Chapter 25: The Figure
Mango slowly opened her eyes. She yawned and stretched in an attempt to wake up her tried muscles. It failed and she found herself lying down yet again. Blurry with sleep and unshed tears, Mango's eyes had trouble finding out where she was. After she had thoroughly rubbed them with her paws Mango was able to see again. She realized that she was in her apartment room. From where she was Mango could see the two green couches that rested in the living room. A flat plasma stood against one wall, armed with all the latest game consoles known to man and pet. A jungle of wires could be located behind the television. Mango remembered how she had learned the hard way as a pup that you never entered that jungle. If you managed to escape without getting tangled and damaging an important wire, the cage was all that awaited you once you exited. Mango had been thrown in the cage at least ten times for trying to see what was in that mass of cords.
Mango continued to look around her home to see if she was alone. The brown carpet was clean and undisturbed by footprints. A few chew toys littered the ground but Mango was the only pet in the house. Her owners did not mind where she left her toys as long as she knew that they were the only things she chewed. Her favorite rubber bone caught her eye, but she discarded the thought and rested her head on the cushion she laid on. She did not need to play, she needed to think. Her bright eyes scanned the room one final time before closing again. Her mind was too tired to think. All she needed was a few minutes of blissful sleep to help clear her head. Yawning and stretching her legs, she curled up on the cushion and tried to relax.
Mango opened her eyes to see where she was. Her vision was fuzzy at first. It seemed like she was looking through a thick fog. The shapes in front of her were unrecognizable for a few minutes before they cleared and allowed her to see where she was. Mango was surprised to see that she was in the Day Camp area. She believed that it was the middle of the day because of the position of the sun through the window. Mango loved looking through that window. It was an excellent way to observe the outside world without worrying about it observing you back. Her tail began to slowly wag back and forth as she remembered all the times she had spent reading on that window sill. Mango turned her head to try and see if she was alone. The TV was on and was playing a romance movie that Mango adored. It was about a poor boy and a princess.
The poor boy was a smart boy and capable of many great things, but he was so poor that he could barely afford to keep bread on the table. An adventurous princess lived in the same city as him. By chance, the boy got to see the princess in the town one day and instantly fell in love. After saving her from trouble, the boy found that he had a lot in common with the princess. They soon connected before she was taken back to the palace. It seemed like they would never be together because of their stations in life. However, with the help of a genie and magic carpet, the boy was able to win the love of the princess. In the end he realized that the princess loved him for him and not because he was pretending to be a prince. Mango loved the movie. It's colorful animation, catchy songs, and brilliant voice acting was only a few reasons why it was one of her favorites. By luck, it was only just beginning. She quickly ran over and curled up on a cushion so she could watch it.
Her ear twitched as she heard footsteps behind her. She turned her head to see a pet walking toward her. She smiled and motioned for him to sit next to her and watch the movie too. Once he was on the cushion next to her, she resumed watching. To Mango's surprise, she felt an arm encircle her and cause her to lean on the pet next to her. She looked up to see Sunil's face smiling at her. His eyes were so warm and his smile melted her heart. Mango sighed and snuggled deeper into his furry side. His fur felt like a warm blanket and his arms around her made her feel safe. Breathing in deeply, Mango took in the scent of Sunil. It was a smokey flavor, full of soap and wood. The scents mingled together perfectly and left Mango with a feeling of calmness. It could only be described as… magical. Her eyes wandered to the movie in time to see the boy and the princess meet for the first time. She could feel their instant love radiating from the screen and bathing her in their glow. For a moment, Mango thought some of the glow she felt might not be coming from the screen at all. She closed her eyes for a moment before feeling the arms around her fade away.
Mango looked around in surprise. The room was once again empty. It seemed like she was the only one in the entire Pet Shop. She shook her head in denial. Mango knew that she couldn't be the only one there. If her owners had dropped her off at the Pet Shop someone would have had to have been there to bring her to the Day Camp area. Mango's eyes narrowed as she scanned the room once more. She couldn't be alone. She wasn't alone. Was she? Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that she actually might be the only living soul in the Littlest Pet Shop. Something was very wrong. Her fur fluffed as she backed away slowly. Bright eyes remained glued to the door in case someone came in. Mango's mind raced faster than a speeding race horse.
She continued to back away slowly while keeping her gaze riveted on the door in front of her. Without warning she was suddenly whisked off of her feet from behind and turned around. She silently reprimanded herself for not thinking about the possibility that someone was there and she simply couldn't see them. While she was reprimanding herself she was not paying attention to who had grabbed her. Adding one more item to list of things to chastise herself for, she tried to focus on who held her. The image was blurry due to the rough and unexpected spinning. Mango tried to talk to the pet who held her and tell him or her to put her down at once but her stomach was feeling queasy and she did not trust her mouth to form words. Taking a few moments to calm down the butterflies in her stomach, she blinked a few times and tried to focus upon her captor.
Almost instantly the picture cleared and she could recognize the face in front of her. It was none other than Vinnie. Mango could feel her face flush a deep crimson as she stared at the gecko's face. It was only a few inches away from her own and his breath made her face feel even hotter. Her eyes darted to the floor, she willed them to stay there even though her every instinct was telling her to keep her eyes on the pet that held her. It was not because she was attracted to him, that is what she kept telling herself. It was because when cornered, prey always made sure to watch the predator's every move in case there was a chance for escape. Deep down, Mango knew that she couldn't get away, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to.
