The others

Once upon a time, Yeti was mean to Baby Bear. Yeti had a smile stitched onto his face, but when Sophie wasn’t around, Yeti snarled. It was clear he was one of the ones who didn’t act how he looked. He wasn’t a unicorn cat, a tiny penguin, or a beanie baby skunk; you always know what you’re going to get with one of those. Yeti was different, he lived with the others, but he was more of Sophie’s dad’s toy than Sophie’s. 

Whenever they played with the stuffed animals, Sophie’s dad was Yeti, and Yeti always STOMPED and SMASHED. This had a marked effect on Yeti’s personality; he only knew how to act angry, and he remained angry even when Sophie’s dad wasn’t around. Yeti could torch any of the stuffed animals with his rage. The others liked to sing, but Yeti didn’t like anything, and he talked funny. His voice had a croak to it that even made the unicorns think of crackling fire. 

Yeti berated Baby Bear, “Why do you look like that? All slouched. You can barely keep your nose off the carpet. Your nose isn’t even black anymore. It’s just that dirty grey color like the rest of you. You look more like a polar bear in the antarctic than a stuffed animal. Why do you look like a polar bear ravaged by climate change? Have you seen a photo of you recently? You’re patchy and malnourished.” 

There were three kittens nearby; Golden, Midnight, and Ghost. Sophie often used them as missiles to throw at Yeti. It happened so frequently that the kittens grew to despise Yeti, and Yeti didn’t like the kittens either. 

“Leave her alone, Yeti!” 

Golden was always the first one to speak up; she was the youngest. There were other stuffed animals around, like Becky the bunny, Roxy the reindeer, Swan, Flamingo, and Mr. Sloth. Mommy Bear was there too; she was always by Baby Bear. Yet none of the other stuffed animals said anything; they’d been around long enough to know Baby Bear could speak for herself. 

“That’s not nice, Yeti. Why are you being so mean? Don’t you know you can be our friend?” 

“I’d never be friends with a bear like you. You’ve been washed too many times. Your insides are all loose.”

“You’re not saying nice things, Yeti. You don’t have to be like this.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t know any other way. You and your mom go on car rides while we’re stuck in the wicker basket. Mountain Bluebird’s been trapped on the bottom for weeks.”

“We wish everyone could go outside, but Sophie’s mommy and daddy wouldn’t like that, and Sophie can only carry us. We sit in the car most of the time anyway. We can’t go in Whole Foods.” 

Shouting from Sophie’s bed up above was Apple, the horse. She yelled, “Also, it’s not even that great. It’s hot in the car.” 

Many of the animals didn’t think Apple deserved to go in the car the few times she had, and this lackluster comment furthered the sentiment.

Yeti grumbled from his belly. It sounded like a bunch of rocks rolling around in a bucket. 

“Calm down, Yeti.” Baby Bear said, “I’m going to try to help you go on a car ride.” 

Yeti couldn’t understand why Baby Bear was so nice all the time, and it confused him, which made him angry. He was about to growl when the stuffed animals heard Sophie running up the stairs. They all froze. 

They were good at freezing, and they never got caught. 

***

Baby Bear tried her best to help Yeti go on a car ride, and when she wasn’t trying, she was talking to the others about how they should help Yeti. She spoke to Mommy Bear about it quite often. Mommy Bear was a good listener, and when Baby Bear was done talking, Mommy Bear would always say, “I think you can do it. I believe in you, Baby Bear.” 

Mr. Sloth talked slowly, and at certain times of the day, his sentences had a rhythm that lulled the listener into compliance. Talking that slowly turned out to be advantageous; Mr. Sloth had so much time to think before saying anything it was like he was cheating. His gift of gab was the reason he was the one holding court.

He explained to anyone who would listen what he thought was wrong with Yeti; it was Sophie’s dad. Sophie was a great storyteller, and although her stories were never the same, they shared commonalities; Yeti was always the bad guy, and since all the stories had happy endings, Yeti never won. 

