Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

James Savosen de Souza had always felt invisible. Not just ignored — but as if they had never truly existed to begin with. Like God had skipped over them by mistake, or maybe on purpose.

They never thought of themselves as normal.

Them childhood was scarred by the kind of pain that bedtime stories couldn’t soothe and scraped knees couldn’t compare to. When they was just six, them mother lost her job, that loss shattered her, the alcohol became her crutch. The nights that followed were soaked in the scent of beer and slurred rage, James remembered them all: The clinking of bottles, the sound of his father cleaning up broken glass, the nights his dad brought her home from a bar, only to hold his son close and pretend everything was fine.

Them father was a gentle soul — loving, kind. He never missed a school meeting. He told James stories and taught him how to ride a bike. He was everything good in James's world.

Until the night everything broke.

James saw it happen:

Them mother, the rage, the attack, them father falling to the floor — silent, lifeless. James, trembling, called the police. But it was too late, them father never woke up again.

With them mother arrested and no one else to turn to, James was taken in by Helena — them late father's younger sister. She was warm and protective, the kind of aunt who’d throw herself into fire for her nephew. A psychologist by profession, a safe haven by nature. But she was married to a man who didn’t want James there. And he made that very clear.

Still, Helena adopted them without hesitation.

James’s childhood through adolescence became a storm of panic attacks and nightmares. They often woke up convinced them mother had escaped prison and was coming for them. Helena was always there to calm them down — whispering, hugging, holding. She was the only anchor they had. They had a few friends, but most moved away, one or two stayed in touch, the rest faded into the fog like dreams upon waking.

Things got worse when Helena fell ill and had to get treatment in another city. James was left with them uncle — a man who saw them as a burden. Every low grade turned into a shouting match. Sometimes, it ended in a slap, or a bloody nose. James began avoiding home, staying late at the library or crashing at a friend’s house. Until one night, when the violence went too far. They fled to the neighbor’s home, the uncle spent a night in jail. Helena found out two weeks later. She filed for divorce immediately. Shortly after, she discovered she was pregnant with Manuela.

Even sick and pregnant, Helena gave James everything she had. She helped him heal. Slowly. Carefully. Lovingly. He worked hard, graduated, and eventually became a scientist.

James wanted to repay her. They began searching for a job to help around the house. That’s when he stumbled across Playtime Co. — the toy factory everyone talked about. He remembered buying a Huggy Wuggy plush for Manuela there. Curious, they sent in his résumé. They never expected to be hired — let alone meet Elliot Ludwig, the founder of Playtime Co.

And they certainly didn’t expect Ludwig to treat them like family.

The two grew close. Ludwig wasn’t just a boss — he listened. Understood. Cared. For James, who still mourned a father they lost too soon, it was like life was offering him something back. They talked for hours — about science, grief, dreams, regrets.

“I understand you, James,” Ludwig once said “My parents never believed in me. Told me starting a toy company was a waste of time. But sometimes, all a child needs is a parent to believe.”

And James did believe. For the first time in years, they felt seen.

They even met Ludwig’s wife, Molly — a pale woman with crystal blue eyes and chestnut hair. She welcomed James with warmth, listened to them stories, and cried when they spoke of them past. James began to think the universe had sent Ludwig to them — a new father for the boy who had none.

But light never comes without shadows.

After Ludwig’s divorce and death, Leith Pierre took over the company. And everything fell apart. First, Huggy Wuggy disappeared, then Catnap toys were pulled from shelves, then came the theater incident.

James couldn’t understand how he hadn’t had a mental breakdown yet. Everything inside the factory reeked of secrets, experiments, fear. But no one could speak out. Doing so meant death — or worse.

Outside work, them life was oddly stable, them started dating a kind woman named Anna, they helped raise Manuela, now a curious and bright child. They assisted Helena with everything at home. They never told her about what was happening at work.

When she asked, they just smile and say:

“It’s tiring, but fine.”

James also began learning new languages — Portuguese and Spanish — as a way to reconnect with his roots. Though born in the U.S., he was part Brazilian by blood.

Then came 1995.

The worst year yet. Tensions peaked. The experiments intensified. James grew more anxious by the day. Then — of all days — they got sick with a virus and had to stay home during one of the company’s most important meetings. When he returned the next day, the factory was surrounded by police cars. Sirens echoed through the air.

A police officer approached him:

“All employees have disappeared.”

James and the handful of other workers who’d missed that day were interrogated, no answers and no explanations. Just silence and confusion.

After that day, James left it all behind. Anna became just a friend. They came out as non-binary and asexual and all them old colleagues vanished from memory and from the map.

Helena remarried. Anna had kids. Manuela became a teenager.

And James… stayed the same, still in the same apartment, still alone, still keeping every paper, every file, every piece of Playtime Co. locked in a room they called them “attic”, a tomb for the past.

And now, all they had was silence.

The world moved on.

But James hadn’t.

And the only question that remained — the one he couldn’t run from — was this:

Can he keep living… with all of this still inside them?

Chapter Text

[James]

“Okay, which one do I choose?"

I was looking at two types of bullets on the market shelf. On the right, there was a Nerds bullet; on the left, a Skittles. I admit that I like both types, but I needed to choose one. I was so focused on it that I didn't even hear what the people around me were saying.

"James?"

I was so scared that I almost hit the shelf. I turned around and saw who had poked me. He was a man with brown hair, dark skin and brown eyes. He wore a dark green coat and jeans.

"James, is that you?"

"Uh... do we know each other?"

"It's me, Michael Devison. You know, from the time when we worked at Playtime?"

My heart tightened at the time. It took me years to forget the times of Playtime. As much as the beginning was cool, a lot of bad things happened. But I didn't want to cause a scene, so I tried to remember my old colleagues... especially those who were absent that day. I thought of a black colleague who sometimes called me for a coffee.

"Yes, I remember you. How long, Michael!" - he said with a smile.

"Wow, how long! Look at you... long hair, glasses!" - he exclaimed, giving me a strong hug. - "How are you?"

"I'm... well."

It wasn't exactly true, but I didn't want to leave him feeling bad about it.

"What are you doing here in the city? I thought you had moved to Italy."

"I'm going to spend a few days here. My wife's parents are not well... we think it would be better to take them with us to Italy." - Michael replied with a weak smile.

"Wow, really? My condolences, man. Best to your in-laws." - I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. - "I hope they get better soon."

"That's right, man." - he sighed. - "And you? What have you been doing with your life?"

"I started working somewhere else. I broke up with Anna... you know, that girl I already showed you? We broke up, but we're still friends. She got married and has two children. My aunt also got married and had another daughter. Today they will sleep at home - let's marathon the DreamWorks movies."

This time, I spoke with a real smile.

"That's cool, man! So enjoy the night with your cousins." - said Michael. - "I have to go. Bye, James!"

"Bye, Michael. It was good to see you."

I waved, took the Nerds package and went to the cashier. As much as that conversation only lasted about four or six minutes, it impacted me in a strange way. It's been years since I talked to a former Playtime employee...

What else can happen?

Around 6:10 p.m., Helena was checking her bag before leaving. He had blond hair, with a brown fringe on the right side. His green eyes resembled those of his deceased brother. Psychologist, she worked in the city center. That night, he wore clothes in reddish tones: a red coat, blue pants and shoes matching the color of the shirt.

"Manuela! Agatha! Let's go soon! Your cousin is waiting! I heard that he bought a thousand sweets, and he won't be and to eat everything alone!"

"We're going, mom!"

