The feeling of taut string lodged inside his body, the sight of the little white box spilling out of him along with the stuffing made him feel as close to nauseous as he could have imagined. Something like the relentless churning of hundreds of washing machines. And even then he wished for the soft warmth of Andy’s hands instead of the flat surface of the desk which brought relief from all of that shifting and turning.
You don’t even know I can feel this, Andy.
He gazed into the unknowing eyes that were now studying his inner parts. He studied his owner right back and kept his image in his head long after he had blurred into the background of the room and black spots were beginning to close in on everything. He would have panicked about those things if he’d had the strength, but now he just forced himself to hold on, remain conscious of something, because if this was how it was going to end, it sure wasn’t going to end with him lying on the desk.
You’re not supposed to know I can feel this.
Unseen parts quivered, a needle twitched against tape. Something sick and garbled hummed from the exposed speaker when Andy ran his finger across it.
A tinny voice floated out from somewhere deep in Woody’s subconscious, something that felt so far away.
“But I do, Andy…”
Woody hadn’t spoken. He wouldn’t have guessed that anyone had spoken at all, and he didn’t try to make sense of the sounds that now drifted through his mind: A crash. Andy’s frightened whimper. A door slamming. Some other voice speaking words he couldn’t make out.
Sleek plastic fingers had gently caressed the voice box, returning every millimeter of bare string to its inner coil and snugly cushioning it in its proper place. They scooped every stray wisp of fluff off the table and tucked them back where they belonged. Along with it, consciousness slowly returned.
A shame, he thought. He had really hoped it wouldn’t.
“Don’t,” he choked in a voice that still felt weak and numb. “Andy will…”
“Andy knows.” He felt Buzz lifting him off the table, holding him together all the while he carried him down from the desk and sidestepping the piles of video game cases that had been knocked onto the floor.
He was humiliated. They had all seen the whole thing.
He heard Rex repeating, “I can’t look, I can’t look…is it over?”
The horrified voice of Jessie wailed, “How could he do such a thing to you?!”
Whatever look Buzz had given them, it had made them all shut up quickly. The lid closed over them, and Buzz kept walking.
Buzz was the only one who didn’t try to question him. He sewed in silence by the pale glow of the flashlight while Woody drifted in and out of awareness. The new stitches burned.
“Does that feel all right? Because if I missed anything, I’ll…”
Woody rolled over and stared at the back wall. It was better that he just didn’t argue now, but he didn’t try to hide the bitterness in his voice. “It’s fine. Thanks, Buzz.”
Buzz cautiously rested a hand on Woody’s shoulder. “Listen, I…uh, I understand if you don’t want to talk about this, but if you just want to stay in here for a while…”
He pulled back when Woody suddenly stood up.
“No. I’m going back where I belong.”
It took him forever to climb through all his irrepressible shaking. But he found his hat where it had fallen off and put it back on, leaned against the wall and stared hard into the near-darkness.
He waited until the door swung open and the lights flicked on. Andy must have had to come up with some pretty creative excuses to his mother for why he had been avoiding going back into his room for so long.
Seeing Woody completely intact on the desk made him look ready to run right out again. Even the closed toy box seemed to radiate an ominous presence. But something made him keep moving forward, bracing himself for something traumatic to follow.
“Can you hear me?” he timidly spoke, his hand trembling on the desk. Pale with terror just staring at a motionless doll.
The table shook ever so slightly, and Woody fell forward. His owner flinched and pulled away when a stuffed fabric arm brushed his hand. Silence hung in the air like a thick fog.
When the boy finally reached out his hand again, he didn’t even dare to breathe. He picked up Woody like he was made of glass.
And then, coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to get a response after all, abandoned all that and climbed into bed holding him to his chest
You don’t even know I can feel this, Andy.
He gazed into the unknowing eyes that were now studying his inner parts. He studied his owner right back and kept his image in his head long after he had blurred into the background of the room and black spots were beginning to close in on everything. He would have panicked about those things if he’d had the strength, but now he just forced himself to hold on, remain conscious of something, because if this was how it was going to end, it sure wasn’t going to end with him lying on the desk.
You’re not supposed to know I can feel this.
Unseen parts quivered, a needle twitched against tape. Something sick and garbled hummed from the exposed speaker when Andy ran his finger across it.
A tinny voice floated out from somewhere deep in Woody’s subconscious, something that felt so far away.
“But I do, Andy…”
Woody hadn’t spoken. He wouldn’t have guessed that anyone had spoken at all, and he didn’t try to make sense of the sounds that now drifted through his mind: A crash. Andy’s frightened whimper. A door slamming. Some other voice speaking words he couldn’t make out.
Sleek plastic fingers had gently caressed the voice box, returning every millimeter of bare string to its inner coil and snugly cushioning it in its proper place. They scooped every stray wisp of fluff off the table and tucked them back where they belonged. Along with it, consciousness slowly returned.
A shame, he thought. He had really hoped it wouldn’t.
“Don’t,” he choked in a voice that still felt weak and numb. “Andy will…”
“Andy knows.” He felt Buzz lifting him off the table, holding him together all the while he carried him down from the desk and sidestepping the piles of video game cases that had been knocked onto the floor.
He was humiliated. They had all seen the whole thing.
He heard Rex repeating, “I can’t look, I can’t look…is it over?”
The horrified voice of Jessie wailed, “How could he do such a thing to you?!”
Whatever look Buzz had given them, it had made them all shut up quickly. The lid closed over them, and Buzz kept walking.
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“Does that feel all right? Because if I missed anything, I’ll…”
Woody rolled over and stared at the back wall. It was better that he just didn’t argue now, but he didn’t try to hide the bitterness in his voice. “It’s fine. Thanks, Buzz.”
Buzz cautiously rested a hand on Woody’s shoulder. “Listen, I…uh, I understand if you don’t want to talk about this, but if you just want to stay in here for a while…”
He pulled back when Woody suddenly stood up.
“No. I’m going back where I belong.”
It took him forever to climb through all his irrepressible shaking. But he found his hat where it had fallen off and put it back on, leaned against the wall and stared hard into the near-darkness.
He waited until the door swung open and the lights flicked on. Andy must have had to come up with some pretty creative excuses to his mother for why he had been avoiding going back into his room for so long.
Seeing Woody completely intact on the desk made him look ready to run right out again. Even the closed toy box seemed to radiate an ominous presence. But something made him keep moving forward, bracing himself for something traumatic to follow.
“Can you hear me?” he timidly spoke, his hand trembling on the desk. Pale with terror just staring at a motionless doll.
The table shook ever so slightly, and Woody fell forward. His owner flinched and pulled away when a stuffed fabric arm brushed his hand. Silence hung in the air like a thick fog.
When the boy finally reached out his hand again, he didn’t even dare to breathe. He picked up Woody like he was made of glass.
And then, coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to get a response after all, abandoned all that and climbed into bed holding him to his chest
Both rested soundly after that.
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