The daunting climb to the top of the diving tower, had been held off until they simply couldn't wait any longer. Lucy was not as afraid of climbing to the top of the tower as Mr. Y was.
He wasn't afraid of heights, he was afraid of falling off the top by accident, or Lucy falling off the top. When she was up there, there could be no mistakes. Mr. Y made sure to remind her of that every time she got on her horse, whether it was practicing jumping on, or practicing her trick riding.
Today though, Lucy and Mr. Y decided to climb to the top, just so she could get a feel of things. Lucy felt her way forward, Mr. Y helping her over to the chute where the horses were released.
"Your horse is going to start here, the tower is 60 feet tall right now. So this slopes up to the top where you'll be standing" he took her arm and the two of them began walking up the horse ramp. To Lucy it seemed endless, but eventually Mr. Y yanked her to a halt "We're at the top now".
Lucy wished she could see, from the black shadow outlines she could see the New York City skyline, and the few people walking past looked like little specs of dust. She sighed and sat down on the platform where she'd have to stand and wait for her horse.
Mr. Y sat opposite her "What you do up here will make or break your ride. If you don't mount that horse correctly as he goes past, the fall will kill you" he warned. Suddenly they heard a voice shout and Lucy watched as Mr. Y's shadow came to her side and holding her arm so she wouldn't move as he looked down at whomever was shouting.
"Sir! One of the support beams on the tower is broken!" he called. Suddenly the wind blew and Lucy felt the tower sway uneasily, Mr. Y took his arm off her for a moment to lean over and yell back "Well tell one of the workers to come fix it then!". Mr. Fleck wasn't backing down just yet "You get my girl off that tower this instant!" he barked.
She took a step back "Maybe we should do as he..." she was cut off by stepping back just one step too far without Mr. Y's noticing, she teetered on the edge of the drop, flailing her arms to grab onto the nearest object. Mr. Y was at her side in an instant, but his rush to catch her resulted in him pushing her back up onto the platform as he went tumbling forward off of it.
Lucy shrieked as she heard Mr. Y hit the pool below, feeling her way to the ramp, she ran as fast as her blind eyes would allow her to. Once at the bottom she was cut off by a crowd who'd come to see what was going on. She pushed her way through, but the shadows began to make her confused.
Her throat tightened, where was she even going? She should have stayed on the tower until someone was able to lead her down. Suddenly she was grabbed by a strong familar arm and pulled through the crowd "Daddy Fleck?" she asked. He hushed her "Come on" she stopped in her tracks "Wait! What about Mr. Y?" she asked fearfully.
This was all her fault, she shouldn't have been moving blindly on top of a 60 foot tower. What if this cost Mr. Y his life? She felt tears sting her eyes as she was pulled by her adopted father through the crowds. Suddenly they were clear of the crowds and she wished she could see.
"Mr. Y's right here, just calm down" Mr. Fleck told her soothingly. She was trembling as he lead her over to his crumpled form. She could tell he was lying by the side of the pool, as the dark outline of the tower loomed overhead. Mr. Y took her hand gently as she fell to her knees beside him. His hand was frigid cold as he gasped and coughed up water. Lucy couldn't help herself as she began sobbing "I'm so sorry Mr. Y! It was an accident! I didn't mean to!" she told him.
He hushed her, but his voice sounded hoarse and strained "It's alright, it was my own mistake. I shouldn't..." he trailed off, trying to catch his breath "I shouldn't have brought you up there to just wander around. You should only be up there if you're going to jump off, and you're not ready for that yet" he finished, more faintly than he'd started.
Mr. Fleck cleared his throat "There's a doctor on the way sir". At this Mr. Y groaned miserably and Lucy continued to cry, he gently squeezed her hand "I feel alright" he assured her. Lucy shook her head "You're in pain! You could have drowned! What if..." he hushed her "Relax now Lucy, before you work youself into a faint".
