Toy Drive Trouble

Toy Drive Trouble is the ninth episode of the first season of The Adventures Of True.

True donates her stuffed cat, Sherman, for the school's annual toy drive, but soon ends up regreting her decision.

One morning at school, Miss Busybody's class was having Show and Tell Day. It was currently Timmy's turn.

"I brought in a vintage Monkees finger puppet glove." Timmy explained. "My grandmother got one of these for her Christmas in 1967, when Season 2 of the show started airing. She would often entertain me with it when I was a baby."

"Very nice, Timmy." said Miss Busybody. "Who would like to go next?"

True raised her hand.

"Go ahead, True." said Miss Busybody.

True got up from her seat, took her backpack out of her cubby, went to the front of the class, opened the bag, and took out her stuffed cat, Sherman.

"This is my stuffed cat, Sherman." True said. "My parents got him for my first birthday, and I've had him ever since. I still sleep with him at night, because he's so special to me. I named him after Bobby Sherman, one of my favorite singers."

Two students, a boy with brown hair and eyes and wearing a blue-and-white-striped dress shirt with a red bowtie, a yellow vest, white knee-high socks, and black dress shoes and a girl with brown eyes and hair in three pigtails, brown eyes, and wearing red and white shirt with an icon of a chibi character on the front, red pants, and red and yellow sneakers, started laughing.

"You're too old to be sleeping with a stuffed toy!" laughed the boy.

"Yeah, only babies sleep with stuffies!" chortled the girl.

True felt hurt. Miss Busybody rose from her seat.

"Stingy, Trixie, that will be enough." she said.

"Yes, ma'am." sighed Trixie and Stingy as they stopped laughing.

"Thank you." smiled Miss Busybody as she sat back down before looking back at True. "True, you may go back to your seat now."

True nodded quietly and went back to her desk. She still felt sad about what had just happened. At lunch, her friends spoke with her.

"Don't listen to those two, True." said Molly. "They just like to tease others."

"But they might be right." True said sadly. "I'm eight, and I still sleep with a stuffed animal, which is something not a lot of eight-year-olds do."

"So?" asked Franklin. "I'm as old as you are, and have a stuffed dog named Sam that I still like to cuddle with sometimes."

"Yeah, everyone probably has some childish bedtime habit they still do." said Gil. "I mean, I still sometimes suck my thumb when I sleep."

"And I still like to have a glass of milk before I go to bed every night." added Nonny. "They say that milk actually contains this stuff called tryptophan, an amino acid that helps us sleep better."

"Wow!" said Blue. "Even I didn't know that!"

Hearing her friends' words made True feel better. Later, as True and her friends were going outside to the playground for recess, she saw a flyer taped to the wall. The flyer was advertising the school's annual toy drive, where students would be given a chance to buy or donate some old toys to give to children in need, and there was a donation box outside Principal Milford Meanswell's office that would be picked up the following day. As True read the poster, she thought about something.

"Maybe I should donate Sherman." she said.

"Are you sure about that?" asked a voice.

A miniscule figure of True wearing a white robe, a halo over her head, and wings sprouting from her back appeared on her shoulder. This description made it clear that she was some kind of angel.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm your Shoulder Angel." replied Angel True. "I heard you say something about donating your best toy to charity."

"Yeah." said True. "That's what I said."

"Well, if I were you, I would do some serious thinking about it." said Angel True.

"Oh, come on." another voice said.

Another figure appeared on True's other shoulder. This one was similar to the first, but was wearing a red robe instead of a white one, and had horns on her head instead of a halo. She was also carrying a trident. Obviously, this was a devil version.

"Just put Sherman in the box." said Devil True. "Some things are worth the sacrifice, Sherman being enjoyed by some other kid is a prime example."

"Yes, that is true." agreed Angel True. "But there are also some things that aren't worth giving up. Why would you want to give up something that is something so special to you that your parents gave you when you were just a little baby?"

"I guess you do have a point." said True. "But James always says to do the right thing. It's also what God would want me to do."

"See? If you put Sherman in the box, you'll be doing the right thing!" said Devil True.

Angel True realized it was no use continuing the argument.

"Well, you win this time." said Angel True. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry." said True. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

"If you say so." said Angel True as she and Devil True disappeared.

True then left to join her friends out on the playground, and later that afternoon, as the kids were walking outside to the bus to go home, True stopped by Mr. Meanwell's office, Sherman in her hand. She exchanged glances at Sherman and the donation box, which already had some toys inside from when other kids brought their old toys from home or bought new toys from the store and put them in as they were going into the building earlier in the week. Finally, she let out a triumphant huff.

"Well, Sherman, it's been real nice having you as a friend." she said. "But now, it's time to say "goodbye". I'm getting too old to have you around now, and I'm sure you'll make another child out there happy."

And what that, True put Sherman in the box and went outside to the bus. That evening, she, James, Moose, and Stocking Head had meatball subs for dinner.

"So, how was school for you guys today?" asked Moose.

"Did you two enjoy Show And Tell?" asked James.

"It was fine." said Stocking Head. "True took a bit to get on the bus to go home, though."

"How come?" asked James.

True didn't want James to know what happened, so she came up with a lie.

"I had to go to the bathroom really bad." said True. "And I didn't want to have an accident on the bus."

"Fair enough." James shrugged.

"Phew!" True thought as she continued eating. "Dodged a real bullet there."

But later that night, True had trouble sleeping, constantly tossing and turning in her bed. And to make matters worse, she couldn't stop thinking about Sherman. She soon realized she couldn't take it anymore. She got out of bed and quitely crept down the hall to James' room. She quietly opened the door and saw James sleeping like a log in his bed.

