Hills Like White Elephants

Often, when he was alone, Ted would think of that teddy bear, the only remaining tangible thing from that time. Not that he had the teddy bear, of course; he assumed she still had it, but then again, why? Why would she keep the only remaining tangible thing from that time? She did have it for awhile, at least. He knew that much. A teddy bear with a terrible secret living amongst all the other innocuous stuffed fauna that lived on top of her bed. When he'd walk into her room back then he'd see the bear staring at him with accusing jet-black cold pieces of plastic that passed for eyes. And now, years later, it was the teddy bear that still haunted him. He'd forgotten the little details of the rest, somehow... the little details that really mattered. Those were, thankfully, gone. The damned bear, however, remained in his memory, with its stupid sewn-on grin and lifeless black eyes.

They'd gone to a mall afterward, and Ted had bought the teddy bear and given it to her on the spot. Just another for her collection, or so he'd thought. Something they could look at that afternoon and hold, instead of looking at each other. She'd smiled a sad smile and stroked the bear's fur while Ted looked at his feet, trying desperately to only think of the bear and not the other missing thing. Missing things, rather, for several things were lost that day. Ted's purchase and gift of the bear was a somewhat feeble attempt to fill that emptiness, and emptiness that would just grow larger until it was an abyss swallowing him whole. But he couldn't know that at the time. No... give her the bear, look at your feet, think of nothing... especially don't think about that... and everything will be fine. If not today, at least tomorrow. Surely tomorrow things will be better.

Tomorrow was not better, nor the next day. The bear remained. Perhaps it was the bear's fault. Its stupid black eyes that stared at you, because it knew. Ted hated that bear. Things were fine before the bear, and then there was this accusatory teddy bear on the bed, and then things weren't fine. Ted couldn't believe that was just a coincidence. She, however, didn't seem to even notice the bear, and never talked about it.

Eventually she left, or maybe Ted left, but in any event Ted stopped thinking about that day and enjoyed a respite from the evil teddy bear's glare. However, there were times when something would be said or happen that would trigger a slight memory of that day... when he was alone and feeling unfulfilled or otherwise down... and the bear would come back, eyes black as ever.

And he'd wonder what that bear was doing now.