The little bear pleasantly sat on his shelf, tucked between a stuffed turtle who was timidly peeking out of her shell, and a fancy cat wearing a plaid bowtie on his neck. The little bear was adorned with a tiny red hat of his own that was perched atop one ear.
The aisle that surrounded him was full of an array of other stuffed toys, a smile stitched onto every face, and each one decorated with festive flowers and lights.
The little bear could tell that they were being prepared for something special, yet for what, he did not know...
It was not until the following day, when the store was flooded with anxious customers, that the bear began to understand. Up and down the aisle, back and forth, children excitedly ran from toy to toy and marveled at each one's delightful details.
Some of the toys went with the children. The little bear watched and waited but the children never returned again, and neither did the toys. Other times grown ups would walk the aisle, approaching toys and picking them up to observe each with tender admiration.
Sometimes the little bear would be so fortunate to be held as well. The grown ups were always lovely, but the bear preferred the magically warm embrace of the children. Some of them would give him a tiny kiss on the cheek before gently placing him on the shelf once more. The little bear still did not understand what being chosen signified, let alone what came after that, but he was starting to prefer being chosen over placed on the shelf.
Much time passed while the little bear sat on the shelf, and his neighboring toys changed frequently as they came and went. Until eventually the store was no longer crowded, the children no longer came, and the little bear, along with all the remaining toys, were taken from their place on the shelf and stuffed into a box.
More time passed, much more time than the bear had spent on the shelf, and he spent all of it in darkness. Nothing new ever greeted him, only the stuffed animals that huddled at his sides amid a sea of toys.
Then, suddenly, a streak of light crossed his eyes as the box was opened once again. And once again he was in the decorated store of festive flowers and lights. They placed him on the shelf; this time there was a polar bear wearing sunglasses to his left, and a reindeer with a bell to his right.
Again the children came, complete in their winter attire, greedily taking in each and every toy. The little bear did not understand why he was here once more. Would someone finally choose him this time?...
But again time passed, the children disappeared, and the little bear returned to the box of solitude.
This went on for a very long time. The bear had been placed on the shelf more times than he could now keep track. Both the shelf and the box hurt his chest; the shelf meant watching the excited children overlook him, and he knew that the box inevitably always followed afterwards...
Yet, he sat. After all, what else could he do? And it was during this somber period that shrill shrieks suddenly broke the bear's moment of reflection.
"Daddy! Daddy!!"
A little girl, about 3 feet tall and dressed in a pink bunny coat, was hopping up and down at the sight of the toys. Or rather, one toy in particular -- she was standing in front of the little bear, refusing to break her eyes away from his. Her father emerged from the right, exhausted but desperately trying to keep up with the girl!
Her tiny shriek pierced the aisle again. "Daddy! Look, daddy! Want this one!"
The bear's chest nearly burst -- him?
However, the father wasn't entirely sold on the idea. He looked at the bear with a bemused expression. "A teddy bear? Really? But they have so many more interesting ones. Look, look at this!" he exclaimed while grabbing a nearby toy. "This one's an alien holding a candy cane!"
But the girl remained defiant. "No! I don't want the alien one! I want the bear one, please!" She folded her arms across her chest for good measure.
It was at this point that the father finally decided to pick up the bear and inspect him. He gave the bear a quick twirl in his hand, adjusted the bear's tiny hat. "... Are you sure you want this one?" he went to confirm with his daughter one last time.
The girl responded by taking the bear in her arms, swinging him around, and squeezing him to her chest. The little bear did not know how to describe it. It were as though he did not need to think of anything except for the girl's warm embrace.
"A teddy!" she squealed.
That was all it took; the father was satisfied.
All together the three of them departed from the aisle. As the little bear gazed back at his spot on the shelf that now sat empty, his chest began to surge with emotion. How long he had waited, when at last his wish had finally come true...
Thank you for reading! 🙏 I was inspired to write this story after a trip to the Dollar Store. Our oldest happened to come across a toy she really liked, but when I looked at the date printed on the bottom, it read 2014.
So I asked my husband, "Do you really mean to tell me that this toy has been sitting in that store for a decade?" And he replied, "It's possible!"
The thought broke my heart. I understand that toys aren't sentient beings (that we know of), but I grew up in the era of Toy Story, so I have an emotional connection to them. I just imagined this toy, silently watching children walk by, getting their hopes up when someone picks them up, only to be crushed when they get put back down 🥺