Back in the children’s ward at the local hospital. Lily had spent so much time here throughout her short life that the place was basically ingrained in her brain. Industrial white concrete walls which were festooned with various cartoon characters that had been popular maybe twenty years ago, faded with time and exposure to what sunlight filtered through the window. Motivational posters like you’d see hung up in a classroom with hokey looking animals giving quotes about hope or trying hard. There was an ancient CRT television on a rolling cart though it lacked anything to watch other than VHS tapes which was bad enough to begin with but they didn’t have anything beyond like, Magic Schoolbus and Barney the Dinosaur. Not only was the girl occupying the room too old to have interest in this (being 12), she didn’t even have any nostalgia for it. Those programs had run back when like her parents had been kids.
Not that any of the doctors here treated her like she was 12. In their eyes she was still five years old, and her body didn’t do much to dissuade them from thinking of her in a more mature light. She had chronic kidney disease and hadn’t even grown all too much. Just a shrimp who was too pale with dark circles under her eyes, currently dressed in a hospital gown with stupid cartoon safari animals on them. She hated this place. Hated being sick.
What was the point?
She was going to die anyways.
Even though Lily was young, just a bit away from being a teen, the thought had begun to consume her. Yeah everyone told her that she was going to get better, but people lied. All they did was tell her that she was going to get better so THEY would feel better. It was just some stupid, shitty ritual they’d gone through every time she ended up back here.
Speaking of which, just like always, another one of these rituals to make themselves feel better was beginning. Her mother and father entering the hospital room with armfuls of gifts and cards from her family or assorted figures like their pastor. Each and every time she was back here, there were more gifts. Just a bunch of junk.
It’s not like Lily wanted to feel ungrateful yet she’d spent so much time in this exact bed or another like it that it’d given her lots of time to think. To become tired of this entire process.
“Honey! Look at everything you got! Everyone’s really worried about you, wow…look at all these goodies.” That was her mother, placing a few wrapped boxes onto her daughter’s lap. The girl was sitting up on the bed, wanting to protest but honestly her mom wasn’t doing that great. She had dark circles under her eyes too. Didn’t eat very much when she was stuck away in the hospital. A searing pang of sadness rippled across her heart at the loathsome thoughts she’d just had in her mind.
“Thanks mom. Looks great.” Trying to sound enthusiastic. Her father set down some gifts too, ruffled the girl’s tawny, curly hair. Leaned down and pressed a kiss against her forehead which was currently heated with a mild fever.
“Love you, kiddo. Got to get back to work. I’m jealous, wish I could sit in here with a bunch of fun stuff.” That was his way of trying to be light about the situation. Her dad had about as much tact as a sack of rocks but it’s not like he was trying to make her feel bad. Watching the broad-shouldered man in his factory blues exit the room as soon as he’d entered, Lily turned her attention back to her mom again. Offered a fake smile. OK, it was time to get this ritual over.
Opening cards first. There were a bunch of them. Most were generic and cartoony, some tried to be funny. Each with a message hurriedly scribbled onto the cardboard. Only outlier among them being the one from her nana. Nana was a religious nut and her card was pale blue with puffy white clouds, doves flying around. She didn’t need to open it to find out that nana was once again writing her off as dead and saying that soon she’d be held against Jesus’s bosom. It was pretty messed up but at least she’d come to the only logical conclusion everyone else tried to lie about.
“How nice. Look, all your classmates signed one too.” Great, another one for the pile. It made her shudder thinking about how her teacher must have passed around a card. Even if she did live through this it’d just be more teasing. Her classmates would tease you over just about anything.
“Yeah, that’s awesome.” Lily mumbled. Again, not trying to sound like such a bitch. Alright, time to get this over with. Unwrapping a package she unveiled a 25 piece puzzle of dinosaurs with the Dollar Tree ‘ONLY $1.25!’ sticker still proudly affixed to the cellophane wrapping. Tossed it to her bedside table where a bunch of pill bottles rattled. Oh look, a Sesame Street coloring book and another Dollar Tree sticker.
These gifts carried on like this. Plastic trinkets that would break upon one use, stuff wildly outside her age range, just a bunch of junk that nobody wanted or needed. Yet if she said something to her mom she’d be the bad person. Because they ‘cared’. They cared enough to spend $1.25 when she’d honestly feel better just seeing them. Spending a dollar was easier though.
