Saturday, November 13, 1993
Mike quickly showed Vanna around the little office, particularly the doors. In the final minutes before the power switched over to a generator, she practiced hitting the switches and getting a feel for how fast they moved up and down. Her purse sat on the desk, the spare batteries easily in both of their reach. They each agreed to each take a door to watch, Vanna to the right, Mike to the left. They both kept their flashlights at the ready, ensuring the light switches' redundancy to allow them to save a few scraps of power.
Mike took his usual seat in the sole swivel chair. He noticed his security hat on the desk, with his badge glimmering inside. He mentally gave the janitor a thanks for ensuring he'd be in proper uniform as he quickly pulled them on.
Vanna took a final good look around the office. She examined the "CELEBRATE!" poster, the numerous monitors on the desk, and the children's drawings on the wall. A small squint to glance at the colored wax, to see if it changed.
So far, nothing but smiling children, happy animatronics, present boxes, and cake.
Just in front of the drawings, Vanna noticed the Dulcie toy sitting atop a pile of non-functioning monitors. She smiled a little as she reached to pick up the dusty old pink cupcake. It felt hard in her hands, like resin or plastic. Vanna wiped off the dust, finding a long scratch in the pink paint underneath. She then turned it over, noticing the hole in the bottom. Further investigation showed bits of wiring and metal pieces inside, but it was mostly hollow, like someone gutted it and placed it down here.
Maybe it was once a spare prop for Chica.
The ringing phone caught her attention. Vanna put Dulcie back, then gripped the edge of the desk, leaning over it to glance over at the phone. Mike already stared at it, watching the little red light as he braced himself for what he might hear. When the call finally went to the answering machine and played, it started out with white noise, before a woman's voice came through.
"You've reached the 911 Emergency Hotline," she said. "All circuits are busy right now. Please hold for the next available operator and be prepared to give the nature of your emer-"
More white noise, before the guttural nonsense from the night before filled the room. Vanna winced at the sudden burst of sound, then glanced over at Mike. He hadn't moved, just sat there gripping the armrests as he waited for the next part of the call.
An occasional whispered word came through, in a voice neither Mike nor Vanna recognized.
"...Coming...you…"
Something rang in the background of the call, the sound familiar, but indecipherable. Mike looked to Vanna, uncertain of what to make of it. She shook her head before both of them glanced back at the phone, at the little red light telling them there was more. It flickered for a second. The machine tape made a winding sound, then played the message again.
"It's...for you…"
Sharp gasps cut between the words, someone struggling to breathe. Chimes rang in the background.
Like...a music box?
The winding sound rang again, as if the answering machine attempted to clear its throat.
"It's coming...you," whispered the voice.
Another choked breath. The chimes rang out a familiar stanza:
All around the cobbler's bench. All around the cobbler's bench. All around the cobbler's bench...
The music box played the line continuously, the chimes gradually getting louder. A small, near-hollow thud echoed over the chimes, then a choking sound, as if something grasped the caller's throat even tighter. A final gasp of breath, before a loud crashing sound ended the call.
Vanna felt Mike jump in his seat, her fingers digging a bit into his shoulders. She didn't remember when she let go of the desk to hold onto him for assurance, only that she needed to be closer to him.
Mike pulled from her grasp and turned to left door, gazing out into the dark abyss.
Those chimes…
He peered down the west hall, letting his eyes adjust to the flickering light.
"...Puppet…?"
Nothing passed by the ends of the tables, and the only movement came from some of the stars gently twirling on their strings. No sound entered his ears save for the familiar buzz of the light, the gentle hum of machinery, and the quiet creaks of the building settling in for the night.
Its pinprick eyes lit up, casting a faint glow on the paper it now held in its hands. Glitter softly caught the light, sprinkled over the blue tutu and ballet shoes of the dancer on the card. It scanned the card to commit the image to memory. It then turned it to the back, analyzing the carefully written words.
Vesper,
I never forgot you. I tried to find you. I'm sorry I haven't yet.
I miss you so much, little sister.
I love you, and always will.
Love, Vanna
P.S. I'm coming. Please hold on.
The words entered its data bank. The Puppet allowed them to process, taking in the message and storing it with the image of the ballerina. It perked afterwards, listening.
And took in the echoes of a crying child.
Do not cry, little one, it said, gently. Have I not promised to make it right?
The Puppet's eyes flickered as it took in the words only it could hear.
You have already waited so long, it continued. You need wait only a little longer.
It gently set the card down against one side of the box, showcasing it as best as possible. It then dug into the drawing pile until it found the one of itself in its box with a frown and tears arcing out from its eyes, and a little girl with black pigtails standing beside it. The Puppet carefully set it beside the card. The girl in the drawing wore a blue crayon tutu.
