A World of Stuffies - Book 1 of Stuffy World

Teddy

Many stuffies gasped. There was silence all around us. Pink spoke up first, "Well, this is obvious. Lucille must have hidden somewhere and is planning to attack us." Stuffies around Pink was nodding.

Dream spoke up too, "Yeah, we should be ready for anything." More stuffies spoke up. Lulu tried to calm them down, but they got more agitated. I just stood there, not knowing what to do.

"We have to lock Lucille up! This is very unacceptable! We should send out a few stuffies to catch her! Lulu, get someone now! This is very urgent!" A stuffy shouted at Lulu, looking scared.

"How dare she betray us!? She is going to be punished for this! She might be hiding here right now and listening to us!" Another stuffy yelled, looking around, "Hey Lucille. You're gonna be punished!"

"We are going to find her and teach her a lesson! This is not right! We should throw her into lava, keep her there for a year, then we tell her about what stuffies who betray us get!" A stuffy screamed, looking furious.

Lulu quickly shouted, "Silence, please!" Everyone quieted down. Lulu took a deep breath, "I know this is frustrating for all of you, but we are going to find a solution." Many stuffies started to protest again.

Lulu quickly cut in, "Please, listen to me. I do not wish to lock Lucille up. We still have no proof that she has betrayed us. Do not worry, she will be punished." I braced myself for more protests. The stuffies won't agree with that.

As I expected, the stuffies started screaming again. No matter what Lulu tried to say, the stuffies continued yelling. I looked at Lulu, saw that she was very upset and worried, and decided to do something.

"Guys, Lulu is trying to help us! Please consider what she is saying! We have no proof that Lucille has betrayed us! She might have just gone for a walk and got lost!" I shouted over all the screaming.

The stuffies stopped screaming and all looked thoughtful. I held my breath, hoping they could trust Lulu. The stuffies nodded after a few moments. I let out my breath and sighed in relief.

"Thank you for trusting me. Please be on guard, though. Lucille might atta---" Lulu cut herself off, but I had a suspicion she was about to say 'attack us'. The stuffies didn't notice, they all nodded.

Lulu ended the meeting, and all the stuffies left, muttering to themselves. I stayed behind. When all the other stuffies left, Lulu turned to me. "Thank you, Teddy," Lulu said, looking grateful.

I smiled, "They should trust you. I only reminded them." Lulu sighed, looking unhappy for a moment. I stopped smiling, "What's wrong, Lulu?" She hesitated for a moment, before telling me.

"I am just afraid I don't deserve their trust. Lucille almost attacked Ava, but Lucille escaped and is maybe planning to attack the stuffies. I also gave Lucille a chance, I should have never done that!" Lulu said, looking upset.

I quickly patted Lulu, "You do deserve their trust. It's not your fault, Lulu. It's Lucille's. Who attacked Ava? Lucille did. Who escaped? Lucille did! You were right about giving Lucille a chance, just like you gave Ava a chance!"

Lulu looked happier now, "Thank you so much, Teddy." I grinned at her. Lulu smiled, "You are going to get a reward! Hmmm.....Let's see. You can be a co-leader!" Lulu waved at me and walked out of the room.

Looks like Lulu is back to herself. I walked out of the room too, thinking about Lucille. Even when I said Lulu made the right choice trusting Lucille, I wasn't sure myself. But the least I could do was comfort, Lulu.

An idea popped into my head, I hurried off into the hole. "Hey, guys! I have an idea." I said to the stuffies. They all stopped what they were doing. "What's that?" Pink asked, looking depressed.

"We can find a new home! A more comfortable one. We can fit in this hole, but there isn't anything for us, like a painting on the wall. We can try and find a new home while waiting for news." I said.

All the stuffies brightened. "That sounds great, Teddy!" Pink said, looking delighted. Pink seemed to remember something and quickly said, "We should ask Lulu first though."

I beamed at her, "Yeah, let's go." The stuffies and I walked out of the hole and into Lulu's room. Lulu was sitting on the bed, reading a book. She looked up and saw us, "Hi, guys."

Pink piped up, "Teddy had an idea of moving into a new home. We're happy with the hole, but we want a more comfortable home." Lulu hesitated at first, "But Lucille might attack you guys. We need to keep you guys safe!"

Pink looked outraged at the mention of Lucille, "We can take care of ourselves! If Lucille tries to attack us, I'll throw her in the lava." Lulu nodded awkwardly, "Right.....Sure, I guess. But do not throw Lucille in the lava."

Pink nodded solemnly. The stuffies turned and went back to the hole, probably preparing to travel. Lulu looked worried as she paced. "A new home will be safer for us, Lucille knows where our old home is," I said.

Lulu looked up, surprised to see me there. "I guess. I am just worried about the stuffies' safety. I can't believe Lucille would betray us! I thought we could trust her, I even thought of putting her in charge of finding stuffies!" Lulu said.

I patted Lulu's arm, "I thought we could trust Lucille too. But it's not our fault. Pandy and Ava did not though---" Lulu's head shot up, cutting me off, "Ava! I can't believe I forgot about her."

I shrugged, "It has been busy. Ava is fine, I'm sure." Lulu shook her head, "No, Lucille might have attacked Ava already! We must check on her immediately!" I gasped, "You are right, Lulu!"

Lulu ran out of the room, I hurried to catch up. Lulu ran to the hole and called out, "Meet and my room! This is very urgent!" The stuffies all walked out a few moments later. They went into Lulu's room.

"We must find Ava! Lucille might have gone and attacked Ava! Please prepare, get some weapons." Lulu said to all the stuffies. The stuffies gasped and muttered. Pink stepped out, "We will help."

The stuffies went to collect some weapons. Cold fear coursed through me, I knew it was highly likely something bad had already happened to Ava. Even as I tried to calm myself, I knew it would be too late.