The last gift was a box larger than the rest with a bit more heft. Sliding a fingernail against the sparkly wrapping paper, she revealed something which quite honestly took her by surprise.
It was a box decorated to look like a weather worn shipping crate. On the front was a bright red fluffy pony, a pegasus soaring through the air on majestic wings.
‘CLOUD CUTIES!’ the front of the box read, with a few taglines. Flight training accesories included! Hours of fun! (THEY REALLY FLY!) it boldly declared in radical font with a flame motif surrounding it. There were thumps from inside the box as tiny hooves rattled against it.
“Hewwo? Pwease wet fwuffy out! Am dawksies an’ fwuffy scawdies!” Came a teensy, muffled voice. Lily’s mom scowled.
“Oh, your aunt Pamela just couldn’t help herself. A fluffy? Really? I can return it, Lily.” Reaching out toward the box, she stopped as she found her daughter actually showing some interest in it. Undoing tabs which caused the front panel to spring open like a pirate chest.
From within the box, a blue and yellow micro fluffy popped out and clung to the side. He hadn’t been there very long but who wanted to be in a sorry box? Giving an appreciative buzz of his little wingies, the fluffy looked up with admiration to Lily. A giant smile.
“Nyu mummah? Nyu mummah ‘fo fwuffy?” Taken aback a bit, Lily didn’t answer immediately. Instead a hand fell to the contents of the box, rifled around for a moment. There was an ‘adoption’ sheet within it along with a stupid ‘pilots license’, and she’d scan the sheet for a moment.
There was a name there, randomly chosen by whatever Fluffmart had put the micro stallion in here. ‘Zippy’.
“Uhmm…hi Zippy.” The name was unfamiliar to him as it really had just been part of the marketing from some overworked Fluffmart employee. Gasping, he ruffled his tail from side to side.
“Zippeh? Fwuffy namesie am Zipppeh? WUB NYU NAMESIE!” Rolling out of the box, he scrambled up the hospital sheet currently wound around his apparent new owner. Crawled up against her shoulder, flapped his tiny tongue against her feverish cheek. Lily giggled, looked over to her mom. Her mom at first wanted to object. Fluffies were unhygienic. Noisy. Pamela hadn’t even thought to include things like food, a littertray, or anything else.
“Well. It looks like you have a new friend. Want me to go down to the gift shop for some things?” The hospital gift shop had a few things for fluffies, usually micros. Micros were incredibly common gifts these days. A nod from her daughter, and it was decided.
+++++
Her mom returned with a few essential things from the hospital gift shop. A tiny bag of micro kibble, a dish for said kibble and water, an enclosed litterbox that could fit on her bedside table, and a tiny bed. Setting it all up, Lily smiled gratefully before her mom bid her a tired ‘Seeya, sweetie’. Work, too. She knew that mom wanted to be here with her all day but keeping a sick kid in a hospital was stupid expensive. Way too expensive.
Trying not to think about it any further, she looked at Zippy who was currently hugging up against her arm and cooing. “Can you really fly?” She asked him curiously. A tilt of his head.
“Yis. Buh Zippeh nee’ hewp fwyin’!” He said, knowing at least some of the details he served as a product. Reaching into the box he’d come in, Lily pulled up a training sheet and a few accesories. There were small rubber bands which the sheet instructed she should bind to his wings, and she did so.
“Alright. Well, it says you should try stretching your wings out when the training bands are on them.” She instructed, watching in amusement as he grunted and attempted to work his wings against the bands. Small twitches against the elastic showed the effort.
“Fwuffy twyin’! Twyin’ su hawd ‘fo nyu mummah!” More grunting and squealing, further twitches. Lily stroked a fingertip against his fuzzy li’l head.
“It’s supposed to strengthen your wing muscles. You have to do it for ten minutes, OK?”
The fluffy did so as she watched a barred clock on the wall. Ten minutes passed, and she removed the bands carefully so as to not snap him.
“Well, do you feel stronger?” She asked, and he gave a nod. Stronger or just sore? He didn’t know. Either way, he felt like he’d done something important. Reading the next step on the list, she carefully scooped him up. Even in her diminutive palms, he fit quite well. Holding him as his tummy, she began making him ‘fly’ through the air.
“Gud uppsies! YAY!” Giggling a bit, he’d flutter his wingies. This was fun! Gently swooshing him through the air so he could feel bursts of air against his face, Lily smiled.