Suddenly more voices were heard coming, one was familar, one was not. "Daddy? Lucy what happened?" the familar voice asked "Lucy?" she asked. It was Ariel, and Lucy felt her come to her side "Lucy are you alright? Mr. Y?" she asked. The unfamilar voice was that of the doctor, who was examining Mr. Y "Can we move him to his home?" he asked.
He nodded "Yes, Mr. Fleck?" Mr. Y asked, Mr. Fleck help up his hand "I will help you in anything you need sir" he said, coming over to help his boss up. Lucy continued trembling as Ariel helped her up "Let's go home and take a nap? Would you like that?" Ariel asked "Yes, some tea and a nap will fix you right up" she told her new sister.
Lucy sobbed "No! It's all my fault what happened to Mr. Y! I should stay with him!" she said. Ariel didn't listen as she lead Lucy back home, having her go change while she made some tea "Lucy I'm sure Mr. Y will be alright. I mean come on, it's Mr. Y! He can do anything!" she told her.
"Can he?" Lucy asked, swallowing back her tears as she tried to calm down. Ariel giggled "Of course he can! He's building us a whole city of wonders! Remember? He made it so you can see! He made it so I can walk. Mr. Gangle talks nonstop! He can do anything!". She took some deep breaths and sighed, Ariel was right, this was Mr. Y they were talking about!
But Mr. Y was still human, and if a fall from the tower could kill her, surely it did something to him, something more than he let on. Ariel placed a cup of tea in her hands before sitting next to her, rubbing her back comfortingly "Mr. Y'll be just fine. In fact, when Daddy gets home after your nap how about we go visit him?" she asks.
She sipped her tea and nodded "Yes, I'd like that" she replied. After they finished their tea in silence Ariel took her to their room, as promised Mr. Fleck had finally gotten Lucy a bed. Though it made the small room more cramped, the two girls didn't mind at all.
Lucy crawled into bed, trying to relax herself. Mr. Y had been right when he told her to relax before she grew faint, for now she felt exhausted from all the emotions that had raced through her. It wasn't long before she fell asleep, and it also didn't seem like long before Ariel was nudging her again "Hey, Lucy!" she whispered.
"Wha?" Lucy asked drowsily, lifting her head from the pillow. Ariel pressed the box containing her lenses and the small vile of liquid into her hand "Daddy's returned. Let's go visit Mr. Y and see if he needs anything" she said, her voice hushed. Lucy quickly dripped the soothing liquid into her eyes before putting in her lenses.
With her sight restored, Lucy could see that the room was dimly lit, with just a single candle glowing. She stood and followed Ariel out, and was surprised to find the living room just as dark "Daddy's sleeping, he was very tired" Ariel told her in a whisper. They threw on their jackets before stepping out into the street.
The sun was going down, and Lucy wondered how late it was as the streets became bathed in shadows. As the two girls walked down the street Ariel stopped suddenly in front of a wall, and looked back at her shadow "Hey check this out" she said as she held up two fingers "Hehe, I made a bunny" she giggled childishly.
Lucy rolled her eyes and held up her arm, making a swan's head "Well I made a swan, and it'll eat your bunny" she told her. Ariel gasped "You're swan can't eat by bunny! Swans don't even eat bunnies. Do they?" she asked. They both stood puzzled "I don't know" Lucy finally answered.
After pondering this for another moment they continued their walk the rest of the way to Mr. Y's house. They remembered where it was from the Christmas party, and though it looked much different without the snow and lights, they knew it was it. They both stood out the door and Ariel looked at the door nervously "You knock on it" she said.
"Me? Why don't you knock on it it was your idea to come here!" she said. Ariel pouted "But what'll we say to him when we get in there?" she asked. Lucy shrugged "How should I know?" they continued arguing until they realized it was dark out. Lucy rolled her eyes and knocked on the door "We'll probably wake him and I'll blame you for it!" she huffed.
They didn't wait long before their was a call from inside for them to enter. Lucy and Ariel both looked at each other before swallowing and entering the house. The house was almost pitch black, and Lucy couldn't help but feel cheated that it was pitch black when she was finally able to see. "Mr. Y?" Ariel called.