“…and that’s why he’s so angry all of the time. You would be too if all you did was STOMP, SMASH, get beaten up, and lose.” 

Several days passed before Baby Bear’s effort and determination finally paid off. The animals heard Sophie coming up the stairs and began to freeze, but Baby Bear had a different plan. Before she froze, she made sure she was holding Yeti’s hand. When Sophie came into the room, she picked up Mommy Bear, Baby Bear, and Yeti to bring in the car. 

Now Sophie was carrying the three animals in her arms, and they were in the garage. Baby Bear expected Yeti to be happy that he was outside, but there was only worry in his eyes. 

The car ride hurt Yeti’s feelings. He was relegated to the middle seat by himself. Sophie sat above him in her car seat, hugging Mommy Bear and Baby Bear and showing them all of the things they passed that Yeti couldn’t see. At a stoplight, Sophie’s mom hit the brakes, and Yeti dropped to the floor mat. The mat had thick rubber treading that was hard to clean. Yeti felt the tips of his fur sopping up something wet. It took a couple of minutes until Sophie noticed Yeti was on the floor, but locating Yeti didn’t matter; Sophie’s mom didn’t get him until the car was parked. 

After that, Mommy Bear, Baby Bear, and Yeti were left together on the middle seat. Yeti was uncomfortable with his feelings. The car ride was supposed to make him happy, but he was not enjoying it. Also, the car felt hot. Yeti got angry. 

“What do you think, Yeti?” Mommy Bear asked, “Is it what you’d hoped?” 

Yeti’s stomach grumbled again. This time it was like truck tires on gravel. 

“NO!” Yeti snapped. 

“What’s wrong, Yeti?” 

“This is dumb. It’s not fun here. I was on the floor, and she didn’t even notice.”

“Yeti, that’s what a car ride is. I’ve been on the floor a lot.” Baby Bear said. 

It didn’t make Yeti feel any better, and he was embarrassed that he told Mommy Bear and Baby Bear how he felt. He wanted to SMASH. 

“I don’t want to be here!” Yeti shouted. His whole body was rumbling, and Baby Bear felt the seat underneath her paws shake. The others would have been scared by Yeti’s fury, but not Baby Bear; she was brave and stayed calm.

“You should take deep breaths.” Baby Bear said. 

Yeti growled, but Baby Bear didn’t flinch. She spoke in almost a whisper. 

“C’mon, Yeti. I’ll do it with you.” 

Baby Bear took a slow deep breath in. Mommy Bear followed along. Yeti didn’t, but he stopped rumbling. Mommy Bear and Baby Bear exhaled for a long time and then took deep breaths in again. They did this a couple more times before Yeti joined. Focusing on breathing emptied Yeti’s mind. He felt like he had space from his anger. 

When things were still again, Baby Bear spoke, “Mommy Bear says it's good to take deep breaths sometimes.” 

“I think it is, Baby Bear.” Mommy Bear nodded.

Yeti grunted. It sounded like he agreed. 

***

Mommy Bear and Baby Bear knew that stuffed animals needed their privacy, so they didn’t tell the others what happened in the car. However, it was clear to everyone that something had happened because Yeti acted differently. His scowl had gone away, and his grumbles left too. The word around the room that Mr. Sloth spread was that Yeti was a dream chaser who achieved the impossible.

The problem with change is sometimes it doesn’t stick. 

Sophie was with her mom playing with Barbie dolls. The stuffed animals watched. There was a helicopter, a car, four golden retrievers, a closet full of clothes, and six identical Barbie dolls. The whole room was cluttered with plastic. The stuffed animals thought it was very strange. Soon, Sophie’s mom gave up on the Barbies and begged, “Let’s play something else.” 

“Like what?” 

“How about Zingo?” 

“No.”

“How about Jenga?” 

“No, Sophie doesn’t want to do that.” 

