Edward the Armchair - a Flash Fiction Fantasy Story

A couple of my readers have requested that I write another fiction story. It's been awhile since I did that and I usually wait until one of my fellow hubbers issues a photo prompt challenge or something similar.

Anyway I was sitting here in my armchair thinking about this and suddenly I had a lightbulb moment..hence this rather strange but hopefully enjoyable story.

Edward sat quietly in his assigned corner of the living room. He was content though most weekdays were a little dull and boring when the family members were away at work and school. Nights and weekends were his favourite times, when he felt wanted and like part of the family. The TV would be turned on and the family often spent time watching their favourite programs or movies together, and often took turns sitting in him.

Occasionally there would even be a party and Edward would be used by many people, sometimes by even more than one at a time. Some sat down more gently than others but he was strong and could handle the rough stuff as well. His main concern was that they didn't spill drinks or food on his upholstery. Stains were difficult to remove and the lady of the house often spent a lot of time and effort scrubbing his arms with carpet shampoo to clean him up.

He also hoped that someone would take the time, soon, to remove his cushion and clean underneath it. Edward could always feel any foreign objects, especially when someone sat on him. He knew there were button, coins, and even some pieces of Lego hiding there.

His impressive green and gold upholstery with its distinct paisley pattern was often complimented - or at least had been in the past. Edward was almost 20 years old now and, although he had been moved from wall to wall during the occasional furniture rearranging or spring cleaning, had spent practically all his time in this very same room.

The only time spent outside here was during his manufacture in the factory and a month or so on display on the showroom floor of the furniture store.

As an armchair Edward had been well used. The fabric on his arms and the fronts of the cushions had become shiny, thin, and worn, and he had to admit that he wasn't as handsome as he once was. But, he was sturdy, much more solid and dependable than much of the new furniture that just wasn't made to last.

He was grateful to the Anderson family, his family, for being so loyal and keeping him for so long. He had seen other friends and various pieces of furniture come and go over the years, but Edward was still here sitting in his corner.

Confidence is a fragile thing though, and Edward's had been shaken a little recently as he had overheard conversations by the Andersons intimating that the living room furniture was beginning to look dated and may soon need replacing. These murmurs worried his companions, the couch, coffee table, and entertainment unit, that occupied the room.

One fine November day Edward's worst fears were realized. A large van pulled up in front of the house and two uniformed men were shown inside. Without any farewell ceremony or fanfare, Edward and Harry, the matching couch, were picked up and carried out of the only home they had ever known to be loaded into the van.

Edward was distraught. He had often envisaged this day when his time of faithful service would be up and he would be replaced by some spotless new soft leather armchair with added recliner feature or Ottoman. He had seen his family looking at them in store catalogues and discussing them animatedly.

Suddenly, everything went black as Edward and Harry were shoved into the back of the van and the doors slammed shut behind them.

Ten days passed before the same van, or another similar, stopped in front of the Anderson home at 84 Lawson Road. The driver checked the address on the delivery sheet before he and his co-driver climbed out and opened up the rear doors.

First they lifted out a three seater couch covered in plastic and carried it into the house, returning a couple of minutes later to retrieve a new matching arm chair, also sporting a plastic dust cover.

When both pieces of furniture were positioned in the vacant spaces left behind by the previous chairs, the delivery men removed the plastic covers for Mr and Mrs Anderson to inspect and give their approval. The smiles on their faces indicated they were both more than pleased and John Anderson signed the delivery slip.

The couple hugged as they stared proudly at their 'new" red leather lounge suite. "Honey, I am so glad you convinced me we would save money by having the old chairs re-upholstered," Sonja Anderson said.

"Yes, so am I Darling," replied her husband John. "Chairs these days just aren't made like they used to be. These two now look like new and they'll be good for another twenty years." He threw himself down into the armchair to demonstrate how solid it was.

Edward smiled inwardly and, if chairs could, he would have winked at Harry.

I sketched a couple of my own drawings of how I imagined a cartoon Edward may look, but wasn't really happy with them so I originally left them out of the hub.

Anyway, I changed my mind and decided to include them. When I have more time I may redo these sketches so they look a little more professional but until then they'll have to do.