Perfection Exception

Search For The Missing Lou

Annabelle

I went out everyday on the robot dog to search for Lou. I'd spend hours at a time looking, checking places twice, three times if I was desperate. I had intended on going back home when a button storm started, the small pieces of plastic falling down hard and pelted me repeatedly. I made the dog run to a small cave opening, and I got off of his back as I looked out of the cave.

"It's still so weird that it rains buttons instead of water out here." I whispered.

"Who's there?" A voice echoed through the cave.

I turned and squinted to see further in, but the darkness of the cave made it difficult to see. The robot dog growled and laid its ears back, standing in front of me as if to protect me from whoever or whatever was inside.

"What are you doing in my cave?" The voice snapped.

"Your cave?" I replied. "I'm just taking shelter from the button storm. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Go back to wherever you came from when it's over then!"

"What's your name?"

Whoever it was paused for several moments. "What's yours?"

"I asked first."

"You came into my cave."

I huffed, folding my arms across my chest. "My name is Annabelle."

"Where'd you come from?" The voice automatically asked.

"The Institute of Perfection."

I jumped away when whoever it was tossed something toward me. I tilted my head as I bent down and picked up a stick that had several pieces of cloth tied to it.

"Set it on fire. You'll be warm." The voice stated.

"You didn't tell me your name."

"My name isn't important."

"It is to me. I'm looking for someone."

"Oh yeah? Who would you be looking for all the way out here?"

I held the stick up, and the robot dog took it. I watched as he dragged it over the rock walls, and I smiled as it caught fire. He was careful as he gave it back to me. I was quiet as I walked further into the cave, finding that whoever I had been talking to was hiding deep within the cave. I paused when I saw light reflecting off of the rock walls, and I took a cautious step around the corner. The doll had their back to me, but the torn tuxedo and wild blond hair made me catch my breath.

"Lou?"

~

Moxy

I began to worry when Annabelle didn't return at the time she usually did. The sun was starting to set, and she hadn't come by. I coaxed the robot baby to carry me to the edge of Uglyville, the place that Annabelle kept going past to search for Lou.

"You're worried about Annabelle, aren't you?" Mandy asked, standing with me.

"She's always back before the sun goes down, and she hasn't shown up." I replied.

"She may be late because of the button storm." Mandy said, motioning her hand out toward the harsh button storm. "She's probably taking shelter from it."

"I know. It just worries me."

Mandy and I both looked out over the flat land as the buttons rained down.

"I'm going to look for her." I stated.

"No, Moxy. You'll get stuck out there like she probably is. It's better to wait. She'll come back."