Unsurprisingly, I am part of the fluffy abuse club. Whenever I feel the urge I grab a fluffy and bring it to my house/it’s doom. I always hold out for a soon mummah or one with few babies. The pregnant ones need a safe home and are easily gullible. The ones with few babies are usually broken up over losing some babies and want away from the dangers of the outside. Today I found an especially broken one.
I saw a baby fluffy next to the sidewalk in an alley, sitting on its butt, sniffling. Behind it, a mummah was sleeping on some dirty newspaper. I knew I struck gold.
“Hey, little guy!”, I said, leaning down over the baby, “What’s wrong?”
“sniff B-babbeh am tiwed. Nu can du dancies for hoomans. Nao neba ged nyu mummah ow daddeh huuhuuu!”, he got up on all fours and walked to his sleeping mummah, cuddling in her fluff, “A-am sowwy mummah. Nu wan dancies nu mo. Knu nee homsie bu tu tiwed. Nee miwkies huuhuuu. Nu ged nummies dis bwite time huuu.”
“Aww, poor things!”, I said, walking over to them, “Do you guys need a new dad?”
“N-nice mistah stay?”, the baby said, looking up at me, “Nice mistah wan be nyu daddeh? Gib mummah an gud babbeh homsie? Hab nummies an toysies an sketties an wub?”
He was getting excited and started moving around next to his mom. She began to wake up and grabbed her baby in an embrace.
“Shhh, babbeh. Mummah nee sweepies. Nee du wots ob wawkies dis dawk time. Nee fin nummies fo miwkies. Awways nummies ad dawk time.”
“M-mummah! Mummah nee du wakies! Nice mistah am hewe tu be nyu daddeh!”
The mom struggled to hold her baby to her chest and opened her eyes when she heard him mention ‘daddeh’. Her tail started to wag as she let go of her baby to stand, the baby whipping its tail around and beginning to dance. It was all so cute I wanted to say ‘no lol’ and walked away.
“Mistah be nyu daddeh?! Weawwy mistah?! Pwease tak mummah an babbeh! Am gud fwuffy an babbeh am weawwy gud babbeh! Pwease tak gud fwuffies! Can gib wub an huggies an kissies an wots ob heawt happiess!”
“Hmmm… Alright! It’s a deal!”
They both cheered. The mom rolled over and hugged her baby tightly. While still on her side the mom talked to the baby.
“Awight babbeh. Cwimb mummah an fwuffies ged nyu homsie! Jus a widdle bid nyu daddeh. Babbeh cwimb mummah su babbeh nu weft behin!”
“Babbeh wub cwimb mummah! Wub seein aww da pwetty tings fwom high up!”
The mom sung her song as the baby climb up, nesting gently on her back as she stood.
“Babbeh am weady mummah! Su cited fo nyu daddeh an homsie!”
“Mummah am tuu! Nyu daddeh! Mummah an babbeh am wea- N-nyu daddeh? Whewe am nyu daddeh! M-mummah an babbeh am weady nao! S-sowwy tak su wongsies huuu! N-nu pwease! Nu be gonsie yed! Nyu daddeh huuhuuuuuu!”
I had hid myself by simply walking two steps to the left, standing next to the wall. Once the baby started doing its little sad chirps I revealed myself.
“It’s just fine, guys! I’m right here.”
“Huu mummah tot nyu daddeh weave mummah an babbeh! Hab wowstest saddies eba! Su happi ou am bak! Sowwy fo tak su wongsies.”
“P-peep chirp. D-dank ou fo cum baksies daddeh. Babbeh ged scawed huuu! Nu wike duin dawk time spouwin. Nu wan be ousidsies nu mo.”
“OK, stand still for me and I’ll pick you up and bring you home.”
“Yaayyyyy, wub upsies!”, they both cheered.
I put my hands under her stomach and lifted her up, cradling her legs in my arms. The whole way home they sang and expressed their undying love for me. They looked up at me with hope in their eyes. A true love for their dad and the happy future they thought they’d have. The baby would never grow big and strong and the mother would never see it happen. This was the beginning of the end of their happiness.
“Guess what, bestest fluffies! We’re home!”, I said, opening my front door and closing it behind us.
They cried out in happiness and love. They looked around astonished, not believing that they finally got a forever home. I set them on the kitchen counter as the continued to be awe-struck. The mom slowly lied down and the baby cutely rolled off her and dashed around in every direction it wanted to look.
“Well, what do you think?”
