Chapter 11: In Which Riley is Reunited
There was a commotion going on in Headquarters after Joy had proposed they visit the hall of memories. Fear had packed a suitcase, though Joy tried hard to convince him he wouldn't be needing anything for where they were going. In the end, he ended up leaving it on his dresser.
Joy was adamant that everyone follow suit after she entered the recall tube telling Riley that it was the only way to get in and out of headquarters. Sadness and Riley stood by an old candlestick telephone, the receiver a tiny gold megaphone. Riley watched as Sadness stuck out her tongue as she tried desperately to dial the numbers on the rotating pad. Eventually a burst of static sounded from the other end and Riley put her hands over her ears as it assaulted them. "This is Sadness calling Nerve Connector... come in nerve connector." The voice of an operator came from the speakers,
"This is Head Chief, we read you loud and clear what do you need, over?"
"Could you transfer me to the Train Station please please...over?"
"Just a sec," the sound of more static sounded over the phone as Riley looked at Sadness who shrugged and hung up the receiver in it's holder, "Looks like we have to wait a while Joy," she sighed.
"Oh. Okay." Joy was looking straight out of the window in a trance again. She looked at the girl's islands which remained still, it's drab colours eating away at the wonderful worlds that rested on them.
"So, where exactly are we going?" questioned Anger.
"Memory Dump."
"We are not!"
"We have to, it's the only way for Riley to remember Bing Bong, it might not work, but its worth a shot!"
"In that case!" Disgust cringed, "better take the dress off sweetie, it's really dirty down there." Riley pulled the blue taffeta over her head revealing her star patterned night wear as she handed it to Disgust who drapes it over her arm and went to hang it up in her girl cave.
"Are we seriously doing this?" said Anger at last, "None of us have ever left altogether before!"
"It'll be fine," replied Joy, adjusting the bag on her shoulder and pulling the straps to seal the top.
"But what if does something?" added Disgust, "We've always had one person manning the panel if the rest go to the islands, what's to stop the whole place blowing up if we all leave?"
At this, Fear's right eyeball twitched. Joy paused for a moment. Although she hadn't even thought her own plan through certain something would turn up, there was a slight chance that something terrible could happen if every one of Riley's emotions ventures outside the control tower. If something did happen, it could mean the end of headquarters.
"Well, we have to try!" Joy declared, "For Riley."
Riley who had stopped to trace her hands over the disused memories, heard the buzz of static charge come from the receiver. Before she could alert Sadness however, she saw the blue emotion had already picked up, having waited patiently for a response. "H-Hello?"
An automated, robotic female voice sounded from the tiny golden cup, "We're sorry but your call can not be completed as dial. Please come back later and the Nerve connectors will put you through, Thank you!"
"What did they say!?" asked Riley.
"We can't talk to them j-just yet," Sadness whimpered. "Sorry."
"Give me that!" said Anger hobbling over and grabbing the receiver from her, "Hi! It's me, Anger. Put me through to the train station already!"
"We're Sorry, your call cannot..."
"And drop the act! We all know you're not a computer!"
Riley gasped as the high pitched voice scoffed at the other end. "Oh! Fine! Lemme put you through now. In the meantime enjoy some music."
"Thank you!" said Anger exasperated as he went to put down the phone.
Triple dent Gum it lasts a while...
"AAAAARRRRRGGHH!" Anger opened his jaw in a ferocious cry. "This Again?!"
Riley listened to the strange jingle blaring from the speakers. "Heey," she said grinning, "I know this song! It played in the commercial when I was a little kid!" She began singing along, "Triple dent Gum will make you smile-!"
"Grrrr, we all know the song!" Anger growled.
"Sorry!" said Riley hands in the air, "I could just never get it out of my head!"
"Neither could we," he muttered.
"Everyone the tube is ready! I repeat the tube is ready!" Fear bellowed.
"Riley you and me will go first, okay?"
Before Riley could argue she was afraid of fast rides, the screech of the telephone sounded again. Anger not wishing to hear the "dumb commercial" again passed it to Sadness and joined Disgust who was already bracing herself for tube travel.
