The Demon Barber Returns
Poor Thing
Sweeney Todd followed the bizarre woman to the house area of the store. His eyes missed nothing, raking the room keenly. He saw only drapes, a mirror, and a few random objects, nothing of consequence. Then he noticed the staircase leading to another room upstairs.
“’ave a seat there, love.” Said Mrs.Lovett, pointing toward a hard chair. He took the ale offered to him.
“Is there a room for rent over the shop?” He asked, attempting to sound uninterested.
She turned to him and looked questioningly. “No one’ll go near it. People think it’s haunted… They say years ago, somethin’ ‘appened up there. Something’ not very nice. There was a barber and his wife, and he was beautiful… A proper artist with a knife, but they transported him for life. And he was beautiful...Barker his name was. Benjamin Barker.” She didn’t miss the flicker that slightly appeared on his face.
“What was his crime?” He asked, sounding unemotional, dead.
“Foolishness.” She responded. “He had this wife, y'see, Pretty little thing…Silly little nit,” She said the last part mostly to herself. “Had her chance for the moon on a string…She could’ve ‘ad anything she wanted. Poor thing. There was this judge, y'see, wanted her like mad, everyday he’d send ‘er a flower. But did she come down from her tower? Sat up there and sobbed by the hour. Poor thing. Ah, but there was worse yet to come, poor thing. She even ‘ad two kids. A li’le girl, Johanna, and a baby boy...Ben she called ‘im. He didn’t seem to care… Then one day Beadle calls on ‘er all polite. ‘The Judge,’ he tells her ‘is all contrite. He blames himself for her dreadful plight.’ She must come straight to ‘is house tonight. Poor thing…Of course when she goes there, poor thing, they’re having this ball all in masks. There’s no one she knows there poor dear. She wanders tormented and drinks, poor thing. The Judge has repented she thinks poor thing. ‘Oh, where is Judge Turpin?’ she asks. He was there alright, only not so contrite… She wasn’t no match for such craft you see. And everyone thought it so droll. They figured she ‘ad to be daft you see, so all of ‘em stood there and laughed, you see. Poor soul…Poor thing… He then revealed himself to her. He did what he wanted to do all along. ‘E took her aside and covered both of them with a blanket-“
“NO!!” Sweeney shouted, raising his right arm and tears in his eyes. His face had grown steadily more troubled through-out the story. “Would no one, have mercy on her?” He asked.
“So it is you.” Mrs. Lovett said, her eyes alight with understanding. “Benjamin Barker…”
He dropped his arm. “Where is Lucy?” He said, tears shining in his eyes. “Where is my wife?”
“She poisoned herself,” She said bluntly. “From the apothecary ‘round the corner.” She hung her head. “I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen to me.” He let loose some of the agony he was feeling, seep into his face. “And he’s got your daughter. Adopted her, like his own. Your son went to the orphanage. They lost track of wha’ ‘appened to ‘im.
Sweeney threw his coat on the ground. “15 years. 15 years I was in that prison, on a false charge. 15 years I spent dreamin’…that I might come home to a wife and children…”
She stood up and walked over to him. “Well I can’t say the years ‘ave been particularly kind to you, Mr. Barker-“
“No.” He said, turning around, suddenly angry. “Not Barker. That man is dead. It’s Todd now. Sweeney Todd. And he shall have his revenge…”
“’ave a seat there, love.” Said Mrs.Lovett, pointing toward a hard chair. He took the ale offered to him.
“Is there a room for rent over the shop?” He asked, attempting to sound uninterested.
She turned to him and looked questioningly. “No one’ll go near it. People think it’s haunted… They say years ago, somethin’ ‘appened up there. Something’ not very nice. There was a barber and his wife, and he was beautiful… A proper artist with a knife, but they transported him for life. And he was beautiful...Barker his name was. Benjamin Barker.” She didn’t miss the flicker that slightly appeared on his face.
“What was his crime?” He asked, sounding unemotional, dead.
“Foolishness.” She responded. “He had this wife, y'see, Pretty little thing…Silly little nit,” She said the last part mostly to herself. “Had her chance for the moon on a string…She could’ve ‘ad anything she wanted. Poor thing. There was this judge, y'see, wanted her like mad, everyday he’d send ‘er a flower. But did she come down from her tower? Sat up there and sobbed by the hour. Poor thing. Ah, but there was worse yet to come, poor thing. She even ‘ad two kids. A li’le girl, Johanna, and a baby boy...Ben she called ‘im. He didn’t seem to care… Then one day Beadle calls on ‘er all polite. ‘The Judge,’ he tells her ‘is all contrite. He blames himself for her dreadful plight.’ She must come straight to ‘is house tonight. Poor thing…Of course when she goes there, poor thing, they’re having this ball all in masks. There’s no one she knows there poor dear. She wanders tormented and drinks, poor thing. The Judge has repented she thinks poor thing. ‘Oh, where is Judge Turpin?’ she asks. He was there alright, only not so contrite… She wasn’t no match for such craft you see. And everyone thought it so droll. They figured she ‘ad to be daft you see, so all of ‘em stood there and laughed, you see. Poor soul…Poor thing… He then revealed himself to her. He did what he wanted to do all along. ‘E took her aside and covered both of them with a blanket-“
“NO!!” Sweeney shouted, raising his right arm and tears in his eyes. His face had grown steadily more troubled through-out the story. “Would no one, have mercy on her?” He asked.
“So it is you.” Mrs. Lovett said, her eyes alight with understanding. “Benjamin Barker…”
He dropped his arm. “Where is Lucy?” He said, tears shining in his eyes. “Where is my wife?”
“She poisoned herself,” She said bluntly. “From the apothecary ‘round the corner.” She hung her head. “I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen to me.” He let loose some of the agony he was feeling, seep into his face. “And he’s got your daughter. Adopted her, like his own. Your son went to the orphanage. They lost track of wha’ ‘appened to ‘im.
Sweeney threw his coat on the ground. “15 years. 15 years I was in that prison, on a false charge. 15 years I spent dreamin’…that I might come home to a wife and children…”
She stood up and walked over to him. “Well I can’t say the years ‘ave been particularly kind to you, Mr. Barker-“
“No.” He said, turning around, suddenly angry. “Not Barker. That man is dead. It’s Todd now. Sweeney Todd. And he shall have his revenge…”
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I cut out a lot of the "poor thing" 's actually, I figured it disrupted the flow of the story if you're just reading it. Sorry if it seems a bit choppy.