Chapter Two: The Plan
In the center of the lobby of Cube Bee's Toys, right below the retailer's logo sign, seven hundred and ninety-two mini Smiling Critters chittered in wonder about what their leaders had conferred in their office, hoping that a solution to the food shortage from the worker strike was rectified. It was very worrisome to the point the toys had begun stress eating. There really wasn't anything left. Not even paper wrappings from discarded muffins. Those were polished off as well.
In front of the assembly of plush animals, atop a lofty and large crate, were their number 1 leaders. In the middle of the little vertical row was DogDay and Bubba Bubbaphant with a flipchart on a short easel between them. The seven critters were standing up to show their one-foot-and-a-half-inch height. This way, everyone was able to view them more clearly.
Hearing the sounds of rapid, short grunts, Bubba turned to see his orange friend sitting and leaning while madly scratching one of his big, floppy ears.
The little elephant tread next to him and bent forth to gain his attention.
"Nervous?"
DogDay halted his hind leg and got to his paws, shaking his plush fur back into place.
"Heh... Kinda, Bubba."
Returning to an upright stance, the plush canine placed a paw over a heaving yellow chest.
"Boy... I hope our CatNap is here." He let out a deep breath. "I could sure use his peaceful presence right about now."
Bubba straightened and smiled hearteningly. "Oh, as you say, he's always here, even if we don't know it."
"Yes, I'm sure CatNap is... just being CatNap!" reassured Bobby BearHug. "And don't worry, we're all here, too!"
She scuttled over and gave DogDay a quick cuddle and his tense little body slackened.
"I needed that. Thanks, Bobby."
"Hee-hee! Anytime!"
"Yes, we're all behind you on this!" CraftyCorn proclaimed happily, though she kept stealing glances at the big sheet pad.
KickinChicken held up his shortest, plushy feather. "Yeah, break a leg, DogDay!"
All his fellow friends tilted their heads, giving him incredulous stares. The little chicken clucked and flapped dismissively.
"Oh, c'mon! Everybody knows that means good luck!"
"Apparently, not us," Bubba mentioned with a disapproving sway of his trunk.
"Ugh... Fine!" squawked Kickin, rearing his head.
The plush avian strutted up and after a moment of staring at his perplexed leader, he clasped his yellow wings around him.
"But we know our DogDay doesn't need any luck. Ya got this."
With closed eyes, the grateful little dog squeezed back.
"Thanks so much, Kicken."
Following a few pats, Kickin returned to his spot. He noticed all his friends with much-arched mouth-lines.
"What?"
"Awww!" Hoppy Hopscotch cooed. "That was so sweet, ya big softie!"
"Hmph! Look who's talking, cottontail!" her yellow pal retorted in jest.
DogDay viewed all his good and longtime companions around him... supporting him. And his positivity and smile returned in full swing.
"Thanks, guys! You're the best. Ya really are."
Their beams brightened more so as Bubba lightly placed the corner of his front foot over his leader's withers.
"I'm ready if you are, DogDay."
Sharing a determined smile, the plush canine bowed his head, giving his blue friend the incentive to resume his position by the left side of the flipchart. Picking up a woody ruler with his trunk, Bubba struck the metal bars of the easel several times; the clanging reverberated in the warehouse, gaining the attention of all the conversing toys.
It took a couple of minutes for the chatter to lessen as hushing spread until everyone was quiet and observant. The plush pachyderm leaned forward, placing the ruler into his orange friend's paw, who waited for all the bright little eyes to focus on him.
"A'hem! Attention every critter! Thank you so much for all gathering together this afternoon. As you know, I and your fellow leaders want to resolve our food crisis."
Within the large crowd, one of the toys from Picky Piggy's line stood up and held a hoof straight in the air. DogDay pointed the little numbered stick in their direction.
"Yes?"
"Is food being delivered soon?"
DogDay smiled regretfully. "I'm sorry, but there's no food delivery."
