Tuesday, July 28, 1987
It took Evan and William well over two hours to get the barn ready for Mangle, all the while the eight-year-old kept worrying about her. He didn't like that she had been left all alone in his room for such a long time with nothing to do.
Evan noticed that William similarly had a worried expression on his face, but he knew that it was for an entirely different reason. After all, the boy had brought home an animatronic that would be driven to kill him on sight, and Evan was well aware of how dangerous she could be.
Once the two had finished up in the barn, William went down to the basement while Evan went to fetch Mangle.
Upon returning to his room, Evan found that Mangle was still sulking while lying on top of his bed, facing away from him.
"Mangle?" Evan said as he slowly approached her. "Are you still sad about having to live in the barn?"
"Mm-hm," Mangle whimpered with a nod.
Evan sat down on the side of the bed and gently stroked her head. "Don't worry, it's going to be okay," he reassured her. "The barn is actually really nice now! There's lots of space for us to play, and I even managed to talk Father into giving you a TV, a boombox, and a bunch of music tapes."
Mangle sniffled. "But-ut-ut-ut-ut-ut you're just going to leave me-me-me-me there…"
Evan sighed. "Mangle, I already told you—I'll be with you whenever I can."
"But whene-ne-ne-ne-ne-never you leave, I'll be left all alo-lo-lo-lone…" Mangle whimpered. "What if you go aw-aw-aw-aw-away one day and… and never come back-ack-ack-ack?"
"Don't be silly, of course I'll come back!" Evan reassured her. But when Mangle didn't respond, he got up from the bed and went around it until he was right in front of her. He then knelt down and cupped her face. "Remember what I told you yesterday? I promised I'd never leave you behind, and I meant that."
Finally, Mangle looked him in the eye.
"Look, I know this is scary, Mangle. I'd be scared too, but it'll be okay," Evan said with a comforting smile. "Just please trust me."
Mangle sniffled and thought for a moment, then replied, "Okay… I'll tru-tru-tru-tru-trust you."
Evan smiled at her and stroked her cheek before letting go of her head. He then stood up and walked over to the door, looking back to see that Mangle was following, albeit tentatively.
He led her downstairs, then out of the house, and finally towards the barn, all the while offering reassurances and calming her nerves. Once they reached the barn, Evan opened one of the doors and went inside, then turned around and smiled at Mangle to help her feel safe. She cautiously crawled inside, all the while looking around.
The opposite end of the barn was very reminiscent of parts and service over at Freddy's, but was far better equipped with many more tools, workbenches, and devices. Meanwhile, in the corner to the left of the entrance was a low wooden table with a TV on top of it, and a thick blanket in front of it. In the corner to the right of the entrance was a small cabinet with a boombox and a stack of cassette tapes on it. Between the workshop area, TV corner, and the music corner was a huge, empty space about twice the size of Evan's bedroom.
"What do you think, Mangle?" Evan asked. "It's kinda cozy, huh?"
Mangle just hummed a reply as she crawled further into the barn to take in the view, but she looked noticeably more relaxed.
"So, um, I was thinking that I could bring all of my toys and stuffed animals here. That way, you won't be completely alone while I'm gone," Evan suggested. "And… and maybe I can teach you how to read so that you can read comics and books on your own."
However, as Evan spoke, Mangle's ears drooped and she slowly lowered her head.
Realizing that he wasn't helping her feel better, Evan went quiet and tried to think of something else that might cheer her up. As he did, his eyes were drawn to the digital clock sitting on top of one of the workbenches.
Fidgeting with his fingers, Evan said, "Mangle, I'm so sorry about this, but I have to go. Father wants to see Michael, and I have to come with."
Mangle turned towards him, looking quite distraught. "Please don't go-go-go-go-go!"
Evan gave her a look of sympathy. "I have to. If I don't go, Father will get mad."
He went up to Mangle and hugged her. She leaned into the hug and whimpered, "I don't wanna be alo-lo-lo-lo-lone…"
Evan stroked the back of her head. "I know, but it's just for a while. I'll come back later, okay?"
Mangle sniffled and hummed a reply.
Evan then broke the hug, smiling ruefully as he backed out of the barn. He gave Mangle a little wave as he closed the door. Once it was shut, she could hear him lock it.
Now all alone, Mangle curled up on the floor and quietly sobbed to herself.
