Toy Hospital

Big Bear, Pony and Jack sat motionless on the toy chest with their backs against the rain-streaked window. Every so often an intrusion of lightning from outside threw their bodies into silhouette. An unspoken fear rippled between them: their family of four might, before the night was out, dwindle down to three. 

Eventually, Pony simply had to break the agonizing silence. “Big Bear, was it really that bad?” 

Big Bear grunted in his wise, old way. “It was bad, Pony. But Mother has brought me back many times. She can bring Little Bear back, too.” He looked down and touched the set of thick black stitches across his furred belly, reminiscing. 

“Nope. Too much stuffing lost,” Jack interjected with his trademark burst of brief, cynical dialogue. Jack spoke like Jack popped out of his box–quick and to the point. But Big Bear knew that for all his cynicism, Jack spoke the truth: Mia, Mother’s daughter, had gotten too carried away with playing Toy Hospital this time. Little Bear had been left as barely more than flat, shapeless material, cut wide open with her synthetic stuffing strewn all over the lawn. Big Bear and Jack, or Mia’s “nurses”, had witnessed the whole ordeal. After Father had yelled at Mia for the mess, she had run inside crying with Big Bear and Jack in her arms, leaving Little Bear and his stuffing out until the rain came. By then, Jack believed it was too late.

However, the bedroom door suddenly opened and the toys hushed as Mother walked in with her arm around a whimpering Mia’s shoulder. In Mia’s arms was Little Bear. 

The little toy looked discolored and misshapen; her bear belly bulged tight around the fresh stitches and she seemed lumpier than before. Her left arm had also come off during Mia’s game and had been reattached with clean brown stitches that stood out against her dirtied, honey-brown body. Mother did the best she could, thought Big Bear.

Once Mia was asleep and her nightlight filled the room with a hot, orange glow, Pony finally called out “Little Bear!” 

“Quiet!” hissed Jack. 

Big Bear put a heavy but loving paw on Pony’s wooden nose, pleading with his shiny, black button eyes to be silent. 

But it was then that Little Bear rolled out of Mia’s grasp and sat on the edge of the mattress.

“Little Bear!” Pony cried again, her tiny springs creaking as she rocked happily.

Little Bear was silent. She reached down and pulled at the fresh new stitches on her belly, plucking them away one at a time. 

The toys were horrified. “Little Bear, enough of that!” Big Bear whispered urgently. “Mother fixed you; leave her work alone!” 

But the little honey-colored bear did not stop. She plucked awkwardly until dirty white stuffing spewed forth, bright in the glow of the nightlight. 

“Big Bear, go down there,” urged Jack with horror and disgust. “Make her stop!” 

Suddenly, lightning flashed and illuminated a tiny metallic object that Little Bear pulled out of her stomach: a safety pin. She put it down between her legs and reached back into her stomach cavity, pulling stuffing out as she dug deeper. With a grunt, their little companion heaved a larger metallic instrument out from inside of her. It was Mother’s scissors. No wonder Little Bear had looked so lumpy and misshapen before. 

The toys watched in silent as she gently pushed the stuffing back into her stomach and closed it off awkwardly with the safety pin. Big Bear and Jack stayed in horrified silence. Pony rocked hard as she whimpered and whined to herself. 

Little Bear then picked up the scissors and returned to her place in Mia’s arms. 

“Little Bear!” Big Bear finally called out as he found his voice. “What do you think you’re doing?” 

The little toy held the scissors up, just as a ray of lighting made their sleek, metallic form gleam. 

“I want to see what’s inside her,” she replied.

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Credited to:  http://darkandmagical.blogspot.com.au