Toy Fic

37. Warnings

Sid sat in his bed reading his monthly heavy metal magazine when his bedroom door creaked open. Turning his head, his heart leapt with joy at the sight of the three tattered old puppets he'd rescued along with Lotso.

"Hey, fellas," he said with a smile. "You guys feeling better?"

"Head 'n' shoulders better," the frog said with a bow. Sid had run them through the washing machine a couple of times and they were now completely clean, if still missing a few bits of fluff. "We'd just like t' thank ya… we're much obliged…"

"And we thought we'd pass y'all a warnin'," the cat added.

"A warnin'?" Sid repeated. "What kind of warnin' are we talking about here?"

The frog rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Ooh, it's tough t' know where to start… um, we didn't introduce ourselves. Frawgz McGee is… uhhh, is my name. My name is… is Frawgz McGee."

"Sure," Sid said, nodding.

"This here's Catgut," Frawgz continued, motioning to the pink cat. "And back there's Zibby. Zibby, could ya keep an eye or two on that there door, make sure we're not overheard?"

The purple creature nodded, pushing the door toward its frame until it was open only a crack.

"What's going on here, guys?" Sid said nervously.

"It's about that bear… that Lotso bear you got…" Frawgz began. "Look, I ain't sayin' I've got regrets, but…"

"Ya got yerself one disturbed bear right here," Catgut finished.

"Oh," Sid muttered. "Well, come on, guys… you spent how long tied to the grille of that truck? I'm sure you're all a bit disturbed."

"Yeah… yeah, no denyin'," Frawgz muttered. "But that Lotso… he were disturbed before he got tied up."

"We toys, y'know," Catgut said, "we try to take our lot in life with a stiff upper lip an' all that…"

"But Lotso, he fought it," Frawgz said, picking up the thread as if he and Catgut were identical twins. "Always tryin' to pull hisself outta those bindings… mumbling about some Sheriff and some Daisy and who all knows what else…"

"And revenge," said Zibby from the door.

Sid jumped in surprise. He had expected yet another deep-fried drawl, but Zibby's voice was a deep, hoarse whisper that placed menace in every syllable.

"We became… frightened," Zibby said. "Even in the deluded state of mind we were in, we all knew something was wrong with him."

"But… what?" Sid asked.

"Some toys have a spotted past, Sid," Zibby said solemnly. "I suspect Lotso was wronged once, and seeks to wrong others in return… to wrong everyone. We believed that he was better off tied up as he was."

Zibby stared up at Sid. "And now you've saved us… and him. Releasing him may have been harmless enough, but you also opened him up to the notion that he doesn't need to freeze in front of real people. So, what's keeping him bound in your home? Nothing. What's to stop him achieving his goals? …Nothing."

Zibby stopped talking then, one eye on the crack of the door. The room was silent for a few moments. Frawgz and Catgut stared up at Sid.

"Look, fellas…" Sid began.

"Just remember what we told ya, okay?" Catgut said. "We… we might be wrong."

Sid rolled off of his bed and got down on his knees to comfort the toys.

"Everything's gonna be okay," he assured them. "I understand, you guys have probably been through a lot more pain than most…" He paused, trying to search his brain for the thing that toys would find most comforting. "I know. How would you guys like to sleep in my bed with me? I know I'm kind of big and hairy, not the ideal kid, but…"

"Could we?" Frawgz said. "If'n we could, we'd… well, we'd be much obliged to ya, again…"

"If it'll make you feel better," Sid said. "Come on up here right now."

The three of them did so. Zibby looked up at Sid with a grateful smile, then touched his hand, becoming serious again.

"Sid…" he said. "You pride yourself on your art in toy restoration, and not without reason… but some wounds go beyond the stitching and the paint. Some toys can't be restored."

Sid squeezed Zibby's shapeless hand. "I understand completely."