"James?" True called. "Are you awake?"

James woke up, sat up in his bed, and put his glasses on.

"I am now." he said. "What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep." True replied. "Something's keeping me awake."

"I see." said James. "How about some hot chocolate? Will that help?"

"Sure." True said with a nod.

With that, James and True went downstairs, and soon, the two were sipping two warm mugs of hot chocolate.

"So, True, what's keeping you awake?" James asked.

True sighed, knowing it was time to come clean.

"James, I have a confession to make." she said. "You know that toy drive that has been going on at school and how I brought in Sherman for Show And Tell?"

James nodded.

"Go on." he said. "I'm all ears."

"Well, two kids named Stingy and Trixie teased me today about Sherman." said True. "They said that I'm too old to be sleeping with stuffed animals, so as I was leaving school today, I put Sherman in the toy drive box. That's really why I took a bit to get on the bus instead of what I told you about having to go to the bathroom really bad."

James couldn't believe what he just heard, nor was he happy about it.

"True, that was dishonest of you to say that." said James. "And why did you put Sherman in the box in the first place? You know how special Sherman is to you."

"Because you always say to do the right thing." True replied. "I was only doing what you said by putting Sherman in the box, because I thought that since I technically don't need him anymore, I thought that maybe some other kid might like to have him. I'm very sorry I lied to you."

"It's okay." James said. "Your heart was in the right place, and you owned up and told the truth. And I can also see that you hung onto my words a bit."

"Yup, I sure did." said True.

"Now, since you owned up, I won't punish you." James said. "However, tomorrow, I want you to check the donation box to see if Sherman's still in there. If he is, get him out."

"You got it." winked True.

After finishing their hot chocolate, the two cousins went back to bed, and the next day, after getting off the bus, True went to Mr. Meanswell's office to see if the donation box was still there, but it wasn't.

"That's funny." she said. "Where could it be?"

She decided it would be best if she asked Mr. Meanswell, so she went inside the office and found Mr. Meanswell at his desk.

"Mr. Meanswell?" she asked. "Do you have a minute?"

"Of course." said Mr. Meanswell. "Come right in."

True did just that, and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"So, what can I do for you?" asked Mr. Meanswell.

"It's about the toy drive box." replied True. "Is it still here?"

"I'm sorry, True, but it isn't." said Mr. Meanswell. "They already came and picked it up."

True's face fell.

"What?!" she cried.

"I'm afraid so." said Mr. Meanswell. "I'm terribly sorry."

Mr. Meanswell then noticed the time on the clock.

"You better get going to class, True." he said. "You don't want to be late."

"Yes, sir." True sighed.

And what that, True got up from her seat and left the office, feeling like her heart had just been smashed into a million pieces. She only got as far as to just step out the doorway when she suddenly went over to a bench just outside the office, sat down, and started to cry. Mr. Meanswell saw this as he was going to get a cup of coffee from the teachers lounge when he saw and heard True crying.

"What's the matter, True?" he asked as he came over to her and sat down next to her.

True wiped her eyes with her arm.

"I just lost one of my very best friends." she sobbed.

"Uh-oh." said Mr. Meanswell. "What's going on?"

"I put my stuffed cat, Sherman, in the toy drive box." True said as she wiped some more tears. "I thought I was doing the right thing by donating him because I thought I didn't need him anymore, but now I know that I do need him after all. But now I've lost him forever. I don't know what to do."

She continued to cry. Mr. Meanswell felt sorry for her, but then he had an idea.

"I think I have something that might cheer you up." he said. "Wait right here, okay?"

True nodded, then Mr. Meanswell got up and went into his office. When he came back, there, in his hand, was Sherman! True was over the moon when she saw her stuffed feline.

"Sherman!" she cried as she hugged her toy. "But how?"

"I watched you put Sherman in the box yesterday and fished him out after you left." explained Mr. Meanswell. "Just in case you changed your mind."

True felt very happy.

"Thanks, Mr. Meanswell." said True.

"Hey, I'm just doing my job, True." said Mr. Meanswell. "Helping students, that is."

Just then, the bell rang.

"Uh oh!" said True. "That's the first bell! I better get to class!"

And with that, True started down the hall to Miss Busybody's class, and later that afternoon, she told James and Moose all about it.

"That was very nice of Mr. Meanswell to do that for you." said James.

"Indeed." agreed Moose.

"And I'm sure you also learned your lesson." added James. "And that you'll keep this in mind for the future."

"Don't worry, I will." said True.

Just then, the doorbell rang, and when James answered, he found Stingy and Trixie on the front porch.

"Oh, hey, you two." said James. "What can I do for you?"

"Is True here?" asked Stingy. "We wanna talk to her."

"Yes, she is." replied James. "Come on inside."

With that, Stingy and Trixie went inside.

"Oh, hey, Stingy and Trixie." said True. "What's up?"

"Stocking Head told us what happened with you and Sherman." said Trixie. "And we came here to apologize."

"Yeah, we're sorry about what we said." said Stingy.

True smiled.

"All is forgiven." she said. "You two want to stay and hang out for a bit?"

"I can't. My grandparents are coming over for dinner." said Stingy.

"I'll stay." said Trixie.

"Alright." said True.

"The phone's right there so you can call your parents, Trixie." said James.

"Thanks." smiled Trixie.

After letting her parents know where she was, Trixie and True went upstairs to True's room, and True felt very happy indeed to have her most cherished item back in her possession.

The End