“OK, you need to envision yourself really flying. It says it’s like, believing then doing it.” It wasn’t like Zippy needed much prompting on this topic. A fluffy’s imagination always ran at full steam and in his mind, he really was flying through the skies! Maybe he’d see a rainbow and fly into the rainbow and EAT IT. Rainbows kind of looked like sweetie nummies…maybe he could bring a piece down for nyu mummah.
This last for a few minutes before she went ‘Woosh! Clear for Landing!’ and deposited him right back on the blanket on top of her. Stumbling a bit from dizziness, Zippy giggled and collapsed. “Dank yew mummah! Zippeh am goan fwy soon!”
++++
As far as making friends, or bonding with a pet, or whatever this was Lily felt herself growing attached to Zippy quite fast. Honestly he was so full of energy and happy that she could feel herself opening up a bit on that too.
When a nurse brought in a beige covered tray containing her lunch (which also sucked, she couldn’t have much sodium and it tasted like poop), Zippy regarded her cautiously. Especially when the nurse got ready to take blood, which was an incredibly common occurrence when able.
As the nurse took Lily’s arm and prepared to get a line in, the micro pegasus gasped in horror as the pokey-thing went toward his nyu mummah. It was going to give her huwties! Bucking forward and sliding down the sheets, he ran up and bit the nurse’s finger! Of course it didn’t hurt. Even a bite from a full-grown fluffy didn’t.
“Nu gib mummah huwties! Dis am Zippeh mummah! Fwuffy gib YEW wowstest bities an’ hoofsies!” Puffing out his cheeks, it could only cause the nurse to roll her eyes and proceed with the process. Taking Zippy in her free hand, Lily held him against her chest.
“It’s OK, Zippy. They’re just taking blood. I’m sick, they always do this.” Yeah. Just a fact of life at this point. A long time ago she’d been scared of needles and felt really sick to see her blood be collected in vials. Now it felt as natural as breathing.
This confused the fluffy and worried him further. “Mummah? Mummah sickies? Fwuffy gib huggies tu feew beddah?” Hugging up against her chest and cooing, the fluffy could feel his owner’s heartbeat. It felt strangely relaxing.
The nurse collected her blood, set up a tray for lunch. Steamed broccoli, some kind of brown goop as the main, and a roll that looked like it came from the Great Depression. Yummy.
“Want to watch something, hun?” The nurse asked, turning to the television. Lily usually said no, because well there was nothing good or she’d seen all of the tapes a million times. Today though?
“Yeah. Lion King, please.” Listening to the clatter of the VHS being slipped into it’s slot, Lilly waved goodbye to the nurse. Zippy might like this movie. Fluffies like cartoons and junk.
As previews played, she’d pick at her lunch. There was a moment as her new fluffy was distracted with the television but he’d turn back to face the girl with wide eyes.
“Mummah? Am yew weawwy sick?” Seemed that he hadn’t forgotten that or wanted to let it go. Giving a sigh after poking a bit of unseasoned broccoli into her mouth, Lily nodded.
“Uh huh. Really sick. My kidneys are bad. I’m supposed to get a surgery but.” A shrug. She hadn’t wanted to discuss it in front of the nurse. If you got gloomy around them, they’d report it and then you’d have a therapist in totally WACKY scrubs show up and patronize you. Like they knew what you were going through.
“Buh?” A curious tilt of his head, Zippy giving a tired whir of wingies.
“But I’m likely going to die. Everyone says I won’t but I think so.” It wasn’t any attempt to fish for sympathy or be depressing. Just the truth. Truth that everyone around here kept trying to distract themselves from. If she wasn’t really going to die, her mom wouldn’t look so grim. The doctors wouldn’t have to pull them out of the room to talk so often.
Immediately, Zippy felt something like a jolt of electricity run through his body. His mummah, his brand nyu mummah…she was going to go fowebbah sweepies? Even though they’d just met, he really loved her. Of course a fluffy could feel an ecstatic amount of care for any new person in their life but she really was nice. It’d only been a few hours but she was already his most favorite person in the whole wide world.
“N-Nu! Mummah, dun weab fwuffy! Zippeh wub yew! Pwease dun fowebbah sweepies! Zippeh am goan FWY, an’ mummah feew beddah!” Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, then he felt angry. Sooooo angry!
