Hieronymus Boosh
by AnitaLife
Part 12
It Takes Two, to Make a Dream Come True
There was a reason behind Vince's puzzling truculence. Chloe's folks had a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve. Vince had been freed from his box the night before Howard and company since Chloe happened to choose his box. He could still see the expression on her face when she first saw him and it embodied pure, instant, unconditional love. She pulled him out of his pretty package with care, then held him to her heart with delight and danced around the room with unadulterated adoration.
"Mum, he's so beautiful and I love him," Chloe squealed. "He's the most beautiful doll I've ever seen!"
At that moment Vince felt more loved than he had ever been in his life. He was accepted and treasured, which was far from the uneasy cold shoulder he had been receiving from Howard. There was no longer any need to strive for fame and fortune. He had everything he needed right there in that little girl. When he met the other dolls, he was immediately accepted and loved by them. There was no more rejection of any kind. It was heady stuff.
"What's going on?" Naboo asked.
"He won't come back, Naboo," Howard stated. "I don't know what to do."
"We'll get to the bottom of this," Naboo told him.
Naboo pulled out his Opal, and looked into it, suddenly enlightened as to Vince's motivations.
"Howard, take my hand," Naboo ordered.
"What?" Howard said, puzzled and slow.
Naboo grabbed Howard's hand, and Howard then understood all thanks to the Opal. He could see into Vince's mind, such as it was, but the information spurred him on.
With renewed vigor, Howard went to Vince, attempting to bring him back.
"What did you see when you looked into the Snow Globe?"
Howard's question caught Vince up short. Naboo and Bollo exchanged puzzled glances.
"I…I don't remember," Vince lied.
"I know what you saw Vince," Howard said to him. "I know what you saw because it's the same thing I saw, your deepest longing."
A tiny ray of sun light shown through the slats on the window. The sun had risen, and their time was diminishing quickly.
"Howard, Vince, we have got to go. Now!" Naboo insisted.
The rag-tag action figure army was ready to escort the group to wherever they needed to go.
"Vince! What did you see?" Howard tried again.
"Now, Howard!" Naboo insisted.
Chloe was stirring in her sleep, about to wake up.
Howard sighed, defeated in the face of Vince's decision.
"Dolls get old, Vince. They get discarded, used up, forgotten and put into jumble sales!" Howard told him desperately.
Vince ignored Howard and continued the tea party. A glamorous blonde fashion doll had attached herself to his arm, and there appeared to be some animosity flaring up between her and the much older patchy red-head. Vince assured them that they could all work it out.
"The girl Chloe and the dolls, they only want you because you're beautiful!" Howard blurted to Vince, who didn't appear to hear him.
With no response from Vince, Howard turned and began to go with the group.
"I only want you because you're you," Howard said quietly, dejectedly to no one in particular.
Howard began walking off with the group. He turned and looked at Vince who was laughing and enjoying himself, apparently oblivious to Howard's angst. Howard tried to go forward, but stopped, frozen in his tracks. He had tried to leave Vince there, but found could not.
"Now what?" Naboo asked, as he realized Howard was dragging his feet.
"Go on without me, Naboo," Howard said. "I'm staying with him."
"Oh no! Howard, you'll be a toy in hours! You and Vince!" Naboo warned.
When Naboo showed him the Opal, Howard found out what Vince had seen when he looked into the Snow Globe. It was easy since it was exactly what Howard saw in the Globe.
When Howard first looked into the intoxicating magic Snow Globe, he saw a promise of fame, approval and regard. He thought that was his deepest desire. But, as he continued to view it each day, something changed. Slowly images of Vince crept into the picture. Every time he stared into it, he saw the two of them, crimping, playing, talking, just being with one another. He saw that his longing was for his best mate, not for fortune, fame or praise.
In the instant before he was taken into the Globe, Vince was inundated by the same images of their friendship. The difference was that he was afraid it was lost forever all over a stupid prank.
Through the Snow Globe, Howard realized that he and Vince were soul mates. Now through the Opal, Howard knew that Vince knew it too. He could not believe that the thought had never crossed his mind before, but they were just so natural together they took it all for granted. Besides, they were both fairly dense and needed the obvious spelled out for them with pictures drawn in crayons.
