All Winds Blow Away Eventually

The Game Station

With Samuel by my side, and in turn, his friends, my life in Playcare had improved significantly. I always wanted to engage in class activities, the counsellors were overjoyed that I'd set myself up with a friend group, and I didn't want to ever get adopted by some aspiring parents unless Samuel did. I had become fast friends with Theo, who told me that his full name was Theodore Grambell, and he had a CatNap plush by his side. He didn't know that he could pull CatNap's tail to let out its scent, which I quickly learned was lavender, as it was listed on CatNap's info card near the Playcare statue. There was also a girl named Sarah, who had a Bobby Bearhug toy, with a rose scent. If none of us were adopted before we became adults, I'd become an employee at Playtime Co. Not in Playcare, though, but rather in the toy making side of things, just to make the kids of Playcare happy to have a new toy. When Samuel heard of this, he thought about it, and eventually told me "I'll become one too, and I'll work alongside you if I don't get adopted before I'm an adult!"

While this was a great thing to hear, both of us had to try not to get adopted, and if one of us did, either one's dream would be dampened by the other leaving Playcare. Especially if Samuel left and I didn't.

That aside, I had got my own Smiling Critters toy, namely Hoppy Hopscotch, whose scent was peppermint-hence her green plush fur.

Today, we had been told that we were going to the Game Station, where three games awaited us. However, the way the adult said it seemed suspiciously forced. When we got on the train that would take us there, I couldn't help but think why it sounded forced.
"You okay?" Theodore asked.
"Yeah! I'm excited!" I replied, his sudden sentence making me jump as I tried to cover up my thoughts. In the same way, though, I was glad that Samuel hadn't asked, as he would have seen right through my reply.

The Game Station was certainly larger than I thought it would be. Behind the train stop was a very large clock, metal bridges above the station, and two little play areas at the back. However, what caught my attention was a large, pink female toy spider who came crawling down from the ceiling.
"New playmates!" she exclaimed happily. "This is going to be so much fun!"
"Who's she?" I asked.
"Mommy Long Legs," Samuel replied. "The most well-known thing in the Game Station. Even more so than the games themselves."

Mommy pulled a lever near the train stop, and a staff member's voice came over a tannoy microphone, introducing the first game. I let out a low moan as she introduced the name: 'Musical Memory.'

Memory games were not my forte at all. I had a terrible memory, but I had to do it. The game was down a set of stairs, and 'populated' by a cardboard cutout of a yellow bunny with cymbals in his hands.
"Bunzo Bunny," Sarah said. "The mascot of this game."
I know it was just a toy, but it kind of looked freaky. I pressed its button, and it said "I know when your birthday is. June 28th," before chuckling.
"Wrong!" I instantly shouted, before continuing to the game.

Once in, an intro played, and it didn't seem so bad. All I had to do was just hit some coloured buttons before a big version of Bunzo reached me, at which point the game would end. Rounds 1 and 2 were fairly easy to play, but with Round 3 several new buttons came up and I barely scraped through that round. Round 4 was when my game ended, with the patterns becoming too long for me to complete in time.
"Mommy is so proud of you!" a voice squealed from an observation platform overhead. I looked up and saw Mommy Long Legs looking down at me with a smile. Samuel and his friends did really well, so I congratulated them.

I nodded in agreement and left to go back to the main lobby. Mommy pulled the second lever, activating the second game, 'Wack a Wuggy.' I had to admit, this one sounded like a lot of fun. The fact that a dual palm GrabPack would be provided for this game was even more so. Seeing as I wanted to become an employee there, it would help with training.
Samuel agreed. "This'll help us with our future when we apply for the job at Playtime Co!"

The game offered a simple enough premise. There were 18 sizeable pipes dotted around the game area. Huggy Wuggy dolls could appear out of any of these pipes, and we had to hit them with our GrabPacks. If one got too close, it was game over. In this one, I got quite far, looking around for mini Huggies and hitting them with my GrabPack. They were quite slow to begin with, and even when they got faster, I could see them coming out of random pipes. However, the game started to put them through pipes that matched their colour, the only hint being their black toy eyes. This made it even harder; one eventually got too close, ending the game.

I had obviously set a good pattern for the other kids to follow, as Samuel did as well as I had, and all the other kids scored highly. Theo, Sarah, all of them. Mommy Long Legs was even more enthusiastic about that game, definitely seeing that I'd done excellently.

Once we were back at the lobby, the final game, Statues, was announced. It didn't sound as fun as the previous game, but it was definitely better than Musical Memory.

The objective was simple. When the lights turned off I could move. When they turned on, I had to stop, but I could still look around. If movement was detected afterwards, the game would end. The toy in this one was PJ Pug-A-Pillar, and as with the other two, if he reached us, the game would be over.

Samuel went first, but much to my dismay, he didn't do very well at all. He got as far as the play equipment, and that was it, as PJ caught up with him. I gave him a thumbs up as he left for the lobby. I felt guilty when I got further than he did, as I got through the slides almost to the end, but my slide to the end started right as the lights went on, ending my game.

After all the kids had done the game, we got back on the train and headed back to Playcare. On the way back, a particular thought ran through my head. One that I hadn't even thought of until now. How were the toys alive? How were they able to do what they did in the games? How was Mommy able to pull the levers so effortlessly?

I looked at the scoreboard on the train and saw I placed 7th. Samuel, Theo and few others scored highest, with Sarah placing just above me at 6.

A day later, everything seemed back to normal, but during the school day, class was dismissed suddenly, and we went through the tunnels beneath the Playcare dome. I noted a small cavern in the stone wall, before being ushered on by Miss Delight and her sisters. Once we got out into the Playcare dome, we went to the cable car that brought new arrivals down to Playcare, and those who had been adopted out. And I couldn't believe who was there.
"S...Samuel?" I stuttered? Had he been adopted? Theo, Sarah and all his friends were in a cable car, waving goodbye as it ascended. There was also Kevin, who had always liked me, but he was nervous before I became friends with Samuel, at which point he warmed up to me.
But Samuel... Leaving now? My best friend. Why, oh why did he have to be adopted?

"Ah, here they all are!" one of the counsellors said after the cable car came back down.
"Well, of course! They'd never miss this!" Miss Brooks, another counsellor replied.
"Who is it, Miss Brooks? Who's going away? Tell us! Tell us!" one of the kids said.
Miss Brooks shushed us and said
"This week, Dr. White has selected our very own Samuel Lee!" I looked over at the grinning Dr. White near the counsellors, very upset that he'd chosen him.
"Now, before he goes," Miss Brooks continued, "let's all give Sam one last goodbye, shall we? With me. 1...2...3... Goodbye Sam!" everyone said, before Samuel shushed them.

"I just want to say goodbye to my one of my best friends here," he said, pointing at me. He beckoned me to come to where he was. He gave me a hug, and I buried my head in his chest, trying to hide my tears. It was like my heart had been shattered into pieces by he and his friends leaving Playcare, and I would sorely miss him. The rest of the crowd clapped at this, but I knew it was also because he was leaving. His voice was soft in my ear. "I'll never forget you. When you're adopted, I'll find you. And we'll keep in touch forever," he whispered.

I gave Samuel one last hug; he then left Playcare, waving to the cheering crowd below as he went up in the cable car, disappearing from sight.