Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I've always been a happy child.

Because everything's fine!

The orphanage I live in has kindly caretakers who are always looking out for me.

Also a nice girl who loves playing pretend with lots of other kids!

Even though none of them talk to me anymore.

Or anyone at all.

And haven't spoken a single word for a very long time...

But that's okay! Especially when a new girl floating in a balloon falls from the sky.

She wears a lovely yellow raincoat.

Likes to play hide and seek.

And also keep away from everyone else.

Including me!

Running along a path together and playing tag, she slams a shed door in my face.

Now I have to run away through prickly brambles!

The thorns are hurt-

The thorns are sting-

The thorns are tear-

...

The thorns are tickling my skin until I bleed...

And that's fine too!

Because finding my new friend is all that really matters!

Oh look! She's over there, climbing down a hill.

She's moving fast and the pretending girl is crawling down too, hot on her heals.

They must be having some sort of race.

I should join as well!

The new girl is nice, pushing down a tree so I can cross a gap and reach the finish line first, over by the cliff.

I'm all too happy to return the favor!

Shoving against a heavy rock, I pull a fast one and lightly bonk the pretending girl on top of her silly head.

The new girl wins!

She stands by the cliff's edge, looking up at me, feeling afrai-

She looks up at me with a great big smile, feeling thankful.

I'm happy for her.

Even the pretending girl is happy for the new girl too.

She wakes up, jumps forward, and tries to wrap her hands around the new girl's neck in a tight hug!

Finally friends, those clumsy two slip off the cliff.

They fall.

And fall.

And fall.

Until they hit the water far below with a great big splash!

I can only see a floating yellow raincoat.

Neither of them ever swim back up to the surface again.

They must be playing another kind of game!

They're both okay...

They have to be...

I'm sure...

Everything's fine.

Chapter Text

I'm still a happy child.

Because everything's still fine!

I've finally flown- err, sailed away from the Nest, and now I'm free to explore a great big world of wonder!

I kinda wish I wasn't so cold though. But I guess I'll be okay.

The beach I land on borders a forest. It's full of trees with metal boxes hanging low off their sagging branches.

And they each have kids inside no less!

But none of them will talk to me. Nor move when I reach in through the sturdy bars and shake them. Or even after I take one of their sweaters.

Same as at the Nest...

I guess I'll just keep searching for more!

This great, big forest is vast as can be. It's dark under the leaves, but not too scary.

And somewhere in the middle of it, after I've walked a bunch and lost my way, I do find another kid, sitting alone up in a tree.

It's hard to see her under the moonli-

Her?

Him?

He!

Because he's wearing a bag over his head.

How silly!

Before we can properly meet, a bigger stranger danger also wearing a bag suddenly jumps out, picks up, and carries me off in his arms.

But he's not so bad. He's actually really very nice.

I'm brought back to his cozy hunting cabin where he never ever feed-

Doesn't give me wat-

Locks me alone and away in the dar-

...

Keeps me in a warmer basement, with so many toys to play with no less.

I especially love the music box and its comforting little tune that I can just sit around and listen to as I play it again and again and again...

Right up until the same boy as before comes knocking through the door!

He drops the axe he used and offers me his hand. But before we go, I run upstairs to let the nice hunter know I'm leaving first.

I wave goodbye to his family who're quietly sitting at their dinner table with plates full of stinky, untouched food.

The boy catches up, and we find a key to the back door by snooping through the attic. And when we go outside, we quickly find the hunter working in his shed.

There are lots of little animals with their insides on the outside and are nothing else but skin. A lot like how the craftsman at the nest would do the sam-

And make lots of toys for that pretending girl to play with!

Only his are all for himself.

The hunter looks really busy though so I'll just leave him be. Or at least we try, but I guess we were still too loud.

We didn't mean to distract the hunter, yet the boy takes my hand and we quickly take or leave!

The hunter follows, pointing a lantern and strange thunder stick at us that kicks up dirt and makes the loudest 'bang' I've ever heard in my life.

This is exciting!

