The island was small but worth seeing in its entirety. Though there were very few buildings apart from the houses and castle and few trees, only a barren snowy plain with multitudes of pointy icy hills, there was a certain warmth that hung in the air, which became more and more apparent as more of the island's inhabitants showed themselves to the guests.
Nina, Snow Miser, and Tingler looked at each other quickly, quietly sharing their surprise. Every single being who lived on the island, with the exception of King Moonracer, Rudolph, and Hermey, was a toy. Given the world they existed in, living toys were not beyond the realm of possibility. Even still, neither of the three newcomers had ever seen or heard of such a phenomenon, but this did not change how they treated the toys; they were all greeted cheerfully and treated with respect.
There was a doll named Dolly who told the guests, "How do you do?"
"Hello, Dolly!" Rudolph told her with a big smile. "Meet the king's guests. They're going to be joining us for the party!"
Dolly curtsied to them and said, "It's nice to meet you. It's been so long since we've had visitors."
A cowboy riding an ostrich came up to the group and stated, "Howdy partners! What are y'all doing on the Island of Misfits?"
Hermey told him, "King Moonracer invited them to our celebration."
"I was just telling them that we haven't had visitors here since...why, since Rudolph and Hermey first came here," Dolly stated.
A toy train with square wheels in the caboose who approached them, chimed in. "We don't have a lot of people who come to the island."
"It was a bit hard to find," Nina told them. "The fog made it hard to see it."
"King Moonracer doesn't really want a lot of people coming to the island," Rudolph stated. "He's skeptical of most outsiders."
Dolly added, "He's very protective of us."
"That's good to hear," Snow said. "Maybe he's a decent guy after all."
"We must be very mindful not to do anything to offend anyone," Tingler said.
Rudolph chuckled. "You don't have anything to worry about; you seem like very nice people."
Nina stated, "We are very interested in the island's history, if you all don't mind telling us."
"Certainly," Dolly stated, then began the story. "Almost 10 years ago, King Moonracer brought each of us here during the Christmas season. We were all meant to be toys for children all around the world, but something went wrong."
"What happened?"
"We're not sure," the cowboy riding an ostrich answered. "One day we could talk."
"And see," a scooter added.
"And have feelings," the train chimed in. "And not only that, but we also had other strange things happen to us. Look at these wheels. They're square! What train has square wheels?"
"Well, what cowboy rides an ostrich?" the cowboy asked.
"And what kind of bird who has feathers and wings doesn't fly?" a bird asked. "I can only swim!"
"We're all misfits!" the toys lamented.
The guests looked around at the now rather large crowd. All of the toys looked sad, and Hermey nodded, frowning. "We are all misfits," he repeated, joining the crowd's sadness.
"Hey, gang," Rudolph piped up confidently, "cheer up! Just because we're misfits, doesn't mean we're bad! We're just different from the rest!"
Hermey smiled. "Rudolph is right! We have strengths of our own, and we have lots of things to be grateful for. Why, we all have each other. We're a big family. What could be better than having that?"
The toys began cheering up, as well. "We have King Moonracer to thank for bringing us all together," said Dolly. "He saw each of us was unwanted and brought us here to live in safety."
"But you never found out how you came alive?" Tingler asked.
They all shook their heads. "One day, we were just sentient," the cowboy explained. " 'Don't know how or why it happened. All we know is we gotta stick together and stay away from...them," he whispered.
"Them?" questioned Snow.
"People. Humans," the toys quietly replied, simultaneously.
"Why?"
"King Moonracer says humans can't be trusted," the bird told them.
"They're cold-hearted and mean!" Dolly cried out. "That's why we all have to hide. They would hurt us!"
Nina's eyes became sad. "They wouldn't...Not all of them mean to do harm."
"It's too much of a risk," the bird said. "They're unpredictable. It's just safer to stay here."
"We wouldn't let anything bad happen, would we, Hermey?" Rudolph asked his best friend.
"No, sir," Hermey answered. "We keep watch over the island, and we also have guards. Everyone is safe on the Island of Misfits! And that's a great reason to celebrate! We should get started decorating the castle!"
Hermey led the crowd to the castle, while Nina, Snow Miser, and Tingler stayed behind. Rudolph was following his friends, but stopped when he saw the guests weren't joining them. "Are you three coming?" he curiously asked.
"No, Ambassador," Nina told him, softly.
Rudolph approached them. "What's the matter?"
"I was a human," Nina confessed. "Maybe me being here is a mistake."
Rudolph smiled, kindly. "I don't think it's a mistake. From what I've heard about you, you are a good person. I've been trying to convince King Moonracer to let us see other places, but he forbids us to leave the island. Maybe if we met more humans, we could change his mind. They can't all be bad, can they? I mean, if you're not, surely there are others who are good, too."
Nina nodded. "The world is such a complicated place; no one is all good or all bad, but most wouldn't want to hurt any of you."
"You all could help me talk to King Moonracer!" Rudolph exclaimed. "Help me convince him to let us see the world! We are so isolated here, and there has to be more than this icy island."
Nina looked at Snow Miser and Tingler. Without hesitation, they agreed to help. "Say the word, and we're there," Snow told Rudolph.
"It would be better to talk to him after the party," Rudolph stated. "Everyone is looking forward to it."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Nina asked.
"We've got it under control, but thanks for asking. Besides, you're our guests! We just want everybody to have fun!"
