Benny: A Tale of a Christmas Toy by K. C. Scott

 
     
    Benny
    A Tale of a Christmas
Toy
     
    by K. C. Scott
     
    Benjamin leaned back in the futon and
watched Annie rip through the silver wrapping. The box was nearly
as tall as her, and certainly wider. He cupped the mug of cocoa on
his knee, feeling the heat seep through his terrycloth robe to his
leg. He had scalded the roof of his mouth, but he didn't care.
Watching his daughter's unabashed, six-year old enthusiasm helped
him forget about the two real estate deals that had fallen through
last week. At least for a few minutes.
    The living room window looked out on
snowflakes as big as quarters falling on the hedge of junipers. The
tiny stereo in the corner, the one they had gotten from his mother,
played Bing Crosby's White Christmas . Outside, a snowplow
rumbled over Orchard Street.
    It was early, not yet six, but Pam was
already in her white nurse uniform. She squeezed his hand, and he
felt the reassuring bite of her wedding ring
    "You like your new robe?" she asked.
    He nodded, took a slow sip of the
mint-flavored chocolate, and watched his daughter's reaction when
she had the present completely unwrapped.
    "Bluebear Brother!" she cried.
    She looked up at him over the box. The look
alone was worth the seventy dollars he had paid for the toy.
Seventy dollars he certainly should have saved for the lean months
ahead.
    The box had a picture of the furry blue bear
with a white muzzle. Written across the top in stylish gold letters
were the words The Amazing, Talking, Bluebear Brother . Pam
knelt besides Annie and helped her open the box. Sitting next to
each other on the taupe carpet, blond hair pulled back in pony
tails, they looked remarkably alike.
    "Open it, open it!" Annie cried.
    "Be patient now, dear," Pam said, cutting
the clear tape with a pocket knife.
    "Look what Santa got me, Dad! A Bluebear
Brother!"
    "Yes, I see that."
    Pam pulled the bear out of the box, tearing
off the plastic bag that covered it. The toy was smaller than it
looked on television, and its downy fur was an even brighter shade
of cobalt blue. The black plastic eyes reflected the red and blue
glow from the tree lights. The muzzle looked more mechanical than
the rest of it, the fur shorter, the upper and lower jaw receding
into cracks in its face.
    Annie got up and thrust the bear into
Benjamin's lap. He barely managed to lift his mug into the air.
    "Make it talk," she said.
    He put the mug on the coffee table, then
took the bear from her. Underneath the soft torso, he felt hard
plastic. Turning it over, he saw a silver zipper set in the bear's
back. He unzipped it and found the sleek black controls for the
player, the slot for the memory sticks, and a blank green LCD
display. By this time Pam had retrieved the batteries from the
kitchen, which she handed to Benjamin.
    He slipped open the battery compartment and
popped in the batteries. The LCD display brightened, and the word Ready appeared. There was a whirring of gears.
    "His eyes blinked! His eyes blinked!" Annie
cried.
    He turned it around. Sure enough, white
eyelids whisked over the eyes every few seconds.
    "Make it talk, make it talk!"
    "Hold on, dear, I'm trying."
    He searched for the play button. The buttons
were small, and none seemed to be marked.
    "I'm going to call him Benny," Annie
said.
    "But Benjamin's your father's name," Pam
said.
    "Not Benjamin . Benny. I can call him
Benny."
    Benjamin finally found the Play button, and pressed it down. Immediately there was a blare of
trumpets.
    A boyish voice began to speak.
    "Hello, I'm Bluebear Brother. I have lots of
stories to tell. If you would like to hear a story . . ."
    Benjamin placed the bear on his knee, facing
Annie. He expected Annie to smile or laugh, but instead her
enthusiasm vanished. She looked glum.
    "His mouth's not moving," she said.
    "What?"
    "His mouth's supposed to move."
    He turned it around. Sure enough, as the
bear continued to talk about all the stories that could be
purchased, the mouth wasn't moving. The eyes