We keep playing hide-and-seek as the boy and I sneak through tall grass. And the hunter definitely can't find us while we wade our way through funny smelling water with rainbow swirls on its surface.

It's so icky, I'll need to take a bath. But that can wait.

The boy and I keep running until we reach a different shed where he doesn't shut its door in my face like that other girl did...

He grabs a different thunder stick hanging on the wall and points it at the door. I help him lift it higher as the hunter smashes in. And together, we make our own loud bang that scares him away!

We won!

But when I peek through the door the hunter's lying still and won't get up. There's also a lot of red leaking from his chest.

Well... he always did sound out of breath.

I'll just wave goodbye and leave him be.

The boy and I are ready to go and exit through the back, where just a short way is another beach.

This forest was on an island?

With nowhere else left to search, we wash ourselves up and cross the foggy water aboard a wooden piece of junk. As we sail along, the boy tells me his name is Mono and I tell him mine is Six.

We're both numbers.

What a coincidence!

There's a bunch of TVs floating in the water which is weird. But more amazing are the giant buildings appearing through the mist, teetering at the edge of the next beach.

It's almost like they're fingers, waving us an invitation. Since I've never been to a city before I guess we'll get to explore!

Surprisingly, there are no people walking the crumbling streets or resting in their homes, but they did leave their clothes behind.

And one of them must've left their TV on.

It's so loud, I can barely hear myself think!

Mono tries to turn it off but he doesn't know how. Pushing a hand on the screen won't work and I have to pull him back.

He's such a silly goof.

Than again, shows what I know, because sure enough the TV turns off...

Oh well.

Mono and I find a playground after we leave. It's not part of a park but a school. We swing on the swings, kick a ball, and balance on the seesaw!

I haven't had this much fun with someone else in quite a while. And when we spy a rope made of bedsheets hanging out from one of the school's windows, we climb right up and look for more kids.

While we wander the halls, the students who attend here strike me as a bunch of pranksters. At nearly every other step, buckets swing down from ropes and nearly bonk us hard on our heads.

Lucky for me, I'm familiar with this game from playing a similar kind with a bigger rock...

The few students we do glimpse run away however before Mono and I catch up. As it turns out, it's not because they're shy but so they can catch us by surprise!

Mono gets caught under a pushed over locker, and I get carried away by kids who aren't actually kids. They're porcelain headed dolls, more lively than those from the Nest, and they enjoy doing all sorts of naughty things.

Like tying me up with a rope.

And punching-

And kicking-

And slapping-

And stomping-

And choking-

And hanging-

...they like to roughhouse a whole lot.

At least until Mono finds me once more. Then it's him who's the big bully by smashing some of them with a hammer!

I have a chance to misbehave too when I sneakily creep up behind one of the boy dolls and pounce on his back to bang his head against the floor.

Again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

AnD aGaiN.

aND AgAiN.

And AGaIn.

anD agAIn.

ANd agaIN.

AND AGAIN!

AND AGAIN!

AND AGAIN!

AND AGAIN!

AND AGAIN!

AND AGAIN!

Right until Mono yanks me off. I've left the porcelain punk so dizzy that his head came apart into itty-bitty pieces. I'm sure his friends will eventually glue him back together.

It's about time for Mono and I to leave and go play hooky. But the piano playing music teacher notices we're trying to skip class, after we accidentally distract her like the hunter.

Even scurrying into the vents doesn't keep us from escaping her attention. But we're faster in that tiny space and manage to tumble out of the school.

Right into the rain!

It's pouring super hard outside. But that's okay. All of it drains into a huge crack that cuts the city in half. And more simply because we walk into a store where I find another yellow raincoat.

Wearing it is warmer than just my sweater alone. And it also reminds me of that girl who lost her own when she fell from the cliff-

And who is still having fun with that pretending girl, back at the Nest!

I shiver and cough as I pull up my hood. I might've caught a cold from the even colder rain.

Mono has a great idea though. We'll stop at the nearby hospital real quick and grab some medicine. So long as he doesn't get distracted along the way by another TV like he did already.

And of course, that's exactly what he does inside.