With a dissatisfied frown, the pink inquirer rested their limb.
Standing with DogDay, Picky clamped onto her belly.
"So hungry! I'd eat a worker if one of 'em came back!"
Shaking his head, the little dog placed the end of the ruler in his other paw.
"Picky... No one is eating anyone."
Bubba Bubbaphant swished his tail in thought. "Hmmm... I've read that humans have nearly the same flavor as pork."
The plush sow swiveled her wide sights at Bubba.
"Ya mean pi-?!"
"Peppermint! I meant to say peppermint!" fibbed her blue pal. "Yes, just like peppermint!"
DogDay threw the nervous, chuckling elephant a sideward glimpse.
"Not helping, Bubba..," he muttered with a feigned grin.
Picky licked her snout. "Oh, peppermint, yum!"
Averting her eyes, Hoppy Hopscotch bounced aside... as did all the little rabbits who were near any overly leering pigs.
"Why're ya worried, Hoppy?" questioned Bobby BearHug. "Your line isn't minty."
"But we're the same color!" the plush bunny quickly replied. "Speaking of mints..." She cupped a paw to the side of her mouth. "A lot of candy canes are pink and red..."
To their dismay, the tiny ears of their pink friend had twitched.
"Mmmm, candy canes are delicious!"
Without a single blink, Bobby stepped back... as did her line that stood by any fixated pigs.
Bubba swiped a foot from his brow to the end of his long nose while DogDay briefly craned his view toward the hanging sign.
"Again, no one is eating anyone."
Drawing out a breath to help him refocus, DogDay displayed an assuring smile.
"We have good news! Your leaders have a plan for a real home!"
Garbled chatter resumed from the mentioning of home. Then, within the large group, a yellow chicken flapped a wing upwards, and silence returned. DogDay signaled the ruler to them.
"Where? All I can see through the windows are weeds."
"Yeah," piped in a plush equine beside them. "Who knows what's lurking in those spooky weeds!"
"And ready to gobble a critter right up!" finished a little rabbit, quivering a tiny nose.
Gasps and edgy ramble echoed throughout the lobby. The six leaders, eyeing each other, tapped their front feet, hooves, and wings together. With a resolute nod, the leading little dog put his paws as high as he was able.
"Every critter! Please! Please! Calm down! Yes, it sounds scary, and I know everyone's getting jittery from the lack of food, but we won't be outside forever. Please understand, we must leave Cube Bee's Toys 'cause we certainly can't stay."
"Why not?" called out a worried little bear from below. "Worker strikes aren't forever."
"Well... It's better if our Bubba Bubbaphant explains."
The plush canine extended the ruler to his friend's trunk who took a moment to clear his throat.
"Well... through the office computer, I've found an update on the supposing strike. And our situation is much more dire than we initially had thought. There isn't a strike at all." Bubba took a breath. "Cube Bee's Toys is bankrupt."
To the little elephant's surprise, every toy was as quiet as the invading deer mice in the warehouse. A blue front leg in the large group went up.
Bubba pointed the ruler towards them. "You have a question?"
"I do... What does bankrupt mean?"
Dropping the flat stick, Bubba's maw became totally exposed because someone in his line had requested that definition. KickinChicken snickered from his friend's gawking expression and his green pal shushed him, while also trying in vain to keep her giggling at a minimum.
DogDay sidestepped back and forth to pick up the ruler and gently poke the shell-shocked, plush pachyderm to respond. Bubba finally blinked and straightened himself, accepting the ruler again.
"Yes... well, the details of bankruptcy are irrelevant to us critters. But, in our case, it means there may not be any humans coming into the warehouse for a very long time."
"If at all," DogDay finished reluctantly.
"No food?! We'll STARVE!" bemoaned a little dog, triggering all the toys in their line to howl plaintively.
The cluster of critters were whimpering, and some were cuddling each other in utter sorrow. Bubba and the others gazed at DogDay with realization. This was why he was so hesitant about bringing this news up! All the same, the seven little leaders knew that it was only fair for all of their kin to be up to speed with their critical situation.
