Chapter by: Rammstein.
Buzz reaches out in the empty air, but of course Wood is unquestionably too high for him to get to. The boy pulls at Woody's bandana scarf, trying to see if it comes off.
Buzz knows what to do. He takes a step back, then runs, springing up into the air and smashing onto his wing button. The plastic wings pop open and Buzz glides for only a moment before thudding into the grass at the boy's feet. Rapidly, Buzz swings up his hand and presses on one of his voice buttons.
"Dun dun dun dun! I'm Buzz Lightyear!"
"Huh?" The little boy looks down, sees Buzz with his flashing lights and clear plastic helmet. "Cool!" He cries, dropping the cloth cowboy.
He reaches down for Buzz, but Woody jumps up and kicks the boy in the hand.
"Go play with your own toys, kid!" Woody snaps.
"Ow!" The boy yelps, clutching his hand where the rubbery boot bopped him.
He frowns at Woody and kicks him back with his stubby wet toes. Woody launches up and away, landing on top of the mailbox next door. The boy doesn't notice. He hesitantly reaches for Buzz again, but Buzz doesn't come alive, so the boy picks up him.
"What do you have there, sweetie?" A woman asks, walking over.
"It's mine!" The boy hisses, clutching Buzz to his chest.
"Where did you find that?" The woman demands, her tone sharpening.
"Nooooo," the boy wails as his apparent mother pulls the toy from his hands. "It's my Buzz Lightyear!"
Buzz feels a sickly sour lump in his stomach. It's cold and stopped up with guilt. I'm not his toy, Buzz thinks, longing to say. I'm Andy's...
The mother turns Buzz upside down, checking for markings of ownership. She sees Andy's name on one boot, scribbled out with pink sharpie, and Bonnie's name on the other. She flicks open his transmitter and is surprised to see a phone number there.
"This isn't yours," she tells the boy, waving Buzz tantalizingly in his face. "See?" The points out Bonnie's name and Andy's phone number. "Now go play."
The boy whines and drags his feet in the mud as he goes back over to the sprinkler.
The mother goes inside the house and sets Buzz down on the kitchen counter near the sink, planning on calling that number later. She joins the neighbors and children back in the yard.
Woody climbs down the mailbox, having seen the whole thing. He crawls on the ground, concealed by the grass as he inches along the sidewalk. He glances up and sees Buzz in the kitchen window. They wave at each other.
Woody watches the children closely. They scream and splash and spit and swing punches but their parents do not notice. Woody hopes they won't notice him, either.
He continues on all-fours as fast as he can, straight across the yard. Some of the parents are sitting in lawn chairs, so he goes to them and hides underneath. The front door is not far, now.
Buzz jumps from the kitchen counter to the table, then to the chair, then the floor. He races across the slick tile and skids to a halt at the front door. He stares up at the doorknob, like a rat judging distance before a leap, and begins climbing the doorframe.
Finally, covered in wet grass and spattered with mud, Woody reaches the front door just as Buzz turns the knob. It cracks open, and Woody quickly ducks inside. Buzz drops to the floor and together they push the door shut again.
Buzz Lightyear pats the cowboy on the back, glad he's safe now. "Come on," Buzz says lightly. "There's a phone in the kitchen."
Woody follows Buzz as he jumps onto the chair and table as if he's been doing it his whole life. Buzz backs up, then throws himself off the table. He snatches onto a cabinet knob and climbs onto the counter. He turns to Woody, who takes deep breath before following suit. Buzz catches him before he has a chance to miss, pulling him up beside him.
"Thanks," Woody grumbles.
Cowboy and astronaut strut across the counter to the corded phone mounted to the wall. Buzz takes it off the hook, and Woody positions himself in front of the numbers. Buzz pops open his transmitter and reads it aloud, and Woody dutifully punches the numbers in.
"Let me do the talking, Woody," Buzz tells him as the phone begins to ring. "Andy knows your voice-box better than mine."
"Buzz, don't be silly. I want him to know it's me," Woody says, grinning excitedly.
"Woody," Buzz says warningly. "That's not a good idea. What if he thinks its a prank and ignores you? If you want to show him you're alive, fine, but we shouldn't rush it. For now, let's just get you home."
Woody sighs. "Fine, Buzz, fine." He crosses his arms stubbornly.
"Thank you," Buzz feels compelled to say.
They stare at the phone, waiting breathlessly, the silence between the rings maddening them.
Until, at last...
"Hello?"
To Buck Tick: Guten tag!