If I wasn't around to pry him away, he'd strain his static filled eyes worse than when he flashed mine with a flashlight he recently picked up.

What a goof!

But he looks even goofier behind the screen of an x-ray machine. I have a try, and Mono doesn't find any cracks in my bones from how the dolls played with me back at the school.

I puff out my chest because i'm a durable girl!

There's a playroom nearby with tons of stuffed animals, and Mono discovers there's a key hidden in one. We take an elevator to find a strange dirty closet on another floor, and I learn Mono's a bit of a firebug when he uses a switch to set a fire inside it and get the key out.

The heat is nice and I wish we could stay longer, but Mono insists we search for some fuses to a different elevator back upstairs.

I help him go on ahead with his scavenger hunt and wait while I play with a giant doll's hand. I make funny cracks by bending its fingers, and when Mono returns, I offer him a chance to try with a great big smile!

He takes a step back and fidgets with the fuse he found clutched tight against his chest.

I guess he doesn't want a turn.

We visit a separate wing of the hospital where Mono has to take the long way around alone again if he wants to reach his final fuse. But one of the put together giant dolls starts chasing him, and plays a silly game with his flashlight where it freezes in place within its beam.

I don't see Mono for quite some time, until he crashes through the lowest part of a boarded door, closer to his fuse. His trench coat is torn with stains of red. And arms from the bigger dolls reach out behind through the door's gaps, fingers flexing like gnarled claws...

Eagerly waving goodbye!

He must've had quite the adventure to make so many new friends.

Mono drags me by my hand back to the elevator that we ride down. But before we've walked too far, a pair of doll hands without their body burst out a drawer and skitter across the floor.

They play tag with Mono, and he finally sees how funny it is to make them go crunch by squishing them with a hammer, screaming at the top of his lungs.

No tag-backs!

They couldn't crawl fast enough. Not like the doctor we spy in the next room over, crawling across the ceiling.

The germs on the floor will never reach him from up there. But he can reach down and take care of his patients. Even though none of them move, just like the children bac at the Nest-

Because they're all so tired and trying to get well.

Mono and I do our best not to disturb they're slumber. But of course there's a noisy door we open that does...

The doctor makes a great big mess of toppling shelves as we're shooed away, and he follows Mono into another cramped closet that I lock the door behind.

I help Mono out through a vent below, and we leave the doctor in a timeout to think about what he's done.

Until, Mono has a better idea. He stomps over, flips a nearby switch, and as it turns out, the cramped closet was a fire room too. And so the doctor melts like a ginormous marshmallow. His wailing-

These roaring flames feel nice and toasty. Even though we never found any medicine to help my cold, Mono's a very thoughtful friend, making me more comfortable.

We rest a bit, and eventually leave to keep exploring the city. Rather than run through the puddle filled streets, we take elevators up and swing across rooftops.

Good thing neither of us are afraid of heights!

And while we haven't seen crowds of adults along the way, we sure start running into a lot more.

These people are even more obsessed with their TVs than Mono. It's rotted their brains, no wonder some are clumsy enough to trip off the edge of tall buildings, looking for a working set.

Good for them if none take a tumble off the tallest tower in the middle of the city. It's even higher than the Nest!

And I bet that big tower is a whole lot sturdier than the building that ends up falling apart around us. There's so much debris landing on me, it's smushing my chest.

I can't breathe.

I can't breathe!

I'm gonna di-

Mono grabs my hand and yanks me out. He helps pick me up, and he really is the bestest friend I ever could've hoped for.

My brave goof.

But I'll never understand what Mono sees in these staticky TVs. Obviously not the new stranger danger who comes crawling through its screen!

They always like to chase us, and I bet this thin man isn't different. I get a head start and hide in another room, under a table, but Mono hides even better.

Shoot!

My yellow coat is much too bright. I should've crawled under the bed too.

Maybe it's not too late.

I try running to Mono but trip over my feet. The thin man reaches out for me and I reach out to Mono.

Mono cradles his head and doesn't reach back...

