"Stuffed Magic", by Meredith Pochily, age 12
It was almost closing hour at the department store. A large red and white sign near the stuffed animal shelf read "Holiday Savings". As I gazed out the window of the store my reflection stared back at me—a soft and cuddly brown monkey.
It was only three days ago that my best friend, Mac, a German Shepherd, was sold. He had occupied the space beside me on the shelf. The bare spot next to me served as a constant reminder of how much I missed him. I was lonely without Mac and I wondered what it was like to be bought.I had never known any home but the factory and the store. The store was much nicer than the factory. It was light almost all the time and the air smelled fresh and clean. There were many things to watch: the children who pointed at us and cried "Mommy, I want that one!", the mothers who gently chided their children, telling them that Christmas was just around the corner, the hundreds of humans who milled about the mall outside the store's doors, and the shopkeepers waiting on customers.
In contrast, the factory where I was made was very plain. The air was dusty and it was dim and noisy. There wasn't much to watch, just the men operating the loud machinery, hour after hour.
I watched hopefully as a little girl walked by and pointed me out to her mother.
"That one!" the little girl begged.
"Not now, Gracie," the mother scolded as she grasped the little girl's hand and pulled her along passed my shelf. I sighed and closed my eyes. The days seemed long since Mac was gone and I had no one to talk to.
Suddenly, something grasped me. My stomach lurched and I opened my eyes. I was startled to find myself face to face with a motherly looking woman. She stroked my back.
"Aren't you adorable?" she asked. "Maggie would love you." She squeezed me against her chest which made my stomach feel queasy, but I endured it, hoping that maybe it was finally my turn to leave the store.
And it was. The woman turned away from the shelf with me in her arms amid wrapping paper, two rolls of tape, several Christmas cards, and a toy truck. She headed directly for the checkout and laid me down on the counter. The cashier picked me up roughly and I heard a beeping in my ear as a red light passed over me. Then I was dumped harshly into a bag. I landed upside down and immediately found myself in an uncomfortable position. A moment later the woman's other purchases came tumbling down on top of me and the bag felt very stuffy. I began to doubt the joys of finally being purchased as both fear and excitement churned my stomach.
Next, I felt myself being carried. It was a most peculiar feeling. There was a plastic floor beneath me, yet I felt as if I were floating. I began to feel sick and wondered if this was what it was like to be bought. Maybe I would have been better off on the shelves of the store after all.
After what seemed like hours of bumping along in darkness, a small light appeared at the top of the bag. A face peered down at me and then a hand reached into the depths and fished me out. I had to squint against the bright sunlight that suddenly surrounded me. The woman was holding me again and she was grinning.
"Maggie is sure going to love you," she told me.
I didn't know who Maggie was, but hoped I would like her just as much as this woman seemed to think she would like me.
It did not take me long to realize that I was no longer in the store, and I immediately felt slightly apprehensive, wondering where I had been taken. There were many objects that I had never seen before, but I recognized four chairs around a table, Christmas decorations, and food quite easily. I had seen them all in the store at one time or another. Before I could think about anything else, the woman had placed me down again. This time I was surrounded by tissue paper, which I recognized from the store as well. Four walls seemed to surround me, increasing my uneasiness.
In an instant, I heard a thump and at the same time everything went dark. I looked around in fear. What was happening? I could hear scratching noises coming from all around me and with a jolt, the thing I was in was turned upside down. Then I felt more of that strange floating sensation, but it did not last for long. I decided that I had been left alone again.
As I sat in the darkness, I began to think about my predicament. That was when the store cashier's voice floated into my head.
"Would you like this gift wrapped?" she would say. If the person said yes, she would take out a box and put the item in it. I realized right then what was going on. I was in a box! I had been gift wrapped. Soon these thoughts led me to worry about how long I would be gift wrapped for and what would happen next.
It definitely seemed like I had spent days and days in the box. Sometimes I thought the darkness would swallow me up, but finally, one day, I heard a tearing noise from outside the box. Then came a ripping sound and light poured in to meet my eyes. Staring down at me was a young girl.
"Oh, thank you!" the girl exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. She picked me up and squeezed me. My stomach flipped, but I set my jaw firmly. "Thank you, Mom! He's so cute!"
I wasn't exactly fond of being called cute, but I stared back at the girl and remained motionless. I was set down for several moments before a boy picked me up.
"Maggie," he said to his little sister, "he looks like a Mr." Maggie grinned.
"Perfect! I'll call him Mr. Fudge, because he is the color of chocolate fudge." This was different from my store name, Billy, but I rather liked it. I watched as the children tore open more boxes and lifted out more toys. Maggie placed me at her side and periodically hugged me which made me feel happy and content.
As it was getting dark, Maggie picked me up and carried me up a flight of stairs. At the top she turned into a room.
"Mr. Fudge, this will be your home," she told me. "Bamboo, this is Mr. Fudge. Will you show him around and introduce him to the others?" Maggie grinned as she gently set me down on top of a large bin of stuffed animals and left the room. I was amazed that Maggie knew that we were real, but remained quiet.
As soon as Maggie was gone, Bamboo, who was a panda, spoke.
"Welcome, Mr. Fudge," she said. "I'm Bamboo." Bamboo led me around and introduced me to many of the animals. They all welcomed me warmly and in a very short time I felt like a part of the family. I turned to Bamboo.
"Does the little girl really know that we're real?" I asked.
"Of course not," Bamboo replied. I was confused, but Bamboo went on. "She just pretends."
Already, I felt as if the empty space in my heart left by Mac's absence had been filled by Maggie, Bamboo, and all the other animals.
It was not long before Maggie returned to the bedroom wearing red flannel pajamas. She carefully lifted me out of the bin and placed me on her bed. Climbing in next to me, she pulled me close to her body.
"Mr. Fudge!" Maggie cried, hugging me tightly. "We're going to be great friends." She pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed the top of my head.
At that moment, I felt more loved then ever before. Sighing with deep contentment, I listened as Maggie's breathing slowed and she drifted off to sleep. I felt sure that I was going to enjoy my life in my new home.
As I lay there contentedly, I wondered what Mac was doing at that moment. We had spent so many hours dreaming of being bought, sharing our thoughts about a new home, and thinking it would be like magic. Now we both knew. And for me, it was magic.