Two little ballerinas in blue.
Two little girls reuniting.
Some marionettes must see their strings for themselves and follow them. She felt their tug, and she came to find you, just as he came to find him.
The crying settled down as the top of the box opened. It peered out into the dining room, then towards the back corner where the backstage door remained open ajar.
Slowly, the Puppet reached out of the box, its three long fingers clawing at the tile below. Head and chest followed, before it dragged its body forward. As it slipped along the floor, it watched its speed, the lid of the box closing gently as it pulled the stumps of its legs out from underneath it.
It crawled along the floor, weaving between the tables as it pulled itself toward the backstage room. The Puppet quickly passed the main stage, where its friends remained for another moment. Afterwards, it floated into the back room.
The old suit still rested on the table, unplugged and still in standby as it left it two hours ago, when the day guard left and the old man was distracted with cleaning the alcove. The Puppet looked up in the far corner, watching for the little red light on the security camera. Satisfied upon seeing nothing, it approached Spring Bonnie and gently set its hand over his.
You were never forgotten, it said, quietly. Wake, and try to remember.
It gave the other animatronic a moment to process the command. Two bright pinpricks lit up behind the silver discs, then faded just as quickly.
Satisfied, the Puppet turned to go, quietly making its way back into the dining room. From down the west hall, its internal microphones picked up a soft sound.
"...Puppet…?"
It recognized the night guard's voice.
And only gave a soft chime in return.
For a long moment, Mike watched for robotic movement down the hall and listened for any metal scratches on the tile. He thought he heard chimes, but they were so faint, he might have imagined them. One tablecloth fluttered slightly, but stilled almost a second later, making him question if he saw anything at all. After some hesitant confirmation that none of them were coming for him, he ducked back into the office to find Vanna at the right door, still checking as well.
Her flashlight beam shone from the right window, revealing the tops of some of the posters in the east hall and the occasional glimmer of a ceiling star. Mike took his seat and turned on the one working monitor just as she clicked the flashlight off and re-entered the room. Vanna knelt beside him, watching the screens as he changed views.
"...Are they coming?" she whispered.
The camera always defaulted to the stage show, where the band still stood. He flipped the view to 1C to check Pirate Cove, and let out a small breath of relief to see nothing but closed purple curtains.
"No," Mike said quietly. "Not yet."
"Then what do we do?" she asked. "Do we wait? Just...watch the doors?"
"It's all we can do for now."
He glanced up at the drawings on the wall, particularly the one of the purple Bonnie popping out of the present box.
She fought the hardest, Puppet told him before.
Bonnie? The woman all the rabbits were named for?
"That, and just...keep an open mind," Mike reminded her. "Only people who want to hear them will."
Vanna nodded and carefully stepped back over to the right door frame. She shone the flashlight down the hall again. The bright light at the end blocked some of her vision, but she saw the edges of some of the tables at the end of it, and the three band posters directly across from the office. Her hand hovered over the door switch, ready to smack it down if she saw one of them get too close.
Mike shut off the monitor, then turned to the open left door, his flashlight on and already shining over the checkered tiles. He listened for movement, and even more for voices.
And speaking of voices, he realized the Puppet never answered him.
"She came to help," he called, his voice just loud enough to echo down the hall. "She remembers, and she's looking."
Mike waited a moment, hoping for an answer. Only the distinct sound of padded footsteps in the dining room met his ears, telling him that at least one of them finally moved. He kept his hand near the red door switch.
Behind him, Vanna perked suddenly, shining her flashlight into the east hall corner.
Only the rules poster came into view.
"Mike?" she whispered, moving the flashlight back down to the other end of the hall.
Nothing but the light and the edges of the tables.
"Do you hear that?"
Mike held still, listening to the building's ambience. Aside from the footsteps in the dining room, he heard the light, the fan, and the weird lurching that he liked to pretend was just the building settling down.
"Hear what?"
Had Puppet answered, and he somehow missed it?
"...Crying," Vanna said, quietly.
Her mind went to that strange sound she heard in her apartment earlier. This sounded similar, but unlike the ambiguity of joy or sorrow, a child very clearly wept. The sound carried down the right hallway.
Mike held his breath and listened, trying to pick it out.
Nothing.
"No," he answered. "I don't hear anything."
Vanna kept the flashlight aimed down the hall. She gasped a bit and ducked back into the office as Bonnie walked into the beam, then reached behind her to slam down on the door switch. In her haste, she hit the light instead, illuminating the hallway.
In the flickering light, the posters just outside the office changed.
