The Empire Strikes Back

"Lizzie!”

“Wake up, sweety. The bus will be here in 10 minutes. You’ll miss it if you don’t get up now!”

“Mom, just 5 more minutes. I want to sleep. Cant I stay home today?“

“But its your big day darling, show and tell in school! You cant possibly want to miss it! Wake up now! ”

Elizabeth Potter wanted to miss school for exactly this reason. She’d gone through a painstaking conversation with Mr Fluffy last night, and knew she wasn’t ready. She wanted to take her goldfish to school, but the very thought of what Mr F would go through prevented her from doing so. Reluctantly, she got up, and started getting ready for what would be a really awful day.

The old Blue Bird was about to leave when Lizzie came running round the corner. She got in, and went back and sat at the seats at the very end, which guaranteed a sore back, and a possible shift in one of the spinal vertebrates. Blue Bird, was a misnomer. As the rustic, blue bus that transported the kids of Newtown High was not blue. Neither did it glide like a bird. “It should be called Black Dumpster!” Lizzie had thought, quite a few times.

She reached school and furtively hoped that ‘show and tell’ would be pushed back, or better slipped out of Ms Fitzegerald’s mind. It was not to be as old Ms Fitzy decided to start the day off with ‘Show and Tell’. One by one her class mates showed off their guinea pigs, scrapbooks, hydraulic pencil sharpeners, Dad’s.( including one with the starched Pilot Uniform, who Crosby said actually worked for a Laundry!) As time went by and Lizzie’s chance came closer, her heart started beating loudly. Mr Fluffy, who had been camping in her school bag all this while sensed it, and tried to calm her. Just as he was about to say something soothing to Lizzie, “Elizabeth, dear. Your turn now!”, barked FItzy.

Slowly, Lizzie carried her bag to the front of her class. She stood facing her classmates, in silence. Still in two minds whether to go ahead with it. Gathering courage, she took Mr Fluffy out of her bag and placed him on the table. “Meet Mr Fluffy, my panda.” There was a lot of sniggering. Finally Thomas the one person Lizzie dreaded facing exclaimed from the back row. “It’s just a soft toy. Nothing special about that thing!”

“Well, Mr Fluffy is no ordinary toy. He is alive. He can sing, and dance and make funny noises when am sad, just to make me laugh!” This was met by more laughter. “You must not believe me ofcourse, but Mr Fluffy will show you he is alive. Go ahead Mr Fluffy, sing for my friends!”

Mr Fluffy had by now, lost his voice. He was so scared of all those children laughing at him, he felt quite helpless. He wished Lizzie would understand what he was going through. He got cold feet. Stage fright was a genetic problem for the Fluffys.

And so he lay still, like any ordinary soft toy would do, and Lizzie did not know what to do. No amount of pleading could make Mr Fluffy talk, sing, dance. He just lay there, with an apologetic face, his eyes seemed to cry, but he was holding back tears. Humiliated, Lizzie picked him up, stuffed him down her bag and headed back to her seat.

The entire day went along as bad as Lizzie had imagined. She never got the chance to confront My Fluffy, but all her friends were cruel to her. They openly laughed at her and called her a 5 yr old, which she found strange since they(and her) were all just 8! Thomas was particularly mean. He imitated her pleading to Mr Fluffy all day long, cradling a piece of wood. As the school bell rang, she made a dash for the Blue Bird, all the while Thomas followed her and made awful jokes. While in the bus, before anyone else got on, she took Mr Fluffy out and shouted at him, almost in tears. Mr Fluffy was sorry. He had caused poor Lizzie to be ridiculed in front of her friends, and tried to explain how he was scared stiff of the the crowd. While Lizzie understood, she found it hard to forgive him for the day.

Now Thomas returned home and lost no time in telling his parents and sister about what happened in school. His father seemed to agree with him, while his mother rebuked him slightly for teasing poor Lizzie so much. Only Annabelle, his sister was quite throughout. At night, before going to sleep, Thomas saw Cuddles, Anna’s own teddy on the rack. He picked it up, holding just the leg, swung it around like a lasso in a cruel way , proceeded to punch the teddy bear, half inviting some sort of retaliation. He found some sadistic pleasure in abusing the teddy. Anna saw all this, and tried to stop her brother, but stopped short thinking of how she would have to face what Lizzie did in school, all the time at home!

Just before going to sleep, Thomas picked up Cuddles from the bed and threw him onto the ground. Chuckling about what a fun day it was, he laughed himself to sleep. He was suddenly awakened by movement near his neck. He groped for the light switch, and turning it on, he saw Cuddles strangling him.