Flutter [f] & Stitch [m]
They say that the old toy shop was magical, that it was a special place. Some even said that the toys came to life, but only for certain people. The little children mostly, and the young at heart. To them the toy shop came to life, but to others it was simply another toy store. Some of the toys were made to sing and dance, others to talk, and others simply to cuddle with. They had all kinds of animals too. From waddling penguins and purring cats, to rocking horses and twittering birds.
The shop was owned by a sickly old lady who now spent her days carefully crafting the new plushies. Even then, when her joints became stiff and painful, she continued on with her work. With no children to pass her work onto, she was determined to keep the shop on it's feet. The toys did what they could to help by sorting the shelves and any tasks they could, but it was of little use. Her declining health was apparent. There were days when she couldn't even remember her own name, or how to do the simplest of tasks.
Through all of this her companion, a butterfly wolf named Flutter, kept her company. She'd whisper the instructions to the old lady and hold her shaking hand steady when she stitched together her patterns. Flutter was rarely seen away from her master's side. She was one of her first creations, and her most trusted. Stitch was often seen running about the store, straightening shelves, fetching supplies, and keeping everything in order. The two became close friends as they worked to help her.
One day the old lady was sitting in her chair as usual, though Flutter wasn't next to her this time. She was flying about the store and entertaining some of the customers. Stitch laid at her feet, watching the activity from a safe distance. He couldn't afford to be sold with his master so defenseless, and so he chose to stay back. She stroked his head affectionately, smiling softly. "You're such a good doggy." She said. Her breathing seemed heavy, like just those four words hurt her to say. He looked around in fear.
"Flutter! Flutter get down here! Flutter...please..." He whimpered, watching helplessly as she continued on flying. She couldn't hear him, not over the laughter of the kids. "Oh my god." He lifted his head to see her face and quickly brought it back down again. Her skin was so gray, so dead looking. "Oh god no. No no no. FLUTTER!" He yelled, his voice hoarse from crying. She still didn't hear him. He buried his head in her chest, sobbing uncontrollably. He could smell the scent of death now, and her body felt so cold. She's not dead. She can't be...
Finally a customer noticed the lady after trying to buy a toy and they called for help. Flutter, seeing the growing crowd around the cash register, landed nearby, only to be greeted by the flashing lights of an ambulance. "Stitch! What's going on?" She asked frantically. He had his head turned down to the floor, tears streaming down his cheeks. He just kept repeating the same phrase over and over, growing more hopeless and weak as he went on. "No no no. She can't be...I tried to tell her."
She stared at him for a few seconds in confusion before turning away to get a look for herself. The shop owner was gently carted away on a stretcher and put into the back of the ambulance. The people outside exchanged sad looks with each other, and talk soon came up about what they were to do about the shop and the funeral. Her heart sank. Stitch's mumbling made sense now. Her master, her best friend and creator, was dead, and she wasn't even there to help her!
She glared at stitch. It was his fault that this happened. Maybe not intentionally, but he was the only one there. He could've done something other than trying to get her. He could've at least yelled a bit louder. Stitch was by no means a very loud animal, keeping mostly to himself and really not all that tough, but he had to be capable of more than that. Whatever it was that happened, she resented him.
"Is she ever coming back?" One worried toy asked. Flutter could only shake her head.
---
After that day the life seemed to be sucked out of the toy shop. Toys sat on shelves, motionless, they're usual lighthearted playfulness gone. They're fur was dusty and seems split apart. Mice scampered about, chewing holes in the ears of the stuffed rabbits and leaving their messes where ever they went. Without anyone to tend to them and no children to please they fell apart. Most toys rarely moved, usually deciding instead to close themselves off within their minds.
For a while all was silent apart from the squeaking of the mice. Flutter was sleeping quietly on a shelf when a loud noise and the sound of something moving about. Tentatively she padded over to the sounds. Another sound came, a crash of some kind. Rolls of fabric tumbled down from a shelf, shaken by the impact. She raced over, expecting a robber or some kind of criminal. Instead under the wreckage was Stitch. Just as well...
Only the wave of hatred she expected to feel didn't come. She wasn't angry. No... sympathetic, perhaps? More so than the others, Stitch was falling apart. He seemed to be doing the best he could to keep himself together, but it obviously wasn't doing too much good. His eyes especially, that were once so bright and alert, were now replaced by two mismatched buttons. She couldn't help but forgive him. Maybe it was just an accident after all. Even if it wasn't, he certainly suffered enough for it.
"What are you doing?" She asked. Carefully she pushed away the wreckage.
He looked down at the ground. "Hey Flutter. You look great." He said quietly.
"I've seen better days." She answered, ignoring his lack of vision. It was true that she wasn't in such great condition herself. her wings had fallen off a short time ago, and her once bright fur had dimmed.
She was about to ask what he was doing again when another shape caught her eye. She stared at it for a while, unable to tell at first just what it was. It's face was mangled looking and stuffing poured out through various holes on it's body. The needle still lay planted inside of it. The little creature was in even worse condition than Stitch. Even so, it made her smile.
"Did you make this?" She asked.
"I figured we needed a new toy. You know, to cheer things up a little." He paused for a second, "Do you like it?"
"Of course I do. I love it."
"Really? I thought...well since I can't see... it wouldn't look right."
"It's perfect." She said, "Absolutely perfect."
---
A year later a young man bought the shop. He heard about the magical qualities of the shop, and he was eager to try and bring it back again. He did, and with the help of his two new toy makers the shop got back on it's feet.
That was a bit more depressing than I meant it to be. Happy ending at least though.
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