Child's Drawing
From Silent Hill Wiki
The Child's Drawings are collectible items found through the duration of Silent Hill: Homecoming. They are crayon drawings made by Alex Shepherd's little brother, Joshua Shepherd that elaborate on the story of Silent Hill Homecoming and the Shepherd family's troubles. There is a total of 18 drawings scattered throughout Shepherd's Glen and Silent Hill, often hidden from plain sight.
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Descriptions
The first drawings found are of "bunnies" that allude to the Shepherd family and what has happened to them, bunnies being Josh's personal choice of representation. The next set of drawings depict scenes that illustrate a poem regarding the town's ritual and practices through the following verses:
- Where is Steven, mommy? He can't play and I'm sad.
- You mustn't ask, my darling--Steven has been bad.
- Billy too, and Sally? Did they do something wrong?
- I'm afraid it's true, child--all your friends are gone.
- Beware of he who took them--he goes by many names.
- The Bogeyman, the Shadowed One, but all are he, the same.
- For every sin a child has, must be a punishment to bear.
- Your friends are now beyond our reach; trapped deep within his lair
- And if they take what is not theirs, there can be no doubt.
- He'll stretch their skin until it snaps, and all the blood drains out.
- Remember to always behave, for sins he won't abide.
- He wields a rusty, jagged blade, to cut out your insides.
- The lying little children, with souls selfish and small.
- Will find their wriggling tongues cut out, and nailed to his wall.
- The bullies and their spiteful wrath will find torment as well.
- Soon he will strike them where they stand and drag them into hell.
- Child, you must obey your parents; do everything they say.
- Little ones who do otherwise, he tortures in the flames.
- Beatings cleanse the soul, they say, and that is what he'll do.
- If you don't control your anger then you'll feel his anger too.
- You are your brother's keeper, remember it always.
- Or else, the Bogeyman will chain you underneath the waves.
- And while the good children live, the bad ones cannot escape their fate.
- For once you hear his screeching wail, it's already too late.
- So do not cry aloud at night, stay hidden in your bed...
- Or the Bogeyman from Silent Hill will come chop off your head.
Meaning
The drawings of the bunnies Josh leaves behind during Alex's nightmare represent the Shepherd family. For example, the drawing of the bunny "flailing about in the water" represents Josh and his unfortunate death, and the "catatonic" bunny represents his mother, Lillian Shepherd's fractured mental state. The second set of drawings represent the myth of Shepherd's Glen and its tradition from the viewpoint of the children. The story is appropriately told as a nursery rhyme, as the children are kept from knowing the truth behind the disappearances and founding families' responsibilities of sacrificing their child. There is also mention of "The Bogeyman of Silent Hill," which, in the case of Homecoming, refers to Pyramid Head.
Trivia
- On the Xbox 360 version of the game, the achievement Nursery Rhymes (50G) is gained after collecting all the Child's Drawings.
- All of the drawings found within Alex's Alchemilla Hospital nightmare have water-soaked edges, referencing how Joshua died.
