Search the Community

(This is a story I have been dreaming up for quite a while now; I hope everyone enjoys it! Please give me constructive criticism; I know that I'm not the best writer out there, and I want to improve.) Prologue "You miss your child." A woman, clad in a crisp, white suit, spoke bluntly to a man seated behind an oak desk. At the sound of her words, the dark haired man's normally pale face flushed a deep red, and his teeth clenched in an enraged snarl. However, the woman seemed to be quite unruffled by the man's change in expression; she merely adjusted her glasses and sat back in her leather armchair, awaiting a response. The man's shoulders grew tense, and he responded with a cold, twisted grin that sent chills down her spine, "You think I don't miss the little cretin?" She clasped her hands together nervously as he continued, grief and sadness seeping into his voice, Of course, I do; the boy was my own flesh and blood!" The woman was satisfied with this response; she brushed her light brown hair from her eyes, before leaning over to the man, speaking softly as if to calm him down, "There is a way to get you another child, Hans, but you know that there is a price." To her surprise, the man rose up from his seat and narrowed his eyes coldly, clenching his large, tanned hands into fists at his sides in a display of annoyance, "I know; he won't be well behaved. You've told me before; do you not trust me to take care of a goddamn child, Maria?!" Maria, as this manicured woman was named, offered him a sympathetic smile. She knew that he was going through rough times, after the loss of his beloved son. It made it all the easier to manipulate him into taking her latest problem off her hands. With a chuckle, she kept her voice soft and oozing with pity for the trembling man, edging closer to his taut body, "He is not just a child; you know that. You will need to ensure that he knows his place; people like him are difficult to tame, but we've broken more than enough of his kind, haven't we?" Hans ran a hand through her hair and then took it away, striding over to the window of the office. She knew that he had made his decision the minute he spoke, "Fine." His voice was colder than ice, hoarse with sadness, his posture taut, as if he were a rubber band preparing to snap. "Bring the little cretin into my home tomorrow with the necessary supplies; I will purchase the diapers myself. You recommended the tapeless sort, correct?" All too satisfied with his compliance, Maria wrapped her skinny arms around Hans' larger body, laughing to herself, "Yes; after all, I wouldn't want the baby to take off his diapers." The two dissolved into laughter at that remark, and after they collected themselves, Maria dipped her head to the now smiling, red-faced man. She felt sorry for the poor bastard; she could only hope that the baby she brought in would suit his needs perfectly, "Thank you for being so agreeable, Hans; I know that being a Stork is hard for you. Having to raise another baby will be challenging for someone of your caliber-" With a lopsided smile, the man cut her off, lifting his fist as if to threaten her, "We both know that he isn't really a normal baby; he's been convicted of petty theft and arson, hasn't he? What baby so you see carrying a match in his diaper?" When the woman turned to leave, embarrassed by his remark, Hans spoke again, this time with a venomously joyous tone, "Bring the darling baby boy to my house first thing tonight; I'll get the nursery ready. I haven't been a real father since..." He trailed off, before shaking his head as she set one foot outside of the dark office. The reek of alcohol reached her nose, making her gag, yet she neglected point out the stench that she now smelled, "He'll have to adjust to having such a lovely daddy, Hans; just make sure not to go easy on him." After a moment of silence, Hans ran a hand over her cheek, and whispered, "Goodnight; I'll set up the baby shower tonight." The prim and proper woman lifted her chin, and responded with a kiss on his cheek before crooning into his ear, "I'll bring the baby." She ventured into the darkness outside, armed with nothing but a bottle of milk in her purse and a shaker of baby powder in her hand. This would be delightful, she knew; simply delightful, to put the heinous criminal in his place. After a few minutes of walking along the dimly lit, filthy streets, she waved down a taxi and got a ride to the nearby prison. She was going to visit the baby, and he was going to get two choices from her; come with her willingly to meet Hans, or get dragged by his ear, kicking and screaming. Knowing him, it would most certainly be the latter that he chose...