(A/n): Hi all! I'm super excited to write this new story on Tintin! I hope you all enjoy it! So here ya go! 😁😁😎
Here's your keys:
(Y/n): Your name
(M/n): Middle name
(L/n): Last name
(f/c): favorite color
(f/f): favorite food
(H/c): Home country
~~~ across the page usually means the end of an essential or significant scene.
I think that's it so far! And feel free to comment questions, constructive criticism, or just whatever is on your mind- please do! I love reading them! Have fun!
(Third Person's POV)
It hadn't been long since Captain Haddock- a retired sea captain- and Tintin, the journalist, had found the treasure from the ship (known as The Unicorn) of Captain Haddock's great-great-grandfather, Sir Francis Haddock. The gold doubloons and jewels had been hiding inside a globe located in the basement of Marlinspike Hall, which is a family estate of the Haddock family.
Along with the gold rested a rolled-up map that led to the whereabouts of the rest of the treasure. It was somewhat an arduous journey, but Tintin and Captain Haddock were thrilled once they recovered such a find.
"Ahh, lad!" Captain Haddock's voice was sort of pitchy due to his excitement. But it quickly reverted to normal. "We've really found us a bounty! And a real feast for the eyes if I do say so myself!" exclaimed Captain Haddock with a proud spirit. His eyes were bright and glowing from the joy he felt.
"The treasure, Captain?" Tintin asked, smiling.
"No, my boy-- your new story! 'Young Journalist Finds Under Water Treasure!'" Haddock laughed, his Scottish accent strongly noticeable when he spoke. Tintin's beloved dog, Snowy, started barking joyfully.
"What are you going to do with all your treasure?"
"Mine?" Haddock laughed again. "That'd be our treasure, Tintin! And we will use it for whatever our hearts may desire. For myself, I think I'll be taking back the Marlinspike Hall and getting me a new ship with a trustworthy crew, you being first mate, of course!"
"I'd be honored, Haddock!"
Soon, Tintin and his best friends, Haddock and Snowy, arrived back to their hometown of Brussels, Belgium feeling a great sense of accomplishment. Haddock immediately went off to inquiry about owning the Marlinspike Hall, and Tintin decided to get started on his new story.
It didn't take long to write since Tintin was so eager to put every event in detail on paper, from diving deep under the Caribbean to their surprise when their ally, Professor Cuthbert Calculus, had snuck aboard their ship with intentions of helping using his shark-shaped submarine. And after only two days, Tintin had created an eye-catching story to turn into the newspaper industry.
He was thrilled, proud, and somewhat satisfied with his past quest with Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus- as always after each expedition- but the thought of any new pilgrimage always made his life more fulfilling.
Meanwhile...
In another part of the world was a young individual snoring on her bed loudly. She was contorted in an awkward position, and surprisingly, this was unusual for her since it was only at her highest point of exhaustion that she slept like a slob.
Her name was (Y/n). She was just a kid, really, but she could hold down her own fort when necessary and had a good heart. She had to, anyway, since she lived by herself in a run down apartment on the more urban side of the city. The girl couldn't remember anything about her family and had lived on her own as long as she could remember. Many times when trying to think about them, the cloudy memories would give her a headache, so she had to stop.
"What time is it?" (Y/n) checked her clock, yawning.
It was already close to 10 A.M. She remembered she had to work at the diner. Standing immediately (and almost falling from the sleep still in her), (Y/n) (L/n) pulled her hair back in an updo and left promptly.
Strangely, two dark figures watched her from the street corner. They kept a close distance from her while doing their best to keep a low profile. A radio was held by their side to update their progress continuously.
The girl walked down the block until she found the small diner she worked at and entered the back door. She hurried and changed into her waitressing outfit as fast as she could and stepped into the front. They were a bit busy today, so she pursed her lips and tried to prepare herself for a long day.
(Y/n) hated her job. In fact, she might've even loathed it will all of her being- okay that's an exaggeration. But (Y/n) deemed it the most dull job as a waitress ever. And she didn't hate it because of her duties, no, it was her boss. He was uptight and blunt, and the assitant manager was no better who fed off of his miserable personality.
What didn't help was how he never let her have time off in regards to her Uncle Isaac. He was the only family (Y/n) had, but he lived far away so they had to write to each other to communicate. He had offered her a plane ticket more than once, but her work wouldn't let her have the free time and her uncle couldn't come over himself. One day, (Y/n) thought, she'd convince her boss to allow her. Uncle Isaac was like a father to her.
Taking up a notepad and tying on an apron, (Y/n) walked to the first table she saw and gave the best smile she could.
"(Y/n)! Get over here!" called the assistant manager.
She frowned.
"Excuse me," she told the customers, walking up to the assistant manager. "Did you need me?"
