Life

Buried beneath a heap of stuffed animals was a baby girl. She had just woken from a dream. Her
gentle coos could be heard faintly emanating from the pile. She did not cry out for anyone. She
simply enjoyed the peace that her soft friends brought her.
The baby waited patiently with her prized collection, as the sun started to stream in through the
open blinds. They were stacked perfectly around her. If one were missing, she knew.
The morning soon became noon. The animals began to shuffle. It was not a parents hand that
moved them. The little girl stood herself up in the middle of the group. Her coos had become
words. She started to call each one by name.
Strantham the Puppy rose first. He was the caricature of a pug. His hair was beige and his eyes
were abnormally large. The cute stuffed puppy waited for the rest to be called.
The next to rise was a blue bear with a bulbous, plastic nose. When his star-covered belly was
squeezed, little shiny stars and moons would whirl around in his transparent nose. He could only
be known as Starry.
One by one they continued to rise; from the glow worm to the stuffed unicorn. The last one to
stand was a kitten who looked like a leopard. The kitten had no name, yet she was the favorite of
all.
All the plush animals stood around the aging girl while she gave a speech. They listened to her
every word. She spoke elegantly and roused the stuffed animals souls. The kitten paid no heed
as she prepared the girls armor for battle.
The girl climbed over the bars of the crib and pulled down the side. As she exited the room, the
army followed. They walked on through the house and out of the front door. It was during the
heat of the day that they marched. Some of her soldiers fell from exhaustion, but the rest
marched on.
It was not long before the army was attacked. The skirmishes were endless. One after another,
the stuffed animals perished. The red glow of the sun painted the land. Only the kitten was left.
She was badly wounded with cotton protruding from her seams.
The sun had given way to the moon and the girl had long since become a woman. She herself
was scarred. Her hair had whitened and her face had wrinkled.
The final enemy approached. She had to fight alone. The kitten could only sit by and watch. The
woman fought valiantly. A cloud veiled the moon as the old woman took a deafening blow.
It was all over. The womans body laid lifeless on the ground. The raggedy kitten dragged itself
to the womans side. The night disappeared into the day and the two were buried in a grave.