Supah Fwuff saves a Jumper
Tribute to KMEB’s Supe’ Fluff
Featuring art by Wetfluff
~
Bliss.
Clark could feel the force of wind gentle caress the fluff on his face and body, as the red cape on his back flaps due to the friction of the wind. This was the joy of flying freely through the sky, without a care in the world. At this altitude, all there is just a lone pink alicorn and the clouds. Even though he has his obligations as a superhero, and could always hear the call of someone needing help, once in a while, he enjoyed the feel of simple and uninterrupted flight. Even when he is rushing towards the next place in need of help, the practice of flying freely feels so different from living a life bound to the Earth.
Freedom. It’s a very human word – the closest fluffspeak equivalent would be a simple “fwee” or “awways fwee”. Supah Fwuff with his powers has the freedom to do anything he wants. However, and being brought up by his owner Mark Connors to be a good fluffy, Clark’s moral fiber and benevolent spirit helped him to become the superhero known as Supah Fwuff. Supah Fwuff does his best to answer every call that is near to him, as soon as he can, even when he celebrates the joy of flying freely. He also takes joy in doing good things, other than just fighting monsters. As a member of the Band of Heroes, he does do occasional charity work with the other Band members, like replanting a forest and watering it, or helping to clear garbage from some of the more polluted areas of the world. One of the Band’s most well-known track records was clearing the constantly polluted Ganges.
Another simpler, but no less significant good deed that Supah Fwuff enjoys doing is giving hugs, especially to those who need it. Earlier that day, Supah Fwuff was doing his usual rounds at one of the shelters for abandoned foals owned by Samuel Adams. After that, he visited the St. Tolkien Hospital for Children. He sometimes asks his daddeh, Mark, for help on rotation, so that he doesn’t visit one shelter, orphanage or hospital more than others. But it is all the same either way – even when the children or foals don’t see him, they understand his busy schedule, and appreciate that the most powerful being on the face of the planet takes the time to visit them, play blockies and, best of all, give a hug.
But there was something about this particular hospital, the one named after St. Tolkien. For down here, there was one particular girl who always enjoyed seeing Supah Fwuff the most, out of everyone else. She had been following his adventures ever since she was 6, and had seen Supah Fwuff save the day countless times, help clean up the planet, and yet, have the biggest friendly smile and give love and hugs to all. As one of Supah Fwuff’s biggest fans, she asked her parents for help to collect all kinds of photos of the fluffy superhero and, whenever he was on the news, she would be glued to the screen. One of her most prized possessions was a plushie of Supah Fwuff, which she loved to hug.
But of course, a plushie could not compare to a hug from the real biotoy.
Daphne has her frail but loving arms in a tight embrace around Supah Fwuff. While much smaller than her, Clark has learnt to conserve his strength such that he positions his arms to let Daphne do most of the hugging. Yet his soft fluff and gentle smile is enough for the girl who looks forward to seeing him, whenever he can.
“Dafney give da bestest huggies! Fwuffy wub!”
“I love you too, Supah Fwuff! Even though you can’t always be here, I appreciate the times when you can be!”
Daphne was putting on the biggest smile for Supah Fwuff, and her happiness was genuine. But Clark, in his many years as Supah Fwuff, had developed an ability to read the heart rates of the people and animals he encountered. From there, he was able to sense a possible sadness or longing if it was reticent in a person’s psyche. It helped him a lot when he dealt with a liar like Senator Aurelius Sandworm, who was responsible for sending many villains against him. And, whenever Gargoyle maintained his dark and brooding persona, Clark always knew that, deep down, Gargoyle was very attached to his own fluffy, Thomas.
Trying to be as gentle as possible, Clark simply asks, “Dafney fwen am otay?”
Daphne gives a defiant but sad smile. Seeing a little tear coming out of a duct, Supah Fwuff looks on helplessly as Daphne says, “I’m okay, Supah Fwuff. Just having you here is good enough for me.”
“Fwuffy undahstan. Anudda hug?”
“But of course.”
As Daphne brings her arms around Clark, Clark could feel a drop of wetness fall on his neck, as he hears Daphne’s soft whisper.
“I love you Supah Fwuff.”
~
This was not new to Supah Fwuff. He had met many children like Daphne. Some get a terrible sickness that meant that they were not long for this world. Some were afflicted by a terrible sickies that their parents passed to them. And even worse, there were some who had been hurt by terrible munstahs, and could never fully and properly recover due to a darkness that existed in Men and even fluffy’s hearts. And Supah Fwuff has to bear witness to it.
His powers make him invulnerable to all this evil, and he gives love to all the children he encounters. But Supah Fwuff knows that, even with all his powers, he cannot save everyone. He can only save what he can. And in the case of someone like Daphne, all he can offer is a hug, and his presence, because he knows that someone like Daphne values his presence. And yet, Supah Fwuff badly wants to heal Daphne. To be able to remove the terrible cancew munstah in her blood. To completely heal her, and let her not reach the forever sleep soon.
“I wish someone could understand me.”
