Black Tears.1

Wally lost track of how many minutes he had been staring at the new form he took on, he hated this filthy body but it was necessary if he wanted to lure your friend in. "You disgust me, you never deserved [...]. They're mine for the taking, my trophy to claim. You are nothing, you are worthless, just a useless puppet..." He stopped and stared at his reflection. " A...useless...puppet... " He growled and swung at his reflection, " I'M NOT USELESS! I CAN BE AS FRIENDLY AS THE OTHERS! SO WHY WON'T YOU LOOK AT ME? WHY WON'T YOU LOVE ME ANYMORE?! " Wally gasped at his reflection, he was making that face again, that face they hated. He clawed at his soft skin angrily, "Get it off, get it off of me, I hate this face I hate it, I HATE IT! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Are you trying to scare them?! " Wally began to mimic the voices he heard that day, the day he wasn't himself. " I can't help it please stop yelling at me! " He felt so helpless, he hated when he made that face, he slumped against the wall covering his face and breathing erratically. He was losing it again just like he had all those years ago, he had to calm himself down, "Why won't you love me anymore [...]? You used to...I love you but you don't love me...you're scared I know but I am too...I don't want to be forgotten yet I'm not ready..." He reached into his pocket pulling out an old wrinkled envelope that had your name on it, "Don't you remember me?" He opened it staring longingly at the letter written in crayon it read ' dear mr wally i really really like you and when i get big and grown up like you im going to marry you. love, [...]' He laughed dryly at the sweet letter, you wrote letters like this to him all the time before the producers decided that he just wasn't making the cut anymore and that someone smaller and cuter would fit the role of Wally Darling. Wally gripped the letter feeling those terrible black tears swell in his eyes, he hated when he cried too everything made him feel sick.

"Mr Darling?" Wally had just finished speaking with the puppeteer of Julie about today's episode when one of the stagehands came up to him. "Yes, what is it?" He knew this one very well, she was a personal favourite of his, Linda was her name. She was a wonderful woman and very sweet as well, "The boss would like to see you, Mr Darling." He nodded with a smile walking away from her towards the boss's office and opening the door. "You wanted to see me?" He asked still smiling. "Ah! There you are! Star of the show!" Wally's boss, Roger, stood up with his arms open for a hug which Wally gladly accepted. Roger pulled away resting his hands on Wally's shoulders, "Now, you know how much the children love you so we've decided to have a meet and greet at the local library!" Roger announced happily. "A meet and greet with my adoring fans? Oh, Roger, you couldn't gift me with a better surprise than that!" Wally exclaimed. "That's good you leave in one hour. Make sure to get yourself to your full charm before then." Wally nodded, thanked Roger and stepped out of his office. He rushed to his dressing room, stopping in front of his mirror, "Stunning as ever but not quite." He looked himself up and down and decided that a shower, a bit of makeup, and a fresh outfit would do the trick. So off he went making sure that he was in tip-top shape for his fans, as he sat in front of his mirror applying a lovely shade of orange eye shadow to his eyelids a knock interrupted him. "Come in. It's unlocked." He continued to do his makeup as Bernard, the errand boy, nervously walked up to him placing an envelope on the table. Wally picked it up and started opening it, "What's this Bernard?" Bernard shrugged. "Fanmail I suppose." He took out the sheet of paper and began to read it aloud. "Dear Mr W I really really like you and when I get big and grown up like you I'm going to marry you. Love, [...]. Well, isn't that just adorable?" He shook his head with a warm smile, "Bernard, would you be a dear and get me a pen and paper? I'd like to write back to this sweet child." Bernard did as he was told and rushed off to fetch him a pen and paper. Wally sat eyeing the note as he did his hair in his signature pompadour, he was quite familiar with your letters it just so happened that today it ended up with Bernard, the two of you had become pen pals though you didn't know that the person you had been writing to was him but he knew who you were he knew every adoring fan of Welcome Home but you had become his favourite. Bernard came back, red in the face from probably running all over the place to find a pen and paper for Wally, "Here you go Mr Darling." Wally thanked him and sent him on his way moving his attention to writing you a nice response back, he knew you'd probably be at the meet and greet so he decided then and there that he would finally reveal himself to be Mr W. "Mr Darling we're leaving in a few minutes, are you ready?" Wally was more than ready, he was elated, he had always been fond of children especially those who were sweet like you. "Of course I am."

Everything had been going wonderfully at the meet and greet, with many new and adorable faces of excited children pulling on the arms of their mothers and fathers wondering when they'd get their turn to speak to Wally. Every child and parent had been very respectful when they got their turn. Every single one of them had been very grateful and it made Wally happy, it was always nice to take a break from filming to do things that brought joy to his heart. An antsy boy with his clearly annoyed young mother came up to Wally, "Hey there sport." Wally waved to the young boy who happily waved back, trying to get his mother to wave as well. The boy's mother glared down at him tightening her grip on his little hand making the boy tear up and tell her that she was hurting him. Wally bit his tongue clenching his fists, he hated to see an innocent child being hurt in any way by someone who was meant to take care of them. The boy tried to pull away from his mother but the moment he did she yanked him back causing him to start crying, right then and there something broke in Wally, he stood up ready to let this woman have a piece of his mind. The woman saw him moving and went to defend herself before her face dropped into the face of fear, "What is wrong with you?" Other parents and children took notice of Wally's face, children hid behind their parents and parents instinctively made sure their children were safe. Wally was taken aback what was wrong with him? What was wrong with her? He reached out but his wrist was roughly grabbed by the man who had been behind her, " Are you trying to scare them?! " Wally didn't understand, what was wrong? What had he done that had everyone turn against him? He just wanted to help the poor boy from his mother.

Wally sat quietly in front of Roger, staring down at his shoes. "Now tell me, Wally. What happened today that shouldn't have happened?" Roger glared daggers at Wally tapping his pen on his desk. "I was only trying to help that kid…" He mumbled shrinking into himself. "Only trying to help the kid? Wally, you scared and possibly traumatized most of those children with that face you made." There it was, what was so wrong with his face suddenly? "Why does everyone keep mentioning my face?" Wally looked up feeling ashamed of himself. Roger slid Wally a piece of paper, it had a picture of Wally's face, completely dark his eyes wide and wild. "...I just wanted to help that kid…" He didn't know what else to say, there wasn't anything he could say that would have changed what Roger said next. "Wally you've been a great actor and have done so well but I'm afraid your time is up. Pretty soon most people will want you gone for this and for the future of our production…we're going to have to let you go." Wally just nodded. He understood but he was disappointed, he never got to give you the letter he had seen you, through the people who were yelling at him he saw you, you weren't scared like the other children you were concerned about him. You knew it wasn't something he could control, you were the only one who showed him kindness that day.

Wally let the inky black river flow and so he cried, on the floor of your guest bathroom, loudly and pathetically. You cared about him then but now you were angry with him, you were scared of him, he didn't want to scare you but he knew you were still lonely he wanted to be lonely with you. Ever since he was cast aside for someone who could be controlled he was left in his "personal hell" until you felt the need to bring back memories, he could see you, he could speak to you and it made him happy when you acknowledged him. He wished he wasn't so terrible. Maybe then you'd love him again and you'd be the one to wipe away his tears and make the monster he had become fade away. For now, he had to play his part, he was the villain and as an actor, he would fulfil his role.