100 Themes Challenge  

92. Innocence

A/N: I think this is relatable to a lot of ppl. This is more of an AU(?) idk why I wrote this is kind of based off of me so far… 

Hello, my name is choi junhong and my birthday is October 15th. Call me zelo though. 

I am a dog; a terroir to be exact. I am no ordinary dog; I am a stuffed dog. No, this isn't taxidermy; I am very well not alive or dead. I am a stuffed animal that has a passion for making kids happy.

I am no bigger than three inches; but that just makes me easier to travel with.

I remember when I was bought in a white purse with blue and green spots; it was quite a comfy home. I was bought along with a dachshund that I long forgot.

An aunt has given this dachshund and I to her two nieces. The dachshund belonged to the eldest sister, and I belonged to the youngest.

The youngest took me everywhere, even though her parents opposed saying that she would lose it, she still brought me everywhere.

I loved my master. The eldest sister easily forgot the dachshund, and he got stuffed in the back shelf with the other forgotten toys.

My master never forgot me though. She would always make sure I was comfortable in my white purse and I had my blue blanket. She would kiss me good night before going to bed her self.

Every once in a while, she would bring out her tea set and go to the bathroom sink to fill it up with water because her parents wouldn't let her bring any food upstairs to her room.

My master would return and make sure I had a seat at the small table surrounded by the rest of her beloved stuffed animals.

She would always have a bright smile and practice pouring the tea in the cups for nobody in particular. She personally gave me a cup and she would dip my fluffy nose into the water as if I was actually drinking it.

I was really grateful for my owner; I knew she really cared about me. She would read my tag and cut it off; taping it to her notebook because on my tag said my birthday. She promised me she would remember it and she would tell me happy birthday; it was the first time I looked forward to something.

What made my master special is that she made sure none of her stuffed animals all got some attention. She has her favorite stuffed animals that would sleep on top of her bed, but she would make sure to take out all her toys on the white shelves and to play with them all so they don't get left out.

         I was one of her favorites though. I was one of the special guests to go in her purple Cinderella bag and was able to go visit cousins, aunts, and uncles on the plane with her.

         Since I was so small, she would hold me in her pocket because she knew she needed my reassurance.

When the plane landed, her parents and sister rushed her to wake up and get her bags. She stuffed me in her jacket pocket and walked into the aisle with her dad behind.

In her shallow, black jacket pocket, I easily slipped out and fell on the ground with a small thud that no one heard.

I wanted to scream to my master that I fell and she would come and rescue me, but instead, her father accidentally just kicked me to the side so I would never be found.

I honestly thought she would never comeback to save me and that I would be easily forgotten like the dachshund I was bought with.

I lied on my side, waiting for my master to return but she never did.

I saw the flight attendants walk down the aisle, checking if there were any lost items and I was one of them.

A young looking lady picked me up and didn't even give me a second glance and propped me on top of one of the uncomfortable seats’ arm. 

I looked out to see any sign of my owner and as if someone heard me, I saw a small head of black hair running towards me.

Right behind her is her dad and I see my owner frantically looking up and down the aisles with tears in her eyes.

"Why did you run back here?" Her dad scolded but she ignored his annoyance.

"I have to find him." She mumbles and her eyes land on mine and she breaks out in the bright smiles of hers and runs towards me and hugged me tight.

"I'm sorry, have a good night." Her dad apologized the flight crew and he escorted his daughter out the plane once again.

As time went by, I never celebrated my birthday with her. Each night there was less good night kisses, less tea parties, and less smiles.

She now always has some sort of device called earphones stuffed in her ears to block out the world.

She started to put posters of groups with good looking men on her walls and she would squeal while her thumbs flew across her phone as she kept texting her friends about whose coming back or whose debuting.

She would come home everyday with a heavy backpack. She would forget more about her toys and focus more on her schoolwork.

More time passed, and soon she grew up to a beautiful young lady.

Over her conversation with her friend, I heard that my master got a boyfriend who went by the name of moon jongup. I had been told by the wise teddy bear that he was a fine gentleman who treated my master well and that he would make sure that she always had a smile.

I sadly watch as she stopped smiling because of her favorite stuffed animal, Zelo, and smiled more because of a man.

         Sometimes I wish that my master had never found me on that airplane and I would just go in a garbage can where I belong.

I am sure she forgot about her other toys and me, because all she focuses on is her phone and music.

I wanted to hate her for making empty promises, or for leaving us, but I couldn't bring myself to it.

It wasn't her fault that she grew out of her stuffed animals and dolls. Her innocence as a young child was gone and she was now a grown woman that everyone was proud of.

Even after so many years, I still see my master as that small girl that would give me bright smiles everyday.

I am a stuffed animal that has a passion for making kids happy: not adults.

I should be mad that her innocence is lost, but I couldn't hate her because I knew I love her too much