Freddy and Bonnie both turned gold, with Freddy's trademark top hat and both of their bowties now purple. Bonnie had an additional purple bow around his right ear, his red eyes now green with long lashes.
And instead of Chica, the Puppet stared back at her.
Vanna caught a glimpse of them as she quickly stepped back inside. Only the Bonnie poster remained in her view, once again purple with red eyes and a red bowtie, the extra bow and eyelashes now gone.
A hand on her shoulder made her jump. Vanna turned, relieved to see that it was only Mike.
"Vanna?" he asked, trying not to look concerned. "What happened?"
"I-I don't know!" Vanna exclaimed. "The pictures-!"
Mike took a quick glance into the hall, in time to see Bonnie's purple back and tail as he headed back into the dining room. Upon seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he hit the light switch to turn it off and save a bit of power.
"I believe you."
Vanna swallowed hard and nodded as Mike did a quick roll call on the cameras. Neither of them dared to breathe until he confirmed all of the animatronics were still on the other side of the building.
"Just...fuck, Mike," Vanna said, when they had relative safety once more. "I know you warned me, but-"
"-You have to see it for yourself," he whispered, making a quick check of the left hallway. "I get it. That's how it started with me."
Nothing out of the ordinary appeared for him, only the drawings on the wall and the Freddy poster in the far corner. That the hall remained silent unnerved him.
Mike ducked back into the office, and made a quick check to Cam 1C to make sure Foxy stayed put. For a moment, at least, they had nothing to worry about.
"What did you see?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Fredbear," Vanna said, simply. "Bonnie. The original one. And Puppet."
She peered out of the right door, her hand hovering over the door switch just in case. Vanna shone her flashlight down the hall, keeping her eyes toward the floor to look for animatronic feet as to not be blinded by the bright emergency light that hung so inconveniently right there. Upon confirming nothing coming into the east hallway, she turned back to Mike.
"...Why did I see Puppet?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" Mike asked. "Is it out there?"
"No," Vanna clarified. "The posters. Fredbear, Spring Bonnie, Puppet. The first two, I get."
"And you're sure Puppet wasn't around at Fredbear's?"
"There was a balloon station where the present box is now," Vanna explained. "Trust me, it wasn't-"
Something passed behind Mike. Vanna quickly pushed him aside, reaching out to slam the red door switch. Just as her fingers grazed it, she made out a little shadow just leaving the door frame, too small and light to be an animatronic.
A soft giggle accompanied it.
The left door came down half a second later, the switch now engaged. Vanna kept her hand pressed against it, staring at the large metal door. The sound of the metal door clicking shut rang in her ears as she processed one crucial detail:
The shadow came from the west hall corner.
And none of them left the dining room yet.
"...Mike," she whispered. "Roll call."
"What did you-?"
"Just do it!"
Mike quickly turned on the monitor and flipped through the views. Foxy peeked out of the curtains. Bonnie and Chica started their usual dining room dance. Spring Bonnie lied on the table. And Freddy stared up at them from the stage.
"None of them are close," he confirmed.
Vanna nodded, and hesitantly hit the left door switch to open it again, her flashlight held up like a club. Only upon seeing the empty hallway did she lower it.
"...I saw something," she explained. "It ran that way."
She leaned out into the hall and pointed her flashlight in the direction of the dining room. Mike peered out with her. In the flashlight's beam, Chica walked into view, causing both of them to duck back again. Vanna kept the beam shining down the hall while Mike readied himself to press the switch.
Chica stood at the west hall entrance, clicking her beak. Her purple eyes shone in the bright light, wide and almost wild. After seemingly considering it, she turned to walk out of view.
Safe again, Vanna turned off the flashlight and pulled herself back into the office. Ever vigilant, Mike ran over to the right door to verify the east hall was clear too.
Nothing so far.
He took his seat at the desk while Vanna resumed her post at the right door.
"What did you see, exactly?" he asked.
Vanna turned on her flashlight, carefully peering out into the hall again.
"I don't know," she answered. "It was small and quick. Maybe…"
The east hall's emergency light flickered for a moment.
"...Maybe it was a ghost."
Mike watched her for a moment, then turned to the monitor. He flicked the screen on and began marking each animatronic's location: Freddy onstage. Chica and Bonnie on opposite ends of the dining room. The creepy masks stared at him from the back room, and Foxy still peered from the curtains at Pirate Cove. Everyone accounted for, except…
...Except…
Mike quickly turned back to the backstage room. All the masks stared up at him...but no silver eyes. The table stood empty, the wooden slab reflecting some light from the dining room.
Spring Bonnie finally moved.