“W-w-wub. Wub nyu homsie huuuhuuuhuuuu! Wub nyu daddeh! W-w… NEE HUGGIES HUUHUUU!”, the mom cried out and I swooped her up in an embrace as she softly wrapped her arms around me.
“BABBEH WUB! CHIRP PEEP PEEP! NYU HOMSIE AM BESSESS HOMSIE EBA! WUB NYU DADDEH! WUB SU MUCHIES!”
“I’m glad you guys like it.”, I said, rubbing the mummah’s back as I hugged her.
The baby continued to run around on the counter, taking in all the sights of my tiny kitchen. The mom continued to sob in my arms as she squeezed me as hard as she could. I continued to hug her and rub her back and head. She was shaking but beginning to calm down. She must have been really scared for her and her baby outside. They weren’t too skinny but an hour of being hungry feels like a month to fluffies.
My attention was on the mother, making sure she was calm and felt happy and safe in her new home. I wanted her to feel as settled in as her baby already seemed to be. I could feel her slowly decompressing in my arms. Her feverishly hot body starting to cool down as I squeezed her. Still shaking slightly she looked up at me with wet eyes and her red skin visible through her face fluff.
“M-mummah an babbeh f-f-finawwy safe fwom da scawy munstahs? Nu mo tummeh huwties ow heawt saddies? N-nu mo… Nu wose wastest babbeh?”, she said beginning to tear up again.
“Shhhh. You are home now. You are here with your daddy.”
“sniff D-d-dank ouhuuuhuuuu! Su many scawies ousidE! Nu wike! Scawy munstahs… HUUUHUUUHUUUU DANK OU FO SABE WASTEST BABBEH AN MUMMAH! HUUUUU SU SCAWED OUSIDE!”
“You don’t have to say anything else.”, I said, giving her one last squeeze and head rub before setting her down in the middle of where her baby was running around, “Why don’t we get you two clean?”
“sniff Y-yiss. Pwease daddeh, gib mummah an babbeh cweanies. Nu smeww ow feew pwetty in su many fo’ebas. Fwuff nu pwetty an babbeh nu hab gud wicky cweanies.”
“Yayy! Bessess cweanies fwom bessess daddeh! Su cited tu be pwetty babbeh gain!”, the baby said on all fours, breathing heavily from the running.
I grabbed the mother as the baby danced and placed her next to the kitchen sink while I warmed the water. She sniffled while looking up at me. She wasn’t smiling but her eyes told me she was happier than she had ever been. She felt like the luckiest fluffy of all. Once the water was warm I picked her up and put her close to the faucet.
“D-daddeh. S-sowwy daddeh bu wawa am ba fo fwuffies. Nu wan ba wawa cweanies.”
“It’s only bad if no one is there to dry you. I’ll give you the bestest drysies ever when I’m done.”
“sniff Otay daddeh. Mummah twust ou. Dank ou fo tak cawe ob fwuffies. Wub ou.”
She whimpered as I wet her fluff but eventually began to coo and by the end she was smiling. I picked her up with a towel when I was done. She wore an open mouth smile as I lifted her up and cooed more as I rubbed her fluff dry. When I was done I gave her one more hug and set her back on the counter where her baby was on his stomach, flailing his little legs around while singing.
“Cweanies am da bessess daddeh! Mummah wub wawm wawa! Can hab cweanies gain?”
“Maybe later. First we need to clean your baby.”
“Otay daddeh! Su happiess dat babbeh hab bessess cweanies fwom daddeh!”
“Am babbeh tuwn fo cweanies?”, the baby said, whipping its tail wildly.
“That’s right!”, I said, picking him up and bringing him to the running faucet.
“Yayyy! Babbeh am gun be su pwetty an smeww su gud! Wan wook pwetty wike mummah! Su many heaw- PEEP CHIRP NU! WAWA BA FO BABBEHS!”
“Nu, babbeh! Wawa am otay! Daddeh gib da bessess dwysies eba an wawa am wawm wike huggies!”
“PEEP P-peep chirp chirp. O-peep-otay. S-sowwy daddeh. Nu mean tu be scawedy babbeh.”
“Aww, it’s OK. Let’s get started.”
He took longer to get accoustemed to the water but didn’t freak out like I expected. He truly felt safe in my hands. Everything was perfect right now. To them it’s the start of something amazing. To me it was start of the fun. I finsished cleaning and drying the baby, placing it next to his mom who was lying on her side and looking up at me with a big smile on her face. She quickly grabbed her baby and hugged it tightly, kissing the top of its head.
