Evanesce (verb)- pass out of existence or memory
It’s funny how something you once loved is now forgotten, pushed out of memory, and not thought of anymore. There are memories that we remember, memories we evanesce and memories we forget. But do our ‘imaginary friends’ and ‘favorite toys’ remember us?
10) Mary, with her chubby cheeks, small pigtails, and feet to toddle around with. Mary, my friend, my creator and my only purpose of life. Mary went to school today, she toddled out the door holding her mother’s hand. She got into the car and they went off. I looked out the window eagerly but Mary didn’t return, not until the evening.
9) Mary drew a finger painting today. She told me all about new friends at school, her teacher, her classmates and her bus friends. I thought I was her friend. I thought I would be the one she told everything to. I thought that we would always be together. She has more friends now, and I feel left out. I feel left out a lot these days when Mary is gone.
8) Mary speaks to me, but less frequently. We hardly ever talk that much. She spoke to me yesterday. She said that people in her grade have teddy bears too. She said that I was probably the best bear in the world though. Maybe we don’t talk that much, but we’ll be fine.
7) She took me to show and tell. I felt so proud and delighted. But the next day I overheard her crying to her parents. Someone in school had teased her saying that I was the ugliest bear he had ever seen and that Mary was just a baby with a toy. She hasn’t spoken to me since.
6) We don’t talk. I’m still amongst her stuffed toys but she doesn’t give me the special attention I once received. She doesn’t talk to me or laugh with me. I don’t feel left out anymore. I feel lonely.
5) It was Mary’s birthday last week. I wanted to wish her a happy birthday. But she had gone to school before I knew it. She had a party that night and she got a big box from her parents. I didn’t know what was in the box. The next day was a Saturday and I watched her open the box. It was a doll with long hair and pretty clothes. Mary loved it.
4) It’s been weeks and Mary’s mother is cleaning up her room. Mary’s mother never understood what Mary saw in me, she didn’t understand our bond. Mary’s mother put all of the trash items in a box. In went her old stuffed toys, broken toys, and useless toys. In another she put items that would serve as memories in the future. In went paintings, writings, toys, and as she approached me I hoped that I wouldn’t go in the box. She put me in the memories box.
3) I was in that box for quite a while. Then a few days ago Mary’s mother opened the boxes and pulled out toys in good condition. Foolishly, I thought Mary wanted us back. Instead, we were all packed up and placed on a table in Mary’s father’s garage sale. A little girl walked up to me and looked at me. She bought me and I knew I should’ve felt happy. But I could only think of Mary.
2) The girl’s name is Madeline. Her name starts with M just like Mary. She likes stuffed toys like Mary used to. She takes care of me like Mary used to. She loves me like Mary used to. But she’s not Mary. She doesn’t have the same loud laugh that Mary has, the unusual pigtails Mary used to wear, or the messy eating habits.
1)Madeline takes very good care of me. She talks to me and laughs with me. She takes me to the park with her and I watch her play in the sand. She loves the swings and I sit on her lap when we sit on the swings in the park. Usually Mary put me on a bench so I could watch the swings but being on the swings was another experience. Am I still Mary’s best friend? Because I know for a fact that Mary is still my friend. Madeline is different. She isn’t Mary. She’ s Madeline and that’s good enough.
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