Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?
This question made me think of a scene from Me Before You. If you haven’t seen this fantastic movie or read the books, please leave this blog and do so now.
When I was a child, I had a toy horse named Fred, and I loved him dearly. Though his design was simple, consisting of a horse head attached to a stick, he was my constant companion. I would often sing along with him and use him to make quick escapes from imaginary foes. I don’t know if my mom still has the pictures, but I was obsessed with the musical “Grease” and used Fred to act out scenes where he played the role of Danny to my Sandy.
I also remember being obsessed with the name Fred as a kid, aside from the horse I also had a Dino named Fred the Dead..
I eventually stopped playing with Fred as I got older, and my interests changed. When I think of kids outgrowing toys, I always remember Toy Story. However, Fred’s experience was nothing like Jessie’s abandonment in Toy Story 2. That scene emotionally scarred me as a child, and the song still makes me cry. I hung Fred on the wall in my room, and he stayed there until I moved in with my dad. Finally, I got rid of him in 2016 because I wasn’t sure how to explain to my dad that I still needed my emotional support horse.