Blob's person has a few very old friends tucked away from her childhood. They are tucked away. They haven't received love in a long time. Indeed, they're still tucked away and Blob would like them to come out and meet all his friends. Maybe they will one day.
For years Blob's person slept without a friend. No soft, furry creature to look after her at night. Blob doesn't know how she managed that. His person says that in her society it is quite frowned upon for a grown up to cuddle a soft toy friend at night and that adults are expected to grow out of things. She said that there are many things which are thought of as childish - and thus beneath and unworthy of the attention of adults. Having soft toy friends is one of those things. Others include playing with bubbles, hoops and playing and enjoying play areas. She said that there are even signs at play areas saying that they are unsuitable for adults.
Blob Thing could hardly believe it. How could playing on a swing or a slide or a climbing frame be unsuitable for an adult? Who were the strange, deluded individuals who made such rules? And why did so many people seem to agree with them, or at least follow them? Blob shook his head in horrified disbelief. And since that was firmly attached to his body by virtue of him having no neck, he shook all over.
Blob's person said that she had used to follow those rules too. She used to follow a lot of rules. She had been very trapped but was slowly learning the meaning of freedom. One of the little steps along the road to freedom had been getting a friend, and then lots of friends, including Blob Thing himself.
It was Blob's very own creator - even before he was made - who had started this part of her entering into freedom. Blob's person had been feeling sad and his creator said that if she had a friend then they could have a hug in a most magical way. Friends are magic she said. And if one person hugs a friend and another person hugs their friend, if the intent is there, no matter the distance between them, it can be like hugging each other. The magic friends act as intermediaries and they remove the distance. In a magic hug two people can be together even though they are apart.
Blob's person had been understandably very suspicious of this theory. She said it sounded ludicrous to her. Nevertheless she had agreed to go out to all the charity shops and to try to find a friend. One that looked right. And she found one. And bought him For her, that was a big step. Here's the new friend:
She became called Amethyst and she has been a good, faithful companion for the past nine months. The night after Amethyst was bought, Blob's person and Blob's creator tried an experiment. They tried the magic hug. And it worked. It really worked. It worked in a way that Blob's person would never have believed had she not experienced it for herself. Yes, she explained to Blob, soft friends can perform magic. Blob shrugged his head because that wasn't news to him. And, by virtue of having no neck, he shrugged his entire body too. If you can imagine that sight. Blob's person could only laugh.
Here is Amethyst again, holding a card that was sent to Blob's person around the same time by Blob's creator. The day it arrived had been horrible. Blob's person had totally melted down in the city centre and cried a lot, publicly. She had managed to find sanctuary in a quiet part of the library and some people, including Blob's creator, had stayed with her via constant messaging until she could manage to get home. It had truly been awful.
When Blob's person got home she found this card waiting for her, made by Blob's creator.
The card contained such nice words. And the picture on the front told a truth. That his creator and his person would keep each other dry in the rain. They would look after each other and in that joint care they would smile.
Blob's person read the card over and over again and looked at the picture more. And she cried. And she cried and did a lot of crying. But these were tears of happiness. Blob is happy too. If not for the deep friendship between his person and his creator, if not for they way they look after each other, if not for the two of them, and maybe if not for magic hugs with Amethyst, he would never have existed at all.
One final picture. Here's Amethyst and Blob Thing together. Both friends of Blob's person. And friends with each other.
In time, Blob will introduce all his other friends. There are unicorns, an elephant, bears, a Portal, a dog, a wombat, a warthog and a very friendly slow loris too. Lots of friends. It's good to have friends and Blob knows how fortunate he is.
[934 words]
No comments:
Post a Comment