Manuela and Agatha arrived with their backpacks. Manuela was a teenager with fair skin and blond hair. Her bangs, like her mother's, were brown, but she also had some pink locks - temporary paint, but that she loved. He wore a pink sweatshirt, his favorite color.

Agatha, younger, was still considered "a child" by her mother and cousin - which she hated to hear. For her, she was already "big". She had brown hair with purple locks made with temporary paint. I loved everything about the famous Hello Kitty and that night I wore a pink and yellow coat with blue hearts.

The two approached their mother. Helena checked her bag for the last time, making sure she had everything she needed. Then he took the girls to the car and drove for 10 minutes to James' apartment. The distance wasn't great.

Upon arrival, the doorman recognized them and released the entrance - he already knew Helena and her daughters well. They entered, took the elevator and went up to the fourth floor.

[James]

I was in the kitchen preparing a carter. My cousins loved my aunt Helena's carter. I got the recipe years ago and today I know it by heart. I learned to cook when I was 10 years old, when my aunt got sick and my supposed "uncle" stopped making food for me. I had to turn around since then. Today, as an adult, I know how to cook almost anything.

I heard the doorbell. They have arrived.

I took off my apron, turned off the stove and went to the door to receive my aunt and my cousins. I opened the door and there they were.

"Hello, girls!"

Ágatha came running into my arms and gave me a big hug.

"Hi, my princess... look how you've grown!"

"Don't forget about me, James!" - said Manuela, crossing her arms.

"Of course not, Manu! Come here and give me a hug."

I let go of Agatha and hugged Manuela tightly. My God... she was already almost my size. It seemed like it was yesterday that I arrived tired from work at Playtime and she was waiting for me awake. It was one in the morning, and she had class the next day. Manuela has always loved me very much. He even called me "brother" once. I laughed at the time, but I felt a huge affection. She considered me a real family, even though I was just a cousin.

After the hugs, the three of them entered my apartment. It wasn't very big, but it was my home. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen and living room. My office was in the middle of the room, so I took out the work table to put mattresses. That night, we would all sleep there.

As soon as Manuela smelled the carter, she dropped her backpack and ran to the table. I laughed a lot - I knew how much she loved my food.

"Manuela! Is this a way to get to other people's houses?" - my aunt shouted, while Agatha and I burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry, James..." - Manu said, awkwardly.

"No problem, aunt. I know how much Manu loves my food." - I said, still laughing. - "But what's up... who wants to eat James' food?"

Ágatha dropped her backpack on the living room armchair and ran to the table. My aunt also sat down. I served the carter and drinks - Coca-Cola for Manu and Helena, grape juice for Agatha. They devoured everything. My God, how I loved those girls. They were like younger sisters to me.

After eating, Helena gave her daughters a good night kiss and left. Now it was just the three of us. We put on our pajamas and started playing board games. We started with Monopoly. I don't know how long we played, but every round, someone became more "millionaire". First it was Manu, then me, then Ágatha... and so it was until Manuela won, and Ágatha had to pay punishment for eating mint candies.

Then there was a pillow war - me against the girls. Obviously I won two of them. We played with makeup too: I put a red lipstick on Agatha, something my aunt wouldn't let her wear. But here, I would let... as long as they didn't tell their parents. We took several photos. Then they painted my nails with shades that I liked. We waited for it to dry and went to watch DreamWorks movies.

I had rented a lot of tapes: Shrek, The Way to El Dorado, Spirit, Chicken Escape and The Shark Escape. While I was preparing some sweets, the two discussed which movie to watch first.

"Ágatha, we've seen Shrek a million times!"

"At least it's a romance story! Fuga das Galinhas is just about chickens running away from crazy people!"

He laughs lightly. Every time it was that. Agatha was a fan of Shrek, the green ogre who saves a princess from a dragon... and a donkey. I also liked the jokes. Fuga das Galinhas was Manu's favorite. I also loved it - chickens running away from a sociopathic woman who wanted to turn them into pies! The stop motion of that movie has always impressed me.

"What's going on here?" - I asked, arriving with the food and sitting between them. - "Have you already chosen the movie?"

"No! Manu is being annoying talking bad about Shrek!" - said Agatha, with a snack in her hand.

"You're the one who's saying that Fuga das Galinhas is the worst DreamWorks movie!" - Manuela replied, indignant.

"It's enough, you two are enough. Can I give my opinion?" - they nodded. - "I like both, but I think we should start with Spirit."

Spirit was different. A 2D movie from DreamWorks. I loved that movie. I still remember when I took Manu to the movies to watch.

We made an agreement: first we would see Spirit, then Shrek, then Chicken Flight, The Shark Scare and finally The Way to El Dorado.

At the end of Shrek, Agatha slept like a candle. I turned off the TV and saw that Manu was still awake.

"Do you want to watch another movie?" - I asked, taking out the DVD.

"I want to... but can we play canastra too?" - Manuela asked.

"Yes, you can. The letters are in my room, go get them there." - I said, pointing to the corridor.

She walked while putting away Shrek's DVD and changed it to Fuga das Galinhas. I noticed that she was taking a long time... I went to my room and couldn't find her. I was worried. I thought you were in the bathroom. That's when I saw the attic light on.

I got goosebumps.

I always left that door closed. There were only some old things there. I entered carefully and found Manu with a toy in his hands.

"Manu... what are you doing here?" - I asked, scared. I wasn't mad, just surprised.

"Sorry, James. I was going to get the letters, but I saw the door open... and an open box... and they were toys." - she replied, with a guilty look.

I took a deep breath and approached, trying not to look angry.

"No problem. I forgot to lock the door." - he said with a smile. - "Look... this was one of your toys."

"I know. I remember. This is one of the Smiling Critters, Hoppy. My favorite." - she said, holding the green rabbit. Hoppy was one of the agitated of the group. I remember when Manu was little and watched the Critters cartoon. She said she wanted to be like Hoppy when she grew up.

"Your mother said she was going to donate, but since you didn't want to, she asked me to keep it." - I said, crossing my arms. - "Where did you find it?"

"In that box over there." - he said, pointing. I looked and found several things I didn't even remember anymore: a Huggy Wuggy toy, about four Smiling Critters dolls, a Candy Cat doll without a tail... a photo of my birthday with some employees... and a photo of me with Elliot Ludwig.

I didn't even remember this photo.

I approached, took the photo and felt something I hadn't felt for a long time. The same tightness I felt when I met Michael at the market.

"That was the owner of Playtime, wasn't he?" - Manuela said next to me. I almost jumped in fright.

"His name was Elliot Ludwig, right? Were you close?"

"Yes... he always understood me." - I said, looking at the photo. But I didn't want to delve into the subject, so I changed my focus. - "But what's up... are you going to stay with Hoppy or not?"

"I think so. I'll ask mom to wash it." - she said, holding the doll tightly. - "Do you still want to play?"

"I don't think so... do you just want to watch a movie?"

"Yes."

We stayed awake between one or two hours. Manuela ended up sleeping hugging Hoppy. I was still awake. I wanted to watch something just mine, but I didn't want to wake up the girls. So I took out the DVD, lay down on the mattress... and slept, little by little.

The days followed. James kept working, but couldn't stop thinking about Playtime Co. My God... what was going on with Elu?

Helena ket keed asking what was going on. Elu lied, saying it was just tiredness from work. But I couldn't stand hiding it anymore. He began to research more about the closure of the factory - he searched on websites, forums, any clue. And nothing. No concrete information.

