Clarity in Muddied Waters

Every day, when Molly Burkon went to school, all her cuddle toys came alive.

It started with a blink, and then a twitch, and slowly they would stiffly sit up.

After a while, when their joints were warmed up, all Molly’s cuddle toys would start to play.

Miss. Strawberry, Molly’s fairy doll, liked to do karaoke with the barbies; Princess, the resident powderpuff Pomeranian puppy toy, liked to run around pointlessly with the her best friend Lilo the Labrador; while Oscar the Owl would prefer to sit in a cosy nook and read to his content.

All day round they would smile and laugh with glee, and when it was night time, they would all cuddle up against Molly, listening to the rising falls of her breath.

Sometimes the toys would argue, and go to Molly’s fake toy court, where Judge Judy the bobble head would bang her gavel again and again until the argument was over.

But the best part of the day for the toys was when Molly rushed into her room, plopped down on her bed, and told them all the events of her day.

The toys loved Molly, and Molly loved them, but she never did find out that her toys could come alive.