"Thank you," came the sound of Sadness' muffled voice from the corner. "That was the Conductor," she informed Joy, "he should be here any moment, he said we could hitch a ride."
"Great!" clapped Joy, "in that case, Sadness could you go and het that "special project" you've been working on?"
A realization seemed to appear in her eyes as the blue emotion nodded and dashed up the ramp. Riley watched her; her face full of excitement that was impossible to truly define under her dismal demeanour.
Joy was as peppy always."Come on Fear, show Riley what she'll be doing."
"Yeah, um one problem." added Sadness.
"What's that?"
"He says we only get one shot, after that the train won't come along again until he stops off at a station. He's afraid it might run out of fuel again."
"Fuel-?"
"See ya!" waved Disgust as Fear closed the tube. A dismayed look played upon Riley's face as she shot off in a blur of green, her grassy hair flowing behind her. Anger climbed in next, swatting away Fear as he tried to close the hatch. "See ya on the other side kid!" he said winking at Riley.
"So long!" she waved back.
After that Anger had shot off too, turning the glass tube amber from his heat. Joy shook her head laughing as Fear pulled a face behind him. He laughed nervously, "You're not gonna tell him I did that are you?"
"Of course not, Come on Riley! Lets go! Riley?"
Riley was keeping her distance from the tube as though it were an enormous crystal snake bent on striking at her with it's shards of glass.
Joy noticed her edging away, and walked towards her slowly, "What's wrong?"
Riley began to shiver, "I'm-I'm scared."
Joy smiled sympathetically, and took the girl's head in her hands, "There's nothing to be afraid of Riley, it's just a recall tube we put old memories up there all the time. Don't be afraid, really it's okay!"
"I'll go," Sadness piped up, returning.
"You will?" Joy beamed.
"That way Riley can see the tube isn't dangerous because it doesn't make me cry. And we have to be honest here Joy, everything makes me cry."
Riley saw she was dragging a beaten up, scarlet wagon behind her, with brooms at the side and the wheels screeching from years of being oil deprived. Riley covers her ears as another offensive sound entered them, the kind of long acrylic fingernails scratching down a blackboard.
"This is what you've been working on all this time?" inquired Fear, his knitted eyebrows raising.
"Well, yeah. It belongs to Bing Bong, well it did until..."
Afraid she might start up again, Joy hurriedly said to Fear, "she's very clever! She's been working on this since last year."
"I found it washed ashore in the Sea of Misrecallect. It was all in pieces so I brought it back and fixed it up a little bit. I added some new upgrades with the help of Imaginationland."
"Ooh! Show me Show me!" pleaded Joy.
Sadness flicked a switch on the wagon's undercarriage and immediately grew larger, two smaller wagons appearing behind it.
"Wow!" breathed Riley, "you did that?"
Sadness nodded in surprise, "Uh huh."
"It's Awesome! You're awesome! It took me half a year to figure out how my new cellphone worked! And you basically just made a car by yourself."
Sadness blushed. "It was in the manual."
"So, Sadness are you going first?" Joy asked, eager to hurry along.
"Yeah!"
"Wait," said Fear, "how are you going to take that with you?" he pointed to the wagon, "that's never going to fit in the tube."
"Oh. You're right." Sadness pressed another button underneath her invention and instantly it shrunk into a tiny red cube which she caught in her palm and stuffed into her sweater pocket. Joy, Fear and Riley stared open mouthed.
"What?" Sadness shrugged, "it's Imaginary."
"Oh. Well alright! Here we go!" Joy lead Riley slowly to the tube, her feet bare and cold under the harsh floor. Noticing this apprehension and what Riley associated the tube with Joy hurriedly said, "tubes can be helpful sometimes. You're on some right now to keep you healthy. See Sadness is going by herself." Riley watched as Fear strapped Sadness into the tube, pulled down the roof and she zoomed away in a flash. Riley nodded, swallowing her nerves and step in left foot first. She relaxed a little as she allowed Fear to move her hands to rest on her stomach.
"Okay, arms in and once you feel a whoosh of air, fold your arms across your body and just go! Hey, are you sure you're all right?"
