Bippity Bappit Has No Cool

Cassie arranged the tiny, porcelain tea cups around the knee-high kid’s table, neatly and delicately placed as to avoid spilling the hot, imaginary tea. Cassie placed the blue butterfly cup in front of her teddy bear, Teddy, who yawned as he held the cup to his black button note. The yellow finch cup was Ann’s, Cassie’s Raggedy Ann doll. Cassie watched with anticipation as Ann stuck her tongue in the tea tentatively. Cassie smiled as Ann nodded in approval. Lastly, Cassie, very gently, placed the most special tea cup, the pink rose tea cup, in front of Bippity Bappit. The pink rose tea cup was Cassie’s mother’s, and had been her mother’s before her. It was ornated with flower pedals from handle to brim, and was permanently kept in her mother’s China cabinet. But Cassie knew she had to get it for her tea party. Anything for Bippity Bappit.

           Bippity Bappit held the precious cup in his fuzzy paws and glared at it with contempt. After sniffing it for many minutes with his velvet nose, he lifted the cup to his lips, and took a long, slurping sip. He delicately set it back down on the cream, linen tablecloth. His white bunny ears twitched, as if twisting in thought, and finally, he looked up at Cassie with his marble eyes.

“So?” Cassie asked excitedly as little girls do. “What do you think?”

Bippity Bappit seemed to frown, even though his mouth was stitched in yarn. “Mediocre,” he simply said.

“What? Why?!” Cassie squealed, stroking her ginger pony tails between her hands hard enough to start a fire.

“It was bitter,” Bippity said. “Needed sugar.”

“I thought it was quite tasty,” Teddy said, tea sloppily splattered across his face.

“Shut it, Pooh-Bear,” Bippity snapped.

“Not cool!” Raggedy Ann hissed.

“That hurt right here,” Teddy said somberly, pointing with a fat paw to the center of his wool chest.

“Who cares?” Bippity whispered, leaning his tiny, rabbit body over the table. “Everyone knows you’re on the way out, Teddy. My bet’s that you’ll be shut up at the top of the closet before the month’s over. Right… where you… belong.”

These words had traumatic effects on Teddy.

“Why is he being mean to me, Cassie? Whyyyyy?” he wailed, banging his large head against the table. Cassie had to catch his butterfly teacup just before it could fall off the tabletop and shatter.

“He’s just upset about what happened yesterday!” Raggedy Ann said, trying to hug Teddy’s head so he would stop banging it. “I heard him muttering in his sleep about it all last night!”

“How did you hear that!” Bippity barked, his fuzzy white paws gripped tight around Ann’s shoulders.

“The toy box is not exactly a big place,” Ann said. Bippity released her.

“Is that why you’re upset, Bippity?” Cassie said. “That silly old thing?”

Bippity whipped his head around at Cassie, his glass eyes narrowed into tiny beads. “What did you say?” he growled. He seemed to glide around the table, levitating. “That wasn’t a silly thing that happened to me, Cassie. I have been disfigured, humiliated, the single most important thing in my life stripped away!” He turned his rump towards Cassie, revealing a massive brown stain on his hind legs, and more importantly, his tail.

“I talked to my mom about it last night,” Cassie pleaded. “She said she could get it off, if just you’d go in the washer…”

“I am not going in the damned, murderous thing!” Bippity roared.

“That’s what I told her!” Cassie cried. “But it’s the only way, Bippity.”

Bippity glared at her. Teddy, finally consoled, and Raggedy seemed to hold their breath.

“I have watched many friends go into that washer, never to return again. They all promised me that they would come back, when they got their own stains. But they never did.” Bippity leaned in close now, close enough that Cassie could smell her tea on his breath. He was right, it was too bitter. “The washing machine is a death sentence, you hear me? So, you’re going to find another way to remove this scar off my body. Because I will not live in scorn my entire life. I will have my fluffy, white tail. Got it?” Cassie nodded her head so fast it hurt. Bippity smiled a grim smile. “And oh, if you don’t, I’ll take matters in my own hands. Starting with your little brother.”

“No!” Cassie yelled. “He didn’t mean to, it wasn’t his fault that he spilled hot chocolate on you!”

“You’re right,” Bippity said. “Because you did it. You spilled it on me and blamed it on him.” Cassie screamed. Heavy footsteps came quickly up the stairs outside of Cassie’s room, and soon, the door swung open and Cassie’s mom stormed in.

“What’s all the screaming about!” she said, looking down at Cassie’s tea party. Raggedy Ann and Teddy sat motionless in their chairs. Bippity laid frozen across the table.

“Nothing, Mom, we’re fine,” Cassie said with a smile.

“Ok, well, dinner’s in ten minutes. Come down when you’re done,” she said. As she began to leave, her eyes floated across the table and on the tea cups. “Are those my tea caps?” she said.

Cassie looked up at her, “Yes, Mama.” Cassie’s mom was speechless for a minute. “Are you mad?”

Cassie’s mom smiled, “No, actually. Those cups are meant to be played with. I’ve kept them locked up too long.” Cassie’s mom leaned down and hugged her daughter. “Just be careful with them, and have fun.”

“Thanks mom,” Cassie said, somewhat stunned. Cassie’s mom caught hold of Bippity and his stain.

“Later tonight I can wash Bippity for you, or I can get you a new one this weekend. Ok?”

“Ok, mom,” Cassie said, without thought. By the time she realized what she said, Cassie’s mother was already out of the room. Bippity slowly looked up at Cassie, pushing himself up from the table.

“Did you not listen to a word I said?” Bippity sneered. “Your mom condemns me to death and you just say, ok?”

“I didn’t mean to! It just slipped out!” Cassie whimpered.

“Doesn’t matter,” Bippity said. “You have to learn that your actions have consequences, Cassie.” Bippity took hold of his mother’s treasured tea cup in his paws. He looked at Cassie, then back to the tea cup. His ears twitched and his nose pulsed. With a smug smile on his face, he threw the teacup against Cassie’s pink wall. The teacup shattered into several large, jagged pieces.

“What did you do?” Raggedy Ann cried.

“Oh no…” Teddy said, banging his head against the table again.

Cassie stood up from the table, her hands balled in fists. “You’ve gone too far, Bippity,” Cassie said with tears rolling down her face.

“What’re you going to do about it?” Bippity said, standing tall on his haunches. What happened next was a moment of pure ferociousness and rage. Teddy and Ann’s eyes opened wide as Cassie leaped across the table, grabbing Bippity’s throat in her hands. He grunted in surprise. Cassie dug her fingers into his neck, ignoring his strained breathing. With a muffled scream and the sound of ripping fabric, Cassie tore the rabbit’s head off. Cassie held it above her head. He was finally quiet. After several moments, Cassie turned back to Teddy and Ann, finding them huddled close together in shock and terror. It was then, and only then, that Cassie realized that she was the true monster.