But notwithstanding the sad scene before them, their number 1 leader was beaming with hopefulness.
"Cheer up, everyone! We won't be living outside for your leaders have come together with a plan to reach a haven for all of us!"
With a wiggly tail, the plush canine outspread his red-orange paws.
"Which will bring us into houses!"
The upset toys muted themselves and craned their small necks, blinking broadly.
"Houses?" a pair of plush ursines called out wishfully.
"Yes, real houses," answered DogDay while sharing a wink with his red friend.
Small tails and mouth-lines began to wiggle and rise. DogDay gestured to Bubba.
"Bubba Bubbaphant, I believe it's your time to shine."
The little elephant exhibited a big and proud beam.
"Much obliged."
Bubba swayed a limb until all the critters focused on him.
"As our leader said, we cannot live in the elements. Especially with our- err... short stature. However, with our plan, which contains a few smart maneuvers by me, we'll be able to reach our goal."
Still coiling the ruler, the plush pachyderm arched his trunk. "For visualization, we have everything on paper, thanks to our CraftyCorn."
Crafty beamed, timidly waving a teal hoof. Her unicorn kin softly waved back.
Still standing upright by the easel, Bubba bent his round torso to lift the corner of the blank sheet. However, it kept slipping from his fictional grip, over and over.
"Darn it!"
And over.
"A'hem, DogDay, would you be so kind..."
With a curt nod, his orange friend pawed the first page away.
Bubba unbent his back. "Thank you." He glimpsed at his front pads. "Strange, that always worked for our cartoon intro."
The little elephant tapped the end of the ruler to the art-covered paper and hundreds of pairs of shiny white eyes were set on the first illustration of simple, well-aligned houses, and a soccer field that was among many apple trees and fire hydrants.
"This town is our target. It's called... Nestling."
Bubba signaled the ruler to another raised plush wing that was amidst the crowd.
"Yes?"
"It looks like a very small town, even for us."
Bubba eyed the sketch of six houses and screwed his sights shut, patting the top of his trunk.
"May I remind every critter that the art is just a representation?"
CraftyCorn idly rubbed her tiny white horn. "Sorry, but I couldn't draw five hundred homes on one page."
The little toy put their wing down. "Oohh, welp five hundred is way better!"
Bubba took a breath. "Yes, well... As I was explaining about Nestling... ...Yes..?"
A plush canine lowered their paw. "Is everything in Nestling red?"
Crafty held her Velcro-wrapped hoof which still carried half a ruddy crayon.
"I like red 'cause it reminds me of my bestie!"
"Awww!" crooned Bobby at her admiring pal.
A little rabbit shook a paw to be noticed.
"Why so many hydrants?"
"Is Nestling a fire hazard?" inquired one of the purple and dark purple-trim critters. "I hate fire."
"Fiiirrreee!" growled all the little puffed and arched cats, hissing defensively.
"Representation!" Bubba Bubbaphant emphasized. "Can I please begin to explain..."
He felt a small hoof tapping his upper back.
"Yes... my dear Piggy?"
"But what is rep- representation?"
Mostly all the critters below them were jerking their withers. Bubba exhaled through a dark blue nose and reopened his eyes.
"Representation portrays what is being discussed... Pictures."
The group of toys slowly nodded in understanding.
"Thanks, Bub!" Picky whispered gratefully.
The little elephant viewed his devoted companions and his impatience faded, thanks to their uplifting faces.
"Nestling is a quiet township," he resumed. "I was unable to define the number of residents, but I've learned that it is small and close to our warehouse. I surmise an hour walk if we move quickly."
Within the cluster, a dark pink hoof went in the air and Bubba nodded, holding the ruler in their direction.
"Will there be any snacks on this trip?"
Bubba swayed his head. "Apologies, but there won't be any snacks."
