ᗯOOᗪY ᑭOᐯ
"1225 Syca..."I spell out to myself, typing in Andy's address into the computer carefully using the keyboard. A ding catches my attention, a message flashes across the screen "Who is Velocistar237?"
"Oh, that's just a dinosaur toy down the street. That's nothing. Let me just take care of that." Trixie pushes me over, typing quickly responding to the message explaining herself "Just a dinosaur." She brushes off the encounter.
Getting back to entering the address I hope for the best "Alright, alright. Sycamore. Okay, enter." Trixie presses enter for me and we wait for the route to load. "Please don't be far. Please. Please." A purple line guides me from Bonnie's house to now Andy's "Right around the corner?" Hugging Bonnie's Totoro while rejoicing I step down from the desk, ready to head home "It's right around the corner!!"
"Yay!!"
"I'm going to college! Look at me! I'm a big toy on campus! Hello! Hey, I'll see you at the sock hop." I goof around, things are finally looking upwards.
"Okay, Potsie."
"Hey, listen. If any of you guys ever get to Sunnyside Daycare, you tell 'em Woody made it home." Dashing to the cat flap I push it up and stop myself mention to Bonnie's toys.
"You came from Sunnyside?"
"But how did you all escape?"
Hopping up onto the ledge I listen to Dolly and Trixie "Well, it wasn't easy. I..." my mood instantly drops as I comprehend their word choice "What do you mean escape?"
"Sunnyside is a place of ruin and despair, ruled by an evil bear who smells of strawberries". I hop down from the ledge as Prickle pants steps up, his tone serious. He looks up at me, by my boots. Strawberries?
"Lotso?" I ask shocked, dropping the flap.
"The guy may seem plush and huggable on the outside, but inside, he's a monster." Buttercup speaks up too supporting Prickle pants' statement, his ears drooped.
"But... how do you know that?" I try to understand what's happening, with such glum information that was suddenly just loaded with about this bear.
Mr Pricklepants looks off into the distance "Chuckles. He'll tell you." Following his vision, I see a clown toy sitting above the kitchen sink.
"Yeah, I knew Lotso. He was a good toy. A friend. Me and him, we had the same kid, Daisy" His voice gruff and tired sounding speaks up.
ᑕᕼᑌᑕKᒪEᔕ ᑭOᐯ
"I was there when Lotso got unwrapped." That Christmas morning, in front of the crackling fire place. "Daisy loved us all." She would pamper us, take care of us. "But Lotso, Lotso was special. They did everything together. You've never seen a kid and a toy more in love." From hanging outside, to falling asleep at night. "One day, we took a drive. Hit a rest stop. Had a little playtime. After lunch, Daisy fell asleep." Watching that car drive off hurt, we were helpless, lost. "She never came back." Gazing at Big baby's plastic pendant, Daisy's name messily written on it Lotso despises to push on. "Lotso wouldn't give up. It took forever, but we finally made it back to Daisy's." After what it self to be countless Nights, this final one night grew cold, damp, as we stand outside Daisy's warmly lit window. Peaking inside, my heart drops for Lotso "But by then, it was too late." Leaving the window, stepping down from Big Babies hold he walk off, staring into the almost completely dark sky "Something changed that day inside Lotso. Something snapped."
Lotso growls "She replaced us. Come on!"
"No, she only replaced you!" I remember trying to protest.
Lotso, stops his angry stride and growls down at me "She replaced all of us! Didn't she?" I cower as Big Baby attempts to climb to see, Lotso pulling him down roughly, him roughly pulling big baby along him crying out.
"She don't love you no more! Now come on!!"
Pain and sadness lures in the pit of my stomach. All though the now heavily raining night, we are thrown off the back of a Ute, saturated in a puddle of rain water on the road. "We were lost. Cast off. Unloved. Unwanted." Looking up I watch Lotso land his eyes on the sign across the road, the lightning brightly flashing, making the sign readable for a split second. "Then we found Sunnyside." Lotso angrily gets up, limping towards the building, leaving us to look and and follow.
Recalling the memory I look back out the dark window "He wasn't anybody's friend." Pulling out the old pendant of big babies, I stare down at it. Now worn and slightly leaked ink covers the plastic treasure "He took over Sunnyside and rigged the whole system."
ᗯOOᗪY ᑭOᐯ
Taking in the information I ask chuckles "So how did you get out?"
"I got broke. Bonnie found me, took me home. Other toys, they weren't so lucky. It ain't right what Lotso done. New toys, they don't stand a chance." Solemnly Chuckles replies.
"But our friends are in there." I think aloud, what have I done. I thought they would be safe there, I forced Y/n to stay there.
"You can't go back!"
"Returning now would be suicide!"
"But what about your Andy?"
"Isn't he leaving for college?"
What am I going to do?
Y/ᑎ ᑭOᐯ
The night drags on and on, I only managed to catch just a handful of sleep. Consistently feeling watched it causes me great discomfort even though I knew it is Buzz but this other side. Right now I just doesn't feel like Buzz behind his eyes, it feels like the Sunnyside gang keeping their gaze on us. This feeling twists inside my head constantly, that idea spinning round constantly.
A harmonic plays in the background filling the excruciating silence. The tune is melancholic and woozy, it's almost comforting for a moment until the tune was interrupted by a sudden banging on wire breaks the vibe. "Quiet, musical hog! Knock it off!" Buzz orders with a sharp clang on Hamm's cage.