Riley shook her head, "Uh uh, not really."
Fear looked concerned. "Right..." he turned to Joy. "I don't think this is such a good idea-I mean we shouldn't rush her into doing something she's afraid of."
Joy sighed, "Maybe you're right. Riley-"
Riley had heard enough and pulled the glass roof of the recall tube down.
Fear cringed, "No no! She needs to be buckled in-!"
That was the last thing Riley heard before she shot off like a jet through a narrow, winding passage. She felt like food being swallowed down an esophagus, as she watched from the clear glass to watch the grey islands.
She was unaware if it, but she was screaming so loudly it was the reason the tube was beginning to shake slightly. She felt her cheeks pulled back from the force of the cool wind, as she whizzed on, trapped in a typhoon chamber. Finally with one last scream, she could see it...a bright, colourful light. She put her arms across her body as Fear had instructed her and braced for landing.
Thump!
"Ow!" Riley yelped out in pain as she felt her rump make contact with something hard. "Wha-?" Looking around she noticed more of the orbs. Only these were different. They were bright and full of colour unlike the cold lumps if granite back in Headquarters. Each contained what appeared to be a moving picture, playing over and over again like a recording. Riley took a bright red one which appeared to show her yelling at a group of boys.
"You are such jerks!" came a tiny voice from the ball. It took her not a minute longer to realise the voice belonged to her.
She could hear more voices too, equally annoyed and both loud.
"Oh great fall, Brickhead!"
"Oh, where am I supposed to fall?"
"Somewhere that isn't my head!"
"IF YOU MOVED YOUR GIANT GREEN PEA OF A HEAD OUT OF THE WAY-" Riley giggled as she watched Anger and Disgust fire insults back and forth at each other. She searched around for Sadness and eventually found her wandering by herself through some shelves, tapping each orb along the bottom and turning them deep blue.
Riley gasped in amazement as she scrambled out of the recall container to find rows and rows of enormous shelves, each with thousands upon thousands of the same colourful memory orbs.
"Look out below!" came a cheerful voice from the tube exit.
"I don't think this was such a-"
Riley leapt to the side as Joy and Fear shot out like cannonballs into a sea of rainbow memories. Joy was laughing holding her stomach, Fear looked shaken, his antennae twisted, limbs quivering and looking as if he were about to vomit at any moment.
"Oh wow look at this!" gasped Joy. She held up a glowing yellow orb. "All the memories down here are still working! How can that be?"
Riley didn't seem to care why or how these orbs were different than those on the shelves upstairs. She only wanted to stare at them, their glorious rainbow infusions dancing forever.
"What are these?" the girl asked in amazement.
"These, Riley are your other memories, well their not as important as core but they're very very special. Every single day in your life, these memories have been created at different times and each of us," she pointed to all the emotions. "Were there to give you the appropriate reaction."
"Yeah, can't have you giggling at slime," grinned Disgust.
"And then they end up here in Long Term!" Joy finished.
Riley peered into the first walkway, laden with memories of all different colours and activities playing within them. "Looks like a maze."
"Oh, everybody gets lost in Long Term Memory!"
"Yeah," agreed Sadness, "You wouldn't believe how lost Joy and I got when we first came here."
"You've been here before?"
"We haven't!" Anger interrupted. "Joy, are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"I do not want to get lost in a dirty hallway," uttered Disgust.
"I kind of second that," whispered Fear.
Joy swatted her hand playfully, "What? Pfft! Come on you guys, this is to help Riley, besides since when have I ever been wrong?" Sadness, Anger and Disgust gave her flat looks while Fear tried to look anywhere else.
"Oh okay, aside from those other times I've been- look we're not even going to go into Long Term, we're taking the Train of Thought remember?"
"Yeah, the smelly train, full of thrown away facts and opinions. Great plan Joy," muttered Disgust.
"Well have you got any better ideas?" snapped Anger.
"Yes actually. Right now my idea is to avoid catching your stupidity."
Anger growled but before he could blow his top again, Riley's voice was heard near a shelf.