As William drove the car, Evan filled him in on what exactly he had told the doctor and the paramedics. However, before going to the hospital, they took a detour to the local McDonald's to get some lunch.
William pulled into the drive-through, but since there were four cars in front of them in the queue, they had to wait for quite a bit before they could order anything. Because of that, Evan decided to finally bring up Mangle's wish.
"Um… Father?" Evan said in a bashful manner as he awkwardly reached into his pocket and pulled out the drawing he had made for Mangle earlier that day. "I wanted to ask you something."
Tapping his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel, William turned to the boy and asked, "What is it, sport?"
Evan unfolded the drawing and handed it to William with some hesitation. "Mangle doesn't just want to be repaired—she wants a more real-looking body like this, and she wants to be able to draw, and to eat food, and to wear clothes."
Overwhelmed, William shook his head in frustration and handed the drawing back to the boy. "Evan, I'm not making this."
Evan frowned and looked at his father with pleading eyes. "Please? It's really important to—"
"I said 'no', Evan!" William snapped, making the boy flinch. "What you're asking for would take many years to achieve, and what I'm currently working on is of far greater importance."
Evan looked down at the drawing with a saddened expression.
William let out a frustrated sigh as he rubbed his forehead. "Look, if this truly is so important to you, I'd be willing to teach you about robotics and mechatronics. I have to teach you how to perform maintenance on your animatronic friend anyway, so I might as well."
Evan looked dejectedly at his father. "B-but you said it would take you years to do this. If that's true, then how could I…?"
William took a deep breath and his expression softened somewhat. He then reached out and rubbed the boy's shoulder. "Listen, sport. If you truly want this, and you're willing to study and work hard, then I promise you that you can make this—" He gestured to the drawing. "—a reality."
Evan considered it carefully, and then finally said, "I really do want this, Father. So… can you teach me?"
William smirked and then ruffled the boy's hair. "Of course, sport. But first, let's get some lunch and go visit Michael."
A little over an hour later, the two arrived at the hospital, where they were met by the doctor Evan had talked to the other day.
"It's good that you're finally here, Mister Afton. But if I may ask, what took you so long? And why didn't you answer any of our calls?" The doctor said with a very disapproving look on his face.
"You must forgive me. Something came up at work, which kept me preoccupied for a few days," William lied.
The doctor raised an eyebrow at that. "And so you left your kids at home unsupervised?"
"Most certainly not!" William replied, feigning offense. "I called our babysitter, Amelia, and asked her to watch them. I can only surmise that she arrived at our residence just after the boys had been taken to the hospital. Since the house was empty, she probably assumed that one of our friends or relatives had taken them and returned home. Regrettably, she failed to inform me of this, but rest assured that she and I will discuss this later."
"I see…" The doctor said with a slight frown. "My apologies then, Mister Afton, but given the circumstances I hope you can understand my reaction."
"But of course! Child neglect isn't something to be taken lightly, after all," William said and then looked down to give Evan a fond smile. "I could never do such a thing to my children." He returned his gaze to the doctor. "Speaking of which, how is Michael doing?"
"His condition is improving, slowly but surely," the doctor replied and then gestured for them to follow as he began to walk through the building. "You'll be happy to hear that he's regained consciousness. However, in his current state he's unable to speak."
"How long will it take for him to recover?" William asked as the doctor led them down a corridor.
"Given the severity of his injuries, it's hard to say for sure," the doctor replied. "Our current estimation is ten to twelve weeks, but even then he'll never be the same."
"And for how long will he have to stay here?" William asked.
"I'd say for about four weeks," the doctor replied. "Ah, here we are."
The doctor entered one of the hospital rooms, gesturing for Evan and William to follow. They both let out a gasp upon seeing Michael lying in a bed and connected to a ventilator as well as various other machines, with casts on both of his arms and bandages covering his head. While he at first seemed to be unconscious, they soon noticed that his eyes were open and that he was looking at them.
William hurriedly went over to the side of the bed. Without thinking, he reached out to touch the fourteen-year-old's cheek, but then stopped himself and retracted his hand. With a look of sympathy, he said, "Oh, Michael… What happened to you?"
Michael turned his eyes towards Evan, who began to fidget under his gaze.
"That is actually something I'd like to talk to you about, Mister Afton," the doctor said with a very serious tone.
"Very well. But for now, we'd appreciate some privacy," William said, glancing back at the doctor briefly.
"I understand," the doctor replied. "I'll check back in with you shortly."
