My name is Matt. I’m currently in college studying drama but lost my part-time job at the local diner which gave me enough money to pay my monthly rent.
My classes were always too close to working hours for me to make it and I turned up late more often than not. It was stressful and my boss would always yell at me but hey, it’s what put food on the table.
I treated the act of looking for a job like it was my new job, I was constantly searching for vacancies in my area that at least somewhat lined up with my classes. I must have attended over 20 interviews but no one wanted to hire me! I didn’t think my interview technique was terrible and I had some work experience at the diner so I put it all down to a streak of bad luck.
One day, I was in class. We were doing improv with other classmates, taking turns on stage to practice. My professor would give us each a role and we had to try our best to stay in character and keep the scene from being stagnant and going in circles. I had fun, I always had fun in class, acting was my dream job and I wanted to be on stage someday, a real stage, or in movies. Really, just anything that would allow me to be someone else for a change, being me was no fun at all.
I was chatting with Emily, the girl sitting next to me, and my ongoing search for a job came up in the conversation. She told me that her uncle had come to town and he was opening a toyshop nearby.
“He might need some employees,” she said. “Come with me tonight and you never know, he might like you!”
I thought about it for a moment, a toy shop? That might be cool, better than working in a crumby old diner like I used to.
“Yeah, that sounds great!” I said, “Can you pick me up? I… can’t afford fuel in my car if I want to pay rent this week.”
“No problem, you can just come with me right after this class… Unless you have somewhere to be, that is.”
“No, that’s fine by me,” I replied,
“Great, see yo-“ She was cut off,
“Emily, you’re up!” The professor bellowed and Emily stood up and scurried over to be assigned her role.
Later, after class was over, I met Emily in her car at the college’s front gates. She drove us to the toy store as she told me about her uncle. She seemed to think he was great but I thought he sounded creepy, I didn’t say that to her though.
Once we arrived, I was met with a blank storefront. The windows had metal grates over them and the sign had not been put up yet. Emily knocked on the metal grates and yelled.
“HELLO!” she cried, “Barry, you in there?”
As soon as she said that, the metal grate shot upwards and the lights flickered on, revealing a colorful store with toys and decorations everywhere you looked. The inside had already been decorated.
“Uncle Barry!” Emily looked overjoyed.
Uncle Barry was a thin, short man with a bald head and short stringy hair poking out of his hears and a white moustache sitting on his upper lip. He hugged Emily and glanced over towards me.
“Who’s this?” He said, pointing at me.
Emily explained that I was her friend from class and my job situation.
“Hmmm…” Barry said, thinking. “you said you were a drama student, correct?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
“Come with me to the back, I think I’ve got something you could do for me,” Barry said and walked toward the doors behind the counter. I was ecstatic, surprised, and all of the above. I adjusted my jacket at followed Barry behind the counter.
Barry stumbled around in the dark for a moment before he found the light switch and let out a mumbled “Ah, ha!”
“I was going to search for someone to be the store’s mascot, but it seems you’ve stumbled right into my lap!” He said,
“Mascot…?” I replied.
“Well, yes. You said you were a drama student, this should be right up your alley,” Barry said as he lifted a sheet. Under the sheet was a giant pink dragon costume. It looked like a giant teddy bear, it had soft pink fur, giant green eyes with eyelashes and a large grin stretched across its face.
It was slumped over against the wall, it didn’t even look like a costume but a giant plush toy or some sort of themed pillow. I’m not even sure you could move in that thing with it’s puffed-out gut and giant tail. It also looked a bit girly, with hearts printed on its fur and the fact that it was pink. I wasn’t sure about this.
“Good isn’t it? I found it on the side of the road on the way here, so I cleaned it up and brought it with me, I have no idea why someone would want to throw this thing away, it’s great!” Barry explained, “I named her snuggles, don’t you think it would be great for the kids?”
I didn’t know what to think, I did need the money, but wearing this thing? That’s going to be so embarrassing…
I must have spaced out because the next thing I know Barry put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Well, go on then, Try it on!”
