CHAPTER 9 - Entangled
We should get back inside," Buzz said wistfully, but he kept his arms around Jessie, and didn't let her go.
"Do we have to?" Jessie asked.
"We should really." Buzz regarded her face for a moment more. He then looked up at Bonnie's window, put his fingers in his mouth, and whistled.
A few moments later Slinky's head appeared. "Buzz?" His voice puzzled on seeing the plastic toy down in the shrubbery.
"Yeah Slink, it's me, drop down and hoist us up."
"Us?" Slinky questioned, until Jessie's head popped out of the shrubbery too. "Oh!" He exclaimed, "Sure thing, Buzz, hang on," he called down, and disappeared.
"Where did he go to?" Jessie blinked up at the window, and turned to look at Buzz.
"I don't know. But you're going first."
"No Buzz, I want us to go up together."
"We will be. But Slinky can't hold both of us at the same time."
"So fly me up," Jessie wheedled.
"You know I'm not a flying toy," Buzz chuckled, and stopped when he saw Jessie's forlorn face. "Oh Jess, don't give me that look...listen, I swear I will be RIGHT behind you when you reach the top, ok? But you have to go now," he gave her a little push forward, "otherwise we're never going to get inside at all."
"I could live with that," Jessie smiled shyly at him, turning as if to embrace him again, but Buzz stopped her.
"Jess, I promise, that if you go up to the windowsill, when I get there with you I'll give you the biggest kiss ever."
Jessie raised a eyebrow. "In front of everyone?" She asked quizzically.
"In front of everyone..." Buzz agreed.
Jessie gave a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "Hoo boy howdy, you got a deal there, pardner," she shrieked, and grabbed Buzz's hand. "Pleasure doing business with you," she teased.
At that moment Slinky reappeared. "Sorry Buzz, I had to go get some assistance," he called, and over the window ledge peeped Buttercup and Bullseye. "Hold my feet you guys, I'm gonna drop down," they heard him instruct the horsey pair. Within a few moments Jessie was on her way up Slinky, using his wire coils as a makeshift stepladder.
She got about halfway to the window, and glanced down at Buzz, who gestured to her to keep going. "Remember what I said, Jessie," he called at one point, when she was nearly all the way up, and she determinedly kept going. That space toy was going to prove himself, she was going to make sure of it! She reached the window and hopped onto the sill. Bullseye was enraptured to see his cowgirl mistress appear, and let go of Slinky to lick Jessie's face. She giggled and pushed him away, about the same time that Buttercup gave a gasp and Slinky's back paw slipped from his grasp.
Jessie gave a small cry, dashing to the ledge. "Slinky!" She called down, "Are you ok?"
A rather dazed Slinky was on the ground below, and Buzz was helping him up. "He's fine, Jessie," Buzz called up.
"But how are you going to reach the window now?" Jessie called back. She was worried.
"Don't worry, we'll figure something out," Buzz called back, as Jessie noticed Bonnie's mother walking in their direction. She gasped and disappeared from the window, as did Buttercup and Bullseye, and the disappearance of all three made Slinky and Buzz turn, just in time to see the human approaching. They dropped and lay still, hidden and tangled in the shrubbery. From above they heard 'snip, snip'. Then an audible clink, followed by sounds of digging.
Meanwhile Jessie had come back to peep over the window ledge again, and her mouth dropped open in horror. Bonnie's mother was below, digging around the shrub that Buzz was tangled in. She went on digging for several minutes, as Jessie watched with bated breath. Eventually, Bonnie's mother stopped digging, put aside the spade, and wrestled with the shrub, uprooting it entirely. Suddenly Jessie covered her mouth as she spotted Slinky's head pop out of the shrub, dangling down. Bonnie's mother must have seen it, because she placed the plant on the floor, and untangled Slinky from it.
"Bonnie?" She called, and in due course Bonnie's running footsteps were heard. "Bonnie, sweetheart," her mother bent down to the child's height, "Stop throwing toys out of the window, ok? There's a good girl," she passed Slinky to a surprised Bonnie. She picked up the plant again.
"Oh no!" Jessie whispered to Bullseye, who had come to peek too. "Buzz is still down there, in that plant." Bullseye nudged Jessie softly, and she put her arm around him, watching the scene unfold below.
"Bonnie, darling, go inside for Mummy, I'll be right back. I'm just going to take the shrub to Mrs Windermere? Stay indoors till I get back. I won't be long," Jessie heard her call.
"No!" Jessie gasped, "Buzz, come on, jump out of there."
But unknown to Jessie, Buzz was tangled firmly in the plant. One of the stems had wrapped tightly around his leg and he couldn't free himself without shuffling too much and giving himself away. So instead he lay there, worrying for his own safety, and wondering how Jessie must feel.
Jessie was understandably distraught. She watched Bonnie's mother, the plant, and her beloved Buzz exit the garden, and then she covered her eyes with her hands as her body racked with sobs. Bullseye did her best to pacify her, licking her cheek like mad, but Jessie was inconsolable for several minutes.