that she trusted the clouds in the sky wouldn't drop her off in a far distance. But she found herself, dropped off far away from where they left off.
She finds herself sitting by that same fountain wishing that things had been different. It was Lucy that came along. Lucy that he fell for.
The gorgeous, blonde that was quiet and kept to herself. The girl that wore the same locket! He remebered it, but barley. He just remembered when he first met her. She sat on the edge of that same fountain, golden hair and her golden locket shone in the sun.
Who was Mrs. Lovett? Oh, he scarcly remebered. Just the small details here and there. He just remembered she was the bubbly girl that he promised to marry someday.
He smiled at himself, and thought "well, Nellie, look where that got us. Partners in crime we are." He sighed and attempted to wake up from his past.
But he couldn't. He sat there a minute longer and thought. Locket, that golden locket. Lucy had never let him touch that locket. He flinched. And remebered, the only way to get into the locket was to have the key to the girl's heart.
It hurt him to think that he didn't have the key to his dear Lucy's heart. Maybe...he would find out what Mrs. Lovett had in hers.
Maybe it was downstairs in the bedroom. He winced at the idea of going through her stuff, but couldn't resist. "Bloody liars." He mumbled under his breath, referring to the non-exsistant stars.
He began to make his way downstairs the the shop."If you had kept your promise, everything would be different."
But the stars had kept their promise. He found the love of his life. But the stars had lied to Mrs. Lovett. She didn't get her promise. And he never got the key to little Nellie's heart. But he didn't get the key to Lucy's either.