Tonio's discovery (Fictional)

Tonio was an 11 year old boy, whom was an only child. quiet, obedient, and reliable. But, he never had many friends, if any at all. The only friends he considered to be as such were his parents, who were only able to bear one child without risk to his mother's health. thus he had no siblings. Poor Tonio was mostly alone in his own time, and didn't have many toys due to his family not being well off. but he was still a happy young man nonetheless. On a cool autumn day, it was cloudy and the sun couldn't be seen through the covering of gray. That day tonio noticed while sitting in the family room thinking of school things, that there was a rather extravagant and vibrantly colored wooden box, up on a shelf, in the living room. He asked his mother about it curiously, and she told him it held pictures of his family from times just before his, but also from times very far before him. So of course, wanting to learn of his past family members. Tonio took the box tightly in his hands, with a curious grin, and skipped out the back door to his favorite spot in the backyard. Tonio had found a large root that stuck up from the ground beneath the Orange tree. And for as long as he could remember he had used it as a seat when he wanted to go outdoors and be by himself. It was just high enough to create a low bench of sorts, so that if you sat on it, you would have to stick your legs straight out. Yet, your bum would not touch the soft damp ground or cold grass. While looking at his family and ancestors from the box, being careful with the what seemed like ancient pictures, Tonio came across a singular picture of his family from a long time ago. when his Grandfather was just a young boy, who looked to be somewhere around his age at the time, but the picture wasn't taken anywhere Tonio recognized, even though he'd been all over town and through the forest surrounding his home. As he stared at the photo, trying to remember names of the relatives his parents mentioned, something caught young Tonio's eye. There's was something that looked like a toy of sorts which could be seen in his Grandfather's hand. Though the picture was blurred around it for some reason, Tonio thought it was just a smudge and went to wipe it off, but it wouldn't go away. The possibility of a toy his family had kept for generations excited Tonio, and him being able to play with it and have a new friend was even more exhilarating! Thus, Tonio rushed to the basement without a word to mother or father, to search for the toy. Hours passed and he couldn't find it. Tonio was just about to give up, when suddenly he heard a rat squeak and a few things fell from a high shelf. one of these items made a heavy thud as it crashed to the floor. "It's just a rat playing." sighed Tonio. But when he walked over to put the fallen things back, Tonio moved the papers and cans to uncover a very heavy black leather briefcase. "Surely this is what made that loud thud sound when the rat knocked all this down from overhead." Said Tonio to himself. He was a curious young fellow, so he opened the case rather easily due to the small lock on the brief case being old and brittle from age. Tonio found a set of his grandfather's boyhood clothes and 1 or 2 boyhood memorabilia as well. Tonio noticed one of the shirt sleeves was burned slightly. But he merely disregarded it as being caused by his grandfather's boyhood discovery that playing with fire wasn't safe. After further searching, he found the toy from the photo! It was a wooden boy Doll!

Here is how I could only attempt to describe the toy as it looked: The clothes he wore were similar to Tonio's school uniform, they were brown and weathered with age. but the wood the doll was made of was in perfect condition! The face painted on the doll was peeling but mostly there. And it was rather heavier than you would think. but he had wooden joints too! even the fingers were flexible!

Tonio happily picked the toy up "Let's be friends forever!" He hid the toy away from his parents fearing they'd take it away for fear of him breaking it. But, one day while his mother was cleaning Tonio's room, she saw the toy doll left out and laying in the corner on Tonio's bed. she was surprised and thought that Tonio might have a friend who gifted him this. As she was about to put the toy in the cupboard after dusting it off a little, she saw a small tag attached to the bottom of the doll's shirt with something written on it that said, "1819 Ford Blood."

That afternoon as Tonio's parents were talking, suddenly the toy popped up in his mother's mind. So she asked her husband where the doll might have come from and what the tag meant. Tonio's Father began to sweat profusely and immediately asked where it was. Flustered from her Husband's reaction she said "I-I put it in the cupboard in Tonio's room." He immediately told his wife to go get the toy so they could burn it.

