Sometime around the age of five or six, I received a gift of a hand puppet. I assume the maker tried to make it resemble a spider. The back end of the puppet ballooned, which made the head very small. It was the color of lilacs with a powder pink nose and bright yellow antennae. I named it Bugsy, and he lived at my grandparent’s house in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. My little fingers couldn’t fill the enormous leg holes or the head hole to play with the puppet. Instead, I would carry it around like a stuffed animal. Until one day, Bugsy came to life. He was still a puppet, but he was different now. Bugsy suddenly transformed into a loving, sassy, spunky animal. His nose “booped” and his antennae “boinged” when I touched …show more content…
I can’t. I have to watch Mommom and Papa, Brooke. You know that.”
Sometimes, Bugsy sneaked into my grandparent’s car when they visited me. Then we could spend the week together, but he always left after the week came to an end. Bugsy became a perfect friend, but all things come to an end. Every childhood friend goes away some time, even if your friend is a puppet. Bugsy’s trips to my house became less and less frequent. He never came out when I went to my grandparent’s place. Bugsy remained in my grandparent’s house for a while. He took good care of my grandparents when I wasn’t there for them.
I soon grew up. Time went on. Bugsy no longer occupied thoughts. Until my grandparents decided to move into an apartment. While going through boxes upon boxes of their old stuff, I found him. Bugsy laid there, crammed into a box and forgotten about entirely. Now covered in dust and colors faded, this friend knew me as a child. No longer a child, my hand fits in the puppet. I can wiggle him and make the funny noises. Boink, boing, beep! When Bugsy saw the light of day--after years of darkness--the smile on my grandmother’s face was bittersweet. Though she voiced my childhood friend, she wasn’t needed anymore for my mind to explore. I had the power to create within me, and she helped create