Young Writers Society

NOTE: This was very limited on description but please criticize!

I’ve always loved you

She skipped along the wrecked pavement walking path, her converse stretching along the ground. The neon green and purple shoelaces glowing in the sun. The girl pondered around her neighborhood, her teddy bear in one hand, and the other swaying back and forth. She giggled as she walked in the door and tossed me on the sofa. She stared right at me, more of a glance, but it wasn’t direct. She shrugged and fell on the couch, falling straight asleep. Pressed against the opposite wall were suitcases, they were going on a flight the next day. I looked over at her and smirked. I stood up on the couch and jumped down. My ear had been bitten off the other day by Kippers, the family dog, how fantastic. I put one foot in front of the other, careful not to wake the mutt. Kippers was lying next to the suitcases, his snore made me quiver with fear. I tiptoed toward the pink door, at least I’d be semi safe there. I looked back at Kippers, just to assure myself I’d be ok. I heard a low snarl coming from deep inside his chest. I turned around to look at his face, his golden eyes pierced into me. He barked and took a hold of me with his jaw. And so begins another beating from kippers. Emily awoke, yawning and then looking at the dog as he shook his head back and forth.

“Kippers no!” she took me out of his jaw, stroking my half eaten ear.

“Poor teddy, you’ve been through so much” she touched my left stubby arm, moving it up and down. Kippers sat obediently, waiting for Emily to leave me. She put me in her jacket pocket so my head stuck out.

“Let’s go Teddy!” she was about to go out the door for another adventure when her brother stepped in. She stared at him, gulping.

“H-Hey Travis how was your day at school?” She tightened her grip around me and shoved me all the way in her pocket. Travis took his ear bud out and looked over at her with his lifeless eyes.

“Ehh... horrible” he said walking past her and into the bathroom. I heard Emily sigh in relief, for this time Travis didn’t try to take me. Emily traced where I had been stitched, she remembered the last time Travis wasn’t happy, didn’t turn out so well. In the morning, I knew what was waiting for me. A spot next to Emily in her carry on bag, crackers and prepackaged pretzels, a chance to get away from kippers, and Travis wouldn’t have anything to torture me with. Everything was perfectly fine. Emily went out for a couple hours with her neighbors, talking about some boy named Jeremy and how cute he was. They played for awhile and then when no one was looking she stroked my head. She got tired after awhile and headed home. She tucked me in next to her and she fell asleep after she explained to me how her day went.

This was the day. We were all packed and ready to go. We arrived at the airport about three hours before the flight. We got past security and checking quicker then expected. They ate breakfast and talked for a long time about different topics. We were boarding the plane; I was shoved under the seat in front of Emily in her bag, squished and uncomfortable for five uninterrupted hours. We arrived on time and we quickly located a rental car. Where ever we were was very humid and had several beaches. On the way to the hotel we stopped by a local site. Travis and Emily swam in the ocean for a couple hours as I sat on the golden sand. And that’s when my world fell apart. Emily came out of the water and a boy kicked sand over me. They left me there, in the sand. Emily’s favorite teddy gone forever. I heard her voice searching for me but I was never to be found. I don’t know how long I was there. All I know is that when I saw daylight again a small boy picked me up. His hair was an auburn color and he smiled as his parent came over.

“What’d you find son?” the man dusted the sand off of me and took me into the sun’s rays for a better look.

“Looks like someone’s teddy.” The boy took me in his grasp and ran over to his mother.

“Time to go Dylan!” she lifted her sunglasses and stared at me. They left the beach and returned to their home, right across the street.

The boy kept me for a long time, even after his teen years; time and time again he took me out of his dresser. ‘Why hello there’ He’d say to me each time, he’d put me back into his dresser and return to what he was doing. Dylan and I went everywhere together, even if his friends or family didn’t know. I was in his backpack, his suitcase, his pocket, it reminded me of Emily. I missed her deeply but I guess Dylan was my new owner. Soon he grew out of me, he had facial hair and his eyes looked tired. He donated me to a charity, and by this time I was old, dirty, with a stubby arm, half an ear and a stitched mark across my chest. This was a life as a stuffed animal I thought; I guess there’s nothing else out there for me. A few months later after being eyed at by hundreds of people no one bought me.

One Wednesday morning an older lady came through the cycle of items, staring at each one individually and sighing. Why was she so sad? What was her side of the story? She approached me and stared at me for a long time. She put on her glasses and turned me over on my back.

“Oh my gosh” she smiled and some how she seemed familiar. It was my Emily! The little girl with the evil brother, the girl with long blond hair that seemed endless. The girl that I loved from dusk to dawn, this was my Emily. She traced my stitches and wiggled my stubby arm just like she always had. I stared down at her shoe laces, the same green and purple, but this time they were on running shoes. For the first time in my life since being away from her I felt warm. She bought me that day and gave me to her daughter, who was named Penny and of course their dogs name was kibbles, similar to kippers. I had found Emily, the old lady with the glasses, the way she smiled, the way her shoes were, and this was her! I felt content, and everyday when her daughter went to bed she tucked me in next to penny and traced my head like she used to.

I spent many years with Emily and penny, and I liked it this way. One day I noticed Emily was in bed, sick and ill as she was she didn’t open her eyes, and this time, penny tucked me in next to her mother for the last time. Before Emily passed she held me tight next to her, whispering.

“I’ve always loved you, I’m sorry teddy.” She kissed the top of my head and fell asleep once more. In the morning Emily didn’t wake up. She was gone, my Emily with the pink door and rebel attitude, gone. And so that morning I crawled over to her ear and whispered.

“I’ve always imagined you, I’ve always loved you, I’ve always dreamt of you, and I’ll always miss you Emily dear.”