"What's this?"
Joy skipped towards her peering over her shoulder at the golden memory she held in her hands. "Oh, that was the day you..." she paused her happiness quickly diminishing into guilt. The memory showed Riley riding a black and violet bike, silver wheels, beginner's model; down the street next to the tall damp building that was her San Francisco apartment. The plants were wilted, yet the rain had left the air cool and crisp and clear, the scent of the watered gardinas was almost real to Riley now as she stared at the image of father and daughter. The man chortling to himself, the young girl's sandy hair flying behind her as she rode down the hill, her helmet glinting. No tubes. No oxygen mask. No stitches.
"I wish I hadn't been so stupid as to not wear the protection gear Dad told me to."
"Woah, hey Riley! You're not stupid! You listened to us remember? It's my fault. I pushed Fear put if the way when I was supposed to let him do his job. If I had just let him give you the incentive to wear the helmet, then none of this would have happened, and you wouldn't be stuck here." She brushed off any other harsh words towards herself and went straight back into happy mode again, "But don't worry! That's exactly what we're here to fix!"
Parents Anniversary?
Ah, it happens every year, she doesn't need to remember all year round, just on one day!
Forget em!
Joy and Riley paused as two voices around another shelf alerted them to why they had come down here in the first place.
"Mind Workers!" said Joy, "I bet they can help us!"
Riley followed Joy briskly as the emotion ran towards another bend. From over her shoulder she heard Anger grumble, "We're not going into Long Term," she said."
All the Animaniacs songs?"
"Come on! That was like in elementary school, when is Math ever gonna be crucial in life?"
Forget em!
"Hello!" waved Joy as she skidded to a halt beside them. The mind workers which to Riley still looked like melted gumdrops stopped their duties and turned to talk to her.
"Oh," said the female. "It's you! Never thought I'd see you down here again, friend."
"It's been a while," grimaced Joy, "we sorta have a problem."
"What kinda problem?" the male asked.
"Try twenty!" came Anger's voice. "He was followed by Disgust and Fear. Sadness trapsed behind them before eventually falling on her stomach like a blue cushion.
"Okaay? Twenty. Sure it's nothing old reliable can't fix," the male worker said gesturing to the tube. "Say, ain't that the guy we like to annoy Paula? You know, triple dent gum will make you smile, triple dent gum it lasts a while..." As he laughed, Anger's eye twitched. "So it was you!"
Too avoid what she saw was a bloodbath, Joy quickly said, "Well, Anyway. We kind of have a surprise. But you can't tell anyone," Joy explained full of nervous glee.
The forgettors looked at each other, "We're listening."
"Riley? Riley come on out! Come meet Bobby and Paula!"
The sound of shuffling feet came from behind a shelf. Two baby blue eyes appeared, and a mop of ash blonde hair.
"H-Hello?"
"Riley these are the Forgettors, they're the ones that get rid of unwanted memories, without consulting me first," she added under her breath. "They're pretty cool. Aren't ya guys?"
The forgettors said nothing. They just stood there mouths agspe, they're pupils the size of pinpricks.
"Hello? Cat got your tongues?" she laughed waving her hand in front of them.
"Hey listen, we're trying to catch the Train of Thought that will take us over Memory Dump. Do you know where we could find it?"
Both nodded slowly, not letting go of their shock. They pointed slowly but simultaneously to where a station could be sighted. Fortunately the train hadn't arrived for them yet.
"Great thanks! Come on you guys!" the other emotions followed suit along with Riley who nodded and smiled gratefully at the mind workers before catching up with Joy.
"Did you see what I saw?" asked Forgettor Paula her blank stare never leaving hwr face.
"Do you think this tube would work on us?" Forgettor Bobby suggested.
"I won't tell if you don't."
"Done."
After the pink and lilac locomotive let them aboard, (by let Disgust was trying desperately to grab a hold of someone's hand as it whizzed past to pull her into the carriage. In the end she swallowed her pride and grabbed Anger's.) the emotions sat around discussing their next move. Sadness lay with her head against a box, staring forlornly at the ceiling, Fear drew circles trying calm himself down. Riley was doing most of the talking, something that even surprised herself.