I'm taken away, but the thin man forgets to take my friend. All I hear is loud static, and feel as if I'm falling, falling, falling.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Until... we land somewhere new.

The thin man holds me near his frowning face. Up close, his eyes look an awful lot like Mono's.

Is he his dad?

I reach out to touch his cheek, and he's so surprised, I slip from his grip.

I take my chance and run again. Yet it's hard to find my way in these purple, glowing halls because the lights above make my head go fuzzy.

Am I wandering in circles?

But through the light of a TV screen I eventually find, I spy my friend on the other side.

Mono!

I knock on the screen and he sees me. He runs over and presses his hands against it, reaching in to grab my wrists.

I'm half-way out, up until Mono's eyes grow wide, and a hand around both my ankles yank me from his grip.

I'm held upside down, and the man carries me to a playroom filled with many toys. There's even a giant music box too!

I'm far too small to play it.

But Mono's dad has a special way to help...

He takes both my arms in his other hand, pulls hard apart, and my entire body is streeeaaAUUUGGGHHH!!!

IT HURTS!

IT HURTS!

WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUUUCCCHHH!

SOMEONE HELP ME!

PLEASE!

WHAT DID I DO WRONG!?

NOOOOOO!

I WANNA GO HOME!

BUT WHER-

WHERE IS MY HOME!?

WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER!?

WHY IS THAT MEAN MAN STARING AT-

He's leaving...

NO!

DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE IN HERE!

PLEASE!

I'LL DO ANYTHING!

JUST MAKE THE HURTING STOP!

Okay, breathe.

Breathe.

Gotta find a-

THERE IS NO WAY OUT!

I'M TRAPPED!

I'M TRAPPED!

I'M TRAPPED!

AND HE TWISTED MY BONES ALL WRONG, AND NEVER TOLD ME WHY!

WHY AM I HATED!?

WHY MUST I HURT!?

BUT MY MUSIC BOX NEVER HURT ME.

OKAY.

SPIN THE CRANK ROUND AND ROUND.

FOCUS ON AN ENDLESS REPETITION OF SOUND.

A COMfort in my world of horror.

Those little nightmares, kept at bay.

Locked away in this tiny box where none can hurt me.

Safe inside the lies of my mind.

Forget the pain.

Forget the terror.

Forget this screaming boy.

Forgot my friend.

Forget... my Mono?

Wait, that doesn't seem right. How can I forget him when he's standing right in front of me?

Mono's missing his bag, but I still recognize his coat and shouts.

When did he shrink so small?

And why is he dragging a hammer?

He's staring at my music-

WHY IS HE BREAKING IT!?

HE'S SHOUTING AT ME!

HE'S HURTING ME!

HE WON'T STOP!

I'M SORRY!

I'M SORRY!

I'M SORRY!

I'M SORRY!

I'M SORRY!

I'M SORRY!

...

...

...

...

...

...

I hate you...

...

...

...

...

...

...

I rub the scary dream out of my tired eyes and wake up from my nap.

The music box Mono's dad showed me is crumpled up, and Mono's staring back and forth from it to me.

His faul-

He's to blam-

He deserves to di-

Mono looks very tired. He ought to be if he's going to play with toys so rough!

And yet, I think I finally realize why his dad brought me here.

Mono just needed a reason to come back home!

We ran around together and played a whole lot today after all.

But... I got the awful feeling earlier, Mono's dad might not like me too much. He probably wouldn't let me spend the night with my friend either.

I guess I have to give my goodbyes.

I'm not too sure what to say, so instead I start to run away!

What a strange home he has, with walls that watch and giant holes in the floor.

Yet Mono shouts and tries to follow, but he isn't as fast as me. Always clumsy, he trips over his feet right as I turn around and catch his hand to keep him from taking a tumble.

Up close, he really does look a lot like his dad. But since this is where he belongs, I gently let go and wave goodbye.

It's sad that I have to leave.

But after the day we shared, my tummy has gotten really, really hungry.

Maybe I should find a home of my own to fix that too?

Yeah, that's what I'll do!

Everything will be fine...