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A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky
Bendy can hardly believe it. He's out. Out of the studio, away from Joey. He can't help the gleeful laughter that bubbles up from his chest, practically dancing around the alley. At that moment he feels like the king of the world. He's free! He's finally, finally free!
But a bird that stalks
down her narrow cage
can seldom see through
her bars of rage
her wings are clipped and
her feet are tied
so she opens her throat to sing.
Ali found an old magazine in the break room months ago. Of her small collection of books, National Geographic is her favourite. She's reread it so many times now she could probably recite it from memory. Sometimes, when she sits by the flickering candle in the middle of the night, she stares at photos of the forest, deer grazing in a meadow of wild flowers and wishes on the stars she has never seen.
She wishes she could sit in the grass, that her and her brothers could have a picnic among the deer. They'd eat something besides cold bacon soup for once, she would put flowers in Bo’s fur and play tag with Buddy. She turns her gaze to the ceiling, praying to the stars above. It would be the best day ever, she'd never wish for anything ever again, she swears it!
There is no answer, no magic portal or a forest growing in their room. It's the same cramped closet, the same cans of soup. The warmth and cheer she'd pictured on her brothers faces isn't there and there is no giggling ringing through the air.
Ali quickly pushes the book away. After all, she wouldn't want to ruin the pictures by getting ink on them. “Maybe they'll listen to my wish tomorrow.” She whispers to herself, voice choked up with tears.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
Bo has tucked himself under one of the unused desks in the animation studio, hiding from employees with little understanding of personal space. He couldn't stand the random hugs or pats on the head they felt the need to give him, whether he liked it or not. But if he struggled they might hurt him, so he just plays dead.
Bo watches people walk past, heart beating frantically in his chest each time someone gets a little too close to his hiding space. The pup nearly hits his head on the bottom of the desk when he hears the door slam open followed by a woman screaming “Joseph Robert Drew!”
The man in question steps in front of Bo’s hiding place, causing the pup to cower as far away from him as possible, hiding his face behind oversized ears. “Ah Maggie, what a surprise!” Joey greets her happily enough, but there is an edge to his voice.
The woman storms up to him. “Don't you ‘Maggie’ me you son of a bitch! Three months,” She's yelling in his face now, finger jabbing at his chest. “Three months our little girl has been missing and every time I see you you're acting like she never even existed! Your own daughter you-"
Her rant stops dead in its tracks as she notices familiar black curls under the desk. She shakes as she slowly bends down and reaches out a hand. “Nina? Is that you sweetheart?” Bo feels strangely okay about this woman, trusts her despite not knowing her.
He's about to reach back to her, but then Joey grabs the woman's wrist. “Margaret, there's nothing there.” He says it solemnly, as though sincerely saddened by his wife hallucinating. She sounds a shade off hysterical as she tries to tell him what she saw. “Maggie, all the stress of the situation is getting to you. You should sit down.”
Joey motions and Wally stepped into view, taking her arm. “Come with me, Mrs Drew. I'll make you a cup of tea.” As he leads the woman down the hall and out of sight, Joey turns to Bo, his face a study in rage. He grabs the toon by the arm and yanks him out from under the table. As he's being dragged along, Bo reaches a hand in the direction Wally took the lady. “Come back! Don't leave us here! Please I wanna go home!!” Tears flow freely as the distance between them grows longer and longer, until it's only him and Mr Drew.
Down the hall Norman is testing the projectors when he turns to one of the animators. “Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but we got that pup three months ago, did we not?” At their nod Norman glances in the direction of Joey’s office, his gaze narrowed.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn
and he names the sky his own
Bendy can admit that living outside of the studio didn't turn out to be as glamorous as he'd hoped. It was cold and wet, but there were no limits here. If he got his hands on something, it was his. If he wanted to go somewhere, he did. It wasn't easy but out here, the only one in charge of him was Bendy himself. He was never going back, not ever.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
Pain, melting, melting away! He feels it pulling on his mind, on his very soul, make it stop! Pieces ripped out then shoved back in wrong, the agony of a shattered being. Please please when will it end!?
Buddy jolts awake in his makeshift bed, chest heaving and ink running down his cheeks. The dream is already evaporating, a muddled mix of fear and pain all he can recall. Anxiety pounding a frantic rhythm in his chest means he won't be able to sleep anytime soon.
Quietly he gets out of his drawer and checks on his siblings. Yet again, Bo has neglected his own bed and has instead chosen to sleep on top of Ali. Their sister doesn't seem to mind though, content to curl around the youngest.
Buddy smiles fondly at the sight, gently adjusting the blanket that Ali kicked off through the night. Turning away, he sat down in front of the dresser, eyes set on the door. If he couldn't sleep, then he would keep vigil until morning. Whenever that might be.
Buddy’s never seen the actual sky, but he has heard that the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening. Apparently, whenever this happens the sky turns to all sorts of colours and it's different every time. Buddy doesn't ask for much, but he thinks he'd be happy if he and his siblings could watch the sun go down just once.
Just once, please.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.