Rebekah George Assignment 12

The pillow at the end of the aisle was an ordinary pillow. He wasn’t particularly beautiful, having a simple, white and navy polka-dot pattern. His outer covering was not as comfortable as the fluffy blankets in aisle three. He believed that no one could ever love him—that he did not match with anything well-enough.



“Most couches are dark browns or black.” He lamented to a brightly-colored, soft pillow nearby. “Even white is no good for me.”



One day, a rather rough-looking man went to the store where the white and navy polka-dotted pillow was sold. He had come in the store to pick up a few groceries but stopped in front of the pillow aisle on his way out. He scoffed at the fluffy, brightly-colored pillows for they wouldn’t suit his décor. He found the holiday-themed pillows to be useless as they could only be put out once a year. His eyes fell upon the navy and white polka-dotted pillow.



“You are perfect.” He said to himself, smiling in a way that made the navy and white polka-dotted pillow nervous. And so they went home together, man and pillow.



The man lived in a quiet place all by himself, his only company a dog he called Rex. Rex often worried over his master bringing home foreign things, full well knowing the danger of unknown objects. The mailman, for example, had it out for his master. Even though he never attacked outright, Rex knew that man to be pure evil and prepared to strike each day when the man pushed new spies into the house. Another evil was the monster floor-sweeper. Its eyes light up each time it roared to life. Rex knew it could only do harm when chained to the wall, so once he chewed through its chain. Master was furious when he’d seen what had happened to the sucking beast. He had gone out and bought another one to replace it. Rex had yet to launch an attack on this new enemy.



“Hey, Rex.” The man scratched the curious beast about the ears when he walked in the front door. “I’ve brought something to liven up the place.” The pillow, having previously been jailed within the confines of a material he’d never felt before, drank in the open air once the man freed him from his plastic prison. The man set the pillow on his discolored couch. The newness of the white and navy material stood out starkly against the shabby color that resembled what had once been brown. The man smiled at this.



“Glad to buy something new for once.” He said, smiling sadly. He strolled past mismatched furniture into the kitchen. “What’ll we eat for dinner boy?” Rex eyed the newest edition to his world wearily but followed his master into the kitchen nonetheless.



That night, after his master had finally gone to sleep, Rex decided to investigate this bulky invader. He got up slowly and quietly tiptoed from the back room of the house to the front, so as not to wake his slumbering master. The pillow had taken to its drab surroundings, overjoyed to be the prettiest thing in this new world. He decided that this would not be so bad. He imagined all sorts of people walking through the entrance of the man’s home and complimenting him. He resolved to be the best pillow in the house. A wet nose interrupted his thoughts. Rex probed the softness with his snout, assessing the risk level of this creature. Rex decided that the foreigner reeked of something he couldn’t discern. A low growl rumbled in his chest. He vowed to protect his master from this thing, snatching it from the sofa and shaking it violently. The floor beast may have tricked his master, but this smelly creature would not. Rex tore the pillow to shreds, happily returning to his master’s side when he was finished. He then slept soundly, assured that his master was safe.



In the morning, the man woke early as he always did. His new job worked him ragged, but he thanked heaven above for it every day. It was the only thing that kept a roof over his head and food in Rex’s bowl. He dressed slowly. The house had been rather cold since the heat had been cut off, but he and Rex would manage. At least they had water. He shoved a mushy apple in his jacket for breakfast and prepared to leave the house. He stopped dead when he came to the living room.



“R—Rex, boy. What did you do?” His voice cracked slightly as he picked up the pillow’s innards from the floor. Rex panted happily, glad that his foe was vanquished. Only when he noticed his master’s disappointment did he realize that he’d made a mistake. He whimpered his apology and wagged his tail. His master suddenly began to laugh.



“That’s okay, you goof. I can fix it when I get home.” He said, smiling brightly. He rubbed the head of a decidedly confused Rex and headed out the door for work. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, boy.” And so, Rex and a very discombobulated pillow waited for their master’s return.