In the Fire

As Anouk walked the cobblestone streets of Brighton, she wondered idly what was wrong with the baker. She wasn’t ever sure of Mrs. Lovett’s state of being, seeing as the woman always kept to herself. All she knew was that when they first met, Mrs. Lovett was in very healthy condition, very lively, albeit a little jumpy, as if someone was about to come and take her away. She also noticed she would walk around with a sliver razor in her skirt pocket, as if it was a charm. Another peculiar thing that she observed was that she would cry at night for someone named Toby. She assumed that Toby might have been a child she lost to illness, because she never seemed to speak of him in a longing way. The person that she also mourned for was a Mr. Todd; a man she learned that she had fallen in love with. Anouk did assume that this man was still alive, for she never saw Mrs. Lovett look at another man, as perhaps a widow or someone that had moved on would do. She would eagerly look at every man that would walk into their shop, and after she saw that they were not the elusive Mr. Todd, she would merely sigh, and ask what their order was.

Anouk sighed; annoyed with herself with the fact that she could not really piece anything together when it came to Mrs. Lovett’s background. She looked at the various stalls, seeing them, but not really paying them attention. Most of them advertised bogus cures for phony diseases. Others presented supposedly rare and ancient artifacts for obscenely outrageous prices. She merely walked past all of these stalls, distressed by the lengths people would go to for money. She knew how it felt to be so desperate, so needy, so pitiful. However, she was fortunate enough to find someone that actually cared for her, and took her in. She was eternally grateful to Mrs. Lovett, which is why she felt like she had to help her savior.

As she walked, someone roughly grabbed Anouk’s arm. She wildly turned her head, hair whipping her face. The man that grabbed her arm was Monsieur Cromwell, a cold and ruthless man that always seemed to go to Mrs. Lovett’s, even though he would hardly ever buy something. Anouk did not like the man, because she saw the lecherous look he gave to Mrs. Lovett when he thought no one was looking. It disgusted her, not because of the fact of a man finding her mistress attractive, something she would agree with also, but because she could not believe the perverse look in the man’s eye. Looking at the immoral man, Anouk flashed Cromwell a fake smile. “Oh, Monsieur Cromwell, how lovely it is to meet you!” She gushed, inwardly cringing at the contact between the two.

Cromwell smiled wickedly, his dark, tobacco stained teeth showing. “A young lady like you should not be wandering the streets alone! Where is your mistress, Mrs. Lovett?” He asked. He still had not loosened his grip on Anouk’s arm, and his dark eyes seemed to flash eerily.

“Ma’am isn’t feeling well, so I am out looking for something to dispel her ailment.” Anouk said cheerfully, as she attempted to politely wrench herself from Cromwell’s grip. She felt very vulnerable, but of course, she would not show it. “It is getting rather late,” She said, although it was only a little after noon. “I really need to get back.” She felt the man’s grip loosen, and inwardly she sighed with relief. The man’s hands felt cold and icy to Anouk, making her break out in goose bumps.

“Please send my best wishes to Mrs. Lovett, all right, child?” Cromwell said, as he let go of Anouk. She almost ran away from the man, but resisted the temptation, as Mrs. Lovett taught her better than that.

Anouk nodded as she bid her farewells to the man, and hurried to the pie shop. She was slightly disappointed that she did not find anything to cheer up Mrs. Lovett, but she was relieved that she was able to leave the potentially dangerous situation.
As she headed back to the pie shop, something caught her eye from a pile of soot near an alley. It gleamed from the sunlight, which had just barely started to show. She picked up the odd instrument, and held it in her hands. She studied it, and came to realize it was a razor. Oddly enough, it looked similar to the one Mrs. Lovett carried around with her. She looked around, wondering if anyone was looking at her.

Satisfied with her surroundings, Anouk hid the razor in the skirt of her pocket and ran off.

--

As Natalie walked the cobblestone streets of Brighton, she wondered about the odd man that appeared upon her doorstep. Natalie found him late at night, on the corner of her home. It seemed that he had been walking for a very long time, from the way he was shaking slightly at his knees. He was a very odd-looking man, dressed in dull clothing, but the unusual white stripe in his hair gleamed in the moonlight. At first, she was somewhat weary of helping the man, as she did not know if he was someone that could hurt her. However, her heart was not made of stone, so she led him to her guest room. She was very careful and locked the door, so if he woke up he could not harm her at all.