“Babbeh am da pwettiess babbeh! Mummah wub ou su muchies! Smeww su pwetty nao!”, the mom said.
“PEEP CHIRP BABBEH WUB! Su many heawt happiess! Hab da bessess daddeh eba! Dank ou fo cweanies!”
The baby was about to wiggle out of his moms arms as she hugged him tightly, wagging her tail and rolling left to right.
“How about some food and then I’ll show you where you two will be sleeping?”
“Mummah hab biggess tummeh huwties. Pwease gib nummies. Den mummah can gib babbeh bessess miwkies.”
“PEEP CHIRP Nummies fo mummah?! Dat means miwkies fo babbeh! Babbeh wan nummies fo mummah! Wan miwkies!”
The baby was bounding with energy while the mom was looking tired from all the emotions. I poured water in a pot and the mom immediately perked up.
“S-s-sketties?! Am daddeh makin sketties fo mummah?!”
“That’s right!”, I said, put the pot on the stove.
“Mummah neba hab sketties befo! Su cited fo bessess nummies! Mummah wub!”
“W-wa am sketties mummah?”
“Dey am da bessess nummies eba! Dey mak da bessess miwkies fo babbehs!”
“Bessess miwkies fo widdew babbeh?! YAAYYYY! SU CITED FO BESSESS MIWKIES! Du da bessess dancies fo daddeh tu mak bessess sketties fo mummah!”, he said, getting up on his hind legs and dancing his heart out the whole time.
I didn’t have any pasta sauce or noodles but I did have box macaroni and cheese. I boiled the noodles, put in the dry cheese packet with a healthy hunk of butter and stirred it up. The baby danced as the mom watched in awe. Her whole fluffy life she had never had sketties. I suppose these don’t count but it’s not like she would know. I could hand her a dry cracker and she’d think it was sketties. I put the no-longer-neon mac n cheese in a plastic bowl and served it to her.
“D-dis am sketties?”, she said, not a single hint of disappointment in her voice.
“That’s right! Enjoy!”
“Yaaayyyyy! Dank ou daddeh! Bessess nummies eba! Smeww su pwetty!”, she said then drove her face right into the bowl.
“Yaayyy! Mummah hab da bessess nummies an babbeh gun hab bessess miwkies eba! Babbeh du da miwkie dance fo mummah!”
The baby continued to dance as the mom scarfed down the macaroni. Noodles shaped like cartoon characters began to fly out of the bowl and re-hydrated cheese got all over her face. I started to scratch her back and her face came up to say ‘WUB!’. Her face was orange with cheese and mashed noodles filled her nose. She went right back in to finish it all and lick the bowl clean.
“Mummah am aww dun! Num aww da sketties an gib wicky cweanies tu bowl! Bessess nummies eba daddeh! Dank ou su muchies!”
She had her energy back after eating. Her tail went from flopping around to going crazy and grinned with her teeth full off noodles and clumps on dry cheese that didn’t mix in. I grabbed a wet wipe and pet her as I wiped her face off.
“You two ready to see your safe room?”
“M-mummah an babbeh… Ged woom dats safe? J-jus fo fwuffies? Neba hab tu wowwy bou munstahs?”
“Correct!”
“YAAYYYY! BESSESS EBA! WUB DADDEH SU MUCHIES! WAN SEE SABE WOOM!”, The both cried out to some degree.
I gently lifted the baby and put him on the moms back. I picked them up and carried them to the walk in closet of my room. I opened the door and set them down in it. I had already blocked off a small space on the right side for them to stay with all my clothes weighing down the left side rack. The carpet was protected with two towels so I could have my excuse in the morning without having to clean their mistake.
“Aww dis am fo mummah an babbeh?”, she said looking around the, maybe, 2x2 space.
“Thats right, everything here is yours!”
“Babbeh wan spwowe! Babbeh wan spwowe bessess sabe woom!”, the baby said, clinging tightly to his moms back.
“Mummah… mummah su happi huuhuuuu! Dank ou daddeh! Mummah an babbeh pwomise tu be bessess! Neba be ba! Awways wub daddeh! Wub su muchies! Huuuu dank ou!”, she said as she started to cry again.
“I’ll leave you two for the night. Make sure you get plenty of sleep. You are going to have a big day tomorrow!”
