Nearly captured

It was a busy day for Fakir again. His deadline was coming up, but he was not sure what to write! 'Dammed, why can't I come up with an idea?' He thought and stood up.

"I'm going away for a walk." He said to Duck who gave him a surprised look. "Maybe I can get some inspiration."

It was a peaceful Sunday and there hardly was anyone around. Fakir strolled through the streets. In his thoughts was nothing what could help him to come up with a story. At the end of the street there was a playground. Fakir walked to it and looked absently at the playing children. He thought of Uzura. She acted more and more like a three-year-old lately. Was that because she had now a friend who was that age, or was it because she couldn't be like that before she lived with Duck and him? He wondered. Did she want a child-live like everyone else all along? Yesterday she had asked him if she could call him her daddy and he was sorry for his rude reaction, he just didn't know what to say. He hadn't said no, but not yes either. Suddenly he thought of something: I will write a story for Uzura. I can write it again and publish the copy. It was a perfect plan, he could read that for Uzura to make it up to her and he had now a story to write. 'But what kind of story will it be?' He couldn't ask Uzura, because then it wouldn't be a surprise. He decided to think about it at home and not to worry too much.

At home he sat at the table again, he thought and thought. Duck went to sat down right in front of him. That was no help at all, her beautiful, worried eyes drew too much of his attention. "How can I help you Fakir, please tell me." She kept on asking.

"I'm afraid you can't help me." Fakir replied without looking at her face.

"What is it, tell me Fakir." She bowed over the table and looked at him with a stubborn face. Fakir looked around, Uzura was nowhere to be seen.

"I want to write a story for Uzura, but I don't know what kind of story it has to be." Duck stared for a minute at him and blinked a few times with her eyes. Then a huge smile appeared.

"What a great idea." She said with a soft voice. She then looked seriously. What kind of story will it be? She thought for a moment. "I know!" Cried she and stood up.

"Ssssht!" Fakir hissed startled.

"Sorry." Duck whispered and sat down again. "You can write about us." She whispered. "You know, things she can recognize."

"But how must I end it?" Wondered Fakir.

Duck stood up again and started pacing behind him. "Just end it how you want it to end." She said cheerfully and she lay her hand on his shoulder for a minute. Fakir, who didn't expect this kind of treatment from Duck, was stunned. He had expected more a hug or a quick kiss like she did recently. He didn't like this cold treatment at all.

A few days passed by and one night Duck had a bad dream. In the dream she sat in front of Drosselmeyer in his time-chamber. Drosselmeyer told her that she wasn't with Mytho. "You are still in love with him, aren't you? Of course you are happy for Rue, but in your heart you are in pain." He said grinning.

"That's not true!" Shouted Duck, she couldn't bare such lies. She didn't know where to start, she wanted to tell Drosselmeyer the whole truth. "I have no feelings for Mytho anymore, his marriage to Rue means nothing to me! Why should I still be sad about it, I have Fakir! I-."

"Precisely." Interrupted Drosselmeyer. "This is what you are telling yourself, you want to belief that you finally found your happiness and that you love him more than you ever loved the prince. The truth is that you are using him for your own good."

The tears were dripping over Duck's cheeks. "That's a lie!" She shouted miserably. "I love Fakir, with my whole heart! I would never use him. He gave me happiness by promising me that he would stay by my side forever! I want to live with him and together with him I want to take care of Uzura, like a real family. That would be my happy ending!"

Drosselmeyer laughed loudly and shook his head. "No, no, that's impossible, your happy ending has been lost long ago."

His horrible laughter resounded still in Duck's head when she woke up. The tears were dripping from her cheeks.

Fakir stared at his book, it was finished. It was Saturday afternoon, three weeks had passed. He just looked at the clock when Duck stormed into the room. "Fakir, are you still here? You had to pick up Uzura from school today. Hurry, if you aren't there, I'm afraid she will be coming home alone. That's dangerous!" Duck took hardly time to breath. Quickly Fakir stood up and ran out of the house. "Please, don't read my story!" He cried to Duck before he slammed the door behind him.

Luckily, it wasn't far to Uzura's school. How could he forget this? Uzura mustn't go home alone, otherwise that stranger would catch her. Fakir was furious at himself. Great father am I. He thought while he ran as fast as he could. Uzura tries her best to fit into this world and what am I doing? I ignore the fact that she needs me! Only because I am a big coward! It started to rain a little, he ran around the last corner and saw he with dismay that he was too late. "Uzura!" Fakir cried and ran to the place where the little doll lay in the mud. She struggled, thin strong strings where bound around her ankles and tried to pull her with them. Fakir didn't hesitate. He threw himself on the ground and took all the strings at once and pulled. Strangely they gave no resistance. Three motionless marionettes appeared at the end of the strings.

