The first thing I remember was the dark. There was nothing, just darkness. I could feel the rest of my body, even though I couldn’t move it, it was like I was trapped in a wooden sarcophagus. I waited and waited to finally be able to move, it felt like forever, it was only about thirty minutes. As I was waiting I thought a lot, about who I was, or what I was doing here, or even if there were other people or things or beings in this dark nothingness.
The next thing I remember was the blinding light that was a stark contrast to the utter darkness I had just been in for the past thirty minutes. As I started to adjust to the blinding light, I saw a face staring at me. Not a normal face though, this face loomed over me covering my entire body with its gaze. As I watched the face, it took a big metal tool and brought it to the wood around my uncovered head. I got incredibly nervous when the being in front of me then started pounding a hammer against this metal tool. When I didn’t feel anything at first I felt a little relieved, as the being continued to do this action, and he got closer and closer to my ear, it started to tickle. I could also hear a soft knock in the wood around my ear.
Eventually, this being finished on that side of my head and my ear was completely uncovered. I was bombarded with a cacophony of sounds that came from the almost complete silence I had been in before. There was music playing, in the background. It was a sweet melody, and as I adjusted to the sound, I started to feel very relaxed. The being in front of me was also humming along to the song. I would’ve asked it who it was, and who I was, but it had not uncovered my mouth from its wooded cage. I waited patiently as it started work on my other ear. After it had uncovered both of them, it sat back in something, I couldn’t see what because my eyes were fixed on its face. It looked at me for a while then, just it and I staring at each other. After what seemed like forever again, it got up and walked away. The music ended shortly after, and a little after that I was plunged back into darkness. This darkness was not as complete as before, I could still see some, and I could still hear too.
This time, I was left alone for what really felt like forever to me, unlike. I eventually dozed off and was only awoken when the music started back up again, and I jolted awake. I could see the being, and I could certainly hear it. Eventually, it came back with its tool and a wooden hammer. It sat down and got to work.
This time however because of my ears, there was an eruption of sound every time he pounded the metal tool into the wood around my mouth. I wanted to scream out in agony, but I could not make a single sound with my mouth still inside the confounded sarcophagus. Eventually, the being in front of me finished enough of the carving for me to make sound, and sound I made. I made enough noise to get its attention, it seemed very startled at first, and about dropped the tool it was holding. I was able to get enough across to the being that it understood my situation, even if it couldn’t completely understand me as a being. It went away for a minute, and when it came back it had two little pieces of fabric in its hands. It said something about putting these pieces in my ear, and a second later, it stuffed them into my ear. It was staying something else now, but it was so muffled I could barely hear it. I guess it took that as an ok to start working again.
When it picked up the tool to work again I braced myself for the sound that was sure to come, but this time it was not quite so agonizing. It was very muffled this time, and I found it a lot more bearable. The being finally finished my mouth, and then stopped. It took the fabric from my ears and started talking.
I told it as much as I could about who I thought I was, which wasn’t much, and it told me so much more about myself and itself. I found out that I am a toy being made for a kid this year at a time it called “Christmas.” I also learned that it was, in fact, a he, and not only that he was called a “human” too. We talked for a long while, about how he made many many toys like me from wood, but that none of them had ever talked to him. Eventually, when all our questions were answered, he started back at the process of carving me out of this “block of wood” as he called it.
A day or so later, I was completely free from the block of wood, I could move my arms and legs, I could walk, run, and jump, and I could finally leave the place I had been stuck for the past while. When the carpenter had given me a little while to adjust to this new way of life, he sat me down, and we talked again.
He said that he had a family that he was making me for, and was wondering if it was ok for him to still give me to them. I agreed, and he told me that he would be ok with that as long as I didn’t move or talk or do really anything in front of anyone except him. I also agreed to that and then the next day I was given to my new family.
To any other toys who can read this, I only have one thing to say to you. Hold tight to that original joy you feel when you are first free of “The block”.You will need this joy to help deal with the emptiness you feel when your kid eventually forgets you.