ORIGIN: In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s the same Brush as last time. But this teddy bear belongs to a little vampire and a mouse is hell bent on taking it from him.
Someday a mouse will come for my teeth. I know it in my bones because a butterfly has already come for my teddy bear. I tried to say goodbye with a sunny smile. My teddy bear should have turned to dust, it should have had a proper burial among the stars. But that butterfly said that happy childhoods only make for miserable adulthoods, that’s why all teddy bears belong in Hell. I’ve heard that bleeding symbolizes sympathy, and I’ve decided to give it another try. Because I haven’t turned into a coward yet and my teddy bear deserves to be in good company.
I used to think that my teddy bear and I would share the same fate, but I have outlasted it. The butterfly that came to drink my tears must also know what it’s like to be disappointed because my eyes were dry. I heard its stomach growl and I decided there and then to share its fate. Mice aren’t the only cowards in this world and no grown-up is allowed to blame me. Loneliness is an altogether different monster in the eyes of a child and that’s what I still am. A hairy caterpillar with a voracious appetite, that’s going to eat everything in sight.
I know that teeth have prints too, but I would hate to be defined by them. I left fingerprints all over my teddy bear. There was nothing butterflylike about them. I have always hugged like my life depends on it, trying to dig something redder than gold. Love. I have never seen cave art, but I opened my heart and let that teddy bear in. It was the first thing I called mine. But these fangs are only meant to bleed others dry. They remind me of mice running to and from holes in the wall. And I would rather die.
A butterfly once told me that dreams gather in pillows much like dew gathers in leaves. I wasted no time in replacing my teddy bear’s stuffing because hopes and dreams are meant to be shared. But before I could patch it up, a mouse had already made itself at home in the hole in my teddy bear’s head. I needed it gone, at any cost, because I refuse to believe that dreamers are cowards at heart. The only thing I had to my name were these teeth and we struck a deal. The day I grow up they will belong to that mouse. I don’t know if it’s a win-win deal, but by that point I will have nothing left to fight for, so what do I care?
I cut my teeth on a teddy bear. My Sire said that blood should be a craving, that’s why he starved me of affection. I am not a mouse, I have no way of knowing if they run to cheese knowing it’s a trap. I was an oblivious child. The stuffing of my teddy bear was snow-white and for a while it worked like a charm. If my Sire hadn’t shouted in my ear that my teddy bear would never hug me back, I think I would have had enough love for the both of us. But I am already trapped in a cocoon. Spinning it backwards won’t turn back time, but even if it did, I think I would still hug that teddy bear one-sidedly.
Mouse: Hand over your teeth.
Vampire: I would rather not.
Mouse: Can’t you tell that I’m here to do you a favor?
Vampire: You shouldn’t lie lest your nose grows and you poke someone in the eye with it.
Mouse: Some would call that an act of mercy. Do you know what nostalgia is? Someday, when what’s in front of you doesn’t live up to what you saw in the distance, you’ll look back. Are you sure that teddy bear you hold dear won’t crumble under the weight of your grown-up heart?
Vampire: …
Mouse: In case you haven’t noticed, butterflies have the right idea. You can look at them all you want, but you won’t find a trace of the caterpillar they once were. So, give me your teeth and don’t be afraid to grow up. The future is yours to ruin, but I won’t let you turn your past into an ugly thing.
Vampire: You are late.
Mouse: I believe the word you were looking for is thank you.
Vampire: Childhood should come with an expiration date. Look at this teddy bear. Well-worn is not a rhyme for well-loved. The last syllable is all that matters. Knowing when to quit.
Mouse: Do you hate it?
Vampire: I’m heartbroken.
Mouse: That doesn’t answer my question.
Vampire: I hate myself.
Mouse: Which brings us back to the beginning.
Vampire: …
Mouse: …
Vampire: Thank you for coming for my teeth.
Mouse: There, there, have a good cry. Tears don’t leave a scar.
Mouse: I am feeling generous. I will let you keep those teeth.
Vampire: Don’t even think about it, this teddy bear is mine!
Mouse: You sure look attached to it.
Vampire: It’s my best friend!
Mouse: Sure, sure. It knows all your hopes and dreams and the amount of salt in your tears down to the last decimal place. But I am trying to give you one last chance.
Vampire: I didn’t ask for one!
Mouse: Don’t make me repeat myself. Forget all that nonsense about butterflies and storms, my generosity will have a real impact on your life. Did you know that missing teeth can rob you of certain sounds? Out there, communication is key and life is already hard enough. So don’t make things unnecessarily difficult for yourself. Go out and make a flesh and bone friend, while that word still sounds nice and matches your childlike definition of it.
Mouse: I’m waiting.
Vampire: Would you believe me if I told you that even a string and a doorknob were no use?
Mouse: Sure. But just out of curiosity, what’s with that butterfly under your shoe?
Vampire: I knew you would be coming for my teeth, so, when slamming the door shut didn’t produce the desired result, I tried slamming a butterfly shut, but I only managed to remove it from its hinges.
Mouse: I will give you points for trying.
Vampire: Enough to redeem them for a new teddy bear?
Mouse: Don’t be sad, those teeth were never meant to last.
Vampire: That’s not the impression I got.
Mouse: Poor thing. Did they make you believe that you share a common ancestor with butterflies? That you would be a child for years on end and a grown-up only the last two weeks of your life?
Vampire: …
Mouse: That teddy bear should have given you a clue. They didn’t raise you with the real world in mind.