Until, on a day like any other, after another frustrated search, elu decided to take a look at the correspondence. The usual:

Account, account, account, account... Playtime letter... con—

Wait... what?! A letter from Playtime?!

James almost had an attack when he read the sender. He took a deep breath for a few seconds before opening the envelope. Inside, there was a sheet of paper facing down... and a VHS tape.

Elu still had an old TV in the attic, which ran VHS tapes. He went up there, turned on the TV, put on the tape. The image appeared on the screen.

"You are about to see the most incredible doll ever invented."

It was Elliot Ludwig.

James felt a tightness in his chest... but also a certain relief. As much as so many years had passed, I still recognized that face.

"Her name is Poppy, and she is the first truly intelligent doll in the world."

Of course. Poppy

Elliot's most famous creation. Elu remembered the stories that Elliot himself told... how he had been inspired by his deceased daughter to create that doll.

"A little girl can talk to her. Poppy gives her answers."

"She is the first doll actually able to have a conversation with a child."

James gave a slight laugh. He remembered the times Elliot called him to his room - they kept telling jokes, stories, funny memories. I miss that time...

"Hard to believe?" - Elliot asked, smiling.

"Just watch."

Then the image of the doll appeared: red hair like poppy petals, blue dress with delicate white details, black shoes. At the time, it cost $5.99.

The commercial continued, now announcing that anyone who wanted to visit the factory could pay $2.99 for a tour. The camera showed images of Playtime... and then, something strange: one of the factory wings, with a huge poppy flower painted above a door.

"Mas que porra é essa?" - said Elu, with his Brazilian accent loaded.

The image disappeared. James then looked at the paper that came with the tape - and turned it around.

What you read squeezed your blood:

"Everyone thinks that employees disappeared 10 years ago.

We're still here.

FIND THE FLOWER."

James reread the note. Even with the spelling mistake, it was clear that someone from inside the factory had written that. But how did they know who Elu was? And the worst: who had sent that?!

Without thinking too much, Elu went straight to the room. He wore a black T-shirt, brown coat, dark pants and red sneakers. He fixed his long blond hair, put on his glasses and took his bag. He put inside the wallet, the phone, a flashlight... and some goodies.

He took the car key, went down to the building's parking lot, got into the vehicle and started it.

He was going back to his old workplace.

What could happen? Elu knew that place with his eyes closed...

Chapter Text

James arrived at Playtime Co. I tood I know the way very well. When he was close, he stopped the car. I didn't want to go further by driving - he parked right at the entrance.

He looked again at his bag and then at the phone. There were some messages from Helena:

"James, is everything okay?"

"Are you tired from work?"

"Is something going on? Please, tell me!"

When they read the messages, his mind was filled with memories - memories of when Helena had adopted. They remembered when they got them first ten in a test, the presentation on Mother's Day, them 20th birthday and so many other memories.

"Sorry, aunt..." they murmured.

They left the bag with their phone inside the car. They only took the goodies and the key - they didn't want any contact with the outside world. Now, it was them and Playtime. It was time to solve your problems.

[James]

I kept walking until I got to the factory. Who would have thought that, after ten years, I would return to this place? I still remember that day... August 9, 1995. Me arriving at Playtime and the place taken over by police vehicles. And now, here I am back.

Before entering, I took a deep breath and said in a low voice:

"Weait for me, Playtime..."

I entered the factory. It's strange how even the entrance remains the same... It was the entrance used by employees and visitors. There was a desk, old computers, chairs, colorful posters, an old TV and a green VGS tape.

I saw the tape. I looked at the TV and thought: "Does it still work?"

Even though it's a stupid question - after all, the place has been abandoned for ten years - I decided to try. I put the tape on the TV and... it worked!

"Hello! My name is Leith Pierre, and I'm the head of innovation!"

I snorted with hatred, unlike Elliot, I never liked Leith Pierre. In fact, I always hated this guy, after Elliot's death, it was he who took charge of Playtime, as much as he tried to look sweet when coordinating the company, he was arrogant. A hell of a son of a bitch.

The tape said that Playtime had an extremely rigid security system - and that if someone was watching that, it was probably an invader. And that this invader could screw up the system.

Well... technically I'm not an invader. I worked here. But... I'm kind of invading. Is this system still working, even after ten years?

It's no surprise that Playtime had so much security. After all, it was a huge company. It was natural to imagine that spies could appear trying to discover the secret of the factory's success... But that never happened.

The tape is over. I took a look around, looking for other rooms. I noticed a door on my right - it seemed to be the old gift shop. I decided to take a look inside.

I entered. There were open or destroyed boxes, scattered toys, children's paintings on the walls... and a little toy train circulating, as if nothing had changed. He laughs lightly.

I remembered that I had one of these when I was a child.

I got closer... and that's when I saw a counter. There was a red spot in it - dark, dry, completely out of place.

God... is that blood?

I swallowed dryly. As much as I was a scientist and was used to seeing blood in medical and experimental reports, that... that gave me a strange agony.

I didn't think twice: I left there and went back to the previous room.

That's when I saw another room - a security room. Maybe there was something useful in there.

But the door was locked. I needed a code.

How is this possible? It's been ten years... and the electricity in this place still works?

As scared as I was, I decided to try to remember the code.

Shit... I forgot that fucking code!

That's when I remembered the little train from the gift shop.

His colors weren't exactly flashy, but... they were the same ones that appeared in the code input panel.

And if... no. Could it be that...?

The little train followed an order: green, pink, yellow and red. I typed this sequence on the panel and... it worked!

The door opened. Inside, there were tables with computers, turned chairs, scattered toys, an old TV compatible with VGS tapes, a blue ribbon on the table and, further down, a glass showcase with a GrabPack.

GrabPack was practically the right-hand man of Playtime Co.

Even though I was an adult, I still had the curiosity of a child to know what it was like to use that.

I tried to open the window - locked.

With no choice for now, I looked at the blue ribbon on the table to my left.

If the green tape worked... maybe this one will work too, right?

I put the tape on the TV.

Just like the other one, this one also worked perfectly.

The tape explained how to use GrabPack: it could reach objects in the distance and pull them hard.

It looked amazing.

But there was an important warning:

"Never use GrabPack on coworkers."

The tape is over. A click sounded.

The window opened, releasing the GrabPack.

I took the equipment and put it on my back. It was... a strange feeling.

It looked like one of those vacuum cleaners, only state-of-the-art.

As the Ghostbusters used in the movie Ghostbusters.

I also remembered the vacuum cleaner that Luigi, Mario's brother, used in the game Luigi's Mansion.

I took a closer look at GrabPack and realized: he only had one hand - the blue one.

"I'll need to find the other hand to complete this..." I murmured.

I left the security room and went back to the reception. I saw a turnstile and decided to bend down and go under it. Soon after, I saw a scanner with a blue fingerprint.

Well... GrabPack has a blue hand. It's worth trying.

I pointed the blue hand at the scanner and - fails.

Nothing surprising, considering that it was turned off ten years ago.

I tried again... and this time it worked. The door opened.

As scary as it was, I confess that I felt a certain relief.

I crossed the main lobby. I have to admit: the fact that the security system didn't fire any alarm... scared me even more. I'm scared.

As soon as I entered, I ran into the Huggy Wuggy statue. Stood, waving.

When the factory was still active, many visitors came to Playtime just to see this - Huggy waiting at the entrance, smiling and welcoming.

Huggy was to Playtime what Mickey Mouse is to Disney: its main mascot.

No wonder I met the factory because of him.

I saw a sign with information about the character and, just below, a button. I pressed - and the theme song started playing.