"Diner's gonna need extra hands cleaning. Your shift is extened," said the woman bluntly, walking in the back.
"Wait, though, I-"
"You want the boss to give you some time off, huh? Then put in some more effort. Get on his good side, maybe he'll say yes next time."
(Y/n) scowled before going back to dining. She always was nice to the customers no matter what and that gave her some extra tip money. Her high salary was because of her hard work, and so her boss favored her the most- not enough to give her days off, though. When the day was over, (Y/n) changed back into her old clothes and headed home in the winter cold.
"Greetings, Miss," greeted the mailman as she stepped to her apartment complex. He always liked to take the time to bring the girl's letters to her personally because they were greatly acquainted. "Your Uncle sent you a letter today!"
(Y/n) took the letters from him and scanned each one.
"Aha- finally! Thank you, sir!" she told the mailman.
He tipped his hat with a big smile.
"Good seeing you, Miss!" he bid, heading off.
(Y/n) smiled and went inside, walking towards her room and opening the letter. That day, her uncle sent her two delicate rings as gifts, each unique in design and either made of pure gold or silver with encrested jewels. (Y/n) slid them on her dominate hand with a grin and walked to her room.
Placing the rest of the mail and envelope on her desk, she lay on her bed to read the letter. It was odd, she thought, that her uncle always seemed to stamp an unusual symbol beside his name. It was a unicorn, holding a harp and wearing crown with French words on the bottom of it, which read, 'God and my right.' (Yes, she knew French. It was her uncle's first language so he had taught it to her over the years.)
She heard coughing from outside her door. Curious, (Y/n) walked out of her apartment and saw her landlord stepping in the complex with a coughing fit. She tilted her head and walked up to him.
" 'You okay?" (Y/n) asked, concerned about the kind-hearted old timer. She barely made enough money to stay in his creaky old apartment complex that needed repairing, but even so, he allowed her to stay for half the rent.
"O-oh I'm fine... just got a small cold," he answered, blowing his nose in a handkerchief.
The girl frowned, helping him to his apartment.
"Well, I can go get you something to help with that if you want."
"Oh no, there's no need. I'll be fine-" the man took a second to cough again.
She lifted a brow and smirked, not changing her mind.
"Take a nap, okay? I'll be right back," she said, leaving him and stepping back out in the cold.
The two strange figures followed her as she went to a pharmacy and picked up some medicine. (Y/n) shivered a bit as the night fell and made it colder out, but she bit her lip and just gripped her coat tighter. When she rounded the bend, the two individuals blocked her path, startling her.
"Here, Missy. Need some help?" one offered.
Before she could answer, the other character took her bag from her. She took a step back but that made them come closer. (Y/n) furrowed her brows and stammered, unsure of their intentions.
"No- hang on a second... I-I'm fine on my own-"
The man shoved a hand over her mouth and grabbed her by the waist, shouting, "hurry, get the car!"
The girl yelped in shock before biting the man's hand, wiggling from his grip, and fleeing for her life. (Y/n) decided to find a business to hide in 'cause she sure wasn't gonna let them see where she lived. But she was so panicked she lost all sense of direction.
"No-no-no- where's the nearest store- where do I go?!" she asked herself, feeling her heart beating out of her chest. "HELP! CAN SOMEONE HELP ME? PLEASE?!"
(Y/n) attempted to take a shortcut through a specific alleyway, but the two creeps had parked their car in the middle of it. She tried running back but the men had come up behind her. (Y/n) furrowed her brows and clinched her fists.
"Stop- get away!" she blurted.
"Now, why don't you stop the squirming, and we'll take you for a ride, huh?" The taller mocked, laughing to bits. The men grabbed her before she could climb over their cab and held her tight.
Desperately, (Y/n) tried yelling for help in the quite night but nobody could hear. The letter from her uncle she carried fell from her pocket as they shoved her in the disgusting vehicle. It hovered slowly in the wind of the engine, then landed face up in the dark alleyway.
It was at this moment that her life would change forever.
~~~
The Next Day:
It was a very sunny day for Brussels. Plenty of the town's people decided to take the time to enjoy a picnic or stroll through such beautiful weather. It wasn't often they'd find such warmth due to the temperate oceanic climate they were constantly under. That day was a treat for those who received it.
Among the citizens, we're Tintin and Snowy, also deciding to take the opportunity to have a stroll in the outdoors. They were going to meet Haddock to seal the deal as the new co-owners of the Marlinspike Hall. Both were very happy about the purchase, but Tintin knew his pleasure could never surpass Haddock's, who would also be able to re-hire the older gentleman, Nester, to be his butler once again. It was a great day.
