The Shadow King of Miradow

Chapter One: Daddy?

(That's Bonnie)

Bonnie was up in her room playing when she heard some yelling from the other end of the house. Her mum and dad where in her in the lounge room, and there had never been yelling before. So surprised at the sudden sound, she snatched up Mitchell as she toddled out to see what was going on.

When she got there, she could see the shadows doing funny things near her dad. Luckily for her, he was on the other side of the room.

Unluckily for her, she was the only one who seemed to notice that they were there.

Her dad was yelling at her mum over something trivial and she was standing there, dumbfounded, as her husband had never acted in such a way before. Her dad kept yelling as she quietly walked into the room, and due to her mother's sheer surprise, she hadn't noticed Bonnie either. She walked up slowly, and then there was a small voice in the back of her head. It was the same one as the one that talked to her when her reflection in the mirror changed, and she liked to believe that they had become pretty good friends by now. When it came to shadows, they usually knew what to do.

The television was on, and it had given the little voice an idea.

Throw the TV remote at Daddy. It'll make the shadows go away.

'But that's mean it would hurt Daddy! And anyway the TV is on it might change the channel.'

'If you don't, something, might happen to Mummy or Daddy, so you gotta be quick ok? It should cause them enough shock to make the Shadows poof away...'

Bonnie picked up the remote and threw it at her father. As the voice predicted, upon impact, the shadows seemed to disappear almost immediately. Her dad seemed dazed and her mum turned to her.

"Bonnie, what did you do that for?!" She asked, half perplexed and half angry. But before Bonnie could answer in her broken words, her dad interrupted and answered for her.

"She was helping. I have no idea what was going on then, I am so sorry for yelling at you, I have no idea what came over me. Bonnie throwing the remote shocked my back to my senses." Her father walked over to her mother, kissed her apologetically which seemed to calm her down again, and then he knelt in front of Bonnie, hand on both shoulders.

"Thank you sweetheart." He gave Bonnie a huge hug.

After that little, 'incident', everything in the house went back to normal, until about lunchtime.

Bonnie was back in her room when she heard yelling again, but this time it was worse. Much worse.

'Something is very wrong.... Maybe we should go and investigate?'

Bonnie stood up, but this time, she left everything behind, even Mitchell, whom she usually carried around by one arm or hugged close to her chest.

Her dad was yelling at her mum again, but this time they were in the kitchen. And Daddy seemed to have Mummy backed up in a corner of the bench. He was yelling at her again, but it wasn't really daddy anymore.

'The Shadows stole Daddy from us!'

'How do we get him back..?"

'We have to try killing the shadows, but... I don't think Daddy will make it.'

"Da-ddy....?" Bonnie mumbled out loud. She still had trouble saying words all in one go if they were too long. Her parents didn't seem to notice, as she was normally a quite child.

'You need to be loud. Shock him again. Maybe that will help?'

Bonnie climbed up onto a chair, then stood up on the bench, drew in a really big, deep breath, and shouted with all her might. Whereas a normal person would have screamed, hers more just came out as a yell. "HEY! ST-OP!!!"

Her father physically jumped at the sudden new sound and turned to look at her, letting her mother slip out and retreat to behind Bonnie. She was so frightened and confused as to what was going on she was in shock too, and didn't really know what to do. Her father turned to Bonnie and she saw that even if it was for a few seconds, he was normal again.

'Bonnie, the knife, its next to your left foot. Grab it!'

Bonnie bent down and picked up the knife gingerly and slowly, not taking her eyes off of her father even for a second. She could see the shadows trying to get into his head again, but the shock seemed to be helping him retain his control over himself. He took a couple steps towards Bonnie, and now her was right in front of her, both of them face to face. Her dad was really tall. He nodded his head, and Bonnie's grip on the knife loosened, then tightened again.

'Quick before the shadows try to take him again!'

The little voice was so urgent it startled Bonnie, and she gripped the knife in both hands. She launched it up under her dad's ribs and jumped to get the force behind her, she she jumped into him, right as the shadows took his mind again.

They both fell to the floor, Bonnie tumbling over her father and rolling to one side, her father landing on his back with a knife protruding out of his chest. Bonnie's mother gave a choked scream, and she rushed over to her husband. Bonnie looked up and started crying. She crawled over to her dad, and her mother glanced at her, her emotions too screwed to know how she felt about her daughter just now. Her father was still breathing for now, and was trying to choke out some words, but her mother was trying to get him to be quite so he wouldn't waste his breath. He looked over at Bonnie.

"Bonnie.. Thank-you...." Then his head looked at her and realised something. "Mitchel... They wanted... him..." His breath came in ragged gasps and Bonnie sat bolt upright on her knees, realising what he meant.

  'Mitchell/MITCHELL!'  

"I love you Da-ddy..." She cried, and then ran to her room, leaving her mother to tend to her dying father.

Mitchell was gone.

The Shadows had stolen her teddy bear. And taken her father from her.

And she vowed to get it back, as vengeance for her father.