“Stoopi kidney! Haechu! FWUFFY HAECHU KIDNEY! Am goan gib yew WOWSTEST HUWTIES! Sowwy hoofsies!” How dare this stupid, unknown thing hurt his brand new mummah. Lily watched in fascination as the fluffy vowed to kick in her organs. Tried to stop herself but giggled. Broke into a fit of giggles, in fact. Shoving the tray away and positioning herself on her side, she carefully indicated where her kidneys were.
“They’re right here, Zippy! Give them ‘sorry hoofsies!’” At first Zippy was confused. The bad thing was mummah? Inside mummah? Well, she’d told him to do so, and he squealed. Ran forward. Slapped his hooves down against where those dummeh kidneys were!
“Zippeh haechu fohebah, bad kidney!” He insulted her insides. The pitter-patter of his little hooves and the cocky attitude at beating up her illness made her cackle with laughter again.
+++++++
The horrible lunch had been consumed, Lion King had been watched (Zippy scared by the stampede scene), and the day had gone quickly. Far more quickly than what was usually possible here. This place felt like mental quicksand usually. If you attempted to wring yourself out of the pit, it dragged you right back in. The harder you struggled, the more you went in.
Night time was the worst. Absolutely so. It was somewhat dark but never enough to comfortably sleep in. Lights from her medical monitors, beeps coming from every direction, rattling wheels as orderlies trundled down the brightly lit halls with carts. It was a time which was super easy to feel lonely in.
Tonight though it wasn’t so bad. There was Zippy right beside her, curled up comfortably and nuzzling against her with tired little noises. Gently kneading on her with his hooves as if he were a kitten.
There’d been a lot of fun today that it honestly made her feel somewhat mentally zonked. Tired for once instead of just staring out at the hall and the white glow of light.
“Night, Zippy.” She murmured to him, letting her eyes fall closed and going to sleep.
+++++
The next morning was more of a continuation of the previous day. Mom and dad stopped by like they usually did, made small talk. Always awkward small talk as if they weren’t even related. It wasn’t the same discussions they had at home. She’d indulge it anyways because she was a good daughter, or tried to be.
Once they left, Lily fitted Zippy’s wings with the rubber bands just as she had the previous day and cheered him on as he exerted himself with the training.
“Yeah, Zippy! Come on! Get your wings big and strong!” Her excitement rubbed off on him and he’d happily attempt to stretch his wings out more and more. Were they getting stronger? Maybe! He thought so!
Once ten minutes had passed, it was back up into the air, hand fingers gently squeezed against his abdomen. Both front hooves flung out, Zippy imagined himself flying through the clouds.
“Suu fun, mummah! Zippeh am weawwy gun fwy! Yay!” Soon he would. For sure. There was no way he couldn’t with this hardcore training that he was being put through.
After their morning training was done, Zippy bashfully looked to his owner. “Mummah hewp Zippeh use potty? Nee’ poopies.” Nodding, she set him down in front of the tiny littertray which had been propped up on her bedside table. Shuffling into the enclosure, there was scritching of litter being tossed around with his hooves and an ensuing stink. Poking back out of the enclosure, he gave a baleful look.
“Sowwy fo’ stinkies, mummah. Am stinkeh fwuffy.” Yeah, it sure did reek. But. They were in a hospital. This place always stank. Like bleach, that rubber surgical tubing, whatever bullcrap they plopped into the beige lunch vessels. Helping Zippy down from the table, Lily shrugged a bit.
“It’s fine. Really, Zippy. Everybody poops.”
+++++
This routine carried on for a few days. Flight training, watching more Disney movies, trying to choke down horrible dietary restriction meals. Being poked and prodded, telling Zippy about life. He had lots of questions and even though she didn’t have all the answers, it was nice to just be able to talk with someone.
One night as they were both sitting up and watching Mulan, Zippy sucking on a cube of lime Jello half his size with a look of euphoria upon his face, there came a trundle from down the hall. Many footsteps. Glancing toward her doorway, Lily felt her heart sink.
A wheeled bed which wasn’t uncommon here. They were always being pushed through the place. Today though, it was surrounded by a few nurses and orderlies. Trying to hide whatever was on it. There was a small shape on the bed that the medical staff couldn’t obscure. So small and pitiful looking, the zoo animal sheets that were used here in the children’s wing drawn up completely around it in a shroud.
