The Return of John Price
The next time John Price decided to visit the mall, it was a chilly Friday evening. It had been two weeks since his infamous Build-A-Bear escapade, but the sting of his public humiliation had faded. After all, John was a man of passion, and no mere banishment could keep him from the siren call of plushies.
Disguising himself with a fake mustache, sunglasses, and a trucker hat that read “Plushies Are Life”, John felt confident that no one would recognize him. He even wore a long trench coat—though it was comically short on him, barely reaching his knees. “They’ll never know,” he whispered to Princess Glitterwings, who peeked out from a reusable tote bag slung over his shoulder.
Entering the mall, John was extra cautious. He took a circuitous route to Build-A-Bear, stopping at a pretzel kiosk to blend in with the other shoppers. The aroma of cinnamon briefly distracted him, but he stayed focused. This was his chance to redeem himself, to prove to the world—or at least the employees of Build-A-Bear—that he was not the unhinged plushie enthusiast they thought he was.
As John approached the store, he noticed Becky, the manager, standing near the entrance. She was chatting with an employee and sipping a coffee, unaware of his approach. “Perfect,” John thought. He slipped inside, determined to be discreet.
Inside, the store was buzzing with activity—kids stuffing bears, parents assembling outfits, and teens taking selfies. John felt his heart race as he spotted a new collection of plushies: forest animals with glittery accessories. A fox with a sparkly cape caught his eye. “Lord Fuzzington,” he whispered, already naming it in his mind.
But fate had other plans.
As John reached for the fox, disaster struck. A child running through the store tripped over his oversized shoe, sending him stumbling backward into a display of unstuffed plushies. The crash was monumental. Stuffing flew into the air like snow, and John landed on his back, taking down three shelves of accessories in the process.
The store fell silent.
Becky, alerted by the commotion, marched inside. Her eyes widened as she recognized the trench coat-clad figure sprawled amidst the chaos. “Oh, no. Not him again.”
“Sir,” Becky began, hands on her hips, “didn’t we ban you?”
John scrambled to his feet, clutching Princess Glitterwings protectively. “This isn’t what it looks like!” he pleaded.
“It looks like you’re causing a scene. Again,” Becky snapped.
At that moment, Ethel Mae Jenkins—yes, that Ethel—happened to walk by the store. Recognizing John, she let out a triumphant laugh and stormed in, cane in hand. “I knew you’d be back, you menace!”
John panicked. As Becky summoned mall security, John did the only thing he could think of—he bolted.
Well, he tried to bolt. Running wasn’t exactly his forte, and the trench coat flared dramatically as he lumbered through the mall, Princess Glitterwings clutched to his chest. Behind him, Ethel gave chase, shouting, “You’re not getting away this time, you plushie pervert!”
A crowd began to gather, phones recording as John’s flight of shame took him past the food court and into the arcade. Security guards joined the pursuit, but John was surprisingly nimble for his size, weaving between claw machines and racing simulators.
Finally, cornered near the photo booth, John made his stand. “I just wanted to love them!” he declared, holding Princess Glitterwings aloft like a knight brandishing a sword. “Is that so wrong?”
Before anyone could answer, Ethel jabbed him in the shin with her cane, sending him toppling into the photo booth. The curtains closed, and a series of comical photos were printed—each capturing John’s look of despair as security wrestled him into submission.
By the time the ordeal was over, John was once again banned from the mall, this time for life. As he was escorted to the parking lot, the crowd erupted into cheers. Ethel waved to her adoring fans, reveling in her role as the mall’s unlikely hero.
Back at home, John slumped onto his couch, staring at his plushie collection. “They don’t understand us, Glitterwings,” he sighed. “But one day...they will.”
From then on, John became an online sensation, with his escapades inspiring memes, plushie-themed protest signs, and even a fan-made documentary titled “The Man, The Myth, The Plushie.”
And while he never returned to Build-A-Bear, rumors swirled that he had begun frequenting the rival store Fuzzy Friends Emporium—under the alias Jonathan Priceworthy.