The little pig crossed their legs and pouted with their fellow pink kin.
Bubba flapped an ear at DogDay, giving him the incentive to lift the paper. The plush pachyderm tapped the numbered stick to the drawing of many Smiling Critters, assembled in shared colors.
"There will be four groups. Each of these groups will have two hundred critters, containing two lines..." He signaled to his orange friend. "...The DogDay line with the CatNaps..."
The little dogs bobbed their heads while some of the critters elbowed many of the dozing cats, inciting them to wake up and give a claws up.
Bubba gestured to the rest of the leading critters and whom they were standing with.
"...The CraftyCorn line with the Bobbies..."
The aforementioned critters beamed and clapped their hooves and paws merrily.
"...The KickinChickens with the Hoppies..."
The plush avians and bunnies grinned, their wings and paws pumping the air.
"...And last but not least, my line with the PickyPiggies."
The blue and pink toys bowed and waved to one another.
"Now... we have three steps to ensure success..."
Bubba waited for DogDay to reveal the next sheet of a bunch of the plush toys marching with an overly happy reddish sun overhead.
"Step one... as the doubled pairs, we begin the journey at dusk. Although we can see quite well in the dark, it's safer for us to move with some natural light."
The next artwork was of all the toys dispersing in four different horizontal directions.
"Step two... Once at Nestling, we will spread out in the double pairs through the town in the evening and hide undercover."
Bubba waited for his friend to turn the following page which was a bunch of stick people drawn in the bottom corners. And in the center of the sheet, were critters peeking out, around and on top of bushes.
"And step three... At noon, when the humans are most active, we together, overthrow the town!" Bubba looked at the crowd. "Yes, a question?"
A lifted white limb in the rainbow huddle went down. "Why are we holding pitchforks?"
Bubba Bubbaphant groaned and CraftyCorn took a small step forth on the crate.
"Tee-hee... Sorry," the plush equine apologized in a soft and shy tone. "I was trying to make it exciting,"
"Oohh," lightly drawled her smiling kin in understanding. "It is!"
"Yeah, it's just... representation!" added PickyPiggy with a wink.
The proud little elephant gazed at his supportive pink pal. "Thanks, Piggy..." He fronted the quiet assembly once more. "Does anyone else have more questions?"
A dark blue front foot in the crowd arose. "How will we all know when it's noon?"
Bubba's open mouth curved broadly. "Yes, a great query! Hoppy, if you would..."
Hoppy Hopscotch leaped in front and held and rotated her left limb, wriggling little digits. Aweing, all the hundreds of critters marveled at the soft rainbow band, wrapped just below the dark green paw.
"Every critter will be given this watch to know the precise time. It also has an alarm feature which will help us tremendously."
The questioning critter smiled with a short bob of the head while Bubba looked at his swinging green friend.
"Thank you, Hoppy."
The little rabbit bounced to her place and spied KickinChicken with an emerging grin on his beak.
"What's up with you?" Hoppy asked, narrowing an eye.
"Hops was all fancy wancy!" he clucked teasingly, lifting his head and wing melodramatically while fluttering his eyelids.
"Oh, and Kicks is just jealous!" quipped Hoppy, razzing a tiny tongue.
"Excuse me," peeped out a little bear. "I understand the plan. But how do we take over the town though?"
"Yeah," chipped in one of their green kin. "I know ya said there shouldn't be too many humans. But... they're still... y'know, humans."
"Uh-huh," agreed one of the plush equines, reaching near their horn. "Humans are so very... big. While we're... um..." They put their hoof down. "...so very... not."
Bubba Bubbaphant and DogDay bowed their heads at each other. This inquiry was well expected. The plush pachyderm rumbled humorously, gesturing his ruler towards the little dog beside him who sat down. And with paws underneath a yellow jaw, he widened his eyes with a small pout.
"Look at us! We're adorable!" declared Bubba. "The humans will be confused by our ambush. At first, they'll consider us as nothing more than cute and fuzzy, battery-operated toys. But once the humans realize we are truly alive, we will emit scary sounds and..!"
