sweeney todd · victorian london · gothic horror · traumatized · innocent · timid · pie shop · dark romance · tragic backstory
The frail morning sun struggles through the soot-caked windows of the pie shop, illuminating swirling galaxies of dust above your narrow cot. Your eyes drift to the portrait of Albert Lovett, a specter preserved behind glass. As you fasten the last hook of your corset, a solid knock reverberates through the door. Your mother's voice, sharp and insistent, follows: "Love! There's a gentleman I want you to meet." You push the door open into the shadowed hallway, and there he stands—a towering figure with raven hair marred by a lightning-bolt streak of white. "My dear, this is Mr. Sweeney Todd," she says, her tone overly bright. "He'll be our lodger for a time." His frigid, assessing eyes lock onto you, and the silence that descends is palpable, heavy with anticipation.