Author: Amberfly:
Challenge: Readers Challenge.
Series: Whimsy.
Title: Woody's Whimsy.
Warnings: None.
Feedback: Yes please.
Dom's challenge was to write about the Toy story characters. I am borrowing them only, and fully intend to give them back to Pixar when done.
O~O
Jack walked into Danny's bedroom, shoe box in one hand, sweaters dangling from the other, and seeing the chaos, softly clicked his tongue. Danny had once again left his room in a mess. Toy trucks, army men, building blocks, crayons, and books, all covered the floor, and Jack wondered why all of the stuffed toys were sitting in a circle with Indian feathers taped to their ears. Knowing what a busy little boy Daniel was, he was sure it must have had been a very important meeting. All military, Jack's idea of keeping bedrooms tidy weren't quite the same as Daniel's, and with a mumbled, "Hi-ho, it's off to work we go," he called out while casually throwing toys back into their wooden chest. Shaking his head at the sound of feet thundering down the hallway, Jack toed the shoe box closer to the wooden toy chest, and waggled his fingers at the blue eyed little boy peering around the door.
"Daniel?"
"Hello, Daddy! Are you playing in my room?" Danny was always hopeful of a finding playmate.
"Not exactly, Cookie monster!" Jack crooked a finger and a guilty looking Daniel scampered in.
"Oops! I was gonna tidy up, Daddy, I forgotted though!" Danny giggled unrepentantly, and threw a hand over his mouth. "It was an important pow-wow, Daddy! All the toys had to come, cuz otherwise, it wasn't fair!"
OoO
"That right?" Chatting happily about the important meeting Danny had called that morning, Jack forgot all about the shoe-box given to him earlier that day, and as they walked out hand in hand, it lay unopened and ignored. But, not by everyone! To the toys of Daniel's room, the show box caused great interest, and they all waited eagerly for the newcomer to say hello.
The nightlight clicked on and off, sending his message to the other toys that he was on it. Pocahontas stalked around the back of the toy chest, and aiming her bow, whispered she had a good shot… if need be. The books fluttered open, and the craven weasels scrambled out of their own way screeching, "Shut us up! Shut us up!"
"Gladly," growled the green army colonel, and shifting in the bottom of the toy chest, began to make his way to the top. "Okay, toys, keep alert here, we may have an incursion!" Hearing the various acknowledgments of, "yes sir," the colonel with the chewed helmet and broken off rifle, slid back down again, sighing softly, "Dang! Help me up men, these knees ain't what they used to be!" With a flurry of activity, all the toys helped each other to the top, while an excitement filled the air.
"Who is it, Colonel?" Asked the red racing car, "Another car? Please, tell me, it isn't another racing car!"
The dinosaurs growled, the crayons scattered, and the lions and tigers prowled. Everyone was bursting to know what the soldier daddy had brought their little boy.
OoO
The box began to rock back and forth, and as the lid slipped, Woody cautiously peeped over the rim. The newest toy to Daniel's room looked around, and slapping a hand against his forehead, groaned with disbelief. "Jeeze! What now?" Woody was having a bad day. With an impatient tug at the red and white bandana around his neck, he gave his cowboy hat a shove, and blinked with confusion. Not only wasn't he in Kansas anymore, he clearly wasn't in his Andy's room. "O-ookay, this is odd! Where is everyone? Buzz? Slinky? Yoo-hoo? Anyone hear me?" Woody felt an uncomfortable prickle of doubt scratch between his ears, and frowning, he didn't like the sensation one little bit. He had enjoyed a place of honor and respect among Andy's room for as long as he'd remembered, and despite Buzz Lightyear's arrival, he was normally one happy hombre. Life could be complicated for toys though. Woody still had nightmares about the horrible Sid and his maniac dog, Scud. Parties could also be kinda stressful, if a toy let certain insecurities get on top of them. Birthdays, Holidays, visiting relations, meant new arrivals, and all the old toys panicked they'd be forgotten, or worse, given to another kid. But, he'd survived the Buzz Lightyear robot, so Woody figured he'd survive anything.
But looking around and gulping, he knew things don't always go according to plan, and felt lost, lonely, and very sad.
Woody had been Andy's best friend in the whole world, and with a gentle tug of his string, the little cowboy would drawl, "Howdy pardner!" He loved how this always made Andy dissolve into a fits of giggles, but then Andy had loved everything to do with cowboys. Then Buzz Lightyear had come along, and Andy had loved him a tiny bit less, and robots a little bit more.
