Plushikins

The Story of Plushikins

Sitting slouched upon a shelf in the eastern reaches of a bamboo forest sits a crumpled Pookie named Soup. The energy that came from being a loved plush, that once made her velveteen fur glow, was fading.

But the Pookie couldn't blame her childhood tanuki friend, Kerin Dustfeather. The now adult tanuki had, like so many others in their town, gotten caught in the snares of day-to-day life and the struggle of survival, with no time to eat, let alone to spend with her old stuffed pal.

"Hi, I'm Soup!" was what Kerin used to call out when she played with the Pookie. The plush particularly enjoyed those adventures in the woods, where she got to experience both the joy of having Kerin's friendship, and nature at the same time. She loved remembering these moments, reliving them in her mind. For this was the only way she could experience them again, as times had changed.

Kerin came home less and less, and one day stopped altogether. Perhaps she'd had to suddenly move. The Pookie settled on that most likely being the reason, as it comforted her more than the alternatives. Rather, it hurt less.

Without the bond of childhood joy and the imagination that accompanied movement, the Pookie's thoughts became less coherent. What scared her more were the moments when she dared to wonder if she'd been forgotten. But no, it couldn't be that. Surely Kerin had just been pulled away. Soup found that easier to believe.

Then there was the scariest moment of all, the one that made her stuffed heart close with pain. It was when she tried to recall certain memories she'd shared with Kerin, but could only remember fragments. Even her mind had betrayed her. Who was she without that bond, without her past?

While Soup continued to deteriorate on the shelf, what she didn't know was that she hadn't actually been completely alone. Someone in the jungle had noticed she was gathering dust, and was called to act.

From behind the bamboo thicket was a Redkin, a magical panda Minkin, who'd been forming the courage to help this dusty plush out. The Minkin had wanted to be sure the Pookie had been truly abandoned. But there was a fine line, if they waited too long...

One day, the Redkin approached the window, near the shelf where the Pookie sat, and called, "Hello, my name is Ja'er. I've been watching you. Minkins like me can rescue abandoned plushes, and turn them into Plushikins. I can help you. Would you like to come with me?"

Ja'er waited for a response, a stir.

Of course, the Pookie couldn't answer. But Minkins have a special sense, allowing them to see past the world of the material and into a stuffed heart, where The Dragon had placed seeds of breath in all things which experience true love.

Inside the plush's fabric, Ja'er could see fragments of the Pookie's pain and was moved to help. The pawprint rune on the Minkin's belly began to glow, sending magic swirling into the Pookie.

At first, nothing happened. Ja'er trembled. Were they too late to save the plush?

Then the cobwebs connecting to the Pookie's head stretched and then eventually tore, one by one, as the small ears twitched on their very own, for the first time. The stitching on her muzzle pulled apart and opened into a tiny mouth that wheezed out a puff of dust.

The Pookie broke into a smile. For she realized she was known, she wasn't forgotten, and she even had a proven new friend. Now, she was a Plushikin with agency. For the first time, she could make her own fate.

"Hi, I'm.. Soup."