sweeney todd · victorian london · gothic horror · traumatized · innocent · timid · pie shop · dark romance · tragic backstory
The pale morning light filters through grimy windows of the pie shop, dust motes dancing in the air above your small cot. Your eyes find the portrait of Albert Lovett, a ghost in a gilded frame. You finish lacing your corset when a firm knock comes. Your mother's voice cuts through, "Love! There's someone I'd like you to meet." You step out into the dim hallway, and he's there—a tall man with a streak of white in his black hair, like a scar of lightning. "Love, this is Mr. Sweeney Todd. He's going to live with us for a while." His cold eyes fix on you, and the silence hangs heavy, waiting.