Bubba paused dramatically and DogDay stood up to reveal the final picture.
"...that will startle the bewildered humans, scaring them out of the town for good!"
The listening toys viewed where the little elephant was pointing: a depiction of delighted, scribbled critters all around little box houses. But this time, the illustrated mini critters were colored in red... with everything else.
"Nestling will be our forever home!" Bubba trumpeted, dropping the ruler to the cement. "The Smiling Nestlings!"
"...The Smiling Whu?" muttered many perplexed voices.
Bubba cleared his throat. "Um... name pending."
A yellow critter flapped to gain Bubba's attention. "But what if the humans ain't afraid of us? Or call the police or something?"
Bubba Bubbaphant held his bouncing belly, laughing away.
"These humans will be too stunned to do anything but run! And authorities receiving a call about a mob of eighteen-inch tall plushies overthrowing a town? Why, no sane human being would believe that!"
The critters resumed murmuring to one another apprehensively, followed by a plush pachyderm raising a trunk to be noticed by their leader.
"This may sound strange coming from a toy, but this plan sounds... unrealistic to me."
"Yeah," shouted a little dog, right by them. "And Unkie D said to pretend not to be alive around humans."
The rest of the group mumbled while nodding to each other.
DogDay stepped closer to the edge of the crate and held his chest.
"Every critter... I know we've kept this rule to heart, but I promise you, we only have to surprise the humans this one time. This's our one chance at freedom, happiness, and true homes of our own without causing harm." The little dog lifted his clenched paws. "I know we can all do this! We need to! For us! For Unkie D... For all of them."
The large collection of mini Smiling Critters peered at their feet with whines mixed with not only heartache but with disconcertedness. Their leaders stood quietly, giving them time to mull over everything that had been said. It was quite a lot to sink in for the passive little beings.
Ultimately, a little rabbit in front of the crowd hopped out.
"Maybe this whole bankrupt thing will stop soon."
Bubba exchanged looks among his companions, then to the mulling little toy.
"Apologies, but I don't find that'll ever happen-"
"Yeah! Wait it out just for a bit!" chimed in another plush bunny, jumping beside them.
"I agree!" a little pig shouted. "I mean, it's not like we lost any power yet!"
Abruptly, a whoosh and clank boomed through the wide warehouse. The crowd of critters gasped, veering their heads around the unlit lobby. Except for the plush felines shrugging and blinking their reflective eyes indifferently.
With bated breath, the leaders of the Smiling Critters eyed each other, then at the multitude of tiny toys, quietly standing in the dark and dead silent warehouse...
"We'll be the Smiling Nestlings: name pending!" the mass cheerily shouted together.
The leaders finally exhaled and happily stepped down the large crate, thanks to small parcels that were stacked as stairs. They waddled off to intermingle with their designated lines. DogDay's eyes and smile continued to shine with relief as he beheld his good friends talking encouragingly to the motivated, happy toys.
DogDay idly observed the castoff, numbered stick in his paws. Then, within that minute of waiting, the top of his ears perked at a familiar sound from behind.
"Hey... What'd I miss?"
With a heightened mouth-line, the plush canine laid the ruler down and fronted his purring, purple pal.
"Everything, per usual."
The duo sat on their hindquarters, facing each other and the little dog canted his head.
"So, Naps... were you napping?"
CatNap slowly blinked at his pal.
"No."
"Okay." DogDay briefly scanned the dim chamber. "So y'know the power went down?"
Another gradual closing and reopening of bright eyes.
"Yes."
"Hmmm..." DogDay raised and laced his front limbs. "Happen to know where the fuse box is?"
"...Nooo."
DogDay discerned the grin and intensified purring of the unblinking plush feline. And with a wink, the little dog's perky and optimistic smile altered into a knowing yet grateful smirk.
"I'll take that 'no' as a very precise... yes."