"And then I remember how pulling off a band aid feels after you've done it and I was afraid but then I remembered the cream would relieve it so I ripped it off and even though it was painful it felt good to get it over with. Thank you Fear!"
"My pleasure Riley. Band aids suck!"
"What's that?" said Riley pointing out of the window at a tall pink turret.
"Ooh! That's Imaginationland!" said Joy, "We must be getting closer to the Dump by now!"
"Wow Deja vu sure looks pretty from up here." Fear commented.
"There's the Imagination gate," clapped Disgust. "I think we're close too!"
"Friendship Island's still down though," grumbled Anger.
"So is-Wizarding School Island!" sniffed Sadness looking as though she were about to cry again.
"Wow, Deja vu looks pretty from up here." Fear commented.
"Alright Mr Conductor, once we're over the Memory Dump you can just lower us in!" Joy called to him.
The Conductor called back over his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to do this?! Nothin' comes back from the Dump ya know!"
"I know, but don't worry we'll be fine!" she glanced at Riley, "I'll make sure of it."
Joy took some food from the corner of the train and handed a coil to each emotion, "Wrap this around yourselves," she instructed, hurry-Oh and make sure it's tight! We don't want to get separated down there."
S-Sseperated, did I hear th-that r-r-r-right?" stuttered Fear.
Anger, who's hands were the largest, helped to tie a difficult Disgust and a terrified Fear while Joy worked on helping Sadness and Riley.
"Okay, like this," she said wrapping the rope around her own midsection.
Sadness watched unblinking. Riley's heart was in her mouth. Whether or not it was a real heart was a puzzle yet to be solved.
"This isn't- like Bungey Jumping is it?" she asked cautiously.
"Yeah, I mean-! Well uh no it's...it's..." Joy tried to find the right word. "It's fun! And anyway I'm leading. Sadness you go on behind me, Riley next, then Disgust, then Anger, then Fear."
Fear practically threw himself to the ground "Please don't make me go at the back! It's always faster at the back!"
"It's just for a short while, soothed Joy.
"I don't wanna-!"
"Oh quit your whining Cry Baby! I'll go to the back!" Anger said scowling.
"Maybe your square head will weigh us down!" snickered Disgust, and r once Anger managed to ignore her.
"I'm opening the doors now!" the Conductor announced.
"Okay!" Joy called back, "Ready when you are!" She held her bag tightly across her chest.
The bottom of the train suddenly fell apart to leave a small square hole just big enough for them to get through. Joy stood at the front, carefully making sure her friends and her girl were safely secured.
"On the count of three!" Joy called to them.
"Can't we make that ten?" Fear whimpered.
"One."
"I'm really not comfortable with this!"
"Two."
"Joy!?"
"Three!"
The emotion jumped out through the floorboard of the train, waving and and saluting the conductor as she did so. Sadness clung to her rope, fas she was pulled along next. Riley felt herself beginning to slip even though she tried her best not to. With Sadness' weight and the extra from the bag, Riley felt herself fall straight forward, her vision distorting, blood running to her head as she plummeted downwards into a gap of darkness. A never-ending abyss of nothingness.
As gravity continued to smack her in the face, she could hear the other emotions screaming. Fear's was the loudest, his arms up above his head, hitting an already irritated Anger in the eye. "Why you-!"
"Riley! It's a straight fall down!" Joy shouted up to her, "Everyone I'm going to undo the rope."
"Are you crazy?!" screamed Disgust.
"Just trust me on this!"
Ignoring the other emotion's pleas, Joy untied herself like an acrobat in mid air and caused the others could to fall off them. All screamed in terror, including Riley herself. Fear had wrapped himself around her head like a turban in a frenzied state. As she stared below her she could see mountains and mountains of rocks surrounded by thick blackness. She continued to scream, shutting her eyes until she fell. Down...down...down...
CRASH!
The sound of a ball being dropped in a field of pebbles is what greeted them as their drop came to an end. Their buttocks were greeted however with a hard and stinging pain, cold marble and stone.
