Deviation Actions
Literature Text
Well, technically two. Sir Reginald Thrummingpaw III, and Patches the Fierce, a pair of stuffed Pandas, given to Eli by his parents before they passed and the throne came to him. Every time he had to go to the dentist, he brought the two plush bears along, and their soft familiarity helped keep him calm through the ordeal. The dentist and her assistants always made a fuss over how calm Eli was during his exams and cleanings, but they didn't see how hard he clutched the two pandas, or how the tension almost visibly faded when they finally stepped away from him at the end of the appointment.
One day his uncle sent him off to his appointment alone, saying he had something important to see to and assuring the boy king that he'd be fine on his own. So clutching Reggi and Patches, Eli went to the dreaded dentist unaccompanied for the first time ever. It turned out no different than any of his other visits, the poking, prodding, scraping, and cleaning were all the same as they ever were. At the end of it all, though, when the dentist stepped back, she turned to open the door and his uncle was there waiting for them. He had a surprise for his nephew.
The two went back together and Eli was led to an inner courtyard, which appeared to have undergone some substantial renovations since the last time he'd seen it, presumably for the sake of the two creatures that seemed to have taken up residence there. They looked just like the cartoonish plushies Eli still carried, and when the boy realized just what they were his eyes went wide with surprise and joy. "They're so big!"
My prompt from bookcrusher was "A dentist appointment, a king and two stuffed pandas."
- What's missing? Showing more of Eli's humanizing elements during the appointment description. While it is described that on the outside he's calm, it doesn't come off on my first read-through that he's really all that upset about appointments, outside of his tightly-held panda buddies. Some insight into his thoughts and the unpleasant aspects of being at the dentist would make for a stronger demonstration of tension before the end of the appointment and the ultimate reveal of the panda-gift. Like, yes he's holding tight to the pandas, but why is that and what exactly is he thinking there?