Tintin left his apartment extra early to get a glimpse of the sunshine he had missed. He walked downtown to the Le Petite Vingtième to turn in his new story. Next, he decided to grab lunch at the city market before walking further out of the town to meet the Captain.
"It truly is a good day, isn't it, Snowy?" he asked his pet.
Snowy grinned his best at him, happy to be with his friend. After walking, he spotted something from a building ahead of them. It was a very odd man, so Snowy thought, who walked almost robotically on the sidewalk.
Curious, Snowy's ears perked up, and he started whining with longing. Tintin tried following his gaze, but unfortunately, the man was lost in the crowds.
"What's the matter, Snowy?" he asked, pausing only for a moment but continuing down the street.
They were about halfway there when Snowy spotted something else; A cat. A growl slowly turned to a snarl as Snowy watched the scrawny feline helping itself to a garbage can. The urge was growing stronger with each second... plus, the cat had already noticed him and hissed teasingly at him. Snowy tried resisting. Then he tried again. Then one more time before until he couldn't take it anymore. He had to; he had to catch that cat.
"Snowy... no..." Tintin cooed, trying to prevent the chase.
The cat smugly whacked a paper ball and hit Snowy in the face. That was it; he ran after it.
"SNOWY!"
He zoomed after the foe. The cat's confidence ceased, and he ran for his life. They went far ahead of Tintin by dashing through a hole in a fence to the other side of the block. Both banged into trash cans, boxes, and other rubbish that got in their way. Tintin did his best following after his dog but progressively grew further apart from him.
Eventually, both parties got stuck maneuvering through a bustling crowd. The people gasped in surprise, startled and frightened by the two animals running under their feet. One man even lost his taupe in the process from tripping over them. So close, Snowy was, to catching his new victim. He could smell it.
The man from before reappeared in the distance. Snowy stopped in his tracks. The cat had successfully jumped in a window to escape, but so could Snowy if he wanted to. Yet the man was so odd and enticing; he didn't know who to go after.
Tintin was catching up. Snowy looked back at his master, then at the cat, before deciding to investigate the intentions of the strange man.
The figure covered his entire body with an oversized coat and hat, keeping the collar up, and buried his hands deep in his pockets. As he stepped past an alleyway, another dressed like he started to walk beside him. Their steps were parallel, and any movement they made was in perfect sync.
Snowy yipped, waiting for Tintin before springing after them. It took a moment, but Tintin eventually saw what Snowy did and followed casually behind. The two took the sleuth around the block, walking faster with every step. Tintin refused to lose them and sprinted his way to the other side of the building. For whatever reason, the strangers stopped, causing Tintin to crash and knock over both of them.
The srangers groaned under their hats, but Tintin recognized them instantly.
"Thomson and Thompson!"
The two held onto the heads in pain.
"Oh, hello there, Tintin. Long time no see, heh?" one said
He helped them to their feet. They dusted themselves off bashfully. The characters were none other than the two doppelgangers, Thomson and Thompson (both police officers), whose only distinguishable difference was that Thomson had a flared mustache, whereas Thompson's wasn't. They were not the brightest when it came to detective work... or anything for that matter; nonetheless, they carried their canes and placed a hat on their heads confidently, always on the hunt for a new case to solve and a bad person to arrest.
"I'll bet you you're wondering why we are dressed so inconspicuously!" said Thomson.
"Well, you see, we are on the lookout for two escaped criminals!" Thompson chimed, pulling a newspaper article from his pocket. On the front was the headline about the case they referred to with two faces.
Tintin recognized the second individual instantly.
"Why, that's Allan Thompson! From Captain Haddock's crew!" he exclaimed. "And who is the other criminal?"
"One word: Derral Whittington. And it so happens that he is the more susceptible of the two," answered Thompson. "Rumour has it that they are a part of a secret demise!"
Tintin's eyes raised.
"And?"
"We must explain the rest to you somewhere else... this area has had more occurrences since you've left!"
"What occurrences?!"
"Shh!"
A couple passed by them, making the officers tenser for no apparent reason.
Thomson clung to the edge of his coat.
"Are you busy today?" he whispered.
"Well, I was on my way to the town market, but-"
"Excellent, meet us there! And don't bring anyone with you!"
Tintin had no time to answer before the twins scurried away, rambling about something random to 'throw anyone listening off the trail.'
Looking down at his pet, Tintin sighed and headed down the path he initially was taking.
"A journalist's job never ceases, does it?" he commented in amusement.
Snowy sneezed, agreeing internally with the words his master spoke. The two continued their stroll to the market and finally reached it once midday struck. It was jam-packed with onlookers, but Tintin didn't mind. He expected the doppelgangers would arrive much later since they were too ignorant to take the shorter road. But that'd give him some much-needed rest from all the adventure-seeking he'd done the past week.
Or so he thought.