Tortured soul

"The main thing that you have to remember on this journey is, just be nice to everyone and alway smile." ~ Ed Sheeran

The first thing I remember is the sound of laughter. It was like the sound of bells, chiming in sync and beauty. It echoed off the walls of my mind, beating in my chest. The sound of children's laughter made me want to open my eyes for the first time. My ears twitched, burning with the subtle conversations of older voices but they were nothing compared to shouts and cheers of children. I felt the pumping in my chest, the twitches of my ears, the springs in my legs, the tingling feeling in my finger tips. I was suddenly full of energy, full of life.

I moved slightly, lurching forward. My feet couldn't move yet, struggling to rebalance myself. Balance. Couldn't balance. I was falling. I still had no sight but I felt my body falling forward, no stopping, no break, no movement. I opened my mouth to call out by couldn't find my voice. Just as I felt my life was about to end as quick as it began, something tugged on my back, stopping me. I was frozen, midair. The echoes of laughter continued, this time almost haunting, mocking my movement. Could they see me?

I struggled, forcing my eyes to open. Slowly, the lids lifted, revealing the dark surroundings. My mouth shut, as I'd forgotten to close it from my attempts to cry out. Looking around, I felt something move me, standing me upright. I was in almost complete darkness, except for a light peering through the part in the curtain. Looking around, I appeared to be on a ship of some kind, though it was made out of of flimsy material. The shadows moved. I felt the touch on my side, the hand that straightened me, leave.

"Is it up?"

A shrill, gravely voice that made me quiver. I didn't enjoy it was it spoke. Somehow, the term "it" hurt me, not physically but something in my circuits burned. The shadows moved again, parting around two beings. One was shorter, rounder around the sides, dressed in black. He put something in his mouth, sparking it. It illuminated his pale face and deep eyes. The other one was tall, skinny, dressed in rags it seemed. They were both looking at me.

"Functional, yes. Just needs to learn the lines and movements, otherwise Foxy is ready to open Pirate Cove," the skinny one spoke.

"Can it speak yet?" the big one snapped.

"It is a he and yes," sighed the skinny one. "Foxy, can you say hi?"

They were looking at me. Was I Foxy? I opened my mouth and the skinny one smirked, seemingly proud of his work. My eyes looked around again, mouth hanging open. I felt my throat tingle, sharply cutting through the gears until finally a garbled noise came out. The big one cringed, bearing his teeth. The skinny one approached me, pulling something from his belt and stood on something to reach my height. The contraption from his belt went down my throat, twisting against my inner workings. The grinding in my throat became a quieter hum.

"Hi…" escaped my mouth.

"There you go, a loose wire is all," the skinny one claimed.

"Does this happen often?" grumbled the big one.

"Some slip ups are bound to happen," shrugged the skinny one. "Sir, you really shouldn't be so hard on the new animatronics."

"Tyler, are you in charge?" growled the big one.

The skinny one shook his head.

"I didn't think so, because I'm in charge. Do your job and I'll do mine!" he ordered.

"Yes, sir."

The big one left. The skinny one slipped down from his perch, reattaching the contraption to his belt. He stood in front of me, in the glow of the light between the curtains. He was young, younger than the bigger one, with brown fur coming loose from his hat. His eyes, glowing blue in the dark. He grinned, looking around.

"So, Foxy. This is Pirate Cove, where you will be staying. Simple rules for now, try not to leave behind the curtain until I've told you you can. We'll start lessons in the evening. With me so far?" the boy commented.

"Lessons…?" I choked.

"You need to learn some things to be your best. Simple stuff, good and bad. When you've got it down, we will open Pirate Cover so you can interact with the kids," he nodded. "My name is Tyler. I'm the mechanic here."

"Where…is…here…?" my voice box hurts.

"Freddy Fazbear's Pizza," Tyler nodded. "You'll meet the others tonight. They've been here a little longer than you but they're a nice bunch."

He turned around, listening to the sounds outside the curtain. I could still hear the laughter, the questions about the curtain, the comments of adults. Tyler sighed, glancing back at me before leaving. I watched him leave, disappearing into the light. I stepped forward, expecting the yank from whatever held me back the first time, but managed to completely step forward. Another step, another. Obviously I was no longer restrained. I continued moving forward until I reached the part in the curtain. I peered out.

Children. I'd found the children. It made me happy, twitching my lip into something else. They were playing, running around, climbing on some play set across from me. A few were eating, some throwing the thin slices around. To my left was another stage. Three beings were singing, dancing and looking down at the children. The children seemed so happy, talking and reaching for the creatures. They were like me. Even from here, I could feel their robotic movements and winding circuits. They were like me.

Before I ducked back behind the curtain, one of them looked up. It…he was the farthest right, holding a microphone. His eyes, a dull blue, looked up slowly. He raised his arm, gripping the brim of his top hat. Still looking at me, staring right into my eyes, his tipped his hat at me. His jaws opened shakily, almost grinning.

"Welcome child," left the bear's throat slowly and deeply.

Though the child before him was excited and pleased with the welcome, scurrying off to find their parent, the bear didn't appear to be addressing her. He seemed to be addressing me. He glanced to his side, looking to the other creatures. The bunny turned first, as soon as the bear turned away. She seemed to grin lightly, turning away hastily. The chicken looked up next, though seemed unimpressed by me and turned away quickly.

I slipped back into the shadows of Pirate Cove.