The Tale of BlackBeard✔

TTOB 2

Charlie was in his owner's opinion, a very possessive cat. Of course Charlie wouldn't agree and given the chance he would write a completely different narrative. Maybe he'd alter things a bit, but for a good reason of course.

"Charlie why'd you let me sleep past 8 am?" a voice screeched from one of the bedrooms at Old Manor, a few kilometers away from the busy streets of London. The voice echoed around the largely empty room.

There was a pause, as if Charles Peyrot was suddenly going to utter a word. He merely looked at his owner, wondering why he was being blamed.

"Dad is going to kill me!" the man sighed in frustration as he got out of bed hastily.

Luck was clearly not with him that day. He tripped on the sheets and ended up on the floor with a thud. To be fair, luck was never really with him. The day he was born his mother left him at the door of an orphanage. He didn't have a name. He didn't have an identity.

The sisters at the orphanage took him in. They bathed him and fed him. They did everything right except love him. He wasn't special. He was just one of 50 more kids who needed attention.

He was given just as much attention as 3 women taking care of 50+ children could give. He knew they were busy so he always tried to do everything right so they'd have one less child to worry about. Doing everything right meant staying in the shadows and talking only when it was absolutely necessary. Every day he shrunk into himself.

As he grew older he made a friend. Sandy blond hair, striking blue eyes and a small frame – George was quite a giggler. He giggled at everything and anything. He was silly too, which the other boy grew to like. They hung together and talked about their dreams. They ran around too.

There was however that time when they both turned 14. Sister Caroline had brought them a cake she baked and after the celebrations, the boys were allowed to go to the roof for the first time. Excited, they'd chased each other up the stairs until they got to the roof.

The night was serene with a few stars adorning the sky. It was beautiful, so beautiful George stared in awe. The two boys' eyes met suddenly. It was as if one was a magnet, drawing the other's eyes to his. George's eyes were the most beautiful eyes our character had ever seen, and the stars in them were spell-binding.

For the first time, our character felt strange things in his tummy. They weren't akin to the ones he had when the orphanage had talent shows and he had to get on the stage to read the little words he had carefully written. No, these were different. They were just...magical.

"The sky is beautiful, isn't it?" George had broken the silence.

"Tis"

"Happy fourteenth birthday Frankie"

Frankie smiled. "Happy fourteenth birthday George"

Both boys knew that day wasn't their birthday, but it had been designated as that for as long as they could remember. Frankie was two months and 2 days older than George. To cut costs, the orphanage celebrated their birthdays on the same day. Frankie didn't mind. George was his only friend and as he went to bed that night, he entertained the thought that maybe, just maybe he wanted more.

He never got more.

A few months later he was saying goodbye to his only friend. George, the cute cuddly-sized boy had attracted the eyes of a newlywed couple. They wanted him and they got him. George promised to visit Frankie, but he never did. He just...disappeared.

Just a year later, it was Frankie's turn. Frankie was a 15 year old loner; it was a surprise to everyone that someone wanted him. His adopters he soon learned were old and did not seek a little child to raise. They sought someone who'd look after them when they grew old and fragile. They carefully hid the fact that their only son had recently died. They were looking for a replacement.