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// Sunday, October 25, 2009

Tension in the Toy Box

    Tension in the toy box between the scarecrow and the teddy bear had been mounting since mid September. This always seemed to happen in the weeks leading up to Halloween.

    The teddy bear with his happy-go-lucky attitude, furry friendliness, and always-on smile, were at odds with the scarecrow's surly demeanor, melancholy manner, and perpetual frown.

    Every toy box denizen knew that these two would fight at the drop of a hat, so it was best to steer clear of them whenever (and however) possible.

    Unfortunately, the toy box tension came to a head one rainy afternoon in late October, at a time and in a place that no one could avoid: The mandatory toy box "town meeting" (on the old checkerboard at the center of the box); the one place where all toys gathered on a regular basis to give their who-played-with-me peer reports.

    Out-of-the-blue, and for no apparent reason, the scarecrow turned to the teddy bear and said, rather harshly, "It's all just cupcakes and creampuffs to you, isn't it, Mr. Oh-so-soft-and-cuddly!"

    The collective gasp was instantaneous; the chilling silence that followed was unsettling.

    A dark umbrella of anticipation covered them all, waiting to see how the kindly teddy bear would react to this senseless provocation.

    After a few long moments in eternity, it finally came.

    "That may be true," said the smiling teddy bear, "but at least I don't have a stick up my ass."

    And as all eyes shifted back to the scarecrow, who was now in a state of stunned silence, the action figure at the back of the box shouted, "Amen to that, brother!"

    The toy box erupted with tremendous laughter, except for the scarecrow, who just sulked — on his stick.

    The End

© Copyright 2009 Christopher V. DeRobertis. All rights reserved.

This text composition is a work of fiction. Names, places, institutions, events, incidents, characters, persons, locations, and/or organizations either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Full Creative Writing Disclaimer.