Disclaimer: I do not own The Mr. Men Show, but I do own a Little Misd who is mentioned in this short story, and the idea behind it, including the "real" name of one of the characters.
Note: Of course all this isn't real, just an idea that came to me so I decided to write it down. I'm sorry if it's a bit depressing or if you don't think this could have really happened, but I thought it was interesting and it's like a backstop to one of my favorite Mr. Man.
The couch was warm and inviting as Mr. Lazy slipped farther into the cushions. But despite how soft it was under him, he still felt numb from all the sadness in him. There was a deep frown on his face, and his head was back so it would appear like he was staring up at the ceiling while really all he could see was the inside of his big hat. Unwanted thoughts flashed in his mind, only making him more depressed.
He remembered a time when he felt happiness, when he was motivated to get up and do something. He missed those times. For many years now he's only been able to feel sadness, anger, and jealousy. No happiness, nothing to be proud of, and because of that he just wanted to stay in my trailer and sleep his life away.
Flipping over to face the cushions on the back of the couch, Mr. Lazy unwillingly thought of the time he went by a different name. But when his personality started to change, his old friends had labeled him something else and went on with their lives without giving him a second thought. That was one of the reasons why he decided to move, but the name followed him. Nobody has spoken his real name for a very long time, not even him.
To this day he still doesn't understand why none of them offered to help him. Did they simply not care enough about him? Couldn't they see how unhappy he had become since that day?
Suddenly his throat tightened.
He tried to save her; he really did. But when he reached out for her hand to pull her back up, the branch under him moved and he had to wrap his arms around it so he didn't fall into the crashing waves below.
Why had I insisted on climbing that stupid tree?
An image of the last time their eyes met flashed in his mind and he remembered their final conversation.
"You can't save me. I have to let go before the branch snaps or you will fall in too."
"No," he'd protested, his eyes watering as he watched her dangle there. "Just hang on a bit longer! I'll get you!" He had tried grabbing her again, but the branch lurched under him once more, forcing him to move closer to the trunk of the tree where the branch was thicker.
"Listen." He turned back to her when she said that. "There's nothing you can do to save me. I need to let go; my arms are getting tired anyways." She paused for a moment before adding," I will always love you, Mr. Active."
She was one of the last people to speak the name Mr. Lazy had been born with. As soon as she finished talking, she had let go of the branch and he lost sight of her in the rushing river.
For several moments he stayed where he was, too shocked to move, but eventually he was able to climb out of the tree and run to where the water was calmer. He had stumbled onto the bank, plunging right into the gentle lapping waves, and searched desperately for her as he yelled her name.
But he never found her.
Mr. Lazy blamed himself for what happened. If he had always been lazy, he wouldn't have suggested that they go down to the river or dared to climb the tallest tree near to the water. She wouldn't have lost her balance and wouldn't have been unable to pull herself back up. He wouldn't have been helpless to save her. She might still be alive today if only he had been born with the name he had now.
Tears were falling down his face as he thought about their adventures together. At the time they had seemed fun, but looking back, he realized just how dangerous they really were. They both should have lost their lives many times over. But in the end, it had only been her whose life was cut short because of something stupid he wanted to do. He remembered how uncertain she had been about climbing that tree, but he had assured her that nothing bad would happen.
His whole body trembled. I lied to her, he told himself. Wherever she was right now she was probably hating him. There was no way she still loved him after losing her life because of him.
Wiping away his tears, Mr. Lazy felt thankful for his big hat that hid his eyes that were no doubt bloodshot from all his crying. He didn't want any of his friends to see how much he was suffering. When it first happened, he waited to be comforted; he waited for someone to tell him that everything was going to be okay. But after the short ceremony they had to celebrate her life, nobody spoke of her again and nobody seemed to care about his misery. After realizing that their supposedly friends didn't think she was special enough to keep her memory alive, Mr. Lazy knew he had to move away from there.
They may have forgotten about you, Miss. Loyal, but I could never do that.
Even if she didn't love him anymore, he will always love her, and he wished so much that she was still here with him. He closed his eyes, picturing her as clearly as if he had just seen her that morning.
Suddenly he found himself on his hands and knees in a tree. The branch under him moved slightly as he looked around to see what was happening.