I really need that money, and at least nobody would be able to see my face. I rolled the suit over, looking for a zipper and found one on the back. The zipper tab was a giant heart and it made me facepalm. I took off my shoes and slipped into the costume, it was all one piece and the interior was surprisingly soft. I reached back for the zipper and found I couldn’t reach it with the costume’s mittens so Barry had to zip me up.
I heard Emily giggle behind me and I awkwardly shuffled around to face her.
“Aww, she’s so cute!” Emily said and wrapped her arms around me.
“She?” I thought, then shrugged it off.
“Yeah, yeah, now get me out of this thing, I can’t reach behind me by myself,” I replied.
Emily continued to hug me like I hadn’t said anything.
“Hello? Emily, get this thing off of me!” I said, louder this time because I thought maybe the suit was muffling my voice. Again, she ignored me.
Emily waved goodbye to Barry and left in her car without me. At this point, I started to freak out. The suit was getting hot and claustrophobic, I wanted to go home.
“Barry! Get me out of here, this isn’t funny!” I screamed, but he didn’t respond. For the rest of the day, I sat in the store and watched some men put up the sign outside ready for tomorrow. I tried getting their attention but they also ignored me, like I wasn’t a person but rather just another toy.
I spent the night there, I tried to escape when Barry left but he pushed me lightly and I lost my balance, falling onto a giant plushy tail, it would be a struggle to get back up.
“Snuggles, you can’t leave. You need to stay here and get ready for all the children tomorrow!” Barry said cheerfully as he closed the door again, I heard his keys jingle and his footsteps as he strolled away.
I couldn’t see a thing now that it was night so I resigned myself to just lying there. Why wouldn’t anyone let me out? Was this just some prank? I didn’t think it was funny. I know I always wanted to pretend to be somebody else but this was not what I meant.
The morning came and the shop opened. Children swarmed me as soon as the doors opened. The suit restricted my movement and I couldn’t overpower them. All day, I was forced to take pictures and have snotty kids cling to me. It was hell. I constantly begged to be let out but nobody seemed to hear me, they didn’t even treat me like I was human. Even Barry, who knows that I’m in here, referred to me as ‘Snuggles’ rather than my real name.
When the store closed again, I was left alone. This couldn’t be a prank unless they managed to get that many people in on it. I screamed until my throat was sore throughout the day and nobody batted an eye. I stumbled around in the dark trying to get the zipper undone so I could be free from this prison.
I was sweating buckets in this thing, my throat felt like sandpaper. I was so thirsty that I tried sucking the sweat that had soaked into the mask for a tiny bit of water but it didn’t help. My eyes, lips and mouth felt dry. My head was spinning, I felt extremely dizzy and sick. It also didn’t help that I desperately needed to go to the toilet.
I didn’t so much sleep as pass out from exhaustion.
I woke up the next morning to more screams from children. I was trampled on as little kids stormed through the aisles. This day was going to be hell, even more so than yesterday.
At one point I was propped up for pictures but I was so tired that I could barely stand, I had to be held up. Once I was let go, I fell and heard the zipper catch on something and it opened. Hope gave me a tiny amount of energy to roll over and lift myself from the costume. Then, I passed out.
I woke up in the hospital, I was told that I had severe dehydration and heatstroke but that I would be okay. I left the hospital the next day after some tests but was told to come back frequently as I had contracted a urinary tract infection.
I spoke to Emily and asked her what the hell she was thinking, trapping me like that. She had no explanation for why she didn’t ever let me out and just kept saying she was sorry. I was furious with her and resolved to never speak to her again, classes were awkward after that.
I went to Barry’s toy store again after class and freaked out at Barry, he had no explanation either. Unbelievable. I snatched the costume and took it home with me. I’m not letting him pull that stunt with someone else, it was torture.
It’s sitting in the other room right now and has been for the past month. It’s comfy to cuddle with now that it doesn’t smell like sweat and grime after I cleaned it but I would never wear it again, that thing must be cursed or something.
I am NEVER going to be a mascot again.