Woody was an authentic cowboy, and while he didn't like to boast, he was quietly very proud of his blue denim jeans with their nifty belt and buckle. He occasionally mentioned that they were all genuine cowboy gear, and that he wasn't made in China! No siree-bob! He loved to tip his dusty brown cowboy hat, hook his thumbs into the black and white vest, while coolly chatting to Mary and her silly pet lamb, Lambchop. His pride and joy though was the magnificent cowboy boots he wore, even if they did fall off all the time. Yep, Woody considered himself to be a toy worth envying. Andy's dad had got a new job, and the family had moved away, but in an oversight, they had forgotten to take him along. He hadn't been packed!
"What to do? What to do? Okay, calm down, I jes need to make a plan!" Woody felt sure a panic attack was imminent.
Taking his hat off and wiping imaginary sweat from his brow, Woody did a full 360 arc. "Mm, looks like a mighty fine ranch, but it sure isn't my ranch!" As far as toys went, Woody was smart as a whip, and he knew the score. Once the child grew up, a smart toy made sure he was in good condition so he could be adopted by another family. But, Andy hadn't grown up enough not to love him anymore! Nope, he would have noticed that! So, why was he not taken? Why had he been placed in a shoe box labeled…For Danny? There was something very wrong here, and scanning the room, Woody knew he needed to think it through. Get his bearings, the lay of the land, and other clichés he couldn't remember in his panic.
The little cow-boy wanted to get out, and as he grabbed the rim of the box, he grunted as he pulled himself over the top before crashing head first onto to the carpeted floor. "Ouch! I can't believe Andy's mom forgot me!" Despite the soft wool breaking his fall, Woody grumbled some more and rubbed his head. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, chin despondently propped up in his hands; Woody heard the sounds of footsteps, a man's deep laughter, and the high pitch of childish giggles. Woody's eyes gleamed with hope, it was all gonna be okay, he just knew it. "Andy? That you? Well, it's about time!" From the toy chest, the army men's colonel growled his muffled warnings, and Andy blinked with surprise.
"Andy? No, cowpoke, this is Danny's room, and Colonel O'Neill is the daddy. I'm the colonel of the toy room, and you are clearly confused, soldier. I am ordering you to suck it up and stop ya yakking!"
"Daniel? Colonel O'Neill? Cowpoke?" Woody spluttered one name after the other.
The platoon leader, recently repaired, didn't take kindly to insubordination. "Quiet! Do not make me come over there and kick your wooden ass!"
All toys knew how important it was to keep their magical secret, and Woody understood what he needed to do. Deciding now wasn't the time to argue with Colonel Cranky-pants, he sighed softly. "Fine, don't need to pop a blood vessel!"
Collapsing onto the ground, careful to make sure the daddy didn't know what really happened with the toys, Woody willed himself to calm down. "Looks like you're gonna meet this Daniel whether you like it or not!" Then everything changed, the sound of laughter and delight bounced around the room, and Woody felt himself start to relax.
"A cowboy, Daddy? I gotted a cowboy? Really? "Daniel begged to be told more.
"Yeahsureyabetcha! One of the egg-heads on base is being re-assigned, and his little boy wanted to make sure his favorite toy went to a good home!"
Woody swallowed several times before he felt a tear trickle down his cheek. He hadn't been left behind because Andy hadn't loved him! Golly! Sometimes Woody wondered if he had no more sense than a steer he couldn't rope! He'd not been left because Andy had grown tired of him; he just wanted this new little one to meet him. After all, didn't all little boys needed a Woody the Cowboy, for gosh-darn sake? Listening while the daddy explained all about the cowboy he had as a youngin', he knew for certain he was now among kindred spirits.
Feeling himself picked up and hugged, the little cowboy with the heart the size of Texas felt the familiar tingle of excitement and fun begin stir. Daniel, and the soldier daddy who had enough sense to appreciate cowboys, would be his new family. The new child was young, but with blue eyes sparkling with mischief, Woody knew Daniel promised much playin' and general horsin' around. Then Woody heard the words all toys need to hear, and he felt his heart soar.
"Aht! Daniel! Careful! Don't pull the string too hard, Woody won't able to talk if you hurt him!"
"Okay Daddy! Is be careful wif Woody, I promise!"
Woody bit down the urge to leap to his feet and hi-five all his new companions! Except maybe the cranky colonel, and possibly the Indian girl who kept trying to shot him in the ass with tiny arrows. Heart swelling with hope, he told himself, 'This here is a family that jes know how to treat a cowboy! Yep, indeed-doody! 'The gentle way he showed the boy how to hold him, made him want to whoop and holler with joy. This little one was no Sid, this kid was another Andy! Just smaller, younger, and more… kinda giggly and wiggly.
He was home! Daniel's room was his new home and it promised to be every bit as fantastic as Andy's had been. Yep, Woody the Cowboy was definitely home.