Soft fur. Pristine caramel-colored puppy. Shiny black eyes, fluffy paws, perfectly embroidered mouth. Lifted from a box. New. Untouched. Unloved.
Matted fur. Dingy dark brown dog. Thread, like cotton scars, keeps arms and legs and ears attached. Small bits of stuffing ooze out seams not sewn tightly enough. Tucked into the crook of a tiny arm. Old. Snuggled. Loved.
Patchy fur. Filthy coal-colored animal. Loose thread dangles, ears and one arm gone. Bald spots show linen on legs and nose—tufts of grimy fuzz cling to the tail. Left in a dark corner of the closet. Old. Untouched. Unloved.
January 14th Prompt: A life span (In 99 words, write a life span)
Flash Fiction Challenge over at Carrot Ranch
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Oh dear. This breaks my heart. In an ideal world, all much loved toys would get to live a real life a la The Velveteen Rabbit.
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Aww…yes. The Velveteen Rabbit. *sniffle* This kind of broke my heart to write, too.
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As children, do we learn to love as if a stuffed animal becomes training wheels? Or do we love so uninhibitedly as children that we love even inanimate objects until we are taught the “real world”? I cherish my son’s Pup and Spot, and was delighted when my eldest daughter took Bunny to live with her, her husband and his Teddy. Beautiful flash.
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Interesting. Training wheels for relationships. I know both of my kids are very attached to their stuffies. Let’s not even get into how attached I was to my stuffed animals when I was *ahem* “little”. Yes, I still have one or two. Always. Thank you, kindly, for the prompt (which was really difficult!) and the compliment. 🙂
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I recognise this dog. It was my brother’s koala and his son’s lala (although this is still loved. His time will come.) Lovely emotion.
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