Teddy Bear - Mystery short story



  Teddy Bear

  Short story from the series

  At the crossroads

  Andrzej Galicki

  TEDDY BEAR

  Andrzej Galicki

  © Copyright 2013 Andrzej Galicki

  all rights reserved

  Teddy Bear

  Vicky wiped the gray painted shop counter, until it was gleaming in the light of lamps hanging from the ceiling like new. She was proud of her work - the counter was the most important part of the store. Here, the clients examined the toys. Here, Mrs Mirka packed them in the brown paper, and sometimes, when the paper ran out, in an ordinary newspaper, which was never missed. Here, finally, was the heart of the store - a large metal cash register, greenish in color with lots of buttons to which only Mrs Mirka, the store manager, had the key.

  Vicky worked in the store as a helper. She began her day an hour later than others, but also ended it an hour later. The time was necessary to clean up the room and the counter, to wipe the ceramic floor with the wet cloth until it was dust-free, so that when the store opened in the morning, it all gleamed immaculately. Vicky liked this extra hour in the evening, not because she liked to clean, no; rather, she absolutely loved this time because at this hour, she was here the boss. She was more than that, she was the director of the shop and it happened that when the cleaning was done, she stood behind the counter with a serious face, and performed imaginary conversations with the clients and their children, advising what toys were more appropriate for the age of each child, which were more appropriate for boys and which for girls. Only when the last of her clients left the store happy, could Vicky say the day was complete. She imposed then her worn, navy blue coat and dark blue beret and carefully locked the store door, as she was taught by Mrs Mirka, also making sure that the light had been extinguished inside the establishment.

  Yes, the fact that she had been entrusted with the key to the store was a proof of immense confidence on the part of Mrs. Mirka. If she did not exactly close the door, all sorts of things could happen. Someone could come in and demolish the interior. Or, even worse, steal all the toys. Mrs. manager would come here at eleven o'clock in the morning, and what? All the shelves would be empty, all of them, no exception. Not a single toy left, only the wrapping paper.

  Standing behind the counter, Vicky felt shivers go down her back even at the thought of such a case, because who would then be guilty? Of course she would be. After all, it was her duty to close the door carefully. She was adult enough to be aware of the enormous responsibility which weighed on her shoulders.

  - Move it - Suddenly, she heard a thin voice.

  She looked astonished.

  - Come on, come on ninny, move this damn piece of scrap of me - she heard the voice again.

  Vicky threw a fast look at the shop window. There was no one on the street, no one in the store, she was completely alone here.

  - Look lower, at the bottom - called the thin voice impatiently. - Bend a little.

  She saw him at last, at the end of the lowest shelf behind the counter. The small, gray Teddy Bear was sitting against the wall, one of his legs pressed with a pound mass - how it got on the shelf of toys was hard to say. Vicky lifted it and moved a few inches further from the Teddy Bear, but it was not enough for him.

  - Take me to a higher shelf - it demanded. - So that I’ll be seen from the store.

  Vicky shook her head.

  - I cannot do it - she said. - My manager placed the toys on the shelves. I can not change anything.

  - What a dumbbell - the angry bear said. – One can see that you come from the village. Do it, or you will regret it.

  His tone was so firm that Vicky instinctively obeyed accustomed to execute commands issued this way.

  - You see, if you want it, you can do it - he said, rubbing his rag bear leg. - Now discount me.

  - What is it? – Vicky was astonished.

  - That's what you heard. Just lower my price.

  She knew how to modify the price of toys which were difficult to sell. She should cross out the actual price written on the label with a red pencil, and next to it write a new lower one with the same pencil. The same change must be made in the store register book. But only Mrs. Mirka, the store manager, was entitled to do it. Vicky had never seen it done by anyone else, it was such a big responsibility .

  - Never - she exclaimed indignantly. – No, I do not, I do not do things like that.

  The bear raised his eyes to heaven in silent resignation.

  - True goofy – he moaned with despair in his voice. - Who would have cared what is and what is not allowed? Discount me, and I will bother you with nothing else, promised.

  - What is your name exactly?

  - What is my name? Teddy Bear.

  - Simply just like this? Teddy Bear?

  - Simply? Simply you can take a shit behind the barn. My name is Teddy Bear and it is a very beautiful name. Beautiful and proud.

  - Let it be, but I still won't change your price. I do not do it and that's it.

  - Now, take a red pencil and get to work, don’t be lazy.

  - I won’t do it!

  - Yes, you will!

  - I will not!

  - Do what I say, because ...