He answered them "Ariel? In here!" he called. They followed the sound of his voice to his bedroom, which was quite a bit brighter than the rest of the house. Mr. Y was propped up, a book resting in his lap as he looked up at the two girls standing at his bedroom door.
"Ariel, Lucy, I'm actually glad you're here" he told them. Lucy began to tremble as she examinded Mr. Y closely. He was pale, though he was sitting up, he seemed exhausted and weak, she also noted that he was covered by a lot of blankets, even though the room felt warm all on it's own.
Ariel walked over to Mr. Y's bedside and pulled up a chair casually, Lucy came and stood next to her, but couldn't bring herself to sit down. Mr. Y glanced up at her, looking slightly concerned, but didn't have the strength to argue with her, she didn't look like she'd do as he asked at the moment.
Mr. Y began speaking "Ariel, you, your father, and Mr. De Rossi are going to need to do me a big favor" he told her. Ariel nodded "Oh sure we'll do anything for you Mr. Y!" she replied eagerly, he continued "After today I have to rest and can't go out very much. That means I won't be able to open my park at the beginning of the season. So, I need you three to take charge and open it for me, and keep the park running until I'm able to do so. Can you?" he asked.
She nodded "Oh yes we can. But we don't know how to run the park" she told him, sounding a little nervous, Mr. Y smiled "Don't you worry, tomorrow bring Mr. De Rossi and your father to visit and I shall teach you all how to do yoru jobs" he told her. Lucy was grippinhe back of the chair, keeping herself steady.
Her adopted family was going to run the park? What about her? What was she going to do? Ariel seemed to be thinking the same thing because she spoke up "What about Lucy? What's she gonna do?" she asked. Mr. Y looked up at her, his eyes examining her silently "Lucy you look ill, why don't you have a seat?" he asked. Lucy shook her head and Mr. Y sighed "Lucy, I'm going to need some help personally. While your family and Mr. De Rossi run the park, I'm going to need you inside to help me with paperwork and such".
Lucy began shaking and he held out his hand, beckoning for her to sit on the end of his bed, before she fainted. She quickly took his hand and practically collapsed on his bed, tears causing her vision to become blurry "Mr. Y this is all my fault" she cried for what seemed like the second time that day. He hushed her "Lucy, you're a grown woman now, don't cry. This wasn't your fault" he told her.
She had a hard time believing him, but he squeezed her hand comfortingly "Even if this didn't happen, I would have still needed you and Ariel's help, as well as everyone else's. After all, the city of wonders is for you, it's yours! So you should be helping running it" he explained gently.
Ariel nodded "Yes that sounds fair, what fun would it be to have the whole world and have to run it by yourself?" she asked. Lucy wiped away her tears, still sniffling as Mr. Y closed his eyes for a moment "It's dark out, your father will be worried about you. I would escort you home but..." his voice trailed off and Ariel smiled "Don't worry Mr. Y, we'll get back home alright together won't we Lucy?" she asked.
Lucy nodded "I suppose so" she replied, her voice still trembling slightly. Mr. Y looked at her, sighing "Lucy go home and rest tonight, and report back here tomorrow morning. I still have a lot of work to do and I'm going to need help" he told her. Lucy nodded and sniffled "I'll be here" she promised as they stood.
He smiled at them as he put his book on the bedside table "Well, Good Night then" he said. Ariel and Lucy both smiled and bowed slightly to him, to this he laughed "What has changed here? One moment I'm locked in a cage as a freak with two giggly little girls who would never take an order if their life depended on it, to being the owner of an amusement park, having two beautiful women bow before me ready to serve my every whim". Lucy smiled "We're like family Mr. Y, we'd do anything for you!".
They finally all managed to say their final goodnights before the two girls turned and exited the house. Turning out the remaining lights as per Mr. Y's request. Once they were out the door and a good ways down the sidewalk Ariel sighed "Mr. Y's right, we did all change didn't we?" she asked. Lucy raised an eyebrow "This coming from the one who was amusing herself with shadow puppets a few hours ago" she replied.