I have to admit... I like this song. It's silly, funny - and somehow, comforting.

While the music was playing, I watched the lobby better.

There were several doors. Probably locked up. Or simply stun.

That's when I saw another scanner - but with the red hand symbol.

"Don... then it got complicated. I only have a blue hand. Where the hell is this shit...?"

"Com a mão vermelha?!" I shouted, with my Brazilian accent escaping unintentionally.

Even being alone in that lobby... I didn't feel alone.

Never mind. It must be just my impression.

That's when I saw a door with a blue hand scanner.

I pulled the GrabPack's hand, ready to open... but at the exact moment - the door went into a short circuit.

"A qual é, agora não decidiu abrir?! Vai pra puta que pariu!" I shouted, this time in pure Brazilian Portuguese.

That's when I heard a metallic noise - the sound of a key falling. I'll turn around.

The key... was in Huggy's left hand.

"Okay..." I murmured, shivering as I pulled the key with the GrabPack. "I think... thank you? I... I'm going then."

I used the key on the door and entered. It was an energy room.

There was a poster with instructions on what employees should or should not do.

I'm not an electrician, but it seemed simple enough.

I took the cable with the blue hand of the GrabPack and wrapped it around two electric poles, until I managed to connect it to the outlet.

The lights started to come back.

"That!" I said, excited.

But the animation didn't last long.

As soon as I left the room... I realized. The Huggy statue... was no longer in the same place.

"What?! What do you mean he disappeared?!” I screamed, paralyzed. I closed my eyes. I opened it again.

It wasn't hallucination.

The statue disappeared.

The fear was pressing, but I continued. I shot the blue hand to another scanner - the door opened. It revealed a corridor that led forward... but it was blocked.

"Oh, that's great! It seems that we have another dead end!" I ironized, moving forward.

But something made me stop. A chill ran down my spine.

I saw a door on the right. And something... something behind her.

"Jesus... was that an arm?"

I opened the door. I came across a long, dark and empty corridor.

Wow. What wonderful news.

I followed to another door in front. But then - SHOVEL!

A pipe burst.

"GOD!" I almost had a heart attack.

I kept walking until I entered a room.

There was a yellow VGS TV, shelves full of toy boxes, and a ladder.

I decided to go up. Maybe you would find something useful.

At the top, I found a panel that needed four colored circuit breakers.

I was lucky: the blue was already there.

I noticed that there was a broken part. It was dangerous, but... I jumped.

Thank God, I didn't hurt myself.

I started looking among the shelves - and I managed to find all the circuit breakers.

And I also found the VGS tape of that TV.

I opened a large door that led to where the panel was and decided to put the tape.

- "Ugh, Rich... where do they keep Huggy's boxes?"

My hair got goosebumps.

- "I have no idea."

Rich and Avery.

My friends from Playtime.

It's been years since I heard those voices.

I remembered the breaks - while Michael told gossip, Rich always complained about everything, and Avery agreed just for fun.

They weren't my best friends, but...

They made that place more bearable.

Especially after Leith took over the company.

"Do you remember the last time they cleaned this place?"

"No."

"Exactly. No one in this stupid company knows what they're doing."

This line... this one I can say is true.

Rich always complained about how much Playtime sucked.

I remember a time when that son of a bitch Leith made a stupid warning at the factory.

Rich whispered: "What a son of a bitch... doesn't even know what he's doing."

I almost laughed at the time.

I miss him.

"Oh, I swear I've never seen a box in the right place since they started filling the warehouse with garbage from the orphanage."

"Right..."

"I even understand. It's a cool, innovative program, but..." - said Rich, letting out a sigh.

"It's hard to be happy with the project when the manufacturers get ON OUR FEET just because we don't think these Huggy boxes are idiots!"

"Rich..." - murmured Avery, sighing.

"You're right, you're right. Yeah... it's for the orphans..." - Rich took a deep breath. - "I just wish they had fewer boxes. Fewer things would be more tolerable. Does that word exist? Tolerable?"

The tape is over.

He clenched his chest.

It wasn't just on this tape that Rich talked like that.

Times had gotten too much worse at that time.

The worst? They didn't even charge the scientists...

But employees like Rich and Avery.

And always with the same excuse: "Think about the children."

This hurt Rich deeply, because his dream has always been to have children...

But his wife couldn't get pregnant.

I sighed and followed to the panel.

I put the remaining circuit breakers.

A mechanical claw activated and took a glass box with a red hand.

But, halfway, the claw dropped - the glass broke hard.

Luckily I wasn't down there.

I went down and took the red hand.

- Great! Now I have both hands on GrabPack!

I advanced to a door with two scanners: one blue and one red.

I shot both hands. The door opened.

It wasn't a very big door...

I managed to pass, but I felt like Alice in Wonderland, entering the rabbit hole.

The strangest part?

There was a treadmill - but it wasn't working.

I went ahead until I found another energy room.

Maybe that's why the treadmill had stopped.

Just like in the security room, I needed to press a button, go through the power poles and connect everything again.

This time, the route was much longer, but at least now I had a red hand.

I activated the power button, found all the poles and went through them, pulling the electric current until I turned everything on.

The treadmill worked again.

I followed her to see how far it took me.

I almost had a heart attack when parts of toys fell from the ceiling!

But I managed to get out of the treadmill right in the area called Make-A-Friend.

That's where the employees assembled the toys.

In the center of the place there was a door - it would only open with a complete toy.

Specifically, a Baby Cat.

When I went to press the machine button... I realized.

She wasn't working.

"GREAT!" I muttered, annoyed.

I looked around, trying to find some solution.

I saw some stairs and went up.

That's when I saw a pink VGS TV.

- I bet this puzzle will be the most difficult so far...

I had to pull some pieces, reposition broken parts and do acrobatics just to be able to walk and reconnect the energy.

But then I saw - the pink ribbon.

I used GrabPack to get the tape, went back to the pink TV and put it on.

"So, Stella... what made you want to work at the Playtime Co. factory?"

Stella? It was an unknown name... but why did I have the feeling that I had already heard of it?

"Playing, when I was a child, was so magical..."

That voice... it was Stella Greyber! The head of Playcare at Playtime Co. Unlike Leith, I even liked Stella. She was the kind of woman any child would dream of having as a mother. Playtime was really lucky to have hired someone like her - very different from Leith Pierre...

"I could go from the floor of my room to anywhere in the world. It was a wonderful feeling!"

Sometimes, I was jealous of Stella's lines. It seemed that this woman had a childhood full of color and happiness... different from mine. But, according to some rumors, Stella had two younger brothers - a boy and a girl. They said that these two considered her a second mother. Unfortunately, both died early... just like my father.

"And... being able to work in a toy factory, where I can give children the same experience I had, makes me feel better!"

I didn't admit, but... hearing Mrs.'s voice. Greyber made me feel better. To think that, even with everything that was going wrong in this factory, she still managed to keep a smile... that comforted me.

"Only sometimes I would really, very much like to be able to come back. Going back to being a child, I mean... and that's strange, because adults are just children who have grown up. I don't think anyone really feels like an adult... but the body just gets older... and getting older... and then you die." - Stella exclaimed, letting out a chuckle.

"The human body can't be young forever, but there's one thing! Some trees can live much longer than a human being. I mean... the oldest person in the world is still young compared to certain trees. So I imagine that everyone is young... compared to something, right?"

"Okay... I think we lost focus a little."

As much as that talk about the trees was weird, it even made sense... especially after everything that happened at Playtime.