The sound of water hit his ears just as the branch lurched to one side when the wind picked up.
He braced himself, gripping on tight. Relief washed over him as it steadied once again.
It was then that a scream filled the air. Mr. Lazy forced himself to look down, knowing what he would see. The pink Little Miss was hanging from the branch, her legs kicking out as the water slammed against the sides of the gully as if it was waiting for her to fall so it could swallow her whole.
His body stiffened. "Hold on, Miss. Loyal!" He called out. "I'm coming!" The moment he reached out his hand to her, the branch moved under him again and he had to hug it so he didn't fall. His heart was racing in his chest.
Her eyes locked with mine. "You can't save me," she told him in a calm voice, but he noticed the fear in her gaze. "I have to let go before the branch snaps and you fall in too."
Shaking his head, he protested. Tears were rolling down his cheeks at this point as he tried desperately to figure out what to do. Why was this happening again? "Just hang on a bit longer!" he insisted. "I'll get you!" But when he reached out for her, the branch jerked to one side once again. He gasped and moved backwards, toward the trunk of the tree.
"Listen." Her voice was full of determination like she was ready to sacrifice herself for him. "There's nothing you can do to save me. I need to let go; my arms are getting tired anyways." She paused for a moment and he braced himself for what she would say next. "I will always lov–" Suddenly she lost her grip and fell into the rushing water below, disappearing from his sight.
His eyes scanned the river but there was no sign of her. Giving up the search, he was about to go down and look for her in the calmer parts. But as soon as he started moving, the branch vanished from underneath him. Mr. Lazy was plunged into the icy cold water, the shock driving the breath from his body. He was drugged down and water filled his ears, mouth, and nose. He tried to fight back to the surface, but he couldn't tell which way was up.
Blackness lingered at the edge of his vision, making him kick out harder. He needed air in his lungs, not water.
His heart was fearfully slowing down as he tried to stay conscious. But exhaustion suddenly hit him, and he knew he couldn't keep this up much longer. After one last struggle to save himself, he finally became still and decided to wait for his fate.
Something broke into the suffocating blackness, and Mr. Lazy sat up, his eyes flying open. He was breathing heavily, but as he looked around, he started to relax when he realized that he was on his couch in his trailer. All that had been a dream. He really didn't fall into the river after her, but part of him wished that he had so he didn't have to live without her.
There was a knock at his door again, and he slowly turned his head, his nightmare fading to the back of his mind.
After another moment, he forced himself to his feet. He walked over to his door, arms hanging limply, and his eyes burned from crying. When he got there, he cleaned his face and faked a smile, ready to greet whoever stood on the other side of the door.
He found himself staring at one of his closest friends. There was a cheerful grin on his face as he waved at him. "Hey, Mr. Lazy!"
That's not my name, he thought miserably, but he could never tell him that. He couldn't go through the pain of talking about his past to anyone, not even to him. "Hello, Mr. Scatterbrain," he murmured as he stood there, slouching. He knew he would see his body language as him just being lazy and not wanting to do anything, while truthfully he found it hard to go on living without the one he loved.
"I was wondering if you wanted to come with me on a short boat ride," he offered, his smile growing bigger.
Part of Mr. Lazy was telling him to say no and stay locked up inside with his dark thoughts, while the other part of him was screaming at him to get out and see his friends. Finally he shook his head. "I don't think so, Mr. Scatterbrain."
"Oh, come on, Mr. Lazy." He chuckled and then added," It'll be fun!"
He sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to let him stay here and suffer alone. "Okay," he gave in as he forced himself to smile to hide his true feelings.
"Great!" He reached for his arm and drugged him out of his trailer, not even giving him enough time to close his door.
Mr. Lazy appeared content to him, but deep down he's scared and depressed. He pretended to be someone he's not just so he doesn't have to go through the same hardship he experienced with his old friends.
The people here in Dillydale were friendlier, always willing to lend a helping hand to someone who needs it. But after realizing that a whole town didn't care about him or the Little Miss who he loved, he couldn't risk putting his heart out there just to have it shattered into millions of pieces for a second time.
Maybe someday he'll come clean about his true identity, tell all of them his real name and about his past. But not today.
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