Maria entered the lunchroom, holding her lunch bag loosely in her left hand. She had brought a lunch from home instead of paying for the increasing prices of cafeteria food. A small sigh escaped her lips as she sat across from her co-worker, Loraine; an older woman, but she somehow managed to keep her chipper attitude.
“Hello Maria. You’re looking a little down today,” Loraine said, looking up from her bowl of hot cafeteria chili.
Maria offered a small smile in return. “Hi Loraine. I guess I am a bit down.” She unzipped her lunch bag to take out a cool sandwich made with cheese, ham, and lettuce.
“Oh, dear, what’s bothering you? Anything I can help with?”
Maria watched Loraine take a bite of the chili. It smelled very good. “I don’t think so…” She paused to bite into her sandwich. The crunch of the lettuce seemed to echo across the near-empty lunchroom. A moment was taken to chew and swallow. Then she said, “I guess I’ve been feeling lonely at home since Austin left. I wish I could get a pet, but I work so much it wouldn’t be fair to keep one.”
“You should get a fluffy!” Loraine perked up. “They’re wonderful things that don’t need too much.”
“A…fluffy?” Maria had seen strays on the street before but hadn’t paid too much attention to them due to her busy schedule.
Loraine was excited now, her eyes filled with light at the chance to help her friend. “Yes, a fluffy! One would be perfect for you, dear. They’re basically a living toy, so you can just leave them with some food and water, and they’ll be fine on their own.”
“Really? That would be nice…” Maria was thinking about it now. She had never considered getting a fluffy. “But don’t they get into trouble a lot? I don’t want my things getting ruined.”
Loraine waves her hand dismissively and chuckles. “Then you can just have their legs removed. That way they won’t get into things, and you don’t even need to walk them. They’re the perfect little lap-pet. My grandson has one and it’s the cutest thing ever.”
Maria smiles a tad more. “That actually sounds great. I think that would really help me out at home. Just to have something there, you know?”
“Oh yes. They’re little love-bugs. I think you’ll be so happy with one!”
Maria finished her lunch, talking with Loraine about how great fluffies are, then she went back to work.
As she was walking home, Maria heard a small noise from the alley next to her. She stopped, and noticed a lone fluffy baby, with a pretty purple mane and fluff, albeit very dirty. She crouched down next to the small thing. “Hello you. Aren’t you a pretty baby.”
The little purple foal reached her dirty leggies up at Maria, her golden eyes shimmering with tears. “Pwease nice wady… Mummah nu can make miwkies nu mowe and weft babbeh aww awone… Huu huu huu… Pwease gib nyu housie wif wub and miwkies…”
Maria smiled wide as she scooped the filthy foal up in one hand. “Of course, I will! You’re perfect!”
Summary
It was a very close call between Hugbox and Sadbox, but Sadbox won out by only 2%. I guess it’s nice purple babbeh got a warm housie with all the food and water she could need, but nothing is truly free in a world of misinformation 