She saw movement on one of the shelves behind the door, and looked at the colorful elf doll that put a finger to his lips. He was certainly enchanting, with a pointy green hat and equally pointy ears. His nose was rather big and pink, and he was dressed in a long green shirt with a belt, and red leggings.
How absurd. Why would he need a belt, when his tights were too snug to fall down? She observed the other toys that sparsely decorated the desks. There was a mermaid doll, who appeared to be glued to a mossy rock, a train set, a soft fairy, a plastic turtle, and in the closet there was a gigantic, plush golden bear.
A rattle made Jessica remember that she was in the open, in a room with a human; and she looked quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw his back still faced her. She lay down and froze with a smile on her face, watching him while trying not to move her eyes. He raised something to his eyes and there was a flash, and he waited a few seconds before putting a glossy piece of paper on top of the desk. Then he dug into his pocket and dialed a number. "Hello, is this Karen? Hi. Yes. It's ready for pickup. Okay. 'Bye." He hung up and put his phone down, opening another drawer on the same desk and taking out a book, into which he stuck the glossy paper.
Then he put the book into the drawer, pushed it shut and picked up the toy, which he carried swiftly from the room.
Jessica sat, looking up at the elf doll. "Pickup? I don't understand."
"It's very simple," he said, in a lilting accent. "He fixes up old toys, makes 'em look all nice, and then they get donated to needy children."
That explained why Mr. Gibbs had seemed disappointed in his daughter when she said she was keeping her...
"Hi!" the mermaid said loudly, scaring Jessica. "I'm Cascadia! Who are you?"
"Jessie," she answered, after only a moment's hesitation.
"Nice to meet you. I'd get up to shake your hand, except I can't!" she giggled.
Jessica tried not to roll her eye.
"Is that a newcomer?" a female called from inside the closet. The bear's golden leg was pushed aside and a delicate porcelain figurine emerged. "Hello there. Jessie, is it? I'm Bo Peep." She motioned to the bear. "That's Sunny," she continued, and motioned to the elf doll, turtle and fairy, whom she introduced in turn. "That's Timmy, Poky, and Elaine."
"Nice to meet you," Jessica said, and looked at the train, whose headlight eyes blinked at her. "What's your name?"
His eyes flashed again. "Train," he said, speaking clearly as if she were stupid.
"Oh."
"Welcome to the repair room, Jessie," Bo Peep said cordially.
"Th-uh, thanks. Will...will he really fix me?"
The flawless toys smiled at her.
"He will indeed," Bo answered, as Timmy dropped to the floor with a soft thump. He walked across the room, opened the desk drawer and pulled out the book, which he placed on the stool beside the desk. Climbing up with a grunt of effort, he slapped the book onto the table and again pulled himself up onto the surface. Then he began walking back to Jessica, stepping over the narrow gaps between the desks.
Finally having arrived he spread the photo album before her. "This is me, before," he said. "There's Cascadia, Poky, those are some toys that're long gone..." He kept talking, showing her the before and after pictures of toys who had been rescued by Mr. Gibbs. "It doesn't matter how far gone you think you are. He's a master. Been doin' it ever since his ventriloquist doll got smashed."
"Ventriloquist doll?"
"He makes its mouth move and talks to himself," Sunny grumbled.
"Can the doll talk without his help?" Jessica asked.
"Yes. Just not onstage," Timmy answered.
Jessica looked at Train, who was still in the same spot. "Can he move without his help?"
"No."
Train tried to look at her, though he couldn't turn his head. "I'm an electric."
Jessica nodded, trying to understand.
"I've got to say, I've never seen your brand before," Cascadia told Jessica.
"I'm a rare toy," she replied.
"Oh? Well, you're lucky. Breaks my heart, knowing how easily I can be replaced."
"No toy should be rare, though; I mean, all kids should have the same opportunities," Jessica disagreed. "I think a neutral society would be a kinder one."
"Maybe...But I'd still like to feel special."
Bo stepped in. "You're going to a needy child. You'll feel special then."
"Hmm...I hope so."
"What does your shipping label say?" Timmy asked, examining Jessica.
"Oh - I'm not getting donated. My owner wants me back."
"Why?" Timmy blurted. "Does he still consider you a 'collectible'?"
"Well, no..."
"So he plays with you? Is that how you were damaged?"
"Timmy!" the fairy hissed.
"First of all, my owner is a she," Jessica said coldly. "And second, no. We just talk."
Suddenly all eyes were on her.
"You 'talk'?" Timmy demanded. "You betrayed every toy on the planet? For what?"
"That was not my fault!" Jessica defended, and then paused. "Well, technically it was. But - "
"Traitor!"
"It was an accident!"
"Great, that makes it better," Timmy snarled.
"Timmy," Bo cut in. "Everyone makes mistakes." She turned her blue eyes to Jessica. "Tell us what happened."
"I was...caught on surveillance cameras," Jessica mumbled.
"Well, that's not your fault! It could've happened to any one of us." The porcelain lady's eyes went briefly to the elf doll.
"Umm..." Jessica scrambled to her feet, thinking she would feel less vulnerable if she was standing. "Um, actually, Bo, it-it happened to all of us."
"All of us?" Train asked.
"Explain, please," Bo added.
Jessica took a deep breath and began telling them everything that had happened; starting with the long ago evening she had been brutally burned by the teenagers, and skipping to the part where Buzz and Woody had found her in the bush. As she was nearing the end of her story, the toys heard the front door open. The toys were suddenly quiet; as Jessica, Bo, and Timmy scrambled back to their places.
Mr. Gibbs pushed open the repair room door just as Bo pushed Sunny's leg down to conceal herself. The toys watched through unmoving eyes as Mr. Gibbs stopped in front of Jessica's desk.
