Love Helps Life

The One Difference, Is You

That night, Lou lay in bed next to Winter. The evening had gone by quickly, but he'd already learned enough about Winter to know why they were perfect for each other; Winter's classmates had sent her a card, with a picture of her inside it; sucking a pacifier and sitting in a baby carriage, complete with a diaper and telltale lumps. It was clear her peers, like his, did not see much worth to her.

He hadn't seen much of her brother since dinner. He'd been sent to his room. The boy looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. And her parents-what a pair! Clearly they were very busy, and obsessed with their daughters maturity.

Lou turned to gaze at Winter's sleeping face. He'd already noticed all her perfections: her bright green eyes contrasted greatly with her dark skin. Her teeth were perfectly white, despite sporting purple braces. The freckles on her chubby cheeks added some decor to her round, heart-shaped face, and her hair, in pigtails or not, framed that face perfectly in wavy, chocolate brown locks. No matter what, he couldn't find a single imperfection. She stood out like a sore thumb, standing alone in a crowded room. In Lou's opinion, that made her beautiful.

The room was illuminated in the soft glow of a spinning nightlight, casting shadows of ocean creatures around the room, making the place look like an ocean itself. That glow allowed him to further observe his surroundings. There were plenty of books and stuffed animals. A dollhouse sat in one corner, next to a stack that sported the animal kingdom. Her closet was still open from when she fetched her pajamas. On one side was a rack that held all her fancy dresses and coats. Underneath that were four drawers, each one labeled; Summer tops and pants, Winter tops and pants, Underwear, and Accessories. The other side of the closet held cubbies, that were not labeled, and a few other toys and trinkets.

Lou was absolutely breath-taken by the room. It was fit for a princess.

He still couldn't believe that the portal had let him through. He knew he was insanely lucky. Already he loved this child. They were meant to be together. That had to be the reason.

Turning over, Lou admired his adorable owner once more. He knew she was bullied, and rejected, just like him. And he wanted so badly to protect her. SMiling, he stroked her cheek, before turning over to sleep.

'If only the other dolls could see me now...'

The next morning, Lou awoke to a movement on his side. Glancing over, he noticed Winter, still in her princess sleeper pajamas, getting up. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, and went to her vanity, taking her hair out of the bun, and letting it fall down past her shoulders in wavy, yet messy, locks. While she brushed it, Lou glanced around some more. Without her glasses, she couldn't see him moving.

Winter ventured into the closet for clothes, allowing Lou to walk around on the bed a little. A tap on his shoulder drew his attention. Beside him was a medium sized brown teddy bear. "Hey, pal," It greeted, "names will-bear." Lou nodded, still a little unsure of his social skills. He decided it would be better for these toys to get to know the new him, before they heard about the old him. "Hello," he greeted in reply. "I'm Lou." The bear chuckled. "yeah, I know. This your first time?"

"My first time with what?"

"You know, getting played with. It's Saturday." Lou shook his head, deciding not to mention he was a prototype. "It's not mine. I used to belong to a little boy named Don, before his family moved away. They left me behind by accident. I flew out of the truck and onto the street, were Winter found me the next day." Lou nodded in understanding. "So...what's playtime like here?"

Will-bear chuckled. "Oh, you'll love it, man! Winter comes up with the best games to play. Word of warning, we do a lot of improv here. Sometimes, you'll get the same role for a while, other times it'll be different. Just go with the flow. And don't worry about rips or stains or nuttin'. Winter wouldn't let that happen, not on purpose." Lou strolled over to the bedside table, and picked up the mean picture that had been sent yesterday. "What's this?" Will-bear grumbled, but didn't get to answer. Another stuffed animal, a rabbit with a ballerina uniform, answered first. "That, my dear, is the work of those heartless bullies across the street. They've been terrorizing her since daycare." Lou frowned. Bullied...he knew how that felt. "Isn't there anything we can do about it?"