“Mummah am su cited fo nex bwite time! Wiww gu sweepies wen babbeh hab miwkies!”, She said, lying down and rolling over as her baby hopped off her back and walked to her ‘miwkie pwaces’, “Gu hed babbeh. Dwink aww da miwkies. Dey am bessess sketti miwkies!”
“Yaayyyy! Sketti miwkies gun be bessess eba!”
“OK, you two have sweet dreams.”
“Ou tuu daddeh! Wub ou su muchies!”, the mom said as I closed the door.
She began to sing the ‘mummah song’ to her baby as he drank the milk. After about 5 minutes it was completely silent and I went to bed myself. I woke up at about 3am to peeping and chirping. The sharp, sporadic noises wouldn’t let me go back to sleep. Finally I heard the mom speak up.
“Daddeh! Daddeh, Mummah nee ou! Babbeh nee ou! Pwease hewp fwuffies! Nee daddeh! Nu babbeh. Pwease nu. Jus ged nyu daddeh, nu can be ba babbeh su soonies! Pwease babbeh id am otay! Huuuu daddeh! Daddeh cum nao! Babbeh nee du poopies! Nu wan babbeh tu be ba!”
“HUUHUU-PEEP-HUUUUHUU-CHIRP-HUUU N-N-NUUHUUUHU-PEEP BA POOPIES! BA POOPIES HUUHU-PEEPCHIRP! SOWWY MUMMAH! NU WAN BE BA BAB-CHIRP!”
“N-NU! BABBEH HUUU! Nu i-id am otay. Am jus widdew babbeh. Babbehs hab assidents. Nu am ba babbeh fo ba poopies. B-babbeh nu mean tu. DADDEH! PWEASE CUM TU FWUFFIES! NEE DADDEH!”
I opened the door and the mom ran her way to me, bouncing off my leg. The baby was on its side, ears flat as it sobbed next to an adorably small pile of poop. I lift the mom up as she pushed her front legs into my leg.
“D-daddeh! Mummah sowwy! Babbeh du ba poopies! Nu fin wittabox an nu abwe tu wake ou! Mummah sowwy! Babbeh am nu ba! Jus hab assident! Ba poopies am assident!”
She was frantic. She knew that as a human I was the law. I am the only thing that can feed them, shelter them, and open doors for them. In this house they are nothing without me. They were nothing without me outside but there wouldn’t have been any punishments. At least no punishments that were worse than a fluffy could do. I cradled the mom in my arms as she looked up at me wide eyed and pleading.
“Shhh. I know. He’s just a little baby but if I don’t punish him then this behavior will continue. He will keep pushing boundaries. I need to keep him in line as his daddeh.”
“N-nu! Wet mummah du punissmend! Wiww nu wet babbeh du gain! Babbeh neba hab assident gain! Mummah pwomise!”
“I’m sorry but those are the rules here.”, I said, setting her down, “I am the one who handles those responsibilities here. Now go grab your baby and bring him to me.”
“Huuu nuuuu!”, She said, eyes shut tight while stomping her hooves, “Nu huwt babbeh! Puniss mummah! Mummah am ba mummah! Wowstest mummah eba! Gib mummah wowstest huwties! Nu huwt babbeh! PWEASE DADDEH! NU PUNISS BABBEH!”
“Do what I said. You aren’t a bad fluffy but you can be.”
She had tears welling in her eyes. Her bottom lip quivered as she whimpered. After a sniff and a huuu she turned around and walked over to her baby.
“B-babbeh? Am babbeh otay?”
“sniff MUMMAH! N-nu wan be ba babbeh! Am sowwy babbeh! Su sowwy fo ba poopies! Nu wan be punissed! Nu wan huwties! Jus widdew babbeh! W-w-wan huggies! Wan wub!”
“Huuhuuu! M-mummah knu babbeh! Mummah am bewwy sowwy bu daddeh nee tu puniss babbeh. M-mummah nu wan babbeh tu be punissed bu dis am daddehs housie. Mummah an babbeh nee wisten tu daddeh. Nee be gud fo daddeh. Mummah sowwy huuhuuuu!”, she said, bending down and picking him up by the back of his neck with her mouth.
“PEEP CHIRP NU! B-B-BABBAH AM PEEP SOWWY! CHIRP AM SOWWY! NU WAN HUWTIES PEEP! MUMMAH! PWEASE NU! PWEASE DADDEH! DADDEH AM BESSES! BABBEH WUB OU! SU SOWWY FO BA POOPIES! NU MEAN TU! POOPIES AM ASSIDENT! BABBEH SCAWED! S-S-SCAWEDY PEEPEES HUUHUUU! SCAWEDY PEEPEES AM BA! BABBEH AM BA BABBEH! BABBEH DESEWBE PUNISSMENT!”
