HMS x Reader Part 4

It was after school, and you were walking home from school. As you were walking, you noticed something odd down a side street. You shrug, and decide to check it out. As you went into the street, you noticed a chill running down your spine. The buildings on the sides seem to lean in closer, their windows becoming countless eyes, staring at you. The air seemed to get heavier and the sunlight a bit dimmer. You noticed that the sounds of the cars and the children playing had gone completely silent, as if the world’s sound had been switched off.

You stopped and looked around warily, taking off your backpack and feeling around inside it for the white mask. Finding nothing except your school books, you cursed quietly to yourself, and slung it onto your shoulders again. You had continued waking down the street, as if something inside of it was drawing you nearer. With some difficulty, you stopped your feet. As you stood there, you heard a small scuffle in the encroaching darkness behind you. You spun around sharply, and the darkness swopped down upon you, like a bird of prey.

You stiffened as you heard something walking slowly towards you. You waited for what seemed an eternity for something to appear. A pair of glowing yellow eyes stared out at you from the darkness. You froze in terror. The eyes brightened, and a mask was revealed to you. You gasped. That mask- that was the mask that the Happy Mask Salesman wanted you to find! You struggled to break free of the spell that it held you in, but to no avail. The mask came closer and closer, its eyes staring into your soul.

When it was about two feet away from you, it forced you to your knees, and you screamed in pain as you felt great blows descend upon you. You don’t know how long it beat you, but very slowly, the blows stopped, and the mask disappeared into thin air, leaving you broken and bleeding on the flagstones. You closed your eyes, submitting to the welcome unconsciousness that lay on the edges of your mind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
You woke slowly, you consciousness wrenching itself away from the ominous black. You looked around blearily, half-drunk with pain. You tried to push yourself up to a sitting position, and you discovered that your limbs were too weak to do anything except twitch. You sighed, and had just resigned yourself to hours of discomfort when you heard footsteps upon the cold, gray flagstones. Panic and fear swept over you like a tidal wave, and you tried forcing your body away from the sound with limited success.

“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”

You froze in shock as the Happy Mask Salesman appeared out of the shadows with a small chuckle and a wry grin. “Wh…what…?” You rasped out. He gave you another soft chuckle, and walked over to you, holding his hand out to you. “I’ve come to help.” He said softly. “Come along.” With some difficulty, you managed to grab his hand, and help yourself up. “There you are!” He said, supporting you gently. Your legs screamed with abuse, but you managed to take a couple of steps out of the street, and soon you were in front of his shop.

The entire time you were struggling to walk, the Happy Mask Salesman kept up a stream of gentle encouragement, and when you had tripped on a loose flagstone, he had caught you, giving a small exclamation of “Careful!” The two of you stood outside his shop, and you felt that you were about to collapse. Seeing the condition you were in, the Happy Mask Salesman ushered you inside, and pulled up a chair for you, in which you collapsed gratefully.

The Happy Mask Salesman drew up a chair across from you, sat down across from you, and looked at you with an expectant smile. You sighed. “Why…did you help me?” The Happy Mask Salesman was expecting this sort of question, and answered with a small laugh, “You needed it. And besides…I wanted to. It’s always good to help a friend.” You forced yourself up to a correct sitting position, and looked at him for a long while.

He didn’t seem to mind the scrutiny. After several moments, he asked “Do you wish to stay here…or do you wish to return to your home?” You sighed. “I don’t think I could even make it to the door in my condition.” The Happy Mask Salesman laughed at that, and stood up. “Let me see.” He said, looking at you with a gleam of concern in his eyes. You sighed, and rolled up your sleeves, revealing your black and blue arms. The Happy Mask Salesman winced sympathetically. “Ooh, that doesn’t look good…no, not good at all…” He shook his head, clicking his tongue.

“You know, I think I have something for that…” He walked off into another room, and in a few seconds, he was back, carrying a glass with a strange red liquid inside it. He set it down in front of you, and told you to drink it. You complied, and he ushered you into a small bedroom upstairs, warning you that the potion would take some time to have full effect, and that you should get your rest.

You climbed into the bed, listening to him going down the stairs. After a few minutes of lying in the dark, your body began to relax. Just as you were about to go to sleep, your heard what sounded like a piano. The song that was drifting up from the floor below soothed you, and as you slipped into a peaceful sleep, you heard what sounded like singing.

Day to night, dark to light
Fall the sands of time.
Let the years, like the gears
Of a clock unwind.

Through your mind, walk through time
Back to better days.
Memories, like a dream
Wash tears away.

Like a star in the sky,
Darkness can’t reach you.
Light the night, joy is light
‘Till the new dawn.

Cast away your old face,
Let go your spite.
With this mask
I’ll ask to borrow your light.