Riley had ended up next to Sadness, on her stomach, the pain unfelt to her. Sadness however was reeling, weeping and holding her tummy. Riley immediately helped her from the heap and pulled her to her feet. In doing so she saw what she was holding. Memories. These were memories. Pale and Grey and fading. Cracked and scratched at the edges, their golden colour becoming an unwashed copper hue. Riley felt her eyes sting. It was like a graveyard, dead daydreams, memories mortem.
A glowing light, appeared from the bones. Joy was up, slightly shaken but still her cheerful self. She lit up the entire pit like a star, and suddenly Riley didn't feel all that afraid. "Is everybody alright?"
"No!" came the sore voices of Anger, Fear and Disgust. Joy shook her head. Seeing Riley she hopped towards her and embraced her, the warm feeling inside Riley slowly returning in her invisible stomach. "You okay?"
"Yep! I'm fine I was just a little scared."
"Me too!" Joy giggled, "It was a little scary wasn't it? Now, I'm going to need you for this Riley."
"Me?" Riley became anxious again. She hated it when Joy moved away from her. It only made the darkness creep in quicker.
Joy nodded. "Uh huh! Follow me gang!"
Disgust sluggishly got to her feet, putting her hair back into place. "I swear to...Ugh! It's so filthy down here! I can actually taste it!"
"Sure that isn't just your breath," sniped Anger with an evil grin. Disgust was just about to use the back of her hand to "slap some manners into him," as she called it, when Joy stopped them. "Everybody wait a minute!"
She paused and looked around, her form acting as a torch to guide the way. Finally she saw something. Running towards it delving into faded memories, she picked up a sepia memory of Riley, tears in her eyes.
We used to play tag and stuff but, since we moved...
"This is it." Joy declared. "Sadness, have you still got that wagon?"
Sadness stepped forth nodding and brought the red box from her pocket. Joy opened the bag and plucked out a yellow memory. It was so bright that the dark dump suddenly became the cave of wonders. Riley saw Anger, Fear and Disgust's eyes open wide, in realisation of what she was trying to do. Although Riley couldn't understand it, she contunued to watch in intrigue.
"Is she doing what I think she's doing?" whispered Fear.
"It looks like it," replied Disgust, "is she planning on-"
"No," stated Anger, "it's impossible, no one can resurrect a forgotten memory. That's why their called forgotten!"
Joy then brought out another one, handing it to Sadness and gestured to Riley, extending her electric arm. Riley nervously complied, feeling that as long as she stayed in the light, she would be alright. Joy took her hand and Sadness held up the memory for Riley to take. The cool sphere gave weight back to her fingers, and she felt real again. Peering into the orb she saw a young child, her hair in pigtails running chasing some sort of strange and large animal on the ceiling of her own home. Riley supposed it to be a bear or a large cat.
"You see him?" Joy asked softly.
"Yeah," said Riley, her own tone hushed.
"That is Bing Bong. Your imaginary friend. The one you played with when there was no one there to play with."
Riley felt a twinge of pain, although she did not understand why.
Joy saw her staring at the other orbs in the emotion's own arms. They were full of the same image. A girl finger painting, purple ooze dripping down rice paper as a larger being handed her strands of macaroni, a girl on a swung being pushed by someone in a brown jacket and hat and a girl crawling on all fours through the garden grass when she was ambushed and tickled mercilessly by a gigantic beast. Joy lifted Riley's memory so that it touched her chest.
"Now wish."
Riley closed her eyes, still seeing Joy's light and the shine of the orbs. She shut out everything else she was aware was going on around her. She could feel Fear's heavy breathing, Disgust's tiny gasps, Sadness' soft nose wiping her sweater. Clutching the ball tighter she pictured what may have been. Although she didn't know him, whoever Joy said was a friend of hers was most likely a person worth trusting.