It was a soft whisper, but Supah Fwuff was able to hear it. With his telescopic vision, he could see a crowd gathered around a larger apartment building. The police were also on the ground, with one of them holding a megaphone. He was yelling in the direction of a young woman, who was standing on a ledge.
~
Laura sees Supah Fwuff hovering in front of her. She remains silent. She had seen this charade before – a really suicidal person, upon seeing Supah Fwuff, would jump instantly, and Supah Fwuff would just fly down and rescue the jumper. Thunderous applause, the jumper goes to see a doctor, everyone goes home happy. So, and out of spite, she was not going to jump, but she was going to stay there. After all, fluffies were infamous for their short attention span. And, even if Supah Fwuff was magically more attentive than the average dumb fluffy, sure all the monsters and problems of the world require more attention than she did.
God, she wished. Won’t this fluffy just go away.
But Supah Fwuff remained hovering in front of Laura. A minute became five. It then became ten, and eventually, half an hour passed.
Laura, feeling rather irate, threw up a middle finger, and lashed out a curse word. But Supah Fwuff did not budge.
Realizing that strategy did not work, she tried something different.
“I’m alright, okay? I just want to enjoy the evening air at this high altitude. I’ll be going down later, you can go and have your sketties, play your bwockies, or do whatever it is you retarded ponies do.”
But Supah Fwuff still did not move.
With the irritation clear in her voice, and yet trying her best to see the least being reassuring, Laura says, “Look, I don’t need your help. I am okay.”
“Fwuffy nu think so, nice whady. Fwuffy hab seen many hummehs wif bigges saddies do bad jumpies wike dis. It nu am nice.”
“Nice?!! Is that what its all about? Of course the world is not nice. That’s why you’re a hero, aren’t you? Go out, fight a monster, and everyone celebrates you. Or go hug a child and eat spaghetti all day and play your stupid retarded games. I bet that gives you’re the biggest happiness.”
Supah fwuff shakes his head, as he clarifies, “Nu, fwuffy nu am happy. Fwuffy nu be happeh ib nice whady hab foreba sweepies.”
Indignant, Laura replied, “Well I want it. Dying right now will make me very happy. I mean, isn’’t that what you retards are programmed to do? Want our happiness?”
“How can nice whady be happy ib nice whady in foreba sweep? An nice whady nu am owd, nice whady just hab biggest saddies and head huwties.”
Laura was a little confused as to what this fluffy was saying, and then she remembered. He may not be a mind reader, but he seemed to be familiar with what depression was like. She heard about this, and how fluffies were trained to be an emotional support for people in depression. She’s not sure if Supah Fwuff was one of those fluffies, but he seemed to have experience with that.
“So what? You think hugging will solve my problem? You think you can just save the day and fly off? Your hug is not going to make me feel better, or solve any of my problems.
In fact, if you want to solve my problem? Go and die.”
“Bu’ fwuffy nu wan die. Fwuffy nu wan fwen ta die, and fwuffy nu wan nice whady ta die.”
“Why is your friend going to die? Aren’t you supah fwuffy? Can’t you rescue her?”
Supa Fwuff flies towards the ledge, and sets himself beside the girl. Laura, with great disdain, inches away from the fluffy.
“Fwuffy hab a fwen in hospitaw. Fwen nu feew’ guud. Fwen am onwy a widdwe babbeh, but hab no head fwuff.”
“What, she’s a fluffy?’
“Nuu, she am a hummeh. But she had wowstest sickies. Fwuffy weawn dat fwen hab dis sickies caww’d Cansah.”
Laura was a bit shocked to hear that. Not just that Supah Fwuff’s friend had cancer, but that this seemingly retarded biotoy could even understand what Cancer was.
“Cancer. My god, that is terrible.”
“It am da wowstest sickies, and fwen wiww hab da foreba sweepies. Bu’, fwen stiww wub huggies. And wen’ fwuffy can, fwuffy see Dafney and gib fwen da biggest an’ bestest huggies.”
“So why don’t you do that then? Leave me alone, and go see her.”
In a matter-of-fact manner, Supah Fwuff replies, “Fwuffy awweady meet fwen in bwight time. Nao, in dawkie time, nice whady need fwuffy.”
“I don’t need you. Your hugs aren’t going to fix my problem. Hell, your hugs aren’t going to cure her cancer. Hugs don’t fix everything.”
“Fwuffy knu.
But Daffney say, ewewy time she gibs huggies, it am a bwight time. Daffney nu scawedies of foreba sweepies cuz she wan to gib ewewy fwen da bestes’ huggies.”
Laura reflects on what Supah Fwuff is saying. Here he was, talking about a girl who was on death’s door, and would die at any moment. And yet she’s happy. Not only because her hero, Supah Fwuff, pays a visit to her, but more importantly, she loves to hug and be friendly to the people to knows. As Laura contemplates on the pain and suffering this girl must be going through, and yet, the peace she finds from just being nice to someone, it overwhelms her a little.
“I’m so scared, Supah Fwuff.
I just hate myself. And nothing in my life is working out. My family hates me, I just lost my job, and soon I might have nothing left. I feel so alone.”
“Fwen nu am awone. Supah Fwuffy am hewe ta wisten.”
