What are you looking at?

Hmph. Writer, eh? Never heard of such a thing in these parts. No story here. Just an old stuffed bear collecting seven years of dust in a corner.

...

Wasn't always like this, you know? I was clean once. Like squeaky. And smelled like new bear, too. Then SHE had to come along.

It was Christmas and I happened to be Her present. Damn! You know what's worse than getting a little girl for an owner? A freaking thirteen-year-old little girl for an owner! And She wasn't even rich for crying out loud! So I was pretty low in maintenance.

I could still taste Her braces and feel Her grimy shirt on my fake fur. I swear I still smell like pre-teen puberty! As soon as She hugged me, I knew I was done for.

She was an annoying little brat. Every time She could, She'd tell me about Her day, Her friends who were obviously using Her but She couldn't see it, Her stupid crushes who didn't deserve Her. Kept talking to me as if She expected that I'd talk back. If I didn't know any better, I bet she was crazy.

Named me Scruff. What kind of name is Scruff?!?!

She'd always hold on to me when She slept and let me tell you, She's the kind who you do NOT want to sleep with. Kept tossing and turning the whole night round. So, more or else I'd find myself squeezed underneath Her for half of the night. I'd be lucky if I ended up on the floor in the morning. Rather them rats than Her heavy ass.

Everything She did pissed me off. She laughed like and idiot and didn't let anybody bring Her down. She'd blindly go to Her friend's house in the middle of the night whenever they called that something's wrong. She kept hugging me even if I've been God knows where. She was forever bubbly. I was forever bleak.

She was especially bubbly when Miko came to town. That asshole played Her like a dog chewing on a squeaky toy. And although She claimed that he was thoughtful and sweet and all that shit to Her, he ended up falling for her bitch of a best friend instead.

She spent a whole night crying for him. Told Herself that She was good for nothing and ugly. If only...

That night was the only night I felt something on my chest of stuffing. And I didn't like it one bit. I couldn't do anything. She was 18 then and teddy bears like me are forced to stay on the shelf.

I just sat there and watched Her cry.

That night was also the only night that I actually prayed. No idea who I was really talking to but I remember Her mentioning about a Big Guy Upstairs that made stuff happen. Like I said, She was a potential loony. But that didn't stop me from trying.

Yeah. Go ahead and laugh. Darn old Grumpy Scruff? Praying? I can't believe it myself either.

But yeah, I prayed. I prayed for the Big Guy to give my owner the ears to help Her listen to me. I prayed for Her to pick me up from that stupid shelf and let Her hug me.

I don't know. Must have prayed wrong. Maybe I should've prayed for a human voice so She could hear me. Maybe I should've asked for the muscles instead of stuffings so it'd be me doing the reaching out...

I just figured it'd scare the shit out of Her if she saw a walking, talking old bear coming towards Her in the middle of the night.

But I guess it don't matter no more. Nothing happened. I just watched. She cried.

After that, She wasn't as jolly as before. She came and went until She stopped coming back.

Her mama took the liberty of placing all us toys in a box with her name on it. Never seen daylight ever since.

...

What're you giving me that look for? Ain't what you expected? Well, screw you!

You ain't got a heart either.

No toy could've loved my girl more than I did.