A Painting of Words

(3/5) Ferb the Benevolent

A Fractured Fairytale

...

Chapter Three: The Human Thief

The silence that greeted Ferb was hauntingly frightening. Normally, it was a peaceful quiet where no words needed to be said. Now, that past was all gone. When he finally returned home, Ferb found everyone gathered in the lounge. All of their heads swiveled towards him as he approached.

Ferb wanted so badly to turn around and look the other way, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He met Fran's eyes first. Then Fee, Fi, Fo, and finally Fum's. They radiated a mixture of fear, confusion, relief, and was that a hint of disappointment he found? Ferb gulped, looking down. His feet were far more interesting.

The silence seemed to draw out for an eternity, stretching seconds into minutes and minutes into hours. Time was distorted, broken up into shards only to slam back together into a reality much more real and intense than before.

It was Fum who broke the cycle. She bounced up onto her feet, and it seemed that none of her flames had been extinguished. Jumping forward, she wrapped her arms around Ferb's waist.

"Pappy!" she laughed. "You're home!"

Ferb blinked. "Huh?" he said, looking down at Fum. He awkwardly patted down her hair, looking up to find smiles on everyone's face.

"I'm glad you're safe, Dad," Fee said.

Ferb stared at her, stared at his whole family. His jaw went slack, arms limp beside him. He closed his mouth only to have it drop open again. "What?" he said. "You're not mad?"

Fee wrapped her arms around Ferb, careful not to squish Fum. She buried her face in his shoulder. "Why would we?"

"How high did you bounce, Pappy?" Fi asked.

"How dark did it get?" Fo continued. "And how did it compare to—"

They finished their question together. "—the human."

Ferb made a face. "I don't know?"

Fi pouted, crossing her arms, but both she and Fo joined the hug. "You never know anything, Pappy," she muttered.

Ferb held on tightly to his children, heart blooming. However, it skipped a beat when he glanced up at Fran. She gave him a little nod, and he smiled.

Of all the reactions he had conjured up in his head, Ferb never thought once that they would be happy to see him safe and well. With the way he had acted, he had deserved to be kicked out of the family. He deserved to be homeless.

Closing his eyes, Ferb let out a breath. It did make him feel better though, to have his family surrounding him with their utmost support. However, more guilt seeped into him because they did. One day, he would break that trust and they would be more disappointed than he could have ever imagined.

When they broke apart, Ferb took a step back. He tried to smile. "I'll start building a fence tomorrow," he said. "It'll be safer. If a human could get inside, then other giants can too."

True to his word, Ferb began building a fence the next morning. The sun hadn't even risen, and the faint outline of the moon could be seen if you looked hard enough. A gust of wind caused Ferb to shiver, chills running down his body. It wasn't that he was cold but that the wind reminded him of the adrenaline. It just felt so good.

Jamming in a nail with his fist, Ferb sighed. He was only a quarter of a way done with his fence, and it had already been a couple of hours since he woke. This was taking much longer than he expected. Ferb looked back at his progress. He had wanted to also paint the fence red to match the castle, but it didn't seem like he would have time to. Of course, he could just postpone the painting to the next day, but Ferb wasn't sure he wanted to wake up early again. He hated mornings.