Hello, guardians of Middle Earth! Lady Mayflower of Rivendell has arrived to cordially invite you to-wait, no, wrong fandom. Sorry, hobbits are things.

You know what else are things? Children trapped in basements trying to escape the deluded wrath of their overly-religious mothers! :D #totallyasegue So, uh, who's ready to go onto Chapter 3? I totally am. So let's get to it!

Obtained Item: Christmas Vacation! ...I mean disclaimers!
The Binding of Isaac, including all related characters (c) Edmund McMillen, because he's awesome.
Original story of 'the binding of Isaac' (c) Genesis 22, not that it applies.

Chapter 2: Sweet, Sweet Magdelene

Case Study: Isaac Peterson, Day 5

Isaac is extremely uncomfortable when I mention girls. His mother is an entirely-different case that I've tried not to touch on, but girls in general seem to make Isaac squirm. For example, when I asked him if he had been in any relationships, there was a split second where he looked disgusted at the thought.

I try not to make such intimate assumptions of my patients, but Isaac seems to have a strange history of gender confusion. While discussing his childhood over the past few sessions, Isaac has revealed to me that he was a pageant boy. Not a boy who would compete against the girls, but a child crossdresser. He blushed heavily as he told the stories of his mother putting him in a curly blonde wig and putting him into pageants.

Embarrassing, yes. Likely the source of his childhood bullying, yes. "But Maggy loves dressing up for the crowd." Aha.

But back to today's session. I told you that story to tell you this one. See, when I asked Isaac of his past girlfriends, he told me there had been only one - a young girl he attended school with, right before the tragedy struck...

xxx

Mary Shiloh was an angel. She had a pretty face, despite her crooked smile of baby teeth that refused to fall, and long, pin-straight brunette hair. She also had big, blue eyes that were always full of sparkle and life. And she was a sweetheart. Like most of the homes in the town, the Shiloh household was devoutly religious. Mary never swore or raised her voice, and always sat with her legs crossed and hands folded like a lady.

Isaac adored her, even beyond being the only friend he really had. Every day, he would bring her flowers and pictures, whatever he could manage to win her young affections. She came over every Wednesday after school to play with the animals, then walked with Isaac and his mother to the evening service. He would listen to his mother and hers gossip on the phone, joking about the day they would sit together in the church and watch their babies walk down the aisle.

One Wednesday, though, Mary was sick from school, so Isaac headed home alone. Bethany thought this would be the perfect opportunity to fix Isaac's dress, which got a bit torn when he fell down the stairs at their last pageant.

So there they were, Isaac up on a stepstool in his bright red heels and curly blonde wig, and Bethany pinning and tucking away at the ruffled pink sheath he was wearing. "Are you done yet?" Isaac whined for the hundredth time, blowing another faux curl out of his face. "I wanna go play!"

"Almost, sweetie, now quit squirming," Bethany tsked, putting the last few pins in place. Before she could finish, though, a few yowls and barks from outside stopped her. "Oh, for goodness sake!" With a frustrated sigh, she got up and headed outside. "Tammy! Guppy! You two leave that dog alone, you hear me?!"

Isaac continued to fidget with his dress. He didn't mind it normally, but with all of the pins it currently held, it was quite uncomfortable. Not to mention, it was hot with his wig on.

On top of that, there was always a sense of...embarrassment? Shame? Confusion? Whatever it was, Isaac's stomach always got queasy as he donned his Magdalene costume. (Maggy was his pageant name.) His father despised his mother's pageant dreams, always yelling at Isaac to be a boy and do more boy-things. What WERE boy-things, anyway? Playing with those mean bullies and being hit in the face with dodgeballs? No thanks.

For the most part, though, this was Isaac's secret. Nobody but his pets and parents knew.

"Uhm...excuse me?"

Until today.

Isaac couldn't bear to turn around. Why here? Why now? "I'm looking for Isaac. Are...you his sister?"

With a nervous breath, Isaac turned to face the little Shiloh girl he was always trying so hard to impress. "Uhm...h-hi, Mary. W-What're you doin' here?"

xxx

Isaac ran straight to his room after the evening service. He hadn't said a word all night, just sat with puffy eyes and watched as Mary ran straight to her mother, immediately divulging what she had seen. "Mommy, I don't want to go play with Isaac anymore."

And that was it. Mary ran off with her other friends, and Isaac would never see her again.

Other friends. Mary had them, of course. Isaac never knew the luxury.

Once back in the safety of his bedroom, Isaac shut and locked the door, then crashed onto his bed and sobbed. Guppy hopped up onto the headboard, giving a soft mewl to console her favorite owner, but Isaac shooed her away. He didn't need comforting; he needed Mary back.

Sadness turning to rage, Isaac got up and grabbed the blasted blonde wig, the curse that had spoiled his chance at happiness. "Stupid wig! Now Mary thinks I'm a girl, and now she's never gonna like me!"

Isaac put on the bouncing curls, tearfully glaring at his reflection. "Maybe I should just be a girl," he pouted. "Least the girls would stop thinkin' I'm such a weirdo."

But that wouldn't solve the problem at all, would it? No, Isaac most definitely had to remain a boy.

And Mary Shiloh had to learn a lesson.

xxx

Mary Shiloh was very meticulous with her bedtime routine. She had to brush her hair until it was perfectly straight, then brush her teeth for precisely ninety seconds. She poured herself a glass of water, then curled up in her bed and waited for her mother to wind up her music box and kiss her good night.

Tonight was different. When she returned to her bedroom with a glass of water, the music box was already playing. Blue eyes narrowed at the sour thought of someone spoiling her routine, Mary put down her water, then closely examined her nightstand. The music box continued to churn the same tinny tune she was so accustomed to, ever since she received the present from her last birthday.

"Hmm. That's weird. Who wound up my music box?"

Mary seized with a cry of pain as a shooting pain stabbed through her back. She couldn't bring herself to look down, but could feel the blood staining her Sleeping Beauty nightgown without having to see it. She couldn't bring herself to do anything, really. She was paralyzed, whether it was because of the knife in her back or the fear of dying.

Her blue eyes went wide when a blonde-haired Isaac stepped in front of her, tapping his bright red heels as he pulled the knife from her back.

"I thought we were friends, Mary."

The soft sounds of blade through flesh were hidden under the tingle of Mary's music box, so Isaac was free to carve away at her chest until her bloody, faltering heart was exposed. So the temporarily-blonde tore out the failing organ, taking a bite out of it as he climbed out the window and started the trek back up to his home.

"Guess I'll have to take back that heart I gave you."

xxx

ADDENDUM: Once again, Isaac is mis-remembering events and embellishing them with gruesome details. Note to check on the status of Mary Shiloh to discover what REALLY happened that night, if anything happened at all.

Isaac is much more delicate than I had originally thought. I must proceed my investigation with caution.

Thanks again for reading, guys! Hope you all are enjoying it! :)

§ Tucker's Mayflower, signing off! §