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[“What is the point of her survival? Entertainment? Pure torment? You waste valuable food and space, simply for the sake of torturing someone who can’t even recall what they’ve done to you. Yet another display of the foolish, wasteful cruelty of children.” “The others- need someone to hate. A face- not a corpse. She will- serve. Unless… you- wish to- take her place?”]
Sometimes Lily liked the Prototype, and sometimes she hated him. She hated him because he was her jailor, the one who kept her from leaving Sweet Street, the one who gave her so many stupid, stupid rules she had to follow. And she liked him because he was the only one who talked to her. But this, too, she hated sometimes- the Prototype always talked to her in Miss Gracie’s voice, and she didn’t like it- Miss Gracie belonged on the screen, not behind his creepy, unmoving smile. He was such a Grumpy Gregory- it really didn’t fit with Miss Gracie’s cheerful voice.
But! He said he’d left a gift for her in the pit, and even let her out of Sweet Street to go find it- for the first time in-… she couldn’t remember, really. So for today, at least, she liked him again!
Lily skipped her way through the halls, humming to herself and enjoying the way the pretty sound echoed off the walls- like someone was humming alongside her, a friend she couldn’t see.
She could hear other toys in the walls, too- scrambling and skitter-scattering, avoiding her like always. Why did they hate her? Why did they hate harmless little Silly-Lily? She’d never done anything to them- not that she could remember, anyways. She did her best to ignore the noises, focusing on her treasure hunt- the surprise the Prototype said he’d left for her had to be a good one!
In the darkness of the pit, unseen things shuffled, and Lily chuckled nervously. She… she just had to treat this like an adventure, like a game! She was a good toy, and she was very good at the games! (But the other toys would always shock her anyway- it wasn’t fair! They were bad toys, and they belonged in the Bad Toy Box.)
She hugged her largest braid to herself, its soft neon glow a comfort in the sickly green cast by her radium-shining eyes. The hair was coarse under her jointed fingers as she stroked it, and the sensation she felt came more from the hair itself than her plastic skin (She wished she could be soft, like Huggy and Kissy- plastic was so hard and cold and stiff). She held her braid close, and hummed to herself again, haltingly. How did it go? Miss Gracie’s song? She knew it started with, “Hey there, all you Lovely Lilies!”, because that was her name! She was the Lovely Lily, and it always made her giggle, because Miss Gracie was talking to her! Right- the words came to her, like they’d always been there. “It’s a sunny day, friends! Time to be the joy!”
Suddenly, it didn’t matter that it was so dark in the pit, because in her mind, it was a beautiful sunny day and she was on an adventure! Her giggles bounced off the walls, echoing and amplifying, a chorus of voices laughing along with her.
But all the voices stopped when she reached a clearing in the pit, where a bunch of critters were visible crowded around something- something that squished and tore under their mouths. Lily just watched for a moment, quiet and still. The body- that was… she didn’t know. Had she known that person, that lady? There was no face anymore, the skull beaten in, empty grin fractured around missing teeth, but the bright patterned clothing and overalls made her feel… something. (The taste of coffee- how did she know what coffee tasted like? Warmth- she hadn't felt warmth in... ever? The sound of a voice, words she couldn't make out- All drowned in the wave of blood-fear-pain Don't hurt me!) A voice laughed in her mind, bright and cheery as sunshine. Miss Gracie…
“Stop it! You’re hurting her!” The toys ignored her, flesh in their mouths and bones under their teeth, too feral to hear words, and her shriek grew higher, more hysterical, “Stop- stop hurting her, stop eating her!” Bad toys! They never listened, they never paid attention, they never came to visit, and now-! “Stop!”
Her hair lashed out in a hurricane of violet as she covered her face with her hands, and there came a chorus of awful wet crunching noises, before all was silent once more, except for her own gasping sobs. When she finally looked up again, the floor was all red, and the critters gone. But Miss Gracie’s body laid in the middle of it, and they were alone together in the pit.
Lily just sat there, looking at it for a long time. The body- the human body, it had been so long since she’d seen one, so like her own plastic one, but the proportions were all wrong, all weird flesh and bones- was an ugly thing, mostly skeleton at this point. Whatever flesh was left after so long was stiff and dry, and it smelled really bad. But it was still Miss Gracie, and she was Lily’s friend- Miss Gracie was the voice of reason in Lily’s head, the one that made everything make sense. (The only voice that would talk to her.) Lily couldn’t leave her here, hurt and alone.
“It’s okay, Miss Gracie… It’s okay, the bad toys are gone- you're safe now.” Lily lifted the body carefully in her braids, carrying it gently against herself, keeping any of the bones from falling. She’d take Miss Gracie home, clean her up and dress her all pretty and lovely like she should be, and tuck her safe into bed with the friends. And no one would ever be able to hurt Miss Gracie again.