I went back to my task of turning on the power. After a long time, I got it. Who would have thought that, for someone who is a scientist, I am an excellent electrician?

I went downstairs. Now the machine was on. Come on, James! Time to build toys!

The Catbee toy was perfect. When it was ready, I took it with GrabPack and went to the scanner. But... before putting on the toy, I felt something strange. As if... as soon as I opened that door, something was going to happen...

I put the toy on. The scanner collected it perfectly. The door opened. God, why is my body shaking? Okay, enough of that. Come on...

But then... Huggy's statue appeared. That was moving. His mouth was open. And it wasn't that friendly smile... his smile now had sharp teeth. He was walking towards me.

- "Shit!" - I shouted.

Jesus... how did this come to life?! Forget it, my life is more important!

I ran. I ran until I found some way out. I saw a little door. Wait... that was closed while the Catbee toy was being made! But now it was open. A relief.

Without thinking twice, I entered that little door. There was a treadmill. Fuck you, I ran anyway. Everything was dark, but I kept running. You can hear Huggy's beatings.

Damn it! He was behind me!

The more I ran through those pipes, the more I felt trapped in a maze. I had to squat, change direction several times... until I entered through a narrow part, where Huggy could not pass. I ran as far as the path allowed, but a door closed. I looked around and saw another way, but Huggy was squirming between the walls. Oh, no! I wasn't going to turn the dinner of a three-meter-tall blue animal!

“OPEN HERE, FUCK!” I shouted, desperate, while knocking on the door. Luckily for me, she opened up, and I ran as fast as I could.

Can someone explain to me how this is possible?!

After so much rush, I finally managed to get out of the pipeline. The door closed behind me with a snak. That won't lose me anymore—

*Bang*

What?! Was that animal still chasing me?! Oh no, he ain—

*Bang*

I looked up and saw a huge box. What if I could...?

I used GrabPack to try to knock her down, but she was too heavy.

DAMN, GO SOON!

*Bang*

The box was almost falling... Go, box, FALL SOON! Wait... it fell!

*Bang*

The door opened with a start. Huggy ran towards me, but the box fell on his head. The treadmill gave way with the weight, and we both fell on the lower track. I tried to balance myself, Huggy too... but he slipped and fell. I approached to see where he had ended up - and then I saw his face... and heard the scream.

That scream... I remembered.

...

James ran crying towards the room. He hid in the closet. Not that it was the safest place in the world, but it was the only one I had.

 “JAMES, WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SHIT!?”

It was Oliver. Them "uncle". Helena was sick, admitted to the hospital in the neighboring city. Meanwhile, James was in his care. Since he was adopted by Helena, Oliver made it very clear that he never liked James. The child sometimes wondered how Helena had convinced him to let him live with them - since his father's death.

Desperate, crying in silence, James prayed. I prayed for Helena to get better. So that he would come home soon.

"THERE YOU ARE, HIDDEN IN THIS CLOSET OF SHIT!"

The door opened in a rum. Oliver was furious. I couldn't tell if he was drunk or just angry - maybe both.

"DO YOU THINK HIDING HERE WILL SOLVE SOMETHING?"

He grabbed James by the arm and threw him hard against the wall, there was even a blood stain and then, he picked him up again and threw him to the ground, pulling the belt.

James screamed. I was crying. I swore I hadn't done anything to deserve that.

Why? Why was this happening? Why fair to them? A blond child, so small, so young...

young...

[James]

No. I couldn't let that creature die like that!

"Here!" I shouted to Huggy, who was falling. I threw GrabPack's hands for him to reach.

I felt the weight when he grabbed it. Now it was with me. I needed to pull him back. Wow, how heavy it was! But with effort, I did it. Huggy climbed the bars until he reached the ramp.

When he stood up, he looked at me with surprise. As if I were the first person to help you...

I brought my hand closer to his, lightly and carefully.

"I-I'm sorry" I whispered, looking into his eyes." You look like you haven't eaten for days."

I put my hand in my coat pocket and took the chocolate bar I had bought earlier. I opened and offered a part, with three squares.

"Here. You can eat."

He took it, opened his huge mouth and ate. Then, he looked at me and... smiled.

It was a smile full of sharp teeth - but at the same time... there was something cute there.

"Wait! Your head is hurt, don't open your mouth too much, otherwise it will hurt more!" - he said, a little scared.

Huggy followed my guidance. Then, he looked at me and I gave him a hug. Wow... that was so cute! I felt like a father being hugged by his son after the first day of school.

After the hug, I turned to look around better and saw a strange figure on the wall. It was the FLOWER - the same flower from the letter I had received.

"The flower..." he said, pointing.

Huggy was in doubt about what I was saying. When I pointed to the flower, he looked scared...

I went to the door, Huggy followed me. Near the door, there was a gray VGS TV with a tape that I had found on the way. I decided to put the tape on the TV.

"Last record, object: 1006, the 'Prototype'."

Prototype? What a strange name... I've never heard of it before.

"Coordination and cooperation evidently integrate his skills, as well as the skills of all experiments of the type," said the scientist in the video. - "Although missing, today's events are undoubtedly related to him."

I thought that was strange. I had never heard of this "Prototype". I looked at Huggy, and he seemed to know who it was.

"His absence was a failure in the scientific process, which could not have been ignored under any circumstances. That's why I'm making this record: so that this mistake doesn't happen again." the scientist continued, and it seemed that I heard screams and blows in the background.

"Any new experiment should be contained and eliminated in..."

"Safe environment, I don't worry about myself, a revelation and I'll be back. We must proceed in the name of science, regardless of whether the simplest, below us, will understand or not! End of the—”

The tape stopped, without completing the sentence. Maybe it was damaged, or something like that. What the fuck is this? What did he mean by "no mistakes are repeated", "safe environment"? Was this driving me crazy?

We went to the door where there was a drawing of a flower - to be honest, it looked like a poppy. Toys hanging on the wall gave the impression of having taken their own lives. There were also written sentences: "Danger", "go away", "withdree".

"Beauty, let's do the following, little friend," I said to Huggy, as if it were a scam. - "I'm going to open this door. If any monster or scary animal appears, I promise I'll protect you from them, okay?"

Huggy nodded his head, meaning "yes". So I pulled the door hard.

There was nothing. Only colored walls - different from Playtime walls.

We went downstairs and arrived at a room that looked like a child's room, especially a girl's room. When we looked at a door with a very strong red light, we decided to get closer. Huggy trembled, clearly with fear.

I opened the door and she revealed a glass box, inside it was the Poppy doll. That was strange...

"Okay, Huggy, I feel like I should open this box. So no one will stop us from doing that."

I opened the box with GrabPack's hand. As soon as the box opened, the lights flashed and I felt like I was going to faint...

"You opened my cage..."

Chapter Text

You know, there are fates far worse than death itself.

RISE UP!

WAKE UP!

…

..

.

[James]

Damn… I passed out when I opened the glass box… wow, how many hours did I sleep?

The only thing I remember before passing out was a girl’s voice saying, “you opened my cage,” but now the glass box was empty, without the Poppy doll… wait, whose arms are these?

I turned and it was Huggy. Wow, I had forgotten he was there with me. I gave a small smile—he was so cute doing that.

“Thanks for the hug… Huggy… but it’s too tight,” I said calmly; a few seconds later, Huggy let go. “How’s your head?”

“Ah-ah,” replied Huggy. Wow, it was strange hearing him speak, but it seemed he had difficulty expressing words. I guess the hit affected that.

