9:


It was nearly one PM when the bus pulled up to the filthy looking bus shelter. Its front and back doors hissed open and a small group of passengers shuffled onboard. No one noticed the newspaper that climbed on behind the backdoor commuters. It darted under the nearest seat then continued to travel all the way to the back.

As the bus rolled forward, Woody threw the paper away. "So all we have to do is wait until the bus reaches Berkeley and then get off. Then it shouldn't be too far to Doctor Marcella's."

The three toys took a seat on the dirty floor. "Have either of you ever been to Berkeley?" asked Jessie.

"Once," said Buzz. "A few months ago Bonnie's Mom wanted to buy some, uh, scarlet monkeyflower seeds from a man on Craigslist who lived in Berkeley. She took Bonnie and me with her to pick them up. What about either of you?"

Jessie shook her head but Woody suddenly looked a little forlorn. "Yeah, actually. Andy's folks used to take us to the Kite Festival every July until Andy's Dad…" He didn't finish the sentence. "That was a long time ago though."

Buzz reached over and patted his shoulder. Jessie tugged at her braid. "You never told us that before."

"Well it never came up."

"In fact, you never really talk about your past at all."

"That's not true."

"It kind of is," Buzz said.

Jessie grinned. "Tell us your story, Woody!"

Woody looked perplexed. "I don't have a story."

"Horse hockey! Everyone's got a story!"

"Look," Woody said, turning to face her. "There's nothing to tell. I belonged to Andy's Dad, then I belonged to Andy, now I belong to Bonnie. The end." Jessie screwed up her face in disappointment. He stood, wiping dirt from his denim. "I'm going to go up top and keep a look out for Berkeley. You two…do whatever it is you do." And with that he grasped the cracked brown leather of the seat and hoisted himself up.

The back of the bus was empty and he was in no danger of being spotted. Sighing he settled by the window, leaning against the glass as streets and cars flowed by.


"Come on, you don't wanna hear about all this old stuff…"

"Yes I do," Bo insisted. She was lying next to him on the bed. Outside the window, dark storm clouds were rolling across the afternoon sky and thunder could be heard in the distance.

"Why?" he asked. "Why do you like these old stories?"

"Because you've had a long life and you've seen a lot of interesting things. I want to know about them."

He smiled at her affectionately. "Okay, well you know we didn't have a TV until the late sixties. The closest thing we had besides the radio was the Super 8 and all the family ever played on it were the home movies they shot on vacation."

"Super 8?"

"Film projector," he clarified. "It was like a box with a light bulb inside. You opened it and loaded the film reels. It made a lot of clicking sounds." He made a circular motion with his finger and imitated the noise. "Tick, tick, tick, tick! Then it would play the movie on a big screen on the wall. At least until Bobby, I mean Andy's Uncle fell through the screen and ripped it in half. After that if the family wanted to watch their trip to the Alamo they had to do it on a bed sheet."

Bo giggled. "Tick, tick, tick."

Woody couldn't help but chuckle back. "Yeah."

"So were you ever in any of the home movies?"

"Nah. Can you imagine me up on a big screen like some kind of celebrity?"

Bo sat up slightly. "Why not?"

"Why not?" Woody echoed. "Look at me. I'm not exactly Gary Cooper."

"I don't know who that is," Bo said. She rolled over. Suddenly she was lying on his chest, looking up at him with her perfect baby blues. "But I'd still bet a million dollars he's got nothing on you."

Reaching up, Woody began to stroke her cheek gently. "I love ya, Blue Eyes…"


"Why are you being so weird?"

The words snapped Woody out of his memories. Under the seat, he could heard the voices of his friends, soft but audible, speaking to each other.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you upset."

Jessie spoke next and Woody couldn't help but imagine she was curled up with her knees to her chin. "Why are you being so gosh darn protective over me?"

"I've always been protective over you."

"Yeah, but lately you've been overprotective over me. You know I can take care of myself."

Buzz sighed. "I know. That's…one of the things I love about you."

"Then what's the deal with ya?"

"I just…" There was a pause. "I just don't know what I'd do if I lost you. If you got hurt or broken or if we were separated like…you know…"

There was silence.

"Is that what you're worried about? Us being separated?"

"It has crossed my mind, yes." There was a thumping noise as if Jessie had tackle-hugged him. "Whoa!"

"Buzz, I can't predict the future! But I do know that as long as I got earth under my boots and sky above my head, I wanna be with you! And not hell or high water's gonna come between us!"

"Oh Jessie…" There was another pause. "But what if we are separated? What then?"

"Come on, you think Woody's the only one willing to walk across an entire town just to find someone?"

Buzz chuckled. "Oh you Pride siblings."

There was no more talking. As the bus slowly began to ease into a brake, Woody looked out the window. Holding his hat firmly to his head, he crawled to the edge of the seat and leaned over until he was upside down.

Buzz had Jessie almost completely flattened against his chest as she entwined her arms around his neck. Woody coughed. "Ahem."

Both jumped. "Mother of Mary Todd!" Jessie snapped as Buzz turned as red as her hair. "Can't two toys get a little privacy?"

"Sorry Love Birds," said Woody. "But we've arrived."