“S-sowwy babbeh huuu! sniff H-h-h-hewe daddeh huuhuuuuuhuuuuuuuu! Pwease! Pwease be gendew wit babbeh! Am su widdew! Am aww mummah hab weft!”
“Now, now. You aren’t the one that decides what happens.”, I said, picking up the baby that was too scared to do anything but cry, “OK, baby. I know it was an accident but I still have to punish you.”
He tried to peep and chirp but couldn’t with how caught up he was in his hoarse screaming and crying. The whining mom followed me as I carried him.
“What are you doing?”
“sniff B-babbeh nee mummah. M-m-mummah nee be wit babbeh. Babbeh hab wowstest scawdies witou mummah.”
“No, no. That isn’t what this is about. I’m not going to be mean to your baby. You need to trust me enough to be alone with him.”
“M-mummah scawed!”
“I know but it’s going to be alright.”
“B-bu… Bu…”, she said as I pushed her back into the closet with my foot.
“It’s OK.”, I said, closing her back in the closet.
She started crying the moment the door closed. I carried the baby to the kitchen, where his happy memories started in this house. I set him down on the counter where he sat on his butt. I got down to his level and spoke to him.
“You are a very bad baby. You pooped and peed in your safe room. If it weren’t for me being here how do you think that would get cleaned?”
“WAAHHHHHH HUUUUHUUUUU BABBEH NU KNU! BABBEH ONWY KNU AM SOWWY!”
“ME! I have to clean it! You are just a baby so you cant do it! Your mom is a fluffy so obviously she can’t do it! Only a human with cleaning supplies can!”
“B-babbeh sowwy! Nu wan daddeh tu hab tu cwean up abtew babbeh! Babbeh am su sowwy!”, he said, his voice much quieter and head low.
“Well, it doesn’t matter what you want anymore. This is about what you did. Now, how do I punish you?”
“P-pwease! Nu g-gib babbeh huwties! Nu wan! Babbeh sowwy! Gib huggies! Babbeh scawed an nee huggies! Wub daddeh!”
“Which do you like more? Hugging or dancing?”
“W-wa daddeh mean?”
“I mean what I said. Do you like hugging or dancing more?”
“B-babbeh wub bofe! Wub da-”
“Stop! I asked you a question. I know you love both. You are a baby fluffy, of course you love both. If you could only do one for the rest of your forevers which would it be?”
“B-babbeh… Huuuuu babbeh am scawed huuhuuuuu! Babbeh nu wike dis punissmend! P-pwease! Wet babbeh gu bak tu mummah! Babbeh wearn wesson! Babbeh knu wha du wwong! Pwease daddeh! Babbeh wub ou!”
“I love you, too. Pick.”
“B-babbeh wub… babbeh wub dancies mo huuhuuuu! Wub duin dancies! Gib mummah heawt happiess!”
He was curled up in a heaving lump on the counter. I pulled out a stained plastic cutting board and plopped it next to the baby, making it jump. I grabbed a steak knife out of my cheap knife block and two binder clips after sifting through my junk drawer for a minute. I put them next to the cutting board and transferred a shaking baby from the counter to the board.
He had front hooves shoved in his mouth. Trying to rock himself back and forth he opened his eyes slightly to look at me pleadingly. I looked down on him angrily. His eyes shut tightly as he whimpered while sucking on his hooves. I picked up the knife.
“Get those out of your mouth.”
He continued to whimper and suckle. I rolled him on his back as he let out a whine. I ran my left hands index and middle finger up his chest fluff and to his chin, splitting my fingers. His hooves were pulled out of his mouth and forced flat on the board.
“WAHHHH! NUUUU! PWEASE DADDEH! NU NU NU! STIWW NEE TU DU HUGGIES! PWEASE NU! WAN WAGGEW AWMS WEN DANCIES! WAN HUG MUMMAH! WAN DU WAWKIES WIKE NOWMAW FWUFFY!”
“It is going to be OK, fluffy. It’s just a punishment. You were a bad baby. Do you want to be a good baby again?”
“Y-y-y-yiss.”, he barely sputtered out.
“Then you know what I have to do.”
As I prepared the knife he began screaming again. There was no way out for him. Held down against the cutting board his only defense were his words. He would beg and plead until he was brought back to his mom or his punishment was completed. I brought the knife close to his left front leg, right to the shoulder.