“Looks like we both passed out because of the gas that came out of the box,” I replied while picking up the GrabPack that had fallen on the floor. “We better find that doll.”

At this last line, Huggy shivered a little. He had been doing that ever since we heard the drop about that Prototype. Could there be other things here besides Huggy? But how had I never noticed this…? Alright, enough stalling, let’s move forward!

I guided Huggy until we left that room, but when we got out, the exit was completely blocked by furniture. However, a wardrobe had fallen, hiding a door. Strange we didn’t notice this. Hey, maybe it leads somewhere!

I opened the door, revealing a corridor. Wait! I know this corridor; this is where I used to walk. But why can’t I remember anything? It must be the PTSD that affected my mind so much these past years.

At the end, there was a door with big letters: ELLIOT LUDWIG. WAIT! THIS WAS HIS OFFICE, THE ONE WHERE I USED TO GO TO HAVE A CHAT WITH ELLIOT!

I tried to open the door, but it was locked. Maybe I can break it open? That wouldn’t be polite, especially since it’s Elliot’s room, but it must be abandoned by now. However, Huggy was not in the mood to break a door, especially after what happened to him.

“Okay, there must be a key to open this door. Let’s take a closer look, buddy,” I said, guiding Huggy to a corridor. It was completely destroyed; the floor was so damaged there was a giant hole. It wouldn’t be good for Huggy to jump that hole. I could manage with the GrabPack.

“Okay Huggy, I’ll check it out. If something comes up, scream really loud so I can come back, okay?”

“Ah-ah.”

I took a few steps back, then ran to the hole and jumped. I used the GrabPack to grab a pipe, which gave me the strength to cross to the other side of the corridor. I found a door full of GrabPacks and a key with a poppy design. I grabbed the key and used the other, less destroyed corridor to cross. When I returned, I poked Huggy’s back. When he turned, he gave a wide smile—not too big. When I showed him the key, he looked even happier.

I opened the office door. Wow, it brought nostalgia; it felt like decades since I had a proper conversation with Elliot. The room had Elliot’s desk, some children’s drawings on the wall with the main Playtime mascots. There was a paper on Elliot’s desk.

“Uh, what’s this?”

Experiment 814

Notes:

• This experiment used a live rat.
• The rat was fed daily portions for 2 weeks.
• At the end of two weeks, the rat was killed and submerged in a mixture of poppy flower and preservative gel.
• One week later, an electric shock was applied to the rat (still in the gel) in an attempt to revive it.
• The rat remained unresponsive.

Analysis: I still believe in the potential of the poppy flower. Its unusual properties lead me to think that the right mixture and procedure could have transformative effects. The poppy flower has long carried strong symbolism, and I don’t believe that’s a coincidence. Perhaps something bigger than a rat would produce different results.

Looking at this paper made me shiver. Could Elliot have conducted—or did conduct—an experiment with an animal? And that analysis seemed odd. What does “potential of the poppy flower” mean? That was strange…

“Okay… that’s really weird, but let’s leave it behind. Let’s see if there’s anything else in this room.”

I decided to take a proper look around the room and found a VGS tape. The good news was there was a TV in Elliot’s room. Yay! We can watch a tape!

“Playtime Co. is the product of a great man named Elliot Ludwig, divorced, but a family man.”

At that moment, I was surprised, but I understood. Exactly, Elliot had only divorced years before his death. Indeed, there was a rumor in 1930 that Elliot had divorced, but in reality, at that time, he was in an open relationship with Molly. When they signed the papers, they could only officially divorce decades later.

“His goal was always to bring wonderful toys to wonderful children around the world. Ludwig spent countless hours in the factory, working hard, continuously innovating and aiming to surprise.”

That line gave me some relief; I had always known Elliot’s goal was to bring joy to children worldwide.

“In 1960, an unexpected death in the family plunged Ludwig into despair, but with much ambition, he rose and continued pursuing his vision for the Playtime Co. toy factory. Ludwig would never leave a project unfinished. But how did a man create such an impressive empire? How did he stay determined even after experiencing such a traumatic loss? It all began in the fateful year of 19—”

The tape ended without revealing the year, maybe it was already damaged. But this last line reminded me vividly of who Elliot was. I remember him telling me what that loss had been: the loss of his daughter, Poppy Ludwig. He told me he had always been very attached to her, so much so that the Poppy doll was based on her. Simply put, Ludwig had endured many other losses besides his daughter’s death; his parents passed away years after Playtime opened. Even though they weren’t the best parents, he loved them deeply. That was the man who, even after everything, managed to carry an empire.

Huggy nudged my shoulder. When I turned, he pointed to an open ventilation shaft. When I tried to enter, I couldn’t—maybe it was too small for me. Then I saw a larger pipe; uh, maybe it could be opened. So Huggy and I could go through. I used the GrabPack to open it, but as soon as I pulled, it broke. Well, at least now it was open.

“Okay, let’s see where this pipe leads. I’ll go first, and you, buddy, be careful not to hit your head,” I said to Huggy as I entered the pipe. I carefully moved through, making sure not to bump into anything. I also watched Huggy to prevent him from hitting his head. At the end, we reached a small storage area. I went down and noticed a box on the floor. I helped Huggy get out safely; he came down calmly.

“Well, at least nothing appeared to bother us, so we’re okay,” I said with a smile.

When something fell on the floor, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Huggy opened his mouth, teeth ready to attack. We turned to see what it was—it was a Poppy doll. Well, she looked gentle.

“Oh! Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you…” said the doll.

“No, no problem. The problem is my heart almost jumped out of my chest,” I said, breathing slowly. I noticed Huggy growled at the doll, so I gently rubbed his arm to calm him down.

“Calm down, buddy. No need to get nervous. Besides, she’s probably more afraid of us than we are of her,” I said calmly.

“Sorry, he’s still nervous, mainly because of the hit he took. But what did you want to say?” I asked with a smile.

“I was just trying to reconnect the power,” Poppy said with a timid smile. “This way.” She moved aside, revealing a button to restore the power. I placed the GrabPack’s blue hand on it, crossing the power posts. I found another button and then used the red hand. The power was back!

“Ah, I wanted to thank you for freeing me,” the doll said. “I’ve been trapped there for SO long. Thank you…”

“You’re welcome, no need to thank me. I just did what… Huggy, stop growling!” I shouted at Huggy.

I went to Huggy, trying to find another way to calm him. Maybe a hug would help, after all, when I saved him, I gave him a hug.

After the hug, he calmed down. I then turned back to Poppy.

“Sorry again about him. As I said, he’s still nervous from the hit he took,” I said. “Before entering that room with the glass box, he was about to hurt me when I threw a box at his head, so he would fall. But I saved him, and now Huggy is with me.”

“You saved him?” the red-haired doll asked, surprised. “Wow, that’s… impressive. But how did you end up here exactly? How do you know Playtime?”

“I used to work here, but 10 years ago they closed, and nobody has heard from the factory since,” I replied. “But what’s your name? Are you really called Poppy?”

“Yes, my name is Poppy,” she replied with a smile. “Now that we’ve met, can you help me?”

“Wait! Help you, how? We just met,” I asked, wide-eyed.

“Well, it turns out Huggy and I aren’t the only ones alive in here,” Poppy said, entering the pipe. “There are other lives I need to help. The PlayStation train will help us reach them.”

“A train?” I asked, turning to Huggy. We returned to the pipe where we had arrived at the storage area. I helped Huggy enter the pipe. We went back to Elliot’s old room, when Poppy appeared in the pipe that didn’t fit me and Huggy; she seemed to fit in there.

