Sebastian remained in the hospital play room again experiencing the hands of new kids and adult alike. He would love it when a new kid would pick him up and cart him off to their

room. A temporary home away from the other toys. As time slipped by, the other toys came and went more frequently. Most were more pliable than he. "Plastic" is what one toy Mustang claimed he was made of. Sebastian wondered where the other toys like him were. It had been a long time since he had seen another racer like himself.
Were they happy in their homes? He wondered this one day as a concerned mother lifted Sebastian and took him to a nurse.
"Excuse me, just how is it that this dangerous toy is amongst our poor sick children?" The nurse gave the concerned mother a blank look.
"Let me explain, this toy is made of metal!"
Another blank stare.
"Our children could be hurt on this toy! Does the term LAWSUIT mean anything to you?!?"
This the nurse understood and took the Racer from the concerned mother. That night a couple of workers rounded up any toys that could be considered dangerous and placed them into a box .

Then the top was closed.
Sebastian's world was in darkness again.
The darkness was long lasting this time. Sebastian did not know if he were actually still together or actually disposed of. What if this was his end?
He had heard about The End one night while In the department store window. The Grandfather Clock had been answering questions from the toys when a Raggedy Ann Doll asked,
"Grandfather, is there an End?"
A strange quiet fell around the room.
The wind howled outside and a swirling of snow flashed by the window.
Grandfather sighed. This question he had answered so many times and each time it was never easier.
He spoke
."Yes.
Yes there is.
Some toys will be loved so much they have but no chance of survival.
Be it a doll losing her stuffing or a train's motor failing to pull a load, the End for toys is sometimes inevitable.
Many here will meet an end.
Cast off to the side and forgotten.
This is not the time for you to know of The End.
Revel in life and enjoy what is ahead of you."
Sebastian had taken these word to heart and feared The End. He wished for so much more, but began to think about his existence. The department store window, the smiles of children looking at him through the glass. The hospital years and especially the little boy who wanted to take him home.

Home.

A word that was larger than life itself. Sebastian wished for a Home. That was what he had always wanted.
So, he rested in the dark. Him and a collection of other toys deemed dangerous for sick or recovering children in a hospital play room. And as before, the box was jostled one day and was suddenly being transferred across town. A Tonka Dune Buggy next to him screamed in the dark-"IT'S THE END! I KNOW IT!!!" Sebastian was startled to hear this.
The other toys remained silent. Each awaiting there own fait quietly. Remembering happy days outside of the lonely box.

Then as before, the box was opened.
Sebastian was removed from the box and though it was an adult who carried him, he was handled with the greatest of ease. The adult paused at an big workbench and proceeded to clean the old racer. He used a tooth brush and wax to bring the shine back to the red paint. Carefully he polished the aluminum parts and used some cleaner on the red racer's tires. The adult gave Sebastian a final polish and gently set him on a very old wooden floor and gave the racer a push. Sebastian's old wheels carried him a short distance and he stopped.
Frowning, the adult lifted the Racer and sprayed something on the axles.
Again he set the Racer down and gave a push.
Sebastian felt the still air turn to wind as he sailed across the floor. The adult gave a great whoop and chased after the little red racer. Sebastian felt like he may have a second chance. A chance to find a Home after all.
The adult picked up the racer and placed Sebastian in a small wooden case. He was next to an old baseball card(Joe Dimagio 1953), a set of Aviator glasses with the case and a Buddy L Corvair Pick Up truck. Across from him on the other side of the room was a big old Grandfather clock. Sebastian wondered if it was the same from the department store, but knew better because this one was still and the pendulum was not swinging.

After dark, the conversations were exchanged and everyone spoke of their value and where they were from. Sebastian only knew the plant where he was made, the department store and the hospital. The term "value" meant nothing for him.
A doll stood up and exclaimed how she was a first edition Barbie and had all of her accessories. She told the room she was very valuable, and that she was most likely to go for a huge amount. A stuffed bear told the room he was a very rare Beanie and that being handed out at the All Stars game made him worth THOUSANDS.
The whole night went like this.
Sebastian finally asked if anyone was just interested in finding a home. The room erupted in laughter. The Red Racer thought about this til dawn. He did not want to know his value. Just to find a home.

The next day, the store opened with a flurry of business. There was a flood of people coming in and out. The faces were of older people and a few children wafted in and out. But none stopped to stare longingly at the toys. A woman stopped in front of the racer's display case and soon was holding Sebastian. She carried him to the front and Sebastian sighed as he was put into a box again. But he had his hopes this time. The woman had spoke excitedly about how her husband had played with a car like this as a child and had been searching for one since.
Maybe thought Sebastian, just maybe he would find a home this year.

He sat in the darkness and waited.
And waited.
Until that fateful day when he was passed around and placed next to me some other boxes. He heard the muffled voices of people tearing paper and opening boxes. He hoped he would be opened and not set to the side like the other times in his past. The darkness that he had become so accustomed to was suddenly replaced with a bright light. The face was the same save for the years that had ticked by. Sebastian saw into the eyes of the boy who had played with him so long ago. The man smiled the same smile as the boy who had played with him years earlier in the hospital.
"It's just what I have always wanted!" exclaimed the man.
It was Christmas 1996, 50 years of waiting, but finally, Sebastian the Red Racer had found a home.



-Mark"Spooky" Karol-Chik
. 12/21/04