Realizing that he hasn’t introduced himself, he gives his real name, something that he doesn’t always do.
“Hewwo nice whady, fwuffy am Cwark, da Supah Fwuff.”
“Hello Clark. I’m Laura.”
“Weww, Wauwa fwen wan hug?” offers Supah Fwuff, his limbs in position, ready to accept a hug from Laura.
Laura feels a bit uncertain. How can a hug make someone feel better? A hug is not going to solve all the problems she has, or cure the demons in mind and life.
His limbs still in prime hugging position, Supah Fwuff offers, “Fwuffy nu can fwix heawt huwties ow thinkie pwace sickies, but Fwuffy can gib huggies. And evewy bwight time, wen fwuffy can gib bestest huggies, fwuffy feew biggest happies.”
And yet, as she contemplates on the story of Daphne, she feels like she could really do with a hug right now. Slowly, Laura places her arms around Supah Fwuff. She had heard about his strength and durability, so she had imagined that he’d as hard like steel. But to her surprise, his fluff is soft, and his flesh, while giving a little resistance, reminds her of a toy she once had when she was very young. A plush toy that she lost many years ago that she could never stop hugging when she went to bed. The hug felt like one from her mother, before the darkness came, it felt like a hug from her boyfriend, before he left her. It was a hug that was so warm and comforting, that, she didn’t want to go.
And in that moment, she cried.
“I’m so scared, Supah Fwuff, I don’t know what to do.”
And in that moment, Supah Fwuff whispers a piece of advice, something that Mark once told him many years ago, when he was a foal trying to learn so many things.
“One stippy-steppy at a time, fwen. No hummeh ow fwuffy can do aww tings a’ wunce, bu’ we aww twy our bestest.”
“You’re right…. You’re so right…,” sobs Laura.
“Nu be scawedies, nice whady. Nice whady wan go down?”
“Yes.”
“Otay. Gib bestest huggies.”
And with a firm grip on Laura, Supah Fwuff takes off from the ledge. His strength allows him to firmly hold on to the girl, as the duo descends down the tower, slowly but surely. As they descend, Laura looks and sees the city from a different perspective. She had gone up and down glass elevators before, but to feel the chill of the open air, and with her trust firmly placed on this fluffy to not lose his grip and keep her alive, it felt, a little exhilarating. It was the longest minute of her life and yet, as she held on to Clark for safety, she felt a gratitude and closeness that she hadn’t felt in so long a while.
Upon touching down on the ground, the policeman with the megaphone and a paramedic rushed up to her, as they immediately ask, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine… I’m fine.”
And Laura breaks down, crying. The paramedic escorts her to a stretcher, and she willingly lies down. A policeman in gratitude, says to the superhero fluffy, “Thanks man.”
As Laura lies down on the stretcher, she sees Supah Fwuff hovering beside her.
“Fwuffy nuu can fwix ‘ou, dem am da wowk for da doctahs. Bu’, if fwen eba need a hug, Fwuffy wiww twy to see ‘ou.”
Still deep in sorrow, but with minor gratitude, Laura nods.
And with that, Supah Fwuff flew into the night sky, sensing another crisis in need of his attention.
~
A month later, Supah Fwuff visits the hospital where Daphne stayed. However, her bed was empty. And it was then Supah Fwuff learnt the bad news.
“I’m afraid Daphne went into the forever sleep a week ago, Supah Fwuff.”
“Oh.”
“But, her family was by side, and she was happy. Also, Supah Fwuff, she wanted to give you this.”
The nurse hands a card to Supah Fwuff. Upon opening it, Supah fwuff sees various photos, all showing the times when Supah Fwuff visited Laura with the other members of the Band. And on the card itself there was a note.
“Thank you for all the time you spent with me, Supah Fwuff. I love you forever.
Daphne”
“She also wanted to give you this,” says the nurse, as she presented to him a plushie of Supah Fwuff, the very same one Daphne used to own. Supah Fwuff already has a few of these plushies at home, and knows that he cannot keep too many of them. After all, the more important memory was the photograph, which he will be adding to his scrapbook. And some other lonely child will need this plushie, which is why he will offer this plushie to any child who wants or needs it.
Yet, for this one moment, he gives the plushie the biggest hug, as he softly whispers into the plushies ear,
“Guudbay Daffney. Hab da bestest sweepies.”
~
Laura never forgot the time she received a hug from one of the greatest heroes that Earth ever saw. And remembering the advice he gave, she took things slowly, one step at a time. The experience with Supah Fwuff gave her a new outlook in life, and while she only saw Clark a few times, everytime she got a hug from him reassured her.
Eventually, and once she got back on her feet, she felt like she had to start remembering the good that had been done in her time of greatest need. She started volunteering at a local hospital, helping out the cancer patients there, whenever she could.
And one day, she meets a girl who was too afraid to come out of her ward. Daisy was young like her, once, but had recently been afflicted with cancer.
“I’m so scared. I thought I had everything for me, and then, this had to happen.”
“It is terrible, but take one thing at a time. And you can get through this. I believe you can.”
And Laura gives Daisy a hug. The best hug she can give.
The kind that Clark would give.