“PEEP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP PEEP MUMMAH! HEWP BABBEH! BABBEH NU WAN! HEWP! NU WAN WOSE HUGGIE WEGGIES! AM ONWY BABBEH! SU WIDDEW! TUU WIDDEW FO PUNIS- SCREEEEEEE-PEEP CHIRP CHIRP SCREEEEEEE OWIES WOWSTEST OWIES EBA! SCREEEEE HUUHUUU BIGGESS HUWTIES! NU WIKE! NU WAN! STAWP! WUB DADDEH! PWEASE STAWP! SCREEEEEE HUUUUU WAI SU OWIE! TUU WUDDEW FO SU MANY OWIES!”
The first leg was removed. The steak knife merely pulled the soft tissue apart, breaking the bone before even reaching it. He was in complete hysterics, leaning himself against my middle finger and trying to hug it. His failure to do so seemed to hurt him worse than losing his leg. I took a binder clip and snapped it on his stump. It pinched and slipped off.
“OWWWIIEESS! WOWSTEST OWIES! SCREEEEE HUUUHUUUUU SU MANY HUWTIES! NU WAN NU MO! PWEASE BWING BAK TU MUMMAH! WEARN WESSON! BABBEH SU SOWWY HUUHUUUU! WIWW BE GUD BABBEH!”
“Calm down, I have to make sure this goes on.”, I said, bringing the binder clip further up the stump and pinching it closed.
“P-pwease daddeh. Babbeh sowwy. Nu wan nu mo huwties. Babbeh wearn wesson. W-wub daddeh. Wan huggies an wub. Pwease wub widdew babbeh. Pwease tak bak tu mummah.”, he said, hoping this was the end.
“We just have one more to go and then you are free and a good baby again.”
“sniff HUUHUUU! Nu wan! Babbeh nu can tak nu mo! Babbeh am su scawed! Huwties am ba fo babbeh! Babbeh nu wike!”
Without speaking I brought the knife down and began cutting off his last ‘huggie weggie’.
“SCREEEEEEEEE! PEEP CHIRP WAI! WAI DU DIS TU PWETTY WIDDEW BABBEH! KNU MAK BA POOPIES BU AM JUS WIDDEW BABBEH! NU MEAN TU! BA PEEPEES FWOM SCAWEDY BABBEH! NU MEAN TUUHUUUHUUUUU! DADDEH! BABBEH WUB DADDEH! DADDEH WUB BABBEH! SCREEEEE! WAI GIB SU MANY OWIES! AM JUS BABBEH NU MO OWIES! GIB HUGGIES! NEE WUB! NEE MUMMAH HUUUUU!”
After his front legs were gone I grabbed the last binder clip and snapped it on the stump. He let out a sharp ‘OWIE’ but was mostly just whimpers about needing love and his mom.
“Shhhh. It’s over. And guess what? You’re a good baby again!”
“sniff Chirp peep. Peep peep chirp chirp. B-babbeh am… am gud babbeh gain? N-nu mo huwties? Am gud gain?”
“Yes. Now lets get you back to your mom.”, I said, gently picking him up.
“Huuu. Otay daddeh. Babbeh hab su many huwties. Neba wan gain. Pwease pwomise tu neba huwt babbeh gain. Babbeh nu wike huwties huuuuu.”
“Can you promise to be a good baby?”
“Y-yiss daddeh. Am s-sowwy fo ba poopies an peepees. Nu habben gain. W-wub daddeh.”
He hadn’t fully registered the loss of his front legs. I opened the door to my closet and set the baby down, the mother already rushing towards me.
“BABBEH! Am babbeh otay? Mummah am hewe babbeh! Gun gib bessess huggies an wu- W-W-N-N-SC-WAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHEWE BABBEHS WEGGIES! WHEWE AM HUGGIE WEGGIES DADDEH? HUUUHUUUU NUUUUUUU! BABBEH NU DESEWBE DIS! WAI TAK HUGGIE WEGGIES? BABBEH NEE DEM! AWW FWUFFIES NEE TU GIB HUGGIES! HUUHUUUHUUUUUU WAAAHHHHHH! POOW WIDDEW BABBEH! MUMMAH AM SU SOWWY! AM BA MUMMAH! BWING BABBEH TU MUNSTAH HOUSIE! HUUHUUUU NUUUUUU! TWY SU HAWD! WOSE SU MUCHIES! SU MANY HEAWT HUWTIES! NU CAN TAK! HUUUUUU MUMMAH AN BABBEH AM IN TWUBBEW! WAI GU WIT MUNSTAH? MUMMAH KNU BEDDEW!”, the mom cried out in agonizing horror.
