Story to be retold: Toy Story
Genre: Spiritual
Each one of us needs something to believe in.
Woody is still staring at Andy's sleeping face. He's been doing it for an hour or two now and he doesn't even notice how he's smiling, bitterly.
A bright light makes him blink. He does it again several times, but he knows that blinking isn't going to fix the blur. It never will. So he stands from the bed and walks, following the light, thinking that it is from Him. But it's not. He realizes that it's just the pallid radiance of the sickle moon that emanates through the open window.
He sighs before shaking his head.
"I'm sure Andy has plans for us. He loves us. He does," he said in assurance, tilting his head slightly to his right. Buzz soon appears from behind the shadows, having the same ambience as Woody,but has different perception on what awaits them after that night.
"I want to believe you, Woody. But how can I if I can see that you too are giving up?" Buzz said, but Woody is now in silence. "But hey, I'm sure He has plans for us."
"He? When was the last time He ever helped us? We lost our friends and I almost got killed...again, remember?" Woody puts his head in his hands. He just can't believe that after years of trying to have a normal life in that second chance given to them, they will have to descry every turning point while still on the page they're stuck into.
The light of the moon adjusts just enough to cast Woody and Buzz's shadows on the wall. Woody looks at it for a moment before putting his head on his hands again. He thinks that it's a reminiscence of their past life, so they can regret what they have done a long time ago.
But it's not.
Woody's shadow is doing the same, but it is in different form. It's more like a man rather than toy in leather boots. Buzz gazes up to the firmament with multitude of stars and streaks of thin clouds. His shadow does the same, but rather than a space ranger with retractable wings and a transparent helmet, the shadow seems to be in a uniform with a wrench in his right hand.
"Don't you think this is His way of helping us? Woody this life is a second chance. We may not be the one we used to be yesterday, but who we are today are what defines us." Woody finally looks at Buzz, hope rising inside him again.
Buzz is right. Indeed the shadows appear to remind them, but not about the previous life they've wasted. It is a reminder that in that second life they have now, they choose to become better. They have changed.
And that's what matters most. Of all the life-altering adversities they come face-to-face, they become brave enough to enfold change.
"I killed a Sheriff just so I could escape the hands of the law. Now I am a Sheriff."
"But you've learned to act by the rules. You became a just and great leader, Woody. That Sheriff and you are one now, you already gave in and embraced your mistakes." Buzz puts his hand on Woody's back. His eyes land on his shadow and he smiles. "Look at my shadow, Woody. I used to work in NASA but only to get filthy and never really fly and reach the stars. Now I am a space ranger. I am better."
The light then again shines to the other side of the room, there on top of a large toy chest where the other few toys are. Hamm's reflection is a skinny slouchy figure in a ripped shirt. Rex died because of being physically abused. His shadow depicts his life as a bullied teenager who was never fond of confrontations-- until now he is, but with a little more confidence.
Slink and Bullseye were both once a pompous pet. They never really follow their masters, thinking that they're wiser. Now Slink is not just a dachshund anymore-- he has a metal slinky for his body-- and Bullseye's a tamed dependent animal, so they can learn to help and become familiar of how the system really works.
