It’s been 3 years since Andrea’s death from that loathsome disease, seeing her life get drained away as the cancer invaded her body and mind, only leaving a shell of a person for me to say goodbye to in the end. I find myself doubting the choices we made, thinking that it was my own selfish desires that convinced her go after various aggressive treatments, making her endure countless visits and surgeries only to lose her in the end. The solitude and guilt was soul-crushing, I had to get away from the house and myself. We always liked to hike, so I went to the East Coast and found a nice cabin by the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. There I was able to save myself from my own mind. I was able to remember the wonderful life we shared and that we were willing to fight and suffer because the love we shared was ultimately worth any discomfort.
I find myself wandering on my hikes, going off trail, and spending hours with the sights and sounds of nature… God! How she loved nature! She was always showing me how everything had a place and a purpose and that nature always found a balance, despite man’s attempts to interfere. I had gotten myself lost again and was going through the steps of returning to civilization: going downhill, finding a source of water like a creek, and following it until I hit a road or another landmark. It was second nature at this point and I had accidentally wandered onto the properties of some of the large Biotech labs that spotted the area from Virginia’s new laws relaxing the limits on gene editing and splicing, something far above my head, but kept the area quiet and remote for the competitive nature of the these businesses looking to create the newest cure or pest resistant crop.
I had pinpointed a local county route in a clearing and was heading in the direction when I heard what sounded like a lost child. “Huuhuu, am wost…” The voice was slightly lower than a child’s voice, sounded feminine, and clearly spoke in a childish way, mixing up the R for a W. My sister who worked in speech therapy said the impediment was called rhotacism. “Am suu hungwy”, the voice continued. I walked through some of the brush to approach closer and called out to the disembodied voice, “Hello? Do you need help?” I was met with silence, a slight rustle in a bush led me toward the source.
“I want to help, are you lost? Do you need to find your mommy or daddy?”
“…Hewp fin’ daddeh?” The voice perked up.
“Yes! It can get awful scary out here alone, let me help you.”
“Nice mistuh am hab nummies?”
Who leaves a special needs child out in the middle of the woods? I thought to myself as I cleared away the brush. “Yes, I can give you some of my foo…” My voice trailed off as my eyes met the source of the voice. There before me stoop a small dog-like creature no more than a foot and a half tall. It was brightly colored with pink fur and yellow hair on its head and neck, its tail matched the color on the head. Upon further inspection the creature looked like a hairier or fluffy version of a Shetland pony. It was stout and fat with large expressive eyes that were colored a deep purple. Was this a toy? Was this left out here as a prank for hikers? My mind was reeling thinking that one of the Biotech companies left this out here to catch a corporate spy, I glanced around for cameras or a nearby fence, nothing. It then moved and talked!
“Hewwo, nice mistuh, fwuffy an fwiends am get wost in scawy fowest! Mistuh hewp fin’ daddeh doctuh?”
I froze. An an animal was speaking English to me in the woods, did I accidentally cut myself and give myself some weird infection that was eating away at my brain and producing vivid hallucinations?
“Hewwo? Mistuh hewp?” It continued.
“Um, uh, h-hi… w-what are you?” I stammered.
“Hi hi hi, mistuh am siwwy!” It laughed. “Fwuffy am fwuffy! Fwuffy wuv to pway, an dance, and make fwiends!” It jumped and bobbed as it described the activities, smiling and giggling.
It then came to me. Hasbro had one of the largest facilities nearby. Were they looking to create a new pet? A bio-toy? A tiny chubby baby horse that would occupy the house and hearts of every little girl that always wanted a pony. But one that could talk too? The depth of the questions that flooded my mind made me feel like a caveman discovering fire for the first time. I wanted to know so much more, but also realized the limits the toy could express.
“Yes, I can help. Do you need to get back to the… uh… big building?” I asked, hoping to not blow its mind by calling its home a laboratory.
“Huh? b-Buiwdin’? Fwuffy an fwiend am wost, nee’ find daddeh doctuh, I da white coat.”
It was useless, the creature obviously was limited and certain new words obviously confused it as it cocked its head like a dog does when perplexed. I turned to asking basic questions to reassure it and gain its trust. “Are you a boy or a girl fluffy?” I asked, hoping that it understood something of a topic as perilous as gender.
“Fwuffy am giwl fwuffy! Am Mawe!” She said proudly tossing its mane as if it should be readily obvious to me. “Okay, okay…” I replied.
“Are there any more fluffies out here?”
“Yus! Speshuw Fwiend!” She replied. “Oh Speshuw Fwiend! Speshuw Fwiend!” She called out.
There was no answer from the wilderness. Do these toys create imaginary friends to keep them company? The very thought of companionship and safety conditioning in a pet made me realize that this toy costed billions to make, and I wasn’t going to be left holding the bill if it got sick or injured.
“Hey, it’s getting dark. We can go home and find your own- uh… daddy tomorrow.” Its eyes widening in fear as it heard me say the word “dark”.
“Dawkies? Uuh huu… buh, speshuw fwiend?”
“That’s okay, your friend will follow us!” I stated as I picked her up. Finding her surprisingly light and comfortable with a faint sweet smell emanating from her fur. I continued to walk toward the road, from where I could easily find my way back to the cabin from there.
“Otay…” she acquiesced.
“By the way, my name is Ahmed. Do you have a name?” I asked.
“Teehee! Ya!” She replied. “Fwuffy name am Andwea!”
Part 2: The Andrea Incident (part 2) (Artist- Great_White_Nope)
