Plush Love Volume 1, Episode 3: A Lonely Plush in the Afternoon
#3 of Plush Love Vol 1
Luke abruptly leaves for work, leaving his plush alone and lonely
Ben watched wistfully as the door slammed behind Luke. What could possibly be the matter? It couldn't be anything he had done. Like all good plush animals, he couldn't do anything at all when there was the slightest chance it would be noticed. He sadly decided that it must be some strange ritual of real people: look at a clock, yell, and stop whatever you'd been doing just so you could pull on clothes and run away.
Earlier in the morning, though, he'd come to the delighted conclusion that Luke really liked him. Ben had enjoyed the grooming, the cuddling, the hands stroking his sides or tickling his belly. It must almost be like a kitten cared for by its mother, he thought.
Despite Luke's size, he often seemed to act much like a cub himself. Like when he rubbed his face against Ben's. Little cubs did that when they wanted their parents to regurgitate food for them. Not that Ben could do that!
Strong feelings of affection overwhelmed the plush feline. No story told in the store's plush pile could ever touch the reality of having his own person. He purred loudly -- no one else was there to hear.
Luke had alternated the caresses with stretching the cat out to admire his design. He'd stared at the expressive face with stiff nose whiskers, jaunty ears and bright blue eyes, the deep chest and proud neck, the broad back and gently protruding belly, the strong hindquarters and soft tail. Ben knew he was justified in being a bit vain.
Every time Luke had looked at the tiger for more than a minute or two, though, he'd returned to petting him. Stroking his neck, his legs, his back, his stomach. Tickling his own stomach with Ben's tail. More memories to make Ben purr.
Until suddently... The clock. The abominable time keeper. "Twelve o'clock?" Luke had yelled, "I'm late!" He'd lept out of the bed making big waves, dressed and run out the door.
Ben sighed. Alone. He wondered for how long. At the store, people had usually left when a 5 appeared on the clock. Maybe Luke would come back then? At least he could hope.
The tiger looked around. Maybe there was something of Luke's to keep him occupied. He couldn't move anything, of course, but looking and smelling, that should be OK.
The sheets. A light blue, the upper one shoved down to the foot of the bed with the blanket and bedspread. Maybe they'd been on the bed a few days. MmmMmmMmm. Yes. He could smell Luke in the folds.
It must have been lonely for him, before Ben came. The plush cat still wondered about that. How had he gotten here, anyhow?
What else? Ah, the pillow. Luke's head must have rested there a lot. Another odor worth purring over: hair oils rubbed into the pillowcase. Ben rubbed his own face in that, then looked around some more.
Electronics on a table: a computer, its screen dark; a pair of speakers. No TV? Books on shelves, though. There were lots of books, some piled open on a desk. Although there'd been colorful picture books near the plush pile in the store, none of them had been as thick as Luke's, filled with such dense black marks. Ben could barely make them out from the bed. There were numbers and letters, with squiggles that weren't in most alphabets. Textbooks? Maybe he still goes to school?
And where were these recognitions coming from? Ben was sure he'd never seen such things before.
Oh, look: a pile of dirty clothes in a corner! Ben hopped down from the bed to the deep, green carpet and went over to nose at them. Underwear was on top. It had some interesting scents. Underarms and deoderant were strongest. That made him sneeze. Too unnatural. There was a strong smell of something nasty on the blue pants underneath, too. Tar? Whatever that was.
Several doors were closed to Ben, but one was open, letting him pad into a small dark room with porcelain fixtures. It had interesting aromas, too. The floor was dry, but it seemed Luke missed once in a while. On the other paw, the tiny food nook was almost odorless. Maybe some cereal? That didn't interest a faux carnivore like him. Oh, well.
He wandered back to the bed. It rippled only a little as the dejected plush tiger climbed back on. He flopped down as if tossed by someone in a hurry, but somehow his nose landed in the pillow.
Ben slept.