He took her picture and stuck the photo into the album.
Then he turned off the light and was gone again; leaving the toys in a room lit only by the shafts of moonlight trying to creep in through the curtain.
"Guess he's done for the night," Sunny grumped.
"Sorry, Jessie. Maybe tomorrow," Bo called, and Jessica tried not to let her fear of the darkness get to her. She curled up in a ball and started counting from one.
-0-0-0-0-
Woody looked at Buzz, holding his flapping hat with both hands; the skipping rope tied securely under his arms.
"Buzz?" he yelled. "You alright?"
"Sure thing; I was built for this!" Buzz yelled back.
Down below, in the remote-controlled car, Jessie leaned over the roof, peering up at the sky as she trained her eyes consistently on her boyfriend's indistinct form. Well...the term boyfriend might not be correct anymore, she reminded herself. He wasn't himself. Figuratively speaking.
Bullseye and Ken shared the back of the car with her, but very little conversation had been made. Bullseye couldn't talk, and Jessie wouldn't. So Ken had given up, focusing his attention on the remote-controlled truck that trundled along beside them. Rex had snapped off his tail so that he would fit in the back of the other RC car. The tip of his tail stuck out of one of the windows. Hamm, driving the car, appeared to be singing, and Slink appeared to be telling him to shut up.
Ken, Jessie and Bullseye had the short end of the stick; the road was puddled, and the tires of the truck were almost as tall as the car in which they rode. They could easily get splashed in their faces. Their car, seating the Potato Heads and the aliens, was probably having the worst ride among them. The Potato Heads could be heard bickering over the whining hum of the tires, and Ken could easily see the aliens covering their ears. Woody was...well, it sounded like he was yelling something about airsick, whatever that was.
"Lower!" Buzz suddenly shouted, and the helicopters dropped a few feet as a flock of crows zipped overhead. The helicopter blades were probably all that stopped the birds from attacking the toys.
Finally the helicopters began lowering in altitude, and moments later the car and truck swerved into the parking lot of Sunnyside; parking beside the helicopters. The toys got out and regrouped.
"That was fun!" Barbie exclaimed. "I can't wait to go again!"
"I can," Ken disagreed. "No more mentions of flight until I'm in my Dreamhouse."
Barbie looked at him. "Our Dreamhouse."
The toys walked forth, dragging their means of transportation along behind them. As they neared the rainbow doors, they were suddenly opened. By a human.
Unable to do anything else, the toys froze in place.
"I knew I saw toy pilots!" the human cried out, and held the door open. "Come on in, welcome back. Hey, need a hand there? Allow me." He bent and collected the RCs. "Just tell me where they go!"
"Um...that room right there," Woody said falteringly. The human walked into the room, and the toys exchanged nervous glances, their eyes flying back up to the human as he returned.
"You don't seem too surprised about us," Mr. Potato Head grumped.
"Oh, I know all about you. Everyone does. Come on," he added, walking away, "We're having a meeting."
"A meet-a what-what did he say?" Slink blurted, as he scrabbled noisily on the linoleum after his friends.
When the toys followed the human into the Butterfly Room, it was exactly as the human had described. Humans of verying ages and toys were seated around the room, conversing. Out loud! Openly. To one another. The toys stopped, taking in the view.
Toys were coloring and playing blocks with children. The adults sat and chatted to the toys, who chatted right back...Ken moved quickly to catch Barbie as she swayed.
"A horsie!" a little girl said in delight. She picked up Bullseye and ran off with him.
"Oh, no," Jessie murmured, watching Stretch. She was stuck to the wall, taking blocks from the children and stacking them onto a tower, making it impossibly big. Jessie's eyes found Big Baby, who was watching a child do a handstand.
"Sarah! Sarah, look, there's cow-people!" A little girl knelt and grabbed Jessie and Woody. "Let's play!" She stood and ran to the girl who had taken Bullseye.
"This is an abomination," Ken growled, watching the chaos.
"I can't believe this is happening," Mrs. Potato Head added.
Buzz looked back and forth among the horrified toys who claimed to be his friends. "I don't understand! Could one of you explain what's going on?"
"Eh, sure. Come on, astro-boy," Hamm said, and he and Buzz stepped out of the room, as Rex watched a child snatch up the aliens. Not knowing what else to do, Rex walked forward, hoping a child would want to play with him. The children, however, ignored him; and he walked unnoticed through the crowd; finally sitting at a table with adults and other toys. Ken and Barbie joined him, and they listened to the discussion; hardly getting a word in edgewise.
Finally the daycare manager raised his voice. "People! It's nine o'clock. Go home."
A little boy looked carefully to make sure nobody was watching him before sticking Buzz into his backpack, and Woody raced across the table and jumped, latching onto the strap at the bottom.
The kid carried both of them out with him as he left.
-0-0-0-0-
As the boy walked down the hallway, Woody climbed up the backpack and sat on top. "Hey, parents," he said loudly, and five couples in the hallway all stopped to look at him. "Your boy's trying to steal my friend."
A woman walked closer and opened her son's backpack, giving her son a dirty look before retrieving Buzz. She grabbed Woody and set them both onto the floor. "Sorry. You're in big trouble, Jacob." She pushed her son toward the exit.
"Thanks, Sheriff," Buzz whispered, and they headed back toward the Butterfly Room. On the way there a woman emerged and stepped over them.
"See you tomorrow, guys," she said cheerfully.
"See ya," Buzz echoed dutifully, not even looking back. Woody slowly followed him into the room, hoping Jessica was safe.
As Buzz crossed the room, he looked over at the lovely cowgirl, whose relieved smile at the sight of him would have melted his heart, if only he had one...