  - Because what will you do to me? - Vicky rebelled in earnest.

  - Because I'll screw you to teach you a lesson - Teddy Bear drawled, slyly looking at her innocent eyes.

  - What is it? What do you mean? – She asked surprised.

  - Exactly like that – Teddy Bear said.

  He caught the pretty doll in a folk, regional Cracow costume sitting next to him on the shelf and placed her on the back. Then, he reached for the same kind of doll, but a boy, also in a similar outfit and placed him on the top of the girl. Then, he grabbed the boy’s jacket at the back and began to move it up and down in a very indecent way.

  Vicky looked at it, her eyes growing huge with fear.

  - What are you doing? - Vicky shouted out loud, - Stop immediately!

  - Will you change my price?

  - Yes, I will - she moaned. She lost the next round, and with whom? With a silly, rag toy.

  She looked at him closely. He was not very cute, not to say ugly. Made of a gray material, not even a plush, like a real Teddy Bear should be. The look in his small, black eyes was malicious and hostile.

  "It would be even better to lower his price," she thought. "That way, the sooner he can get away from here."

  She opened the drawer from under the counter and pulled out a red pencil. Then, on the label attached to the left ear of the toy, she crossed out the black number 8.00, and right close to it, she inscribed in red 6.00.

  - What did you put? - Asked Teddy. - I cannot see it from here.

  - Six zloty - Vicky grunted. She felt really humiliated.

  - Why not four? - The bear was still upset. - You should have asked me before.

  - It's too late, I wrote six. Why would you want to cost so little? This is not ambitious.

  - The faster someone will buy me, some stupid kid, or a stingy mother.

  - What’s wrong with being here? You just sit over there, on the shelf and do nothing.

  - My leg hurts from this weight – he groaned. - When someone gets me into his house, there is a chance that the kid will take me to Ciechocinek, now everyone with the children travels to Ciechocinek, such is the new fashion. And they're doing wraps with this black mud, it's supposed to cure the pains.

  Vicky raised the boy doll and put him in his place. Next to him, she sat the girl. She pointed out that the two dolls did not look unhappy.

  - Where did you learn such dirty tricks? - She a
sked.

  - What do you mean where? Here, in the shop. It is one year already since I’ve been sitting here, much more than you. A man can see a lot during one year.

  - Here? In the shop? - The girl was amazed.

  - Yes, exactly here. There was another girl here, before you came, Jagoda they called her. Sometimes she brought a guy here, after cleaning. You also should do so.

  - Have you gone mad by any chance? Why would I do that? - Vicky was outraged.

  - It was funnier when she was here, Jagoda. She covered the window with the newspapers, jumped on this counter and go...

  Vicky decided to end this unpleasant conversation. Anyway, it was getting late. She imposed her blue coat and beret, and left the store without even saying good night to this awful bear, just in order to punish him. On the way back home, riding the tram, she wondered if it might be true that all the bears in Warsaw behaved this way. She knew it's not her Kaluszyn. It is the capitol, a big world where everything is different. But, up to what point was it different?

  The next day was Sunday. A visit to the church helped her realize how much naive she was. Sure, she had a nap after the cleaning and dreamed of her conversations with the stupid rag toy. When on Monday she came to work, the first thing she did was glance at the shelf, where in her dream, she had left Teddy.

  The place was empty. She relaxed. Then, to her ears came a shred of conversation.

  - Imagine Zosia - Mrs Mirka explained to the expedient, who started her work before Vicky - Imagine that we already have the first takings. Shortly after eleven, a client came with her son, scruffy kind of a kid. It could be seen in his eyes. And this snapper insisted that he wants that bear, you remember, the gray one, which has been lying around a long time in the shop. I almost forgot about it already. It ran completely out of my head that its price was lowered, and probably only because of that the mother agreed. It was our first sale today.

  Vicky stood still, not wanting to miss a word of the conversation. So, was it for real, or not? Only, how would one know now, who lowered Teddy’s price? Maybe it was actually Mrs. Mirka? It will be not certain forever.

  One month later, Vicky received a letter. After tearing off the envelope, a single photograph felt on the table top. It fell face down, and on its back was written:

  "Holiday Greetings". When Vicky turned it over, she saw the wooden tower of Ciechocinek, and by one of the wooden supports was standing the gray Teddy Bear, having a pee.

  It even seemed to Vicky that he was winking an eye at her.

  Vicky changed her job. She began to work in textile factories, where she was honored as a socialist labor leader. From that time on, she never again stepped over the threshold of a toy store.