The next day, when she went to check upon the man, she discovered him to be awake and trying to get out of the bed. Good thing I locked the door… She had thought. She carried a tray of food for the man, nothing particularly plentiful, seeing as she had hardly anything to spare. The man was rather odd, he seemed to have a wandering mind, and somewhat unable to really focus. However, when she tried to get the man’s attention, he yelled at her. She flinched out of fear; although something as insignificant as someone snapping at her should not have caused that reaction out of Natalie. I’m used to it. I’m stronger than that! She mentally scolded herself. She quickly proceeded to learn the man’s name after he had devoured the small meal. His name was Sweeney Todd. She wondered whether Mr. Todd was a barber, as she knew ‘Sweeney’ was a nickname for a barber.

Natalie sighed, annoyed with herself at the fact that she was letting some man she did not even know preoccupy all her thoughts. She continued walking around, not sure for what she was looking for. She saw a stand selling somewhat rotten fruit for outrageous prices. She glared, knowing the owner of the stand. Her name was Elizabeth Parker, a condescending and bitter woman. Elizabeth hated Natalie for reasons that she did not know, but Natalie hated her for constantly taking advantage of the people around her, and not caring about who she hurt. She bit back the growl that threatened to escape her throat, and walked to the stand. “Morning, Lizzie.” She greeted, emphasizing the hated nickname of the woman. She saw the grocer’s daughter grimace at the sight of Natalie.

“Natalie. Morning.” Elizabeth greeted curtly.

Natalie tsk’ed at Elizabeth. “Now, Lizzie, is that how you greet a prospective customer? I thought you knew better!” She flashed a sardonic smile as she picked up a battered apple. “And for the scandalous price you’re selling this…”

“What do you mean? That’s perfectly fine!” The woman practically screeched. She snatched the apple from Natalie’s hand, and placed it back on the rickety stand. “If you’re not buying, get out!” She fanned away Natalie with a tattered rag, as if she was a pest.

Natalie merely shrugged, and turned away. “If that’s how you treat customers…” She briskly walked away, returning home empty-handed. Nitwit. She angrily thought.

As she turned the corner to her house, she spotted a girl crouched near a pile of soot from a chimney sweep. Curious, Natalie hid behind some stone stairs. As she peeked, she saw the girl pick up something shiny. It gleamed brightly, so she could not tell what it was. She watched as the girl turned it over in her hands. Then the girl looked around nervously. Satisfied, the girl shoved the shiny thing into her pocket, and ran off. Naturally, after the girl ran away, Natalie went to the pile of soot also. She saw a small knapsack at the bottom of the pile, and wondered how the girl did not notice it. Perhaps she only wanted the shiny thing… Natalie mused to herself. Remembering that this was where she found Sweeney Todd, she grabbed the bag and ran home, having a very good felling that it was the barber’s.

--

“It’s Todd, now. Sweeney Todd.” Sweeney growled to Mrs. Lovett. “And he will have ‘is revenge.” Mrs. Lovett looked at the man in disbelief. She did not truly believe that this man was Benjamin Barker. She remembered him clearly, even though it had been 15 years since she last saw him. He had been such an optimistic and love sick man. She remembered secretly loathing Lucy Barker, for stealing away the man she had her eyes set on. However, whenever Nellie would see Benjamin's beaming face, a little bit of the disgusting monster inside of her would die away. But as she gazed upon the face of Sweeney Todd, she wondered only one thing. How did the man she had loved so much change so drastically?

--

“It’s Todd, now. Sweeney Todd.” Sweeney corrected Mrs. Lovett. “And he will have ‘is revenge.” He no longer was that naïve man from so long ago. He had nothing to live for. Only to kill Judge Turpin. He looked at Mrs. Lovett, and was secretly disgusted with her appearance. They had known each other, in those happier times. She used to be beautiful, graceful, curvy, cheeks full and rosy, her wide eyes full of excitement and curiosity. However, the woman that stood before him was not Eleanor Thomas. This woman was wasting away. She was still quite curvy, but he noticed her sunken cheeks. He also noticed the way the bones stuck out on her neck painfully. And last, but not least, her eyes. Her bright sienna eyes were now chocolate, and looked listless. What had happened to the woman that made her change so drastically?