Smiling Toys

A different, VERY different, kind of toy store!

Smiling Toys

By Mike Stevens

 

 

     The Fluorescent lights staggered to life, as Christopher Shendrake sleepily got the store ready for the onslaught of children, who would soon be arriving.  It was a lazy summer morning; not particularly early, but this being Saturday, early enough for Chris.  He had a bad hangover; maybe he should quit drinking?  Well, maybe after he went out drinking one last time.  Yeah, after tonight, that’s exactly what he’d do.  His head was pounding; how was he going to survive a long, long day?  What he needed was to rest his eyes.  He started the coffee pot on the counter, and gratefully slumped down into Mr. Vesta’s desk chair.  Ah, relief!  Silence was the only sound besides the sputtering of the coffee pot.  Christopher appreciated that Mr. Vesta trusted him enough to open the store, but Mr. Vesta was probably still sleeping, while here he was, trying to be awake enough to face the juvenile hoards.  He’d just rest his eyes for a moment, then maybe he’d wake up a little. 

 

 

     Where was he?  He blinked and blinked again, and blearily tried to focus.  Oh, that’s right, the showroom of Smiling Toys.  He must have fallen asleep, and he briefly wondered what time it was.  He snapped fully awake and headed for the front door to unlock it.  He was about 1/2 way there, when he heard a voice call out,

 

     “Hey pal!”

 

     He looked around in confusion and thought how did someone get in here?  I haven’t even unlocked the door yet!

 

     He was continuing to stare around the vacant store, when he heard,

 

     “No, dip-s**t, up here!”

 

     He glance up towards the mysterious voice, and saw a teddy bear staring at him.  A cigarette dangled lazily from a corner of the teddy bear’s mouth, and he was dressed just like the other 5 identical bears next to him, but appeared to be the only one who was animated.  Surely, I’m hallucinating, thought Christopher.  He shook his head and looked again.  The toy bear took the cigarette out of his mouth, and spoke up,

 

 

     “What?  Can’t a fricking teddy bear unwind with a cigarette?  You try dealing with kids all day; picking you up, damn near ripping an arm off!  The little b******s aren’t gentle!”

 

     “Do you think it’s very smart to have an open flame around all these flammable toys?” he managed; here he was, having a conversation with a stuffed toy; unbelievable!

 

     “Duh; does it look lit?  Huh?”

 

     That’s when Chris noticed there wasn’t any smoke coming from the cigarette.  “Oh.”

 

     “Oh?  Boy, aren’t you a bright one!”

 

     “This can’t be real; I must be hallucinating!”

 

     “Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Skipper; bury your head in the sand.”

 

     “But I must be; you’re only a toy.”

 

     “Oh, so I’m only a toy, huh?  Tell me, could a toy do this?” and he flipped Christopher the bone.

 

     “Why, you little s**t!” Chris roared, who was instantly pissed, and he started towards the toy bear, who nimbly moved aside as Chris’s hand swept the other bears off the shelf and onto the floor.

 

     “Temper, temper!” scolded the bear, who still had the unlit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.  As he was taunting Chris, he was jumping to the next shelf over, on which several model ships sat.  An enraged Christopher swept all the models onto the floor, where they exploded into slivers of plastic. 

 

     “You sure showed those helpless models!” taunted the toy, as he repelled his way down extra string hanging from a ‘Sale’ sign hung from the shelf. 

 

     “Why, you stuffed little b*****d!” screamed Christopher, as he ripped the sign down in a vain attempt to get at the toy bear, who fell a couple of feet to the floor, and, unhurt, bounded away, taunting,

 

     “Give it up!”

 

     Christopher started after him, and then sort of snapped back to reality.  What was he doing?  Chasing a malicious, foul-mouthed little toy teddy bear around, in a futile attempt to catch him, and just look at this place.  Bits of smashed model ships littered the store’s floor along with fallen teddy bears, amid the remnants of the fallen sign.  He’d better stop chasing the little teddy-b*****d, and get this mess cleaned up, before Mr. Vesta saw it.  He started walking to grab a broom, and...

 

     He felt a hand not so gently shake him awake, and groggily looked up into the face of Mr. Vesta, who barked,  

 

     “Wake up, Christopher; it’s 15 after, and you should already have the store open.”

 

     “I’m sorry, Mr. Vesta; I must have drifted off; I had sort of a rough night last night.  I’ll open it right now.”

 

     “See that you do, my boy; You’ve got to learn responsibility.”

 

     Wow, it had all been a dream.  As his eyes swept the store, there was no mess to be seen.  His eyes moved up to the shelf with the teddy bears.  Everything looked as it should, with the toy bears lined up, waiting for the kids to hug them and rip their arms off; all with fixed smiles on their face, except one who’s cigarette dangled from his leering mouth.

 

 

The End

    

 

    

  

 

   

 

Reviews

[Alex Falkner]

Hah, loved this one, brilliant work.
Love the bear, I'd love one for myself. Lol.

[Michael Stevens]

Thank you Tamm31. It just so happens that I have an extra one, and I can let you have it for cheap. Well, not exactly cheap; let's just say for a song. Well, not an actual song; let's just say...oh, you know what I mean!