The One about the Hippo

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Over half an hour had passed since Papple first entered the doors of the Grand Central station and he was beginning to despair. Despite coaching from the kids, he felt more and more lost, more and more stupid, and more and more dejected. He was a complete failure with a capital F. Heck! He didn't even know if he knew how to get back out to the sidewalk and back to his darling Ella's arms.

The cheery encouragement from Sir'Duke and Sweet Lou just made him sadder and sadder, until he could bear it no more. He didn't deserve their support! Switching off the communication system, Papple shuffled dejectedly to a quiet corner and sat down to cry. He didn't want any of the others to hear. Papple no good! No is hero!

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his back. Oh no! Someone see me. Dis no is good. Run, run! With that, Papple jumped up to scuttle away, but before he could, a heavy hand pushed him back down, forcing his face to thud harshly on the ground and he blacked out momentarily.

"I'm so, so sorry! I forget my strength," said the voice associated with the heavy hand, as it flapped air into Papple's face.

Papple, still groggy from the fall, sniffed the air and smelt a comforting warm cookie dough smell in the air. He turned over slowly and looked at his captor, and was shocked to see not a human, but a bright blue hippopotamus stuffed toy with a pink bow who was blushing so hard that his entire face had almost turned from blue to red.

"Dis ok, me no hurt!" Papple said, sitting up and shaking himself off.

"Oh! Oh! But I heard the thud," said the blushing hippo. "And then you just weren't moving! Oh! Oh! I'm so sorry and ashamed."

Sensing his vulnerability, Papple hobbled over, attempting to shake off the stars he felt in his eyes and gave the hippo and hug, and handed him a grape from his knapsack. "No worry. Papple is okay. Me fall all the time. What your name?"

"I'm Henry," replied the hippo, "and thank you for the grape. Oh! Oh! I'm just oh so sorry to have ambushed you like that!"

"Dis okay!"

"I just saw that you looked so sad, and thought that perhaps, maybe I could help. Are you lost?"

"Yes, me is very lost," Papple said forlornly, "me looking for big green ball with number "6" in it. Me go find my girl."

"Oh," said Henry, his little ears fluttering in delight. "I can help you! I'm very familiar with all the subway stations here. I help you take the train to anywhere you want!"

"How you know?"

"Well," confessed Henry, "I follow my Boy to work everyday, but he doesn't know I'm there. I worry so much for him. He came out of the closet a few months ago and some jerks at his job won't leave him alone. One time they almost pushed him into the tracks and I wasn't there . . .."

Papple grasped Henry's hoof and squeezed it.

"I just can't bear the thought of not being there for him, so I started following him to work. And, and -- well, if those jerks ever try anything, I'll be waiting! I'll show them what blue and all the other colors of the rainbow can do!"

As if to prove a point, Henry ran full speed into a garbage can located beside the toys, shoving it easily aside. As the can rattled around, a few people turned to stare it, but like most people in Manhattan, they quickly forgot about it and moved on.

"You really brave," said Papple, full of admiration. "And strong!"

"Well, luckily, we put a request to move to the California offices, which just needs to get approved. People there seem to be more accepting. Hopefully we'll be moving in the next few weeks so he can just be himself again!"

"I know he gonna get it," said Papple, who had an oddly accurate sense for these things. "It gonna be good. Real good."

Henry smiled his first real smile in what he felt was a very long time. "Come on, friend. Enough chit-chat, let me show you how this whole system works and get you on your train. And by the way, you really don't need that suit. No one notices us anyway!"

"Oh, good!" said Papple, as he picked out a wedgie from the tight suit. "This not very comfortable!"

If one had looked hard enough that day, they would have seen a pineapple stuffed toy in a grey body suit and a bright blue hippopotamus roaming the halls of Grand Central station. Every so often, the little pineapple nodded fervently and scribbled down notes in a pad he was holding.

Once Henry had given Papple the scoop on not just the green line, but the entire New York subway system, they both moved towards Papple's intended destination, after all, Papple had a places to go!

At the green uptown "6" line, the pineapple and the hippo said their bittersweet goodbyes, and the hippo went back to his post at the West bound purple "7" train to wait for his Boy and the little pineapple hopped on to the subway car to continue on with his very important mission.

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