“You don’t know sketties from mac n cheese, I’m not surprised you couldn’t suss me out. Now that the big secret is out I guess it’s time to move this along.”
“Huuuu! Daddeh am munstah! Wai mummah bwing babbeh tu munstah house? Ba mummah huuhuuu! Wowstest mummah eba! Nu wub nu mo! Babbeh nu can gib huggies! Nu can show happiess wen duin dancies! Neba wun gain! Neba stak twashies gain! Neba du jumpies! Neba cwimb mummah fwuff! Babbeh nu wan! Babbeh wan weggies! Babbeh scawed witou weggies! Babbeh nee weggies! Wai bwing tu munstah?”
“N-nu… nu. sniff huuuuu… d-dis nu- dis am ba dweam. D-DIS NU WEAL! DIS AM MUNSTAH DWEAM! NEE WAKIES! WAI NU WAKIES! WAN TU WAKIES OUSID! NU CAWE IF DAWK TIME! WAN BABBEH WIT AWW WEGGIES! WAN HEAWT HAPPIESS GAIN! WA AM DIS? D-DIS AM SCAWIESS DWEAM EBA! WAI HAB SCAWIESS DWEAM! MUMMAH NU WIKE!”
The baby had its back legs straight out behind it as it buried its face into the towel. The mom was walking back and forth in the small space in the closet having her little meltdown. The isolated chaos did not matter in the grand scheme of things. They were just feral fluffies. No one takes in strays anymore. They never stood a chance. It just happened someone like me passed by them to make their final moments worse than anything I could dream of.
I reached down to the baby lying facing away from me. I grabbed a clip, one in each hand. I pressed them wide open and let them close. They both pinched and slipped off, causing horrific pain and letting the blood flow. The baby tried to scream out but had lost its voice. It wiggled wildly while making gasping sounds.
“MUMMAH SCAWED! MUMMAH SU SC- BABBEH! BABBEH NUUHUUUU!”, she said, running over to her dying baby, “NU! PWEASE BABBEH! MUMMAH NEE OU! AM SOWWY BWING TU MUNSTAH HOUSIE! NU WAN BABBEH TU HUWT EBA! GI-GIB HUGGIES! HUGGIES MAK DA HUWTIES GU WAY HUUU! PWEASE WOWK HUGGIES! NEE BABBEH! AM MUMMAHS WASTEST! WUB WASTEST BABBEH! NU CAN WOSE! NU KNU WA MUMMAH DU! PWEASE! ONWY TING MUMMAH CAN DU TU HEWP! NU WAN BABBEH TU GU FO’EBA SWEEPIES! AM TUU WIDDEW! sniff B-babbeh? Babbeh pwease. Pwease du bweathies. Pwease du tawkies. D-du chiwpies. Pwease… DU CHIWPIES NAO! DU NAO FO MUMMAH! PWEASE BABBEH HUUUU! NUUUUU! NU CAN WOSE WASTEST BABBEH! AM WOWSTEST MUMMAH EBAAAHAAAHAAAAAA! WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
The mom was lying down now, hugging the corpse of her son. I was surprised she was still conscious after that. She became incoherent very quickly and babbled to the body. I sat on the edge of my bed watching the scene through the open door. It took about 30 minutes for her to calm down enough to speak clearly.
“N-nu wan munstah tu ged mummah. Munstah am wowstest. Nu wan biggess huwties. B-babbeh wook wike hab biggess owies eba huuhuuu! S-s-sowwy babbeh! Mummah am ba fwuffy! Nao munstah gun gib fo’eba huwties huuuhuuu! Wiww be wit babbeh soon huuhuuu!”
She kissed the body and I stood up off the bed. She looked up at me and whimpered. Even after everything. Whatever she went through outside with her other babies. Nearing death with one baby left. Unknowingly letting a monster take both of them. Everything the baby went through. Watching it bleed out while listening to it cry about its missing legs and feeling betrayed by her. Holding his corpse, knowing the end is soon. All of this and she still wanted to live. She was still scared.