Before she could protest, she felt herself be gently pulled upward. Mango's face looked up and stopped on Vinnie's face. Without warning, she was spun around slowly and swayed from side to side. Her paws gently tapped against the floor. They stepped in a rhythm that she had never learned before but seemed to know by instinct. Against her will, her tail began to wag as she swayed on the floor. Vinnie's hands seemed to stroke her fur as he held her. It was so gentle, so tender. Suddenly Mango felt herself melting into the dance. She no longer fought it and decided to enjoy every minute of it. Although there was no music, it was as if they both were listing to the same melody. The music was simply in them. Time slowed as she danced with the pet that held her. All she could see was his face, all she could feel was his hands, and all she could do was dance. Mango wondered if she might be feeling something powerful. Something that she had been hoping to feel for days. She closed her eyes in order to focus on nothing but what she felt. Before she could decide what was happening, she felt the hands holding her fade.
It continued like that several more times. Sometimes she would be held by Sunil, other times it would be Vinnie. Once she was on a picnic with Sunil, enjoying the sunshine and the soft grass. Another time she was taking a walk through the park with Vinnie, enjoying the fresh air and the way he kept sneaking glances at her. But whenever she began to feel like she wanted the moment to last forever, they faded away and left her all alone. By the time she had seen Sunil and Vinnie fade away for the tenth time each Mango had enough. Her temper began to flare as she wished the dream would finally end. It was hard enough for her to say good bye to them in the real world. Mango couldn't handle having to see them leave her over and over again. Her teeth gnashed as she began to run away. If she never stopped moving a new scenario couldn't begin. Maybe if she ran long enough the hours would fly by and she would wake up. Deep down Mango knew that even if she woke up the real world was not much better at the moment.
Grass began to appear underneath her paws. She continued to run and tried to ignore the scenery that began to surround her. Tall trees with sinister looking branches began to cover a black sky. Moldy logs, rocks, and branches littered the ground. Breathing heavily from the excessive running, Mango simply jumped over them all. She heard noises coming from the thick foliage around her but simply ignored them. If she moved nothing would be able to catch her. Not a monster, not an animal, and especially not Vinnie or Sunil. At least, that was what she hoped. Her yellow eyes remained fixed on the path in front of her. Mango feared that if she averted her gaze she would lose her resolve and collapse. She was so tired.
Keep going. I have to keep going. Mango thought as she jumped over another log.
Her back leg got caught on one of the small branches growing out of the rotting log and caused her to collapse. Jolts of pain shot through her body like lightning. Grimacing, Mango looked back to see the damage. Tears blurred her vision and caused her eyes to burn. In the distance she noticed a shadow moving through the trees. It had glowing eyes and sinister teeth. Fear filled Mango as she realized that she couldn't run anymore. Panting, she desperately tried to stand but collapsed when she tried to put weight on her injured leg. It spasmed and twitched as she lay on the ground. Whimpering and alone, Mango waited as the shadow got closer.
"Please, just leave me alone." Mango whispered as it loomed over her.
She knew that it was futile to try and talk to the shadow, but it was all she could think of. Mango closed her eyes so she would not have to see whet the shadow actually was. Hopefully it would be quick and painless. Just as soon as her eyes shut, there was a blinding light. Warmth surrounded Mango as the light grew stronger. In a matter of seconds, the light had appeared and vanished. Shivering from shock, Mango opened her eyes to find that the menacing creature had disappeared. She suspected that the warm light had something to do with the monster's strange disappearance. But where had the light come from? What was the light? Mango looked around to try and see if she really was alone. She gasped when she looked above her.
"It's you." Was all she could manage to say as she recognized someone she had seen only once before, in a dream.
He was standing over her protectively. Gazing down at her, he reached a paw out and helped her to her feet. He was a blurred figure, all she could tell was that he was a pet. She had first seen him when she had been running through a forest in another dream. That forest had been calmer and he been created out of a pile of leaves. Back then she had desperately wanted to see his eyes. Mango felt the same amount of urgency as she leaned against the pet. He supported her weight because she could not use her injured leg. He had his arms around her in order to keep her from falling. Once Mango was steady and able to balance on her three remaining legs he let go of her and turned to leave. Mango quickly grabbed him with a paw and turned him around so he could face her.
"Wait. Who are you? Why are her in my dream again?" Mango asked as she held his arm with her paw. She needed answers.
He did not say a word and just brushed her paw off of his arm. Turning once more, he began to walk away. His footsteps were silent and he glided across the ground as if he was not even touching it. Mango watched him get smaller as he got further away. Desperate, she tried once more to stop him but he was out of her reach. Lurching forward, she lost her balance and hit the ground. Shock coursed through her body before settling on her injured leg. Tears began to fill her eyes as she waited for the pain to impact of the fall took her breath away for a moment. As soon as she regained her voice however, Mango called out to him.
"Please don't go. I need your help. I don't know what to do!" Mango yelled. "I don't know what to do." She whispered the last part to herself as she realized that she truly had no idea what she was going to do once she woke up. She was out of ideas and out of hope.
The figure stopped. He turned to look at her again, but did not come closer.
"Can I at least see your eyes?" Mango pleaded as the tears streamed down her face.
He slowly shook his head no and disappeared.