Later on Tonio reached home from school, but since he was a quiet boy he entered his room without announcing himself and searched for his doll, but couldn't find it on his bed, the shelf, nor the cupboard. he was panicking and scared to lose his only friend. Then he noticed smoke out in the backyard through his window. As he went out, he saw his toy laying on the ground next to two burning holes in the ground. Tonio assumed they were some leaves his mum has raked up, buried, (to keep the fire under control while being unable to keep watch of the fire) and burned while he was at school. though it smelled like his father had been cooking meat outside rather than the moldy smoke smell of wet leaves burning. He quickly went inside the house and called for his parents "Mom! Dad! Why did you leave my Toy in the backyard? what if a thief had stolen it?!" But nobody responded to his call. It was quiet. Only the dripping sound from the water tap could be heard clearly "Mom? what's for dinner I'm hungry!" There was still no response, only a drop from the tap could still be heard. Tonio being worried, went into his backyard to see if his parents were just outside after all. But when he didn't hear any response to his shouts for his parents, He cried there on the back doorstep screaming for his mom and dad. Tonio's neighbors heard him, but only thought that he must've been crying because small children always cry and shout. Tonio waited for his parents, thinking they may just have gone out to buy something. 3 days passed. And Tonio's parents never came back. Tonio's Aunt heard he was on his own from the neighbors. So she came to stay with him to take care of him. Many days passed and no news about his parents came from the police. But upon one final search around the property the police found two burnt bodies underground right where Tonio had supposed it was just leaves being burned. Tonio and his aunt were shocked and frightened at the thought of someone killing his parents and then burning them underground in their own backyard. The police said they had never seen this kind of thing before and started an investigation which unfortunately lead to a dead end. After a time when things seemed to calm down despite all the hardship. In the evenings towards night, Tonio's aunt would see him with his toy in the living room. talking to it as though it responded to him in normal conversation. She simply thought Tonio was using the toy as a way to help deal with his parent's deaths. though, she felt that there was something odd about the toy, but couldn't quite put her finger on it, nor could she ever shake the feeling she was being watched in the house. She noticed that Tonio's eyes became more dark and Baggy everyday. He grew thinner and thinner no matter how much he ate. Until one day Tonio's aunt called a priest to see what could be afflicting her nephew. She had the slight feeling it had to be something involving the doll, because Tonio never let it out of his sight or let her touch it. The priest asked to be alone with Tonio, to pray over him and the house. So she went out to the town to do some much needed shopping in the market. But, while in town she saw a large plume of smoke billowing in the direction of her sister's house. She was a little worried at first but thought it must be a local bonfire or celebration due to the small town's founder's day being today. She even saw the neighbors in town. Later when she was done shopping and speaking with people around town, she rode the carriage to the house. But all she found when she arrived was a pile of burnt wood and ruin. Just outside the front door was the little wooden body of the toy that Tonio had favored so much. The priest's body nor Tonio's were ever found, even after searching through the burnt pile that was once a peaceful home. Many years had passed after the incident and Tonio's aunt had gotten rid of the toy because she had a feeling it was cursed and had caused the incident with her sister's family. The aunt visited the graves of the boy, his mother, and his Father often, to keep them in her memory. One visit to the cemetery while talking to her sister and telling her how she herself had been, (as one does with a loved one who's been lost) someone tapped her shoulder from behind. She whirled around out of fright. only to find the groundskeeper with his head hanging low, holding a shovel almost as tall as he was, Him being a rather short man with skinny arms and legs. He went on to tell her in a gravely voice that sounded like he had been a smoker for years. yet it sounded somewhat familiar to her "it's getting rather late ma'am, you had better be off before the gate keeper closes you in." She agreed and thanked him for his concern and started walking towards the entrance. The grounds keeper looked at her, standing there while she went, to make sure she left in her carriage. When as she rode away, he suddenly smiled wide, revealing a dirty charcoal stained grin. He then turned to walk to the grounds keeper's shed. But as he walked away, you could hear a low growl like laugh just as the sweat rag in his back pocket moved out of the way, barely enough for us to see a faint orange-yellow glow, coming from the eye of a small. wooden. doll.