Ariel shrugged "Well we didn't get entertainment like that back in the freak show. I say, that this is our last time to get our childish kicks out while we still can" she said. Lucy rolled her eyes "Yea, too bad we won't have time for that anymore" she replied.
When they reached the house, not much to their surprise, they were greeted by a frenzied Mr. Fleck. "Oh thank god I thought you'd gotten lost! I woke and you weren't here and then it was dark and I was about to call the police..." Ariel hugged her father and giggled "We're fine, we were just visiting Mr. Y!" she told him.
Mr. Fleck looked over at Lucy, who'd gone over to the couch and practically fallen asleep already. Ariel yawned and he smiled "You can tell me all about it tomorrow, for now it's time for the two of you to go to sleep. It's late" he told them. Ariel yawned again, and began trekking to her bedroom.
Lucy on the other hand, didn't want to leave her position on the couch. Mr. Fleck sighed and picked her up "You're lucky I'm the world's strongest man or you'd be sleeping on the couch" he teased her. She sighed and snuggled into his shoulder, he put her in bed "Now now, you have to take your lenses out before you go to sleep Lucy" he reminded her gently, handing her the box.
She blinded herself for the night, placing the lenses carefully in the box and setting it on the table between her bed and Ariel's. With that Mr. Fleck kissed them both goodnight and left the room, extinguishing the candle as he left. Lucy immediately began to drift to sleep, but before she could Ariel piped up "Can you imagine? US running our own dream?" she asked.
"No, we're running Mr. Y's dream for us" she replied drowsily. Ariel turned so she was lying facing Lucy "Don't you like his dream for us? It's certainly better than the dream I had" she admitted. Lucy giggled "What was your dream?" she asked, "Maids!" Ariel replied matter of factly.
Ariel and Lucy both laughed "Well, we are both going to do what we SERIOUSLY wanted to do now" she told her. Ariel nodded "Yep, that's right. I'm so excited!" she said. Lucy didn't respond though, she'd already fallen asleep in the middle of their conversation. Ariel huffed before closing her eyes to go to sleep "Fine, just fall asleep then. I'll get you back!" she challenged quietly before following Lucy's example and going to sleep.
Man, I've been trying to find the modivation to write fanfiction but it's just SO HARD! I don't know if it's because I'm so busy lately or what, but definately having trouble finishing. I've started a chapter for like every fic I have going right now, but can't find it in me to finish! What the?
So, everything was just going a little TOO well for my typical liking. You'll find in my writing I like to stir up a lot of drama and have bad things happen. Just remember my first LND story, bad event after bad event. It was almost like taking out all my miserable feelings on my poor characters there.
This story however, I promise will be a lot better. Actually, I have my reasons to doing this to Mr. Y. The first, is to set up when 'Til I hear you sing' occurs. I mean, come on, opening day of his park and he's not even participating in the slightest? There had to be a reason, and well, HERE IT IS! He was too weak to attend, he had to just chill in his little workshop place and watch.
Lucy is also going to have some major quarrels with the diving horses now, after this event. Remember how in the original fic my OC was petrified of the diving horses? Well, this character has now started off in a similar way, however, instead of her fear getting worse, it'll probably fix itself. After all, it's like a rollercoaster. Once you've gone down that 200 ft drop once, it's not so bad doing it again and again.
So, Thanks to my lovely reviewers. And, I really don't know where to go with this story. I mean, I have some ideas but, one of the reasons it's so hard to write is because it's hard coming up with things to happen (Another reason why my writing style consists of numerous bad events, it keeps the story moving one way or another and it's surprisingly easy to write up in a haste). Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA OR WANT SOMETING TO HAPPEN/CHANGE, FEEL FREE TO REVIEW OR MESSAGE ME!
And even if you have no ideas at all, opinions and reviews will be just as nice. They're like modivational cookies for the fanfiction soul! The more I get, the sooner the update'll come! So, thanks to my reviewers again, keep on reviewing! And thanks for reading! Tune in next chapter, where stuff'll happen! I think...
