“Not a Children’s Story” — FWG Flash Fiction for 8/30/2025

Beware of teddy bears found on the side of the road. They may have been thrown there for a reason.

The prompt is:

https://pixabay.com/photos/suitcase-antique-teddy-1650171

NOT A CHILDREN’S STORY

He isn’t Pooh. No, I've never cared about Pooh or any of his minions. My bear is Snoogles. Not “Snuggles.” I wasn’t going to name my best friend and constant companion after the smelly laundry soap Mom keeps in the cabinet above the washing machine. No way.

Although when I found him trying to climb out of an old suitcase on the side of the road while I was riding my bike to Susie’s house and brought him home, it was a good bath in Snuggles that cleaned him right up. Come to think of it, maybe that’s how he got his name. Okay, maybe Snuggles isn’t so smelly after all.

Snoogles has never tried to escape from me like he was trying to get out of that suitcase on the side of the road. That’s because We’re BFFs. For real. We have lots of fun together. Like when a stray cat had kittens under our back porch. They were so cute and cuddly. The mom cat didn’t like it much when Snoogles told me to pick up the smallest one, though. She gave my hand a big scratch. But it was worth it, because that baby kitten was so soft and squishy and fun to play with. At least for a while. Who knew that kittens can’t swim?

It was Snoogles, too, who told me how to keep Tommy Greene’s dog quiet at night. Just one bowl of stuff from that jug in the garage and it never barked again. Tommy’s sobbing was almost worse, though. What a crybaby.

I love Snoogles so much! He keeps telling me ways to get what I want. Who cares if Mom and Dad look at me funny? Last night, he told me how I can move into my brother Jimmy’s bigger bedroom.

THE END