A kid. One younger than her even. Dead. They didn’t try to hide it unless the person was dead. Lily’s heart sank. Tried to breathe, gasped, felt anxiety clutched at her lungs.
That was going to be her. That’s what was going to happen. Just another small bundle wrapped up in these stupid childish sheets and then…what? Put in one of those fridge things like the television shows always had?
“No…no…I don’t want to die!” She suddenly choked out. Her surgery was tomorrow. Hyperventilating, she shook her head. Tear drops fell down to the blanket. Giving a small ‘huu’, Zippy wagged his tail sadly and stood up to meet her. Green slime was smeared all over his face.
“Mummah? Yew won gu fowebbah sweepies. Wemembah? Zippeh am fwy an’ mummah am get beddah!” Smiling. Misery and fear wound through Lily’s guts though like a snake attempting to poison her.
“No, no you won’t. You’ll never fly Zippy, and I won’t get better!” She spat at him. Why was she so angry? All of the fear was beginning to be replaced by it. Hot as the fever she’d spent the last few days with, a rage burning.
“You’re just a lie, because that’s all adults do! You’re just like the time I got ‘Sea People’! They weren’t some amazing thing, they were just brine shrimp! You won’t fly, I won’t get better! That’s just the world, Zippy! A bunch of lies!” Turning away from her fluffy, the girl buried her face against the flat pillow which had been issued to her. Gave ugly, choking sobs. Shuddered and quaked against the bed. No matter how much Zippy tried to hug her, she wouldn’t pay him any mind. Slipped into sleep without talking to him again.
+++++++
No. No! He loved mummah, but she was wrong! He WOULD fly and she would get better! No fowebbah sweepies! There was no way he would ever let her!
It had been many fowebbahs since Zippy had been with his mummah. Correction, fluffy mummah. Though he remembered how hard she’d tried to get him to fly when he was a babbeh. The bestest babbeh! A good boy who was destined for big things. That’s what mummah said!
“Zippeh am bestest babbeh. Am goan fwy ‘fo mummah!” The fluffy told himself with determination. Climbed up to his owner’s leg, took diving leaps off of it. Wings fluttering uselessly, smacking down to the soft mattress below.
Over and over again. It didn’t matter how many times he fell down, he would get right back up. Munstah kidneys were hurting mummah, but Zippy wasn’t scared even a little bit about them. Kidneys weren’t anything, he’d show those sickies that mummah had that fluffies were amazing and COULD fly if they just tried super hard!
The routine only paused and slightly altered when Lily tossed about in her sleep. Back and fourth, the micro stallion having to find new routes up to make jumps up into the air. The clock gave it’s mournful tick, carts rattled through the hallway, some drunk guy all the way in the emergency ward could be heard screaming about something or another. It didn’t matter though
He continued training until sunlight trickled through the window and mummah stirred away.
+++++
Lily’s eyes were puffy from having wept so hard during the night. Looking down to Zippy, she felt more sadness and regret looming over here.
“Sorry for yelling at you, Zippy. You didn’t deserve it.” He didn’t. It wasn’t his fault. None of this was his fault. This entire time he’d been the only thing keeping her from completely losing it to despair.
Beaming at her, Zippy shook his head. “Mummah! Dun wowwy! Pwease gib Zippeh gud uppsies! Goan fwy ‘fo mummah!”
This caused her to sigh. No, he wouldn’t fly. Had come to terms with that a few days ago actually. It really was just like any ‘too good to be true’ thing from adults. Kids were easy to dupe. Dumb. They just had wings to be cute. Yet she picked him up, held him in one palm. If she was going to die anyways today, she might as well indulge him one last time.
“OK, Zippy. Show me how you can fly.” Preparing to watch him plummet right down like always to the mattress.
Positioning himself on the edge of Lily’s palm, Zippy looked down to the mattress below. The room around them. It had become a familiar place throughout this last week, now it seemed so wide and expansive. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself. Dug his hooves down. Flung himself away from his owner’s palm.
Furious buzzing issued from his wings. A squeal of effort, hooves kicking at the air. Pushing his entire weary body into the act, he worked his wings harder than they ever had been brought before. Perhaps stronger than any other pegasus had ever dreamed of. The bed didn’t come rushing up at him. Instead…he was in the air! Lazily listing side to side, wings beating so rapidly it felt as if for a moment they would catch fire.