She felt the orb become hot in her hands but it did not burn nor scald her. She let the warmth travel to her fingertips and shoot out like beams. When she opened her eyes, she realized her vision was blocked by a dazzling yellow light. She dropped the orb-but instead of falling to the ground it stayed hovering in mid air in front of her. Then without warning, it shot off as fast as lightening towards a hill of dead memories, resting atop it like a star on a Christmas Tree. The orb then vegan to change shape. It grew, it's size contorting into a mass of fur and fabric.
"Please...Please..." Joy begged to nothing.
The last of the orb changed, the final piece, a hat which fell to the head of the large hill creature. Everyone held their breath. Then the large creature stirred, shuddered and let out a huge yawn that echoed around the entire dump. Joy immediately sprinted over, despretely trying to scramble up the mound.
"Quick! We have to help!" said Fear running over to her. The others followed, Anger letting Joy stand in his hands to lift her up. Joy made it, even if she slipped on old memories in the process. Gently she shook the creature awake.
"Bing Bong?"
"Mmmm."
"Psst! Bing Bong!"
A voice could be heard from the creature, it sounded high pitched and playful. "Huh? What?"
"Bing Bong it's me. Joy!"
Bing Bong shook his head and yawned a great yawn again. "Joy...?" he muttered groggily. Then rubbing his eyes he sat up straight. "JOY! JOY, WHAT, HOW! What are you doing here?! What am I doing here?!"
Joy threw her arms around him, "Oh Bing Bong you're alive!"
Bing Bong patted her back. "Course I'm alive, though it was strange. How long have I been asleep?"
"Far too long!"
Suddenly he let out a loud gasp. "Headquarters! Joy you're supposed to be in Headquarters, that's why I leapt out of the wagon I remember now! What the heck are ya doing down here?"
"I'm fine Bing Bong! We all are!" she gestured to the other emotions who stared with a mixture of shock and confusion.
"Hello." said Sadness her own eyes large.
"Heeey!" laughed Bing Bong, "it's you! Come here!"
Sadness wasted no time in scurrying up the mound to his arms. "How's my little hugging buddy-been?"
"Okay." Then she turned to Anger, Disgust and Fear who stood behind her smiles beginning to appear on their faces. "This is the rest of our group."
"Oh! The whole gang's here! Bring it in! Group Hug!" All stared as Bing Bong gave a wide grin and slid straight down the hill capturing them all in a tight embrace. Anger who wasn't one for such physical contact immediately sent off a warning flame, Disgust who did not enjoy being close to a stranger's face instinctively tried to struggle out of it. Fear was the only one enjoying the hug, even if he was being slightly squished.
"Oh, we've all got some catching up to do! I wanna know what's been happening since I'm outta hibernation, how ya been?"
"Great!" smiled Joy. Then she remembered and the change in her eyes was clear, "Well- actually. Things haven't been so great recently."
"Really? How come?"
"Well it concerns Riley. She um- had a little...A big accident. And now she's, well she's in a coma."
Bing Bong looked more dismayed than Joy had ever seen him, his half gloved hands up to his forehead. "Oh No!"
"I'm sorry, it was my fault. I shouldn't have gotten her to ride the ramp."
"Is she safe?" he asked deep concern in his voice.
"For now. She's resting in hospital I think. Or maybe at home I don't know. But our Headquarters is shut down and her memories aren't working. Those that are are either core or up at Long Term."
Bing Bong sat quietly thinking to himself. At least he thought it was quiet. Everything he thought came out of his mouth anyway.
"Oh, well this isn't good, no no no, this isn't good at all! We gotta get ya back up there!"
"Well actually Bing Bong. We came down here to see you."
"Aww! That's sweet! I've been meaning to send a postcard, course there aren't any mail boxes down here, so I have had problems getting them to-"
Joy stopped him. "Bing Bong I don't want you to freak out or anything. But something amazing has happened. And we thought we'd surprise you."
"Ooh! Yippee! I love surprises! Is it a cake?" he said looking around.
"Better!" said Joy turning him around.
"Joy come on! What could be better then-"
His face changed when he saw who was standing there. It was a little girl, yet she looked nothing like the emotions. Her skin was pale, her hair light, her pyjamas full of stars.