“A-am mummah nu mo! Wan be mummah gain! Wub babbehs! Wai munstah? Wai tak wastest babbeh? Am gud mummah! Huuhuuuuu mummah nu am gud! Bwing babbeh tu munstah housie huuhuuu! NU WAN BE BA MUMMAH! NU WAN BE IN MUNSTAH HOUSIE! WUB AWW BABBEHS! NU WAN WOSE ANY! WAI HAB TU WOSE AWW? WAI GIB WASTEST BABBEH FO’EBA SWEEPIES? NU HUWT NO MO MUMMAH! PWEASE MUNSTAH! HUWT NO MO MUMMAH ENUFF! HAB BIGGESS HEAWT HURTIES! BIGGESS OB AWW HUUHUUU!”
“That’s not the monster way. You lasted longer than most fluffies would out there. You put in the effort and even made it with one baby alive. For some animal not even meant to live outside that is admirable. Especially with all the stray cats lately. Whatever, it’s time for your turn.”
“Nu… pwease. Knu am ba mummah bu wan mak up fo id. Wan twy gain. Wan nuter chancie. Pwease munstah. Wan be mummah gain. Wan be beddew mummah.”
I didn’t speak as I lifted her up and cradled her in my arms. She whined as I looked down on her in my arms. Her legs were curled up and her eyes were big and wet. She still had some inkling of hope for the future. I decided to lean into it. Make it as bad as it could get.
“OK. Let me take you out.”
“D-dank ou munstah. Wan be beddew mummah. Wub babbehs. W-wiww munstah pwease b-buwy babbeh? Nu wan tu gu in twashies, dat am ba pwace fo babbeh.”
“Sure.”
She thanked me and gently told me what she would do with her new life. She seemed hopeful for the future right now. All she would need was more time to think. She was hopeful because she had choice. I would take all that from her.
“How’s this seem for a start?”, I said, nodding towards an alley way with a newish cardboard box in it.
“Y-yiss. Dis am gud fo no mo mummah. Wi-wiww wook fo nyu speshul fwen an hab nyu babbehs. Be gud mummah gain. Wiww be da bessess. Neba wet babbehs ged huwties an neba gu wit munstahs. D-dank ou fo secund chancie munstah.”
“I think you know that I can’t just let you go.”, I said, setting her down in front of the cardboard box.
“M-munstah? Pwease!”, she said, crouching down and shaking, “Nu tak mo. Awweady tak wastest babbeh. G-gib wowstest heawt huwties. N-n-nu mo mummah am su tiwed huuu. Nee tu gu sweepies an fin nummies ad dawk time. Pwease munstah. Nu mo.”
“Lie down flat. That’s all I ask.”
“O-otay munstah. P-pwease be nice t-tu nu mo mummah. Su sad.”
“Shhh. Just close your eyes. Are you comfortable?”
“Y-yiss munstah. sniff Su scawdies.”
I pulled a clothespin from my pocket that I carry for emergency situations. Those situations never involve holding clothes together. I bent down and quickly poked it into the back of her neck. Her body raised and lengthened slightly.
“Huuu nu mo mummah am sca- OWIE! Big owie huuu! Wai huwt mummah! Munstah stiww wan gib nu mo mummah fo’eba sweepies! Nee wun way! Nee fin nyu speshul fwen! Weggies! W-w-weggies? NUUU! WEGGIES PWEASE WOWK! MUNSTAH WAN HUWT FWUFFY! NEE TU MOBE! HUUHUUUU SU SCAWY! WAI NU MOBE NU MO! WA MUNSTAH DU! MUNSTAH TAK WEGGIES FWOM FWUFFY! TAK AWW WEGGIES! NUUUUU! HAB SECUND CHANCIE! WAI TAK WEGGIES NAO? HUUHUUUU! NUUUUUU! NU CAN FIN SPESUL FWEN! NU HAB BABBEHS GAIN! NU… NU HAB WEASON TU WIVE! N-NU WAN DIE! NU WAN DIE HUUHUUU! WAN SECUND CHANCIE! WAI MUNSTAH TAK DAT WAY NAO HUUHUUUU! TUU MANY HEAWT SADDIES! MUNSTAH? MUNSTAH NU WEAVE FWUFFY! NEE OU! FWUFFY NU CAN MOBE HUUHUUU! PWEASE MUNSTAH! NU WEAVE FWUFFY WIKE DIS! WAI HUUHUUU! WAN WIVE! WAN TWY GAIN!”
I left her and went back home. I grabbed the baby fluffy in the closet and tossed it in the trash then took the towels and put them in the washer. After that it felt like the next mummah couldn’t come soon enough.