Young Eddie Nashton shivered in fear, cowering in front of his bed as his fathered stomped in, hate in his eyes.
"You little liar! What did you do to my cane!?" He shouted in rage, slapping the child, age of five, across the face, which resulted in a burst of tears.
"N-nothing! I didn't do anything! I promise, daddy, please!"
"GIMME IT!" Another slap.
"I don't-"
"GIMME IT!"
"It's under my bed, daddy! I'm sorry!"
Growling, he shoved Eddie out of the way, glaring under the bed. He snatched it into his hands, and found it to be cut and sharpened, with the top made into a deformed question mark. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO!?"
"I changed-"
A final slap, this time way harder than before, which drove Eddie onto his back.
"YOU LITTLE FUCKER! I OUGHTA KILL YOU FOR THIS!"
"I'm so sorry, da-"
A shove.
"SORRY? REALLY!?" And that was all he said before he dashed out and slammed the door behind him. Eddie was a left a sobbing mess, curled up into a ball on the floor. Why did daddy always beat him? Why was he so mean?
Suddenly, he heard a voice from down the hall, coming closer. His mommy's.
"Yeah, well maybe I don't love you anymore!"
Eddie's door was pulled open then shut. His mother came sprawling in, giving Eddie a tight hug.
"I'm so...s-sorry..m-m-mo-mommy..."
"It's okay, baby, it's okay...it's not your fault...'
Mommy. She was always so nice. She always let him make things, and always played games with him, and asked him riddles, and solved puzzles with him...
Mommy always told him that he could do whatever he wanted. He always told her that he wanted to work at the carnival. She'd asked him why. He'd say he'd want to make people happy. And he'd explain it all. He was going to set up a game where you'd have to solve a puzzle. Once solved, you'd get a prize: a teddy bear, a hat, or a book of riddles. If you couldn't solve it, you'd have to pay a dollar. They both giggled at that.
Riddles are really something, aren't they? Something nonsensical, it would seem, but something with an answer. A multitude of answers, actually. The beginning of the riddle always seems random, useless. But when the rest of the conundrum is divulged, the beginning is one of the most fascinating items.
The rest is just details.
