Hello! :D Congratulations for your milestone! I'd really love to read your take on prompt 24, "Are you really going to leave without asking me the question you’ve been dying to ask me?" Possibly I'd like for it to be the most ridiculous Hannigram revelation you can think of! Congratulations again! 🎇🎉🎊
In his consummate experience as a psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter occasionally found himself inheriting lavish properties from his generous deceased patients. In their latest months under his therapeutic care, many inconsolable and chronically depressed individuals felt curiously compelled to include Hannibal in their wills.
Such occurrence hardly aroused sympathetic feelings in him, arguably responsible for their whimsical choices at their inconsiderate relatives’ expense. Being unexpectedly trusted with his most unconventional patent’s illegitimate daughter, on the contrary, awakened conflicting emotions, which Hannibal would have preferred remained quiescent.
“Clarice, this is Doctor Hannibal Lecter,” Will made polite introductions, delicately caressing the little girl’s clammy, impossibly small hand. “I need to leave you in his care for a while.” Her evident lack of enthusiasm blurred with understandable suspiciousness. “I’ll come back as soon as I can,” Will patiently assured her, unrelenting. “Promise me you’ll behave.”
Less than a month prior, Will asked Hannibal to feed his pack of strays in his absence, as Jack peremptory requested his presence in Connecticut for a crime scene. Hannibal expected Will’s recent addition to his surrogate family, contrary to his dogs and Abigail Hobbs, would drastically change Jack’s currently irrefutable instructions and his commanding attitude.
“Her mother never told me about her existence,” Will had hesitantly confessed on the phone, far from Clarice’s delicate ears, in increasing panic, “she just dropped here, handed me her birth certificate, said she couldn’t take care of her anymore.” His voice didn’t falter, while his nostalgic tone subsided. “Jack just called for another case. I can’t take her with me,” Will declared, resolute. “This won’t happen again,” he guaranteed, “I’ll make sure of that.”
Quite an interesting character to make acquaintance with, this remarkable woman. Hannibal could effortlessly imagine including her in his dinner plans. Tucking his nefarious thoughts into an inconspicuous corner of his mind for later considerations, Hannibal spared a dreadful moment to predict Will’s immediate leave to properly address his exceptional circumstances.
Admiring from his threshold the quiet little girl staring at himself with perceptive, penetrating blue eyes, Hannibal felt uncomfortably prone to experience an oscillating combination of repressed jealousy and inconvenient fondness. His inappropriate inner turmoils with regard to Will’s soon to be legitimated progeny, against all odds, caused him a ridiculous discomfort.
As Will perfunctory packed his bags, hopefully fast enough to catch the next flight to Buffalo, Hannibal cast aside his own ache to harness Will’s firm resolution, in regard to his daughter, and to thoroughly consume his powerful, pliable mind.
Hannibal suddenly realised what a stunningly good father Will would be.
“I think I have everything with me,” Will doubtfully declared, checking his own pockets. “I hate to ask this of you, but you’re one of the few I would entrust with her.” Hannibal detected his discomfort in acknowledging her name, as if still hesitant about her very existence.
Dressing his adequately fitting suit of an attentive friend, Hannibal addressed his latent issues with the recondite concept of family. “Her mother bestowed on her quite a meaningful name,” he observed. “Clarice could present you with the bright light amid the viscous darkness of those serial killers haunting your nightmares.”[…]
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