It no longer mattered to Howard where he was as long as he was with Vince. He would spend a year, maybe two with Vince until they were no longer wanted by the girl. He would rather be with Vince for a short time under any circumstances than a lifetime away. He would take his chances with the evil Toy Maker.
Naboo sighed. "Bollo and I have to get out of here. If you stay, there's nothing I can do for you," Naboo informed Howard. "But, take this Opal for good luck."
"I get it. It's imbued with magic powers," Howard said knowingly. "Will it save us at the last minute?"
"I doubt it."
"Huh?"
"It's a fake," Naboo lisped. "Got it at a jumble sale."
"What?" Howard was puzzled. The stone did seem to have some kind of magic in it and he thought he heard Naboo call it a magic stone.
"Oh, here's an apron Howard. Good luck." Naboo removed his frilly apron and handed it to Howard. He gathered Bollo and with the troop they all took off, presumably to return to their world.
Howard shook his head and went to sit with Vince and the ladies. He held the useless Opal in his hand stared at it for a minute before slipping it into his uniform.
"Hey Howard," Vince greeted and smiled a little bit more, though his face was fast becoming a rigid mask of a gigantic smile. He resembled Mr. Punch more and more.
"Hey Vince," Howard said, as he tied on the apron. Why not? He already felt like a fool. Might as well go whole hog.
"Howard, what did you just say back there? I mean, after you said they only want me because I'm…"
"Nothing, Vince. Nothing at all."
"I thought you said that you wanted me because…"
"You're hearing's gone wrong too," Howard growled.
Vince smiled, knowingly. There was absolutely nothing wrong with his hearing.
Sunlight now flooded the room, showing the colorful plastic world they now inhabited. Chloe woke up and immediately went to her lovely new toys. The group was immobilized and Howard knew they would be here forever.
"Good morning, my precious little Harlequin!" she said, as she scooped Vince into her arms. "Oh my!" she said, as she looked at Howard. "How did you get in here?"
She grabbed Howard and ran into her brother's room and deposited him among the motley group of warriors. Chloe did not want the funny looking soldier doll.
Howard thought of the old saying, "The more things changed, the more they remained the same." Howard now knew that he would not be with Vince after all, at least not very often.
Walter was awake, so Howard was unable to move, but Howard still felt a deep sense of depression.
With a puff of blackened smoke the Toy Maker appeared to Howard but was invisible to Walter, who was slowly getting ready for breakfast.
"Excellent! You're coming along nicely!" he gloated as he poked Howard's arms and stomach as if testing a fruit for ripeness. "I had my misgivings about you Howard, but I do believe you and the Harlequin are my finest work to date! I shall have to enter you for consideration at the next Golem Consortium. I do so adore homunculi, don't you? Yes! To you, that means inanimate figures that have a spirit trapped inside!"
At that moment, Walter bolted from the room, freeing Howard to move. Howard used that ability to lunge toward the Demon, but found his new friends held him back.
"Don't do it, Howard!" the Marine told him. "He can really hurt you!"
Howard wanted to grab the smug Demon by the throat and wring it until he choked him to death, but his new friends would not permit it.
"You would not believe what Agony Administration Level 2, in which I earned the only perfect score of my class, would permit me to do to you."
"Let us go, or I'll…" Howard said with frustration.
"You'll what? Mmm?" The Toymaker sighed with boredom. "Now, let's get down to cases. I'm here to give you your first instructions!"
"Instructions? You think I'm going to do anything at all that you want me to do?"
"Yes. I do."
"Never!"
"It's simple. So simple even you and Vince can understand. You must kill the boy. Walter is it? You don't mind, do you?" he purred.
Howard was horrified. He could no more harm a child than he could set fire to the Nabootique or hurt Vince.
"I'll have the little Harlequin kill the girl child," the Toy Maker said flatly, as he examined his nails nonchalantly. The Toy Maker waved his hands at Howard.
"No!" Howard wanted to scream, but found he could not. He was in thrall to the Toy Maker's will.
"When you're both done, which should be by midnight, I have a long list of annoying children that must be eliminated."
Things were looking down.
tbc…
Thanks for the R&R and encouragement! You keep me going.
