The young boy, Sinbad Anadi, looked out the window when thunder rolled outside. He was standing in his room now. He'd run straight to his room after coming up empty handed on a new hiding spot. Rain pelted his window as lightning flashed. He jumped a bit from the loud crash of thunder that shook the windows.
He glanced unsurely at his locked bedroom door. He didn't know if he should go to his mother or run to a servant or stay inside his room. He sighed and climbed onto his bed, deciding to stay in his room. He hugged the stuffed bear he'd gotten for his sixth birthday two years ago. It had a sweater with the British flag as the design. He buried his face in its head as he began crying again. He wished he could go outside and make friends. His family wouldn't let him.
As for who gave him the bear, he didn't know. It just appeared on his bed during the night and he woke up to find it beside him on the morning of his birthday. He'd been so happy to finally have a toy and he'd treasured it since. He'd asked around but no one knew who gave it to him. He'd named the bear Britain after the country because he loved reading about England.
He hugged Britain tighter as he reflected on his life. He was schooled by the servants. He was always playing with the cat that they had. His name was Stefan after his German grandfather. He often hid away from everyone when they fought over the inheritance and him. He was locked away when the children were brought over. Except for when they were sleeping. He was then allowed around.
He wasn't allowed to eat with the family. He ate with the servants.
He loved to go outside and visit the horses and talk with the stable hands. There was also the Great Dane that they had by the name of Arthur. He was always playing with little Sinbad when he went outside. He used to ride the dog when he was three.
Now that he thought about it, his life wasn't all bad. It was still lonely though because even the servants kept a distance from him. What was the word they called him? Illegitimate? He couldn't remember if it was correct.
He whimpered when the lights flickered. It was time for the daily attack of the spirits. His books started flying around. His drawings were ripped apart by invisible hands. He heard the thunk of his beloved handmade toy sword hit the wall. He even heard it snap.
He felt a tug on his bear but he gripped it tighter as he lifted his face and cried out for them to stop. He could see each of them glaring at him. They stopped to look at him, surprised that he'd finally made an attempt to fight back.
The one before him went back to trying to snatch the bear from his tiny arms. He held it tightly. This one was the first born son of his uncle. He was a teenager and mad that Sinbad came into existence and caused his favorite aunt to be hated. He'd died in a carriage accident two years ago on Christmas Day.
Sinbad sobbed as he held his bear like it was his life. "No! You can't take him! He's my only friend!"
This caused the spirits to stop again. A flying piece of wood from the now broke sword struck his cheek as it went to the wall behind him. Blood trickled down his cheek and mixed with the tears. "I didn't do anything wrong!"
Stefan suddenly jumped onto the bed and hissed at his half-brother. His half-brother backed away. This cat seemed to scare the dead and Sinbad was thankful for it. The spirits fled the room when Stefan started chasing them. When they were gone, he jumped onto the bed and climbed into Sinbad's lap. With a smile, he pet the black feline. He still held his bear. "Thank you, Stefan."
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