Chapter 1
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WHAM! Back into the cupboard Jeff was placed forcefully.
Wincing at the newfound pain that shot through him, he moved backward to rejoin the others. Boy, did he hate this.
Jeff was a cup. He really didn't want to be, but he was. Each day he was used cruelly, washed roughly, and put away with absolutely no care. Every day he was bored out of his mind, sitting in the dusty cupboard with all the other cups.
One day, Jeff, the cup, looked down at himself. His red pattern that harmonized with all the other cups' design was so familiar, so boring to him. I just can't take this anymore, Jeff thought. I want to be something else. But what did he want to be? An animal, he thought. Any animal. He shook his head. Or I could just have a new purpose. Yeah, that'd be nice.
So Jeff waited until he heard the humans leave the house, and then he pushed his way to the front of the cupboard with haste.
"Hey!" One of Jeff's friends, Carl, was speaking to him.
"What, Carl?" Jeff replied, facing his friend.
"Where are you going, Jeff?" Carl continued, looking puzzled.
"I'm leaving, Carl." Jeff replied.
"Why, Jeff?"
"I don't like being a cup, Carl."
"Oh," Carl paused. "Neither do I, Jeff."
"Well, if I figure out how to become something other than a cup, I'll come and get you, Carl."
"Thank you, Jeff."
"Goodbye, Carl."
"Goodbye, Jeff."
Jeff blinked slowly, trying not to get emotional as he pushed open the cupboard and rolled out. His felt his plastic dent a little as he hit the ground, but he made no deal of it. Jeff considered it a battle wound.
Jeff rolled and rolled. He rolled across the kitchen, across the dining room, across the living room, and to the back door. He flopped upright and hopped his way to the doggy door, pushing open its flap and hurling himself out. Jeff's plastic dented again, and he winced, but kept going. There was no turning back now. He rolled his was across the lawn and towards the fence. He reached the fence, and just when he thought he was all safe to slide under it, he heard the doggy door flap again, and some loud breathing. Jeff whirled around just quick enough to see a dog's tongue come in contact with his plastic.
Great, he thought, just what I need.
The dog's slobbery mouth closed around Jeff and began to swing him around. Finally the canine released and Jeff went flying across the lawn, over the fence, and onto the cold, hard street. Another dent was added to the list.
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