Riley saw him for the first time and was taken aback yet surprised. He was bright pink with the head of an elephant. He had big green eyes, and wore a bowler hat and tattered brown jacket, with patches re-sewn and a badge resembling a wheel of colour. He had human like hands, and wore fingerless gloves over them. He appeared to be some sort of tramp. Riley also saw he had a long bushy purple tail, and orange and yellow rings around his feet.
His face did not seem to match his voice now. It was solemn, shocked and stunned by her. Slowly he walked across the frozen memories towards her, stopping just a few inches in front of her. "R-Riley...?!"
Riley nodded, used to those knowing exactly who she was by now. "Yes."
"Riley..." he repeated. "You...You grown so big now!"
Riley looked at the floor while Bing Bong seemed to measure her. "I remember when I last saw you...ya barely came up to my knee!"
Riley stared blankly at him. "Do I know you?"
Bing Bong's face became longer, his tiny ears drooping, "Yeah. Sure ya do! I'm Bing Bong! Your imaginary friend! We use'ta draw together and stay up late eating popcorn and played outside!" His face lit up again. "Oh! Us gotta remember the rocket! That thing was where we went on all our adventures together! We tried to to go to the moon, and we went to Paris to see all the French things, the Eiffel Tower, the Louve, the Pyramids...you loved flying in the rocket!"
Riley thought hard, but couldn't grasp hold of anything he was talking about. She had never been to the moon, and her parents never had the money to take her to Paris. Yet his face was so eager, his eyes so full of innocence that he was completely sure of what he was talking about. Riley didn't have the words to tell him she didn't know who he was.
"You really... don't remember me...?"
Riley shook her head, feeling her chest tighten.
"Oh. Well. I uh...I guess I gotta go..."
Joy frantically shook her head in despair, Come on Riley! You know him, just try to remember!
Bing Bong sighed, walking away his trunk bent over, head hung. A glint of a candy wrapper was visible in one eye.
Joy crumbled as she saw him walk back into the dark, a lonely figure that had once held such a special place in Riley's heart. Gone...along with all the other memories.
Who's your friend who likes to play?
Bing Bong stopped. His theme song! It always pleased him to hear someone singing it. Riley had of course come up with the igneous lyrics. But usually he was the only one that sung his theme song. He didn't really have anybody else to sing it with. Joy noticed this. And it hit her. And when it did, relief flooded her.
He turned around and saw Riley was still standing there, only now she looked on wide eyed. He stared in amazement as she ran towards him, stopping right beside him. Her blue eyes were full of silver tears.
"I know you..." she whispered.
"You. You do?!"
"Yeah. Yeah! I do!" It all came rushing back to her like a river's rapids. This was the friend she had created one day in her living room. She was lonely and tired of playing by herself. So she drew a picture in crayon on the wall, an elephant, cat dolphin hybrid she had dubbed Bing Bong. He had been made of cotton candy. He even cried candy so that he could still feel better even when he was sad. He was the one who taught her how to dance, how to fly and how to make her imagination come to life. Bing Bong. Her old best friend.
Unable to hold back her tears of sheer happiness, she looked up at him, her feelings of a longing for comfort unleashing themselves.
"Bing Bong?"
Bing Bong gasped in excitement. "You remember me?!"
Riley nodded proudly.
"I knew it! You do remember me!"
He opened his arms and she rushed into them, burrying her face in his fur. His belly still carried the sweet aroma of cotton candy.
Joy and the other emotions looked on from the side. Joy nodding triumphantly, Sadness' glad face blinking away tears, Fear poking his head out between the both of them, exhilaration in his eyes, Disgust smiling in awe, trying her best to conceal her own tears. Even Anger stood nodding giving a warm, rare smile.
Riley cried cried out in tearful, joyful sobs, soaking his chest as he pulled her tighter.
"Oh Bing Bong! I've missed you...!"
"I've missed you too Riley!" he said back, his voice cracking.
Candy wrappers littered the floor, piling the dump with better sweeter things than forgotten memories. As the emotions stood on, not speaking, letting the two have their moment, Joy glanced at Sadness and the two watched with their arms around each others shoulders as their two most adored people were finally reunited.