He then took his leave, closing the door on his way out.
William sighed as he regarded his eldest son. "You know, Michael, this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been so insistent on tormenting your little brother. I can only hope that you've learned something from this."
Michael looked away, his eyes filled with pain and regret.
"But there is something you should know," William continued, leaning in closer. "I decided to let Evan keep Mangle."
Shocked, Michael looked back up at William with fearful eyes.
William smirked. "Oh yes. So for your own safety, I strongly advise you to treat your brother nicely from now on."
Once more, Michael looked away in shame.
"And you better not mention her to anyone," William added. "I believe you're old enough to understand what would happen to this family if you did, so be a good boy and keep your mouth shut." His expression then softened somewhat. "With that said, I do hope you feel better soon, and you can look forward to getting a brand new television once you're permitted to go home." He then turned to his youngest son. "Evan, do you have anything you wish to say to your brother?"
Still fidgeting, Evan tentatively approached the other side of the bed. "Um… Michael?" He began as he regarded his older brother with a guilty expression on his face. "Mangle didn't mean to hurt you like this. She just… got angry… and lost control, but she really does feel awful about it. So, um, please get better, and please don't tell anyone about her, okay? I promise she won't do it again."
Michael, meanwhile, refused to even look at Evan as he spoke.
"Now then, why don't we let him rest?" William suggested. He then turned to Michael and said, "I'll come visit you again tomorrow if I can spare the time."
"Bye, Michael," Evan said with a wave before he and William left the room.
Stepping out into the corridor, William folded his arms and took a deep breath. He then looked in Evan's direction, and upon seeing his guilt-ridden expression, he said, "Don't feel bad, sport."
"B-but it's my fault…" Evan replied as tears began to trickle down his cheeks. "If I had just… if I had just told him…"
"Evan…" William knelt down and cupped the boy's face, gently stroking his cheeks as he gave the boy a comforting smile. "None of this is your fault. You couldn't possibly have known that this would happen."
"Yeah, but… it still feels like I'm responsible for what happened…" Evan sobbed.
William went quiet for a moment, and then said, "You remember your fifth birthday?"
"Mm-hm…" Evan sniffled and rubbed his eye.
"Your brother almost killed you that day. If I hadn't walked in on you when I did… you wouldn't be here now," William recalled with a pained expression. "That should've been a wake up call for Michael, and yet he continued to mistreat you. I tried to discipline him, but that didn't seem to work either." He let out a sigh. "I'm not going to say that he deserved this, because he didn't, but he certainly had this coming. I can only hope that he's finally learned his lesson this time."
Evan hummed a reply.
William then looked up to see that the doctor was approaching them. As such, he stood up and pulled out his wallet. He got some change and handed it to Evan before putting his wallet back in his pocket.
"Here you go, sport," William said and ruffled the boy's hair. "Go get yourself something nice in the waiting room and wait for me there while I speak with the doctor."
Evan sniffled as he pocketed the change. "Okay, Father."
The boy then proceeded to go to the waiting room where went up to the vending machines and got himself a coke and a Twix bar. He then took a seat and enjoyed his snack as he waited for his Father.
After a good while, William, with a smug look on his face, finally came to get him.
"Come along, sport. It's time to go home," William said and gestured for the boy to follow him.
"Um, how did the talk go?" Evan asked as the two made their way out of the hospital.
"It went well enough. He just wanted me to clarify some things," William explained as they exited the building. "You won't have to worry about him anymore."
A sense of relief washed over Evan upon hearing that. He knew that his story about it being a bear that had attacked Michael wasn't very believable, but it was the best he could come up with at the time. He wasn't sure what exactly his father had told the doctor, but it must have been convincing, given that he dropped the matter.
The two entered William's car, and as Evan put on his seat belt, the boy said, "I can't wait to get home so I can go be with Mangle."
"Actually, sport, I'd like to give you your first lesson on robotics when we get home," William said. "I have a lot of work to do, so I'd prefer to get it out of the way as soon as possible."
"But Mangle's been alone for a really long time now!" Evan protested. "Can't I at least tell her that we're back?"
"Listen, sport. I have many important things to attend to, so if you want me to teach you, then you need to prioritize it above everything else," William said sternly. "Understood?"
Evan couldn't help but to let out a sigh. "Yes, Father."
William smirked. "Don't be so glum, sport. I know this may be tough now, but I assure you that it'll all be worth it."