'I wanna die.'
From Jessie's cell more central rather than mine off to the side, she mumbled to a whimpering Bullseye. "Oh, Bullseye. I miss Woody, too. But he ain't ever coming back." She delicately pats the glum horses mane, who's wrapped around our missing sheriff's hat.
The room once again silenced, before being rudely interrupted via Lotso and his gang. The truck flies into the room, skidding to a stops as they cheer, jeer and laugh. The other toys in the caterpillar cowering and running off. Lotso announces "Rise and shine, campers!"
(Chris McLean much?)
Dive rolling from the counter above, he stands before the magenta bear, saluting him. "Commander Lotso, sir! All quiet. Nothing to report."
Lotso motion behind him, back towards the butterfly room. "Excellent, Lightyear. Come on. We need ya back at Star Command." Looking at the member of Lotso's gang my eyes land on Ken, what the heck is he wearing?
Mrs Potato Head wails out, clutching at the bars on her basket cell "Wait! What've you done with my husband?"
"Big Baby?" Simply the bear says, lazily looking over his shoulder. Toddling in front of the crowd be ditches Potato head in front of her cell.
"Sweetheart!" Shes gasps at the sight of her husband.
"Did I miss something?" I mumble trying to catch up, where was he?
Mr Potato Head, taking one of his ears out, allows what seems to be sand to pour out with a groan "It was cold and dark. Nothing but sand and a couple of Lincoln logs."
Hamm second guesses Potato heads choice of understanding "Uh, I don't think those were Lincoln logs."
"You all get ready. You got a play date with destiny." Lotso smiles sarcastically, Buzz sitting stiffly in front of him.
Oh end it now, why didn't they just finish me right then and there last night. I see Lotso glance over to me in my cell. A sickly, pleased grin pulls over his furry features, one that fills me with rage. I hate that he finds so much pleasure and glee over treating other toys in such an awful way. He's won and it stings.
ᗯOOᗪY ᑭOᐯ
The bell rings as Bonnie's backpack it slung upon something and hangs stopping all movement. The chatter quiets down, no voices nearby. Clarifying it's safe, I unzip the back and throw myself on the shelves above, rushing to hide behind a couple of stacked binders, more children running past. Hopping up, using a basket as a stool, I climb up onto the top of a metal cupboard, up onto a scissor rack and into the ceiling pushing on of the tiles up. Closing it gently, a scream shocks me. Following the muffled noises, crawling under cords in the dimmed light. Reaching the suspected tile I lifted it up leaking into the room, messy paintings and kids dash around the Caterpillar scattered room. Dropping down onto the shelves, and dashing through trays, glued, cleaning liquids and endless craft supplies, I reach the end and leap onto the loft. Crawling under the table I reach a gap in between a couple of beanbags and peak through the railing and see the chaos unraveling. I watch, flinching. The toddlers scream. Running around with my friends, smashing them against drums, the floor, at the wall, everywhere. Snatching my attention, I hear a phone ringing. Looking behind me I see the toy telephone that bumped into my foot yesterday before I left. Look at the telephone, I look around briefly before he shoves his phone off, motioning for me to pick up. Dashing over, dropping to me knees holding the phone unsure he motions to me again to answer.
"Uh, hello?" I bring the phone to me ear.
"You shouldn't have come back, cowboy. They've cracked down hard since you left. More guards, more patrols. You and your friends ain't ever gettin' out of here now." The telephone instantly starts speaking.
"I made it out once." I mention.
"You got lucky once. Want my advice? Keep your heads down. You'II survive."
"Yeah, for how long?" I scoff lightly.
"I've been here years. They'II never break me. There's only one way toys leave this place." The telephone rolls of to look out of the window gazing at the empty playground.
Joining him, I look outside to see one single person out there by the far exit. The man holds up a brightly coloured train, before dropping him in a rusty chute. "Poor fella. Trash truck comes at dawn and it's off to the dump."The telephone bittersweetly sighs.
'Did I just whiteness a death?'
"Look, I appreciate your concern, old-timer. But we have a kid waiting for them. Now, we're leaving. If you'd help us, one toy to another, I'd sure be grateful." I say lightly facing back to the telephone.
"Well, if you're gonna get out, first thing you gotta get through's the doors. Locked every night. Inside and out. Keys are left on a hook in the office." With a sigh he begins running me through everything I need to know.
"Got it. What else?" I take a mental note.
"Lotso has trucks patrolling all night long. Hallway, lobby, playground." He continues.
"Yeah. But what about the wall?"
"Eight feet high. Cinder block. No way through it. You either go over or under."
"That's it. Doesn't seem too bad." Feeling relived, I look at him like there's no big deal, we've gotten through worse together.
"It's not. Your real problem's the Monkey." His eyes tighten, looking up at me seriously.
'Must be the one Bonnie had at the front desk'
"The Monkey's the eye in the sky. He sees everything. Classrooms. Hallways. Even the playground." He warns, a dangerous look in his eyes as the telephone lists off ideas "You can unlock doors, sneak past guards, climb the wall but if you don't take out that monkey, you ain't goin' nowhere. You wanna get outta here? "Get rid of that monkey!" He drills into my head.
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