“Hi again!” exclaimed Poppy with a smile, like a child finding someone during hide-and-seek. “This way,” Poppy pointed.

Huggy and I followed where Poppy indicated. I came across a door—it was open, and behind it was a hole so big it looked like a meteor had fallen. Poppy was standing with her back to it.

“Poppy, if I were you, I’d stay away from that hole,” I said, holding Huggy’s hand to guide him. “If you slip, you’ll fall and get badly hurt.”

Poppy gave a light laugh, like a mischievous child. “Don’t worry, I won’t fall in,” her smile turned serious. “But listen, if we want to use the train, you’ll have to trust—”

Our eyes widened as a hand grabbed her and pulled her into the hole. Poppy’s scream was so fast we didn’t notice, but I needed to save her!

“Poppy!” I shouted, running toward the hole. It was too dark—what could be in there? Another living entity?! “Huggy, we need to save her!”

Huggy whimpered, clearly scared. God, I’m so dumb.

“Okay, here’s what we’ll do,” I said. “I’ll jump in first. If nothing happens to me, I’ll scream loudly for you to come down, okay?”

“Ah-ah.”

“Alright,” I replied, preparing to jump. “I’m coming, Poppy!”

I slid down the hole. It felt more like a slide than a fall. The deeper I went, the more lights appeared. Finally, I hit the ground.

“Ow, my back,” I groaned, trying to stand. I looked around to see if anything was there. Suddenly, I felt something behind me. I stepped back and saw Huggy falling. He must have heard my groans, as he seemed ready to attack.

“Calm down, buddy,” I said, holding Huggy’s hand and hugging him. “I just hit the ground.”

Huggy calmed down. I looked around—this place was full of slides. Ours had Elliot Ludwig written on it.

There were others with names like Leith Pierre (not good), Stella Greyber (better than Leith), Eddie M.N Ritterman (uh, head of research), and another whose letters were all fallen, so I couldn’t tell who it was.

There was a door to the Game Station. I tried to open it, but there was no power. Huggy guided me to an adjacent room. We connected some wires, and the power came back—yay!

The door opened, and we went down a corridor. I held Huggy’s hand—not because he was scared, but to keep myself from panicking in the darkness.

“Okay Huggy, no need to be afraid. I’m here, and if anything comes to hurt us, I’ll jump on it!” I shouted.

Not sure if he understood, but he gave me a light tap on the head. Honestly, for someone who tried to kill me, he’s really nice. Maybe I can take him with me when we get out of here?

While we walked, a pipe burst. GOD, I swear my soul left my body! I hate these pipes!

Then I heard a noise—not from a pipe, but something moving on the ceiling.

“Poppy? Are you there?”

No answer.

“I swear on every cigarette I’ve ever smoked, if you made that noise and kidnapped Poppy, you’re in big trouble!”

Nothing. Ugh.

Another door appeared. It could be opened with the GrabPack’s red hand—the exit. I shot the red hand at the scanner, but a pink hand appeared and grabbed it, saying, “A new friend!”

It pulled the red hand. I let go, and unfortunately, the red hand detached from the GrabPack. Then a creature appeared—pink skin and hair, like bubblegum, green eyes, wearing pink and blue clothes with gloves, fully articulated. Wait… I knew this creature…

“…Mommy Long Legs…?” I murmured.

She laughed maliciously. “It’s been so long…” Mommy sighed happily like a child. “Isn’t this exciting, Poppy?” She showed one hand—Poppy was trapped, looking terrified.

“Leave that doll alone!” I shouted.

“Very exciting, Mommy,” Mommy said, imitating Poppy’s voice. “Mommy heard Miss Poppy wanted to give you the train code… how is this fun?”

This woman is annoying! I tried to use the GrabPack to stop her and save Poppy, but she dodged. When she looked at Huggy, her smile grew.

“Looks like Huggy played with you, but he lost and joined you,” Long Legs said, then smiled. “So you two can play my game!”

“…Game?” I murmured.

“Well, the game station is still working. It will be like the old days,” she exclaimed, twisting. “And if you win the three games, I’ll give you the train code!” She imitated Poppy’s voice again. “Mommy loves the idea, Poppy.” Ugh, now we have to play the stupid game to get Poppy.

“Fine. But once we win, we grab Poppy and escape this factory forever!” I said with a sarcastic smile.

“Oh, it looks like you’ll have lots of fun!” Mommy said, grinning mischievously. “Go to Musical Memory, and Mommy will prepare everything! Follow the rules, or I’ll tear you apart while you’re still alive.”

That last line gave me chills. But I have to be strong to save her—and I have Huggy to protect me. Mommy laughed and ran away.

“Okay buddy, let’s win this game, save Poppy, and get out of here!” I shouted. He looked angry, probably furious at Mommy, but then he grinned, knowing we were about to face a challenge.

The door opened. I held his hand, and we went to the Game Station.

Let the game begin.

Chapter Text

[James]

“Feels like it’s been years since I last came here.”

No kidding, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Game Station. The difference is that when I worked at Playtime, this place used to be more colorful, like a cartoon amusement park. Now it looked like that park from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban—very spooky.

As we moved forward, we saw the supposed train, the one Mommy and Poppy mentioned. It was colorful, like a toy train. That’s when we found a cardboard cutout of a pink Huggy.

Wait, I know that Huggy—it’s Kissy Missy!

When I pressed the button on the cardboard, Kissy’s voice played: “Preparing for departure in 3…2…1! Choo choo!” in an animated style. Huggy started moving toward the cardboard. Well, Kissy was known as Huggy’s “other half,” maybe that’s why she was named Kissy Missy. While Huggy gave hugs, Kissy gave kisses, as her name suggested. They each had roles at the factory: Huggy stayed in the visitors’ area, and Kissy helped kids draw. Drawing was one of her favorite things.

“Alright, buddy,” I said, “remember, we have to keep going if we want to help Poppy. She’s in danger, remember?”

“Uh-huh,” said Huggy weakly. Damn, I know I’m not great with feelings, but he missed Kissy. I wonder if there’s a large version of Kissy in the factory?

We moved to a control panel. I pressed a button.

“Hello, children, and welcome to the Game Station! I’m Stella, and we have three super-fun games to play. These tests will show how strong and smart you are! Follow Mommy Long Legs down the stairs, and we’ll start with Musical Memory. See you soon~”

“Uh, what happens if I don’t want to follow Mommy Long Legs? How does that work?” I joked. I don’t know, I just wanted to say something. Clearly, it was a very old recording, similar to Elliot’s biography. Huggy laughed at my joke. Honestly, I already admitted this, but I enjoy his company. Maybe he wants to live with me.

We headed to Musical Memory. It was completely dark, until I noticed a large hole in the wall.

“Oh my God, Mother Joana lives here, and I didn’t know,” I said, guiding Huggy toward the hole. That’s when we found a corridor that led to a room with GrabPack green hands. I remembered Mommy ripped off my red hand, so I could make a green hand. From what I remember, this green hand can carry energy from a green button, but only lasts a few seconds.

“This will be a piece of cake,” I said in my Brazilian accent, cracked my knuckles, and went to the panel. After a few minutes, I managed to make the green hand. Well, I had to put new green paint and pull an old pipe, but it worked perfectly.

The first door required the green hand. I took energy from the green hand and pressed the button. The door opened. I went through, but I had to pull Huggy along so he wouldn’t fall behind. We arrived at Musical Memory—a room with two huge screens and four buttons: blue, red, yellow, and green, representing each player.

