After the disaster in Paris, Hargrave somehow managed to negotiate our release on the condition that we leave France immediately. Brenda, ever the optimist, saw this as an opportunity.
"Amsterdam," she declared as we boarded the cheapest bus she could find. "The city of freedom, canals, and… plushies."
“Do they even like plushies in Amsterdam?” I asked, slumping into a seat next to Juan, who was hugging Babe Woof like it was his emotional support animal—which, frankly, it was.
“Everyone loves plushies,” Brenda said confidently, “especially in a city that embraces the weird. This is our chance to make a comeback!”
We arrived in Amsterdam just as the sun was setting, the canals glistening under the soft glow of streetlights. Brenda immediately set her sights on Dam Square, where she planned to set up her latest scheme: plushie tulips.
“Tourists will eat this up!” she said, holding up one of the prototypes—a stuffed tulip with googly eyes and a floppy stem. “It’s cultural, it’s adorable, and it’s way better than that sauerkraut lasagna.”
“Not exactly a high bar,” I muttered.
Juan, meanwhile, was focused on “networking.” This consisted of him waddling into various coffee shops and trying to convince the locals that his Babe Woof plushie was “a collector’s item.”
“Juan,” I said as he returned from yet another failed pitch, smelling vaguely of something herbal, “why are you so bad at this?”
“It’s not my fault they don’t appreciate true artistry!” he huffed, holding up Babe Woof dramatically. “This is a masterpiece!”
The next morning, Brenda was in full sales mode at Dam Square. She had managed to secure a prime spot next to a street performer dressed as a living statue. Her plushie tulips were displayed on a makeshift table, alongside a new creation: plush clogs.
“Step right up!” Brenda shouted to passersby. “Get your Dutch heritage in a huggable form! Plush tulips and clogs—fun for the whole family!”
To her credit, the tourists were intrigued. Several stopped to take pictures, and a few even bought plushies.
“See?” Brenda said, beaming. “Amsterdam gets it.”
Unfortunately, her success was short-lived.
A group of actual Dutch tulip farmers happened to be passing through the square, and they were not impressed.
“This is an insult to our culture!” one of them shouted, pointing accusingly at a plushie tulip. “Tulips are a symbol of our nation’s pride, not some… some toy!”
“It’s art,” Brenda argued, her hands on her hips.
“It’s a disgrace,” the farmer shot back.
Things escalated quickly. The tulip farmers started yelling, Brenda yelled back, and Juan—who had been snacking on a questionable brownie—decided to jump in and defend the plushies.
“You don’t understand!” he said, wobbling slightly. “These tulips… they’re magical. They speak to the soul.”
One of the farmers grabbed a plush clog and threw it at Juan’s head. Chaos erupted. Tourists scattered, plushies flew through the air, and somehow the living statue got involved, chasing Brenda around the square while shouting in Dutch.
By the time the police arrived, the square looked like a plushie battlefield. Brenda was covered in tulip stuffing, Juan was crying over a torn Babe Woof, and I was just trying to blend into the crowd.
And then, as if things couldn’t get worse, Agent Hargrave showed up.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, surveying the carnage.
“Hargrave!” Brenda exclaimed, looking genuinely thrilled. “You’re just in time to see the plushie revolution!”
Hargrave stared at her, deadpan. “You’re under arrest for disturbing the peace. Again.”
That night, we found ourselves in yet another jail cell, with Brenda plotting her next move.
“Amsterdam didn’t work out, but that’s okay,” she said, undeterred. “We’ll go somewhere else. Somewhere bigger. Somewhere where plushies will finally get the respect they deserve.”
“Where, Brenda?” I asked, exasperated.
She grinned. “Berlin.”
Juan groaned. I groaned louder. Hargrave, standing outside the cell with a cup of coffee, simply sighed.
“God help Berlin,” he muttered.