Staring ahead at him, Lily couldn’t believe her eyes. No way. No friggin’ way. He was in the air. Actually keeping himself hovering right in front of her. Tiny feathers drifted down from his wings and landed down to the bed. A look of fierce pride and determination was in Zippy’s eyes. No, more than that. Pure love. Five seconds. It seems such a short time when you actually say it, but it seemed much longer than that. Defying every logical thing anyone could say about fluffies, he kept his body up in the air for five whole seconds for plopping down to the bed below.
“Oh my God…Zippy, you did it!” Lily gushed over the fluffy. Picked him up, coddled him close. Pressed a kiss against the top of his head.
It hurt. So badly, it hurt. It was as if every part of his body had been crushed at once, every muscle and joint ripped out of place. Just existing was torture right now. Gasping, Zippy curled his head down.
“Pwease…gib Zippeh bedsie naow.” Frowning, Lily didn’t know that he was in an immense amount of pain. Carefully putting Zippy down onto the little micro bed he hadn’t even used so far, she stroked a finger down his back. It felt like razors against him and he had to stop himself from screeching in agony.
No matter what, mummah couldn’t have heawt-huwties. She had to beat munstah kidney!
“I’m so proud of you, Zippy. You…you actually did it! It wasn’t a lie!”
++++++
Zippy listened to his mummah for an hour or so longer. High praise and excitement. Not the foreboding curtain of emotion she had been draped in last night and this morning. She was happy. He’d made her happy, given her lots of heart happies. Maybe it was enough to make her better.
Doctors and nurses entered the room. It was time for surgery, and Lily’s mummah and daddeh were there too. Talking among one another, telling his owner what would happen. That everything would be OK.
It had to be OK. Zippy had tried so hard. He’d tried so hard so please, let it be OK.
“Bye Zippy. I’ll be back soon, OK? Don’t get too lonely or scared. I’ll really be back.” A finger stroked against one of his ears.
Waiting until he heard the wheels of the bed rattling away, the fluffy opened his eyes and found that the room was empty now. Having held it in the entire time for Lily’s benefit, he began to scream and peep.
“OWWIES! HUWTIES! FWUFFY HAB SU MANY HUWTIES!” Lily hadn’t been able to see because he’d shoved his face down against the fluffy bed, but his exertion had caused one of his eyeballs to bulge horrendously out from his skull. His ribcage was a crumpled, twisted mess. It hurt even more to scream as bones seemed to pierce right against his bweathe-pwace, and both wings were twisted in two different angles. Bared of many feathers, sad naked things which drooped down and lay dead.
“EEEEEE!” Peep! Huuhuu! PEEP! It hurt so badly. It was beyond him how he’d even been able to keep quiet the entire time mummah was here. Feces spilled out between his legs as he was no longer able to even control his bowels, laying in his own filth which matched his misery.
This continued for a few hours. People passed by the room, but there was nothing to spare for the micro. Not their business, why should they care?
Time passed and he was left in his own self-induced torture. Finally, Lily’s mummah and daddeh walked into the room. Looking happy! This caused Zippy to forget about himself for a moment. Though he could no longer move his body, his one good eye swiveled up to meet them.
“M-Mummah? Mummah am otay?” He asked with a great sense of hope. Lily’s daddeh looked down with disgust at the pegasus. What in the fuck had happened? That fluffy was DICKED up. Broken. Covered in shit.
“Yeah. She’s doing super well, actually. They have to monitor her for awhile, but seems like it was a resounding success. Surprisingly…” Yeah, they hadn’t wanted to discuss it with Lily though the chances of the surgery actually working were slim. Giving a series of rapid-fire pained peeps as the daddeh picked him up, Zippy felt happy.
“Bwingin’ Zippeh tu mummah? See mummah? Sowwy Zippeh hab su huwties. Sowwy big daddeh.” He said in an agonized tone. Being brought out of the room. Going to see mummah! Mummah would be so happy. Huggies an’ wub an’…
Lily’s daddeh stopped in front of a trashcan out in the hallway. Looking toward it with confusion and then fear, he gave a series of depressed peeps. There was no argument to be made anymore. His body was too tired. Too many huwties.
For the second time that day, Zippy flew. Smacking down into crumpled up paper towels and takeout boxes from visitors who’d been stuck in the waiting room, he’d give several sorrowful peeps and then lay completely still.
Just another broken toy discarded in the trash.