“Oh, I know! How about a puzzle?” 

“I think I have a better idea.”

Sophie ran to the stuffed animals. She grabbed Golden and Midnight. Then, she grabbed Yeti and shoved him in front of her mom’s face. 

“Be this.” 

“Sophie, I want to play something else.” 

“Be this. Please!”

Sophie’s mom took Yeti and began to play. The story was creative. It involved a flying fox, a girl with an amulet she wore to talk to animals, unicorns that shot magical powers, and a stinky skunk. There was good and evil. Yeti was the evil. Sophie’s mom didn’t play with the same ferocity as her dad, but Yeti still fought. He still STOMPED, SMASHED, and lost. 

After the story, when the stuffed animals unfroze, they discussed the day. Sly Fox was boasting about defeating evil. He told anyone who would listen how wonderful it felt to win. In the corner, Hummingbird was chirping at Mountain Bluebird, who was still trapped on the bottom of the wicker basket. 

Mommy Bear and Baby Bear weren’t in the room. If they had been, they might have been able to stop Yeti from melting down. 

Yeti shouted at Sly Fox, “Be quiet already. No one wants to hear about the stupid story.”

“Be cool, Yeti. I’m almost through.” Sly Fox said. 

“I said stop. NOW.” Yeti’s insides started to make that low-pitched rumble; he had thunder inside of him. Swan, Flamingo, and Ladybug shuttered in fear. Most of the others held still, paralyzed by the familiar sound. 

“Cool it, Yeti. Nobody likes a hothead.” 

Yeti bared his fangs. 

 “Yeti MAD.” He shouted, “Yeti SMASH.” 

The whole room shook; a picture on the wall shifted; a hair clip fell from the dresser; the wooden dollhouse toys tumbled to their sides and rolled off the table under the window. 

“I hate it here!” He screamed, “And I hate all of you!”

Yeti went on like this, grumbling, insulting, and snarling at the others for a long time. It only stopped when Sophie ascended the stairs, and all the animals froze. Mommy Bear and Baby Bear were under Sophie’s arms, and upon entering the room, they thought their friends looked glum. They didn’t learn why until the next day. 

***

When Baby Bear heard of Yeti’s big outburst, she was sad. Baby Bear wanted everyone to get along, and when things were out of harmony, it was natural for her to try to fix them. She knew helping Yeti manage his emotions wouldn’t be easy, but she thought of how powerful friends could be when they worked together and knew she had to try.

Baby Bear thought all day about how she could help. It was all she thought about and all she talked about too. Mommy Bear understood why Baby Bear cared so much; it was because Baby Bear’s heart was so big. After proposing many ideas, Baby Bear told Mommy Bear one that she wanted to try.

“I think you can do it. I believe in you, Baby Bear.” Mommy Bear said. 

Baby Bear rallied the others for an intervention. All the animals that were out were going to talk to Yeti and tell him how much his anger hurt them. They would also tell him how much they cared. Some of them, like Sly Fox and Angelina Ballerina, were skeptical of Baby Bear’s plan. They didn’t think Yeti could change, but they still participated because they saw Baby Bear’s passion. 

Yeti was startled by the intervention and seethed at Baby Bear. Some of the others thought it was pointless to continue, but Baby Bear kept on. 

“Yeti, you might not want to hear it, but you’re going to today.” Baby Bear said.

“Leave me alone!” 

“We’re all here because you’re our friend. We care about you, Yeti. You don’t need to be angry anymore.” 

Yeti didn’t like Baby Bear’s words because they were too nice. He didn’t think he deserved to be cared for because he was so mean. He told Baby Bear to stop talking, but she wouldn’t. 

Baby Bear also got the others to share how they felt about Yeti, and all of them told Yeti they liked him and wanted him to find peace. Yeti was embarrassed, ashamed of his anger, and finally, after everyone had shared, he confessed, “I want to change, but I don’t know how.”