When Fakir took a closer look at the puppets, the puppets jumped up and tried to attack him. Fakir gave a yell and slapped in one move the puppets' heads from their bodies. He took Uzura and ran off, as fast as his legs could carry him. After a few minutes he looked behind him, there were no puppets around. He let go of Uzura, he set her down on the ground and looked at her with great worry. "I'm so sorry Uzura, are you okay?"

Uzura looked for a while at him with her big eyes, but then she started to cry. Fakir went crouched down and took her in his arms. He felt awful, he had never seen Uzura this sad and scared. It broke his heart. Uzura wasn't a doll that always smiled at you, she was in fact a orphan who wanted to have a mother and father, like other kids. A mother and father where she, when something went wrong, could find protection. Fakir looked into Uzura's tearful eyes. "Climb on my shoulders." He said softly. "Daddy will bring you home, Uzura." Uzura looked at him with big eyes and smiled a bit again. She climbed on Fakirs shoulders and they went home. "I'm so sorry Uzura." Whispered Fakir again during their walk home.

"Don't worry-zura." Uzura answered. "I'm not angry-zura."

"That's not it." Said Fakir. "I have been so selfish and rude to you. You deserve a much better father than I ever will be. I'm just a coward!" Fakir felt that Uzura laid her head against his. "Daddy." She said and after a short pause she followed: "I get it-zura. Don't worry." Fakir got a lump in his throat and couldn't say anything during the rest of the way home.

Duck was really shocked when she saw the tearful, muddy face of Uzura. Uzura climbed off Fakirs shoulders into Duck's arms, she smiled, that was a real relief to Duck. "Don't worry mommy-zura. Smiled Uzura. Daddy saved me-zura." The fact that Uzura called Fakir daddy made Duck curious and she looked at Fakir. Duck was extremely happy to see a smile on his face.

"What happened?" She wanted to know.

"I'll tell you." Said Fakir. "But maybe it will be better if I tell you that in private in my room."

Although Duck didn't get why it had to be private, she nodded. "Uzura." She said to Uzura when she set her down. "We'll be back in a moment, behave yourself and don't drum, okay?" Uzura also didn't get it why she had to stay downstairs, but she did what Duck told her to.

Duck followed Fakir to his room. She closed the door behind her and sat down on Fakirs' bed. Fakir sat down next to her. Duck decided to start the conversation by asking him why Uzura had to stay downstairs. Fakir replied that he thought it was easier to talk about Uzura's situation without having her around. Duck thought this answer quite logic. "Uzura lay on the ground in the rain, when I found her." Fakir started. "She had strings around her ankles which tried to pull her with them. I got to her, took the strings and pulled three motionless marionettes out of the bushes. When I looked at them closer they jumped up and tried to attack me. I beat them up and fled with Uzura, they didn't follow us at all."

"What are we suppose to do now? We know now for sure that the one who is behind the thefts is the same as the one who is after Uzura and that is the stranger." Said Duck gloomy.

"I'll discuss this matter with Mytho, together we will find his house. At the house I'll search for evidence and go to the police. He gave her a encouraging gaze. Duck nodded and stood up. "During that time, I'll look after Uzura as good as I can and I'll tell Rue about it too. You can count on me Fakir!"

"Thank you Duck." Fakir said warmly. Surprised turned Duck to him. "Don't be stupid to think you're the only own who is responsible!" She cried suddenly. Uzura is my daughter too, you know!" Fakir looked at her with a really weird face and Duck laughed at him. A moment of silence followed and Ahiru just thought of leaving when Fakir said something. "I saw that you didn't read my story. Thank you."

Duck looked surprised. "Oh, yes." She whispered and she looked at the ground. "I thought you might get angry if I did." She waited a moment before she followed with a red face: "I-I don't want to fight with you Fakir, I want you to look at me with your smile." Fakir stood up. Duck felt him wrapping his arms around her.

"I won't fight with you Duck, I promise." He whispered in her ear. Duck was really happy but the dream of Drosselmeyer came back in her head. She began to cry silently. She felt that Fakir would let go and held her arms around him tightly.

"Don't let go." She sobbed. "Please I will be fine, just stay here with me. I had a bad dream last night, that's all."

So Fakir stayed and asked: "What dream?" Duck began to tell him about what Drosselmeyer said to her. When she came to the part where Drosselmeyer said that she was using Fakir for her own good, she couldn't say anything anymore and started to cry very loudly. Fakir was making it even worse when he said that he understood her.

"No, you don't." She cried. "I feel nothing for Mytho anymore. I am not using you!" Duck tried to tell him that she loved him and not Mytho, but she couldn't get it over her lips. "I-I want to stay with you, that has nothing to do with his marriage, believe me!" Fakir lay his chin on her shoulder to let her know that he understood her. "Fakir I…I" She tried again but it was no use. Was it because Drosselmeyer had still some power over her or was it because she didn't dare? Even though she couldn't confess her love for Fakir she had won a little bit of that happiness today, that happy ending which Drosselmeyer thought to be impossible.