Then a recording started. It said the game simulated brain segments to test how fast and efficient a child is. In short: memory game, what a pain.

“Ah, isn’t it amazing?” said a voice.

I jumped, nearly hitting my head. Looking up, there was an observation window—it was Mommy! Delightful… She’s going to watch us while we play her game. Calm down, think of Poppy! She needs us!

“I haven’t seen this place working in years,” Long Legs continued. “I can only imagine how excited Bunzo must be!”

Bunzo? What the heck is Bunzo?

I looked at Huggy, who was staring at a tube above us. There was a yellow rabbit wearing a green jumpsuit and a green party hat. Almost the size of Ágatha. Ah, that’s Bunzo.

“Ah, hi Huggy,” Bunzo said, clapping his hands as he approached me and Huggy. “What are you doing here?”

“He’s going to play the game with me since he’s with me, and I’m taking care of him now!” I said protectively.

“…Don’t lie! I know how you humans are, pretending to be nice to us and then hurting us!” yelled the rabbit.

“I’m not lying!” I shouted. “If I wanted to hurt Huggy, I would have let him die!”

“Don’t worry, Bunzo. You’ll show the human that he won’t win the game,” Mommy exclaimed. That’s when a bell rang. “Ah! It’s dinner time! Good luck!”

Let the first game begin.

BLUE.

“Ah,” I said, pressing the green button. Let’s go—it’s for Poppy!

BLUE.
YELLOW.

“I hate memory games, but this one is definitely the worst I’ve ever played,” I said, pressing green and blue in order.

BLUE.
YELLOW.
GREEN.

Damn, almost messed up, but got smarter.

BLUE.
YELLOW.
GREEN.
RED.

Damn, no one hired a janitor to clean this place.

GREEN.
BLUE.
GREEN.
RED.
BLUE.

Ha! Take that, Mommy and Bunzo. No one beats James Savosen de Souza! Huggy hugged me, giggling in celebration.

ROUND 2.

Alright, round 2, let’s go!

BLUE.

Ha, easy. Can’t wait to rub it in Mommy’s face after Huggy and I win this.

BLUE.
BLUE.

Repeated? Eh, fine.

BLUE.
BLUE.
BLUE.

I know this trick—they’ll repeat blue, then throw a random color to make me mess up. Such a childish trick.

BLUE.
BLUE.
BLUE.
RED.

Knew it. What a stupid trick to use.

BLUE.
BLUE.
BLUE.
RED.
GREEN.

This is scary now. Bunzo was almost on my head, but I was faster.

BLUE.
BLUE.
BLUE.
RED.
GREEN.
VIOLET.

“What? But there’s no violet!” I yelled, panicked. That’s when the signal went off for completing the sequence. I turned and saw Huggy’s hand pressing the violet button. “Good job, buddy!” I cheered, giving him a high five.

ROUND 3.

Seriously, when will this end? When will the TV stop talking? Remember—it’s for Poppy!

YELLOW.

At least a color that existed in the original.

YELLOW.
BLUE.

Seriously, I want to scream for this game to stop. My brain can’t handle this hell.

YELLOW.
BLUE.
YELLOW.

Please, when will it end?!

YELLOW.
BLUE.
YELLOW.
WHITE.

My God, I almost pressed yellow twice, which could have made Huggy and I lose.

YELLOW.
BLUE.
YELLOW.
WHITE.
VIOLET.

Damn! Pressed the wrong button. Crap, Bunzo is close—I might become his dinner!

YELLOW.
BLUE.
YELLOW.
WHITE.
VIOLET.
WHITE.

Thank God Huggy helped a lot. We’re the best!

ROUND 4

“…I’m going to finish this,” I murmured.

RED.

…easy.

RED.
J.

Damn! Now it has letters. Wait, Huggy pressed it just in time!

RED.
J.
3>

I will never play a memory game in my life again!

RED.
J.
3>
J.

“Go to hell,” I murmured. At least Huggy helped me stay calm.

RED.
J.
3>
J.
Pi.

GO TO HELL FOR MAKING THIS STUPID GAME!

RED.
J
3>
J.
PI.
ORANGE.

Then several buttons appeared. It was the last round… thank God.

FINAL ROUND.

GREEN PRED RED :)3>AJHSHSNSJAJSHSHNS

Damn! It was broken—multiple colors flashing, and Bunzo was falling faster. Can’t turn it off?!

That’s when I saw a button with a stop sign—it should shut this madness down, but I need to be quick!

Phew, the game ended, finally…

“Ah…broken…” murmured Long Legs. Because of this game, I almost forgot about her. Ugh, she caused this by controlling the game. “How boring…”

“But you were the one controlling the game,” I said, annoyed. “What’s the problem with letting it run normally?”

Then I heard some whimpers. I turned—it was Huggy. He looked like he might start crying.

“Hey, calm down, buddy. The game is over, we won the first game, and you helped a lot. I really appreciate it,” I said, hugging him. It reminded me of when I had a nightmare and went to my aunt’s room. I was crying a lot at 9 years old, and she calmed me down…

“For doing such a good job, Mommy decided to give you part of the train code,” Mommy said in a slightly psychotic voice.

“Give it already!” I shouted eagerly.

“Look up,” she replied.

I looked at the tube where Bunzo was. Mommy’s hand held the code. I grabbed it—the code was basically drawings. Well, that was 1/3 of the code, for Poppy.

“Mommy wanted the game to last a little longer,” Long Legs said. I wanted to climb the tube, punch her, force her to say where Poppy was, and then take Poppy and Huggy and get out of here.

“And I wanted you to release Poppy,” I said bitterly.

“But then the game would be too easy,” Long Legs replied. “Besides, it’s all fine, and I know other ways to play with you…” she finished, leaving slowly.

The opening cleared. I grabbed Huggy’s hand, and we were on our way out. That’s when I noticed Bunzo seemed curled up. I swear he wasn’t there seconds ago.

“…Bunzo?”

“…leave me alone!” shouted the little rabbit. “It’s always like this—people leave, and I’m alone!”

I widened my eyes, feeling a bad premonition about Bunzo. No, that can’t be possible. She wouldn’t do that to him. That creature wouldn’t kill him…

“…hey, do you want to come with me?” I murmured. “I can get you out of there. You’ll come with us. Once we win all the games, we’ll free Poppy and leave this factory.”

“Go away!” cried Bunzo. No, I didn’t want to leave him. Mommy will definitely kill him. He’s just a kid and doesn’t deserve this. I have to help him!

“Huggy, can you bite Bunzo’s ropes and get him out?” I asked Huggy. He nodded. “Be careful with his head!”

“I don’t want your help. You’ll hurt me,” yelled Bunzo, squirming.

“To hell with it!” I shouted. “Huggy tried to eat me alive, and I still helped him!”

“…do you promise you’ll protect me?” murmured Bunzo.

“I promise.”

It took a few minutes for Huggy to free Bunzo. He almost fell, but I grabbed him just in time. Great. Now we need to get out. I grabbed Huggy’s big hand and Bunzo’s little hand, and we left.

“Where’s that rabbit?!” Mommy shouted. Bunzo shivered.

“Don’t mind her, Bunzo. Just cover your ears, and I’ll carry you,” I said, picking him up with my left hand and holding Huggy’s right hand. That thing about covering your ears was something my dad taught me when I was young. When my mom came home and started saying nonsense, he said to cover your ears and ignore it… Miss my dad…

Maybe I could keep them at my house?