Giffy

Flash Fiction

Giffy

“You aren’t making sense.”

Mom heard the voice of her son Jimmy, from the hallway. She thought he was alone in his room. She started to go in to find out who else was in there, when he also said, “I was never a teddy bear, but I usually know what you’re saying Giffy.”

Mom froze. Giffy was his teddy bear. She knew this because she bought it for him before he was born. Six years later Giffy was still his favorite, but she’d never heard him talk to it before.

After a moment of silence, Jimmy spoke again, “Ok that was better. You have to stop calling the back yard wilderness. It’s the back yard! You saw something in the back yard?”

More silence…

Then, “A rabbit? Where was it?”

Silence.

“Huh, I wonder what it found over by the garage… there aren’t any things there that rabbits eat, I don’t think…”

Then “Oh, yeah! Maybe it lives there! There are lots of bushes and rocks. Let’s go out and see if it’s still there!”

Hearing him coming to the door, Mom backed up quickly and pretended she had just come into the hallway.

“Oh, Jimmy,” she said as the door opened wider, I forgot you were still inside! You startled me!” Jimmy laughed as he walked out, Giffy tightly held under his arm.

“Sorry!” he said, “I’m going out in the backyard, OK?”

“Sure!” Mom said, “Why are you taking Giffy?”

“I pretend he’s scaring the wild animals away! Silly huh, but maybe he does…”

“Maybe,” Mom said, pretending to smile.

Standing there, realizing it was just a game, Mom eventually smiled.

Then she heard, “Few! That was close!” as Jimmy took Giffy outside.

“It sure was!” said another voice, quietly, and it was not Jimmy’s…