The others looked at Baby Bear to see what she would say.

“Yeti, you’re always the bad guy in our stories. The bad guy always loses. But we know you’re not a bad guy. You’re not a loser. You’re a winner, Yeti, who can control how he feels. It's all just pretend.”

“Pretend?” 

“Exactly. There is no battle that could tear us apart. You control your emotions; you’re a powerful yeti.” 

Yeti thought about it for a moment and then grunted. It sounded like he agreed. 

The others watched on to see what would happen next.

In a soft tone, Yeti asked, “Why are you so nice, Baby Bear?” 

Again, the others looked at Baby Bear.

“I follow my heart.” She said, “Sophie’s taught me what love is. I want everyone to feel what it's like to be loved.”

***

Sophie’s dad stalked into the room and dropped to his knees onto the carpet, “Only thirty minutes, and then I got to go. Daddy’s got things to do.” 

“Can we play with the stuffed animals?” 

“Sure. I’m going to be a new one.” 

Sophie’s dad crawled to the wicker basket, picked it up, and dumped out its contents. Mountain Bluebird was on the top of the pile.

“Hey, I haven’t seen this one in forever.” He picked up Mountain Bluebird. 

To the others, in Sophie’s dad’s hands, Mountain Bluebird looked like a trophy. They watched along with glee. Finally, Mountain Bluebird was free and could have a day again. 

“No,” Sophie said, “be this.” She thrust Yeti into her dad’s nose.

“You want me to be Yeti?” 

“Yes. Be Yeti.” 

“You sure?"

“Yes. Why?"

Sophie’s dad furrowed his brow and showed his teeth. 

“Because why, daddy?” She grinned. 

“Because,” He said, “Yeti SMASH!” 

The story quickly turned violent. None of the animals were out of Sophie’s grasp. The whole group was attacking Yeti. Unicorns shot him with their magical powers; Tiger clawed at his face; Stinky Skunk sprayed him. The one who gave it to him the worst was Mountain Bluebird; Sophie turned the avian into a reusable missile, whose beak poked and jabbed Yeti over and over again. 

The carnage lasted for the entire thirty minutes, and when Sophie and her dad left, the animals were cautious about speaking. Yeti had never gotten it as bad as he had just then. They worried about what he would do to Mountain Bluebird, who was having mixed feelings about his freedom. 

When they were unfrozen, it was Golden who spoke first, “Welcome home, Mountain Bluebird.” 

Eyes darted to Yeti to see how he would react to his primary attacker's name. The others expected it to be a trigger that would cause Yeti to snap and scream, but Baby Bear didn’t. She believed that Yeti could understand it was just pretend; that he could control his emotions. She sent Yeti all the love she had like she would have done for anyone who needed it. 

Yeti knew the others expected him to spark with anger and spew insults. He looked at Mountain Bluebird and felt his insides boil. He was upset, but he calmed himself by taking a deep breath. Mommy Bear and Baby Bear were smiling at Yeti, which also helped him stay at peace. He was in control. 

“Mountain Bluebird. Glad to see you’re out.” Yeti said, “We were beginning to worry we’d have to start calling you Wicker Basket Bluebird.”

And at that, all of the animals started to laugh. Even Sly Fox and Angelina Ballerina were doubled over in hysteria.

Then, Yeti did another thing no one expected. He asked them, “Can I sing you a song?” 

They were surprised by Yeti; they’d never heard him sing before and didn’t know he could do it. 

Yeti didn’t know if he could sing either, but there was something inside of him that wanted to try, and he knew it was a safe place. He took a deep breath and then began. The others were amazed; Yeti was a magnificent musician, a band of one. His belly rumbled a beat as his croaky voice floated on the essence of each note. No one had ever heard anything like it.

Baby Bear tapped her paw to Yeti’s music and smiled at all of her friends. 

“Yeti’s really good at singing, Mommy Bear.” She said.