About an hour later, when Misery was feeling slightly better, everyone went upstairs so that she could open her presents. They were piled in a precarious stack that made her a little nervous.
"This doesn't seem like the best way to stack them…" she said quietly.
"It's a tower!" Iris said. "Look! Mine's the one all the way on top!"
Misery gingerly reached for a present next to the stack. She grabbed it and ducked, waiting for them to come crashing down on her. Nothing happened.
"That is from me," Scaredy Bat said timidly. He had come out of his room to watch Misery open presents. He was alarmed by her bandaged leg and burned-looking face, but he figured it was better not to ask.
She opened the box from Scaredy Bat. It was a large first-aid kit.
"What kind of present is that?" Iris complained. Scaredy looked sad.
"It's what I asked for, Iris," Misery said. "I'm running low. Only six hundred. That's six hundred and one, now. Thanks, Scaredy." She smiled slightly. "And it seems like I'm going to need it," she added to herself.
She picked another present up from around the pile. It had no card.
"Who's this from?" she wondered.
"I have no idea," Ruby said. Everyone else shrugged.
Misery cautiously opened it and pulled out a stuffed purple panda. It had a string on its back, and she pulled it.
"Whatever," the panda said.
"Open mine next," Poe said, handing Misery a present wrapped in black paper. She tore off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a top hat, just Poe's size. Misery couldn't help but think Poe had been shopping more for himself than for her, but she wasn't complaining. After all, this was one of the best things to happen all day. To make him happy, she put it on, but it immediately fell off her head and inexplicably fell to pieces.
"That was short-lived," she commented. "Thanks, Poe."
Poe looked disappointed, as if he'd been hoping she'd return it to him.
"Mine next! Mine next!" Iris cheered.
Misery looked up at the stack. "I don't think I can reach that…"
"Don't worry, I'll get it!" Iris said. She put on her spring shoes and bounced up to the top of the stack. She reached for her present, but she couldn't quite grab it. Instead, she ended up pushing it.
"Oops," she said as the stack started to topple over. "Wait!" She attempted to get around to the other side to stop it from falling, but she was too late. The stack had already come crashing down on Misery.
Ruby gasped and everyone rushed over to the fallen pile to dig Misery out. They all tossed aside presents, box after box, but when they reached the bottom of the pile, Misery wasn't there.
"Where is she?" Skull Boy wondered, concerned.
"Wait a sec. This box seems awfully heavy…" Iris said. She opened it up and found Misery inside.
"Found her," Iris announced. She and Ruby lifted their unconscious friend out of the box and set her down on the floor.
"Misery?" Ruby gently poked Misery's shoulder. She stirred, then opened her eyes.
"I was right," she murmured. "I knew I would need that first-aid kit."
A/N: The purple panda plushie has no relevance to the plot, I know... and I know it won't make sense to anyone on here except chibishaymin1436. (Hi!) It's a nod to one of my characters from something else, that's all, and I didn't want to remove it from the story to post it.