The Liberation Gang

A stuffed animal rescue

Photo by Bill Adler

“Wolf, Cat, Panda, Elephant, Bear, do you understand your roles today?” Bunny locked eyes with each member of her team. 

Wolf was gray and brown with opal-colored eyes. Cat sported tabby stripes, snow-white paws, and a non-stop wagging tail. Panda wore sad eyes. Elephant was the tallest and thickest of the lot, with a trunk as long as its body. Bear gripped a honey jar, and Bunny’s pink ears stuck out like antennae on an old-style television.

The six plush animals huddled next to the zoo’s alpacas, a humming quartet of two white and two brown zoo animals, nuzzling each other. Shadows momentarily passed overhead, replaced by bright sunshine as the wind herded away the clouds. 

“We know what to do,” Panda spoke for the gang. 

The others nodded. 

“Cat will distract the little girl who’s keeping Penguin captive by pretending to be lost. As soon as the kid starts looking for Cat’s owner, Penguin will run away.”

“Owner,” Wolf harrumphed. “We’re not owned!”

“Shh, Wolf,” Elephant said. “We know. But we’re on a mission, and you need to focus.”

“Sorry. I rile when somebody treats us like property.”

“You’re sure the five-year-old girl with the red hair and freckles who’s imprisoned Penguin will be at the zoo this afternoon?” Bunny asked Cat. 

“Yes. I have a spy on the inside who gave me that information. She’s here every Saturday afternoon.”

“Who’s your informant?”

“Lego Lion at the gift shop. She’s never let me down before,” Cat replied. 

“Here’s how we’ll do it,” Bunny said. “We’ll hide behind the bench near the otters. Cat will approach stealthily, silently, surreptitiously, and softly. Then, Cat will lie on the ground next to her. The girl will worry about what she thinks is a lost stuffed animal—”

“We’re not a stuffed anything! I hate that word, stuffed,” Wolf interrupted.

“We will all wave to Penguin, so he knows where to go, with Elephant also swinging its trunk and sounding a horn,” Bunny said. “When Penguin sees us, he’ll know what to do, but Penguin’s likely to be disoriented when the girl drops him, so be prepared to assist. That means you, Wolf, because you’re the fastest. Are you ready to dash over and give Penguin a ride?”

“Yes.”

“Good. If something goes wrong, we’ll rendezvous at Sullivan’s Toys at eight o’clock.”

“What if Penguin doesn’t want to be separated from the girl?” Elephant asked, knowing that sometimes toy animals preferred to stay with their humans, even when offered the freedom to live with their own kind, an obstinate bond between child and plush. Last spring, everyone witnessed Giraffe kicking Duck while Duck tried to rescue Giraffe. Giraffe shouted, “Mary is my friend, you’re not!” 

“If Penguin refuses to be liberated—” Bunny started to say.

“Shh, shh! I see them. Look! The little girl with Penguin is here,” Panda interrupted, pointing to the popcorn cart in front of the seal enclosure. 

A thin man with white hair and a handlebar mustache wearing a striped, red and white shirt handed a popcorn bag to a little boy with a calico-colored plush fox tucked under his arm. A toy monkey sat on a chair behind the steel-framed glass popcorn popper, its hand on the popper’s handle. The machine played a carousel melody.

Louisa, the girl with Penguin, was next in line behind the boy. 

“Are you ready?” Bunny asked Cat. 

All the animals, except for Cat, hid behind a bench across the path near the otter tank. 

Elephant wandered toward the otters, but Bear grabbed his leg. “Not now, Phelly. You can visit the otters after we free Penguin.”

“They’re so cute!” Elephant whined, but when Bear frowned, Elephant added, “Okay, later.” 

Cat zig-zagged toward Louisa, flicking its tail back and forth. Cat bonked its head against the girl’s leg, purred, rolled onto its side, and lay motionless. 

Louisa knelt down and petted Cat. She smiled. “Kitty, did another child lose you?” 

Louisa swiveled her head, observing children running aimlessly, children atop their parent’s shoulders, children in rapt conversation with lions, wolves, and meerkats, and children playing hopscotch, but none of the other kids were tearfully searching for a lost toy. Nobody dropped this toy animal.

Where did you come from?

She released Penguin and cradled Cat in her arms, stroking its head, back, and belly, scratching under its chin. 

What shall I name you?

Penguin gasped—I’m free! When Penguin noticed his friends frantically waving from behind the bench, he waddled over as fast as he could, trailing snowflakes. Penguin’s heart beat in overdrive, and his lungs pumped furiously. 

I’ll name you Zooy because I found you in the zoo.

“Hurry, hurry!” Bunny mouthed.

When he reached the safety of his friends, Penguin hugged them and said, “You rescued me!” 

“It was Panda’s idea for Cat to distract the girl so you could escape,” Bunny said, offering Panda a high five. “The plan worked.”

They all high-fived each other.

“Wait!” Penguin said. He aimed an arm toward the girl holding Cat, who was serenading her new companion with The Owl and the Pussycat. “Who’s going to rescue Cat?”

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If you enjoyed The Liberation Gang, I think you’ll like my story, The Dawn of Dogs.