“Buddy Heww.”

Magic words don’t always work.

“Buddy Heww, NOW.”

Byron sat on the floor, staring grimly at the thing with all the menace he could muster. Which wasn’t much, considering the handicap of fuzzy yellow footsie pajamas. It was easy to use. He’d seen everybody else use it. Easy.

Just turn the knob. Which he couldn’t reach. Something like suspicion rose in Byron’s mind... Maybe this was meant to keep him inside? No, of course not. They probably wondered why he never came out.

Clambering to his feet, Byron padded to the door and stretched up on his toes, careful to lean against the wood to help his balance. The knob remained high above his head. Byron sighed and looked around him. He needed to get higher.

Getting higher would be easy if one of Them was here. Even Spike would pick him up if he looked sad enough. He could cry, and David or Slayer would come running. But they wouldn’t take him out... How frustrating. Scrunching up his face, the toddler concentrated, pacing back and forth as he tried to find a solution. This always worked for Spike.

Yes, think like Spike. He was very smart. Even Slayer listened to him...sometimes. And he could open the door, did it frequently. Byron pouted and looked around the room. Drawer-thing, Slayer’s chair, crib (very easy to get out of, Byron had discovered), toys...chair? Spike moved the chair...

Clapping his hands in delight, Byron toddled across the room and pulled at the chair. Just as he suspected, it slid across the hardwood floor easily. Backpedaling as he pulled the chair along, Byron got it close, then rounded it and shoved it against the door.

“Swee”, the toddler cooed, clambering up the rungs to stand on the seat. The doorknob lay in easy reach. Experimentally, Byron grabbed the knob in both hands and tugged on it. Nothing. A harder pull yielded some clicking sounds, but nothing more. Slightly puzzled, Byron wiggled the knob, and found that it turned. It took more effort than he thought (why is it so big and slippery?), but as he turned it as far as it would go, he was rewarded with another click, and the door cracked open...and hit the chair. Byron frowned, but no amount of tugging seemed to help.

Carefully holding the knob, he leaned to peer into the crack, but there was nothing to see. Angrily, Byron yanked on the knob, and the chair scootched backwards. With a squeak of surprise, Byron tumbled off the chair and scurried away, staring at it in bafflement. Neither chair nor door moved. Byron scratched at his head and cautiously stepped closer. He studied the scene before him carefully, trying to figure out why the door wouldn’t swing open like it did for everyone else.

Scrunching up his nose, he carefully pantomimed Spike’s movements when he went through the door. Grab, twist, pull, step back...Byron blinked in surprise and ran through that again. Oh!

Happily, he pulled the chair to the side, slightly surprised when it clicked at him. With the chair out of the way, he turned to the door...and it was closed. Rolling his eyes, Byron blew out a puff of air and muttered, “Buddy Heww.”

Thinking harder, the toddler paced again, trying to find another solution. If he moved the chair he couldn’t get to the knob, but the chair made the door not open. Shrewdly, the boy examined the chair and the door. Maybe if the chair wasn’t in front of the door, but real close, he could lean and open it. Byron clapped his hands in glee.

Testing his new theory, Byron scooted the chair as close as possible to the door and shoved it against the wall. Clambering onto the chair again, the toddler reached over with little difficulty and grasped the knob. It was more difficult to turn from the side, but he was, after all, a big boy. When the door moved more easily, Byron crowed with delight and leaned further out to pull the door open...

...And lost his balance. With a squeak, the tot clutched the knob tightly and swung outwards on the door, hanging by his hands. Byron panted lightly as he stared up at the knob. A kick of his leg showed that the door was open and away from the wall. Wrinkling his nose in irritation, the boy sighed again and released his death-grip on the knob and dropped to the floor, landing on his padded bottom with a thump. As he hit the ground, Byron’s little legs bumped the door, and it swung away from him swiftly...to close with a click.

Byron growled as he was thwarted again, but gamely levered himself to a standing position. Obviously, his foe was craftier than he had originally assumed. “Now you in tubble”, Byron muttered. “Buddy stupid poof.” Kicking the door in irritation, Byron took a moment to nurse his aching toes and stood arms akimbo, examining the door.

Spike would just knock it down and teach it a lesson. Slayer would make noises at Spike and yell some, then sleep in Byron’s room for days and days. David would put the door back when Spike wasn’t looking. Byron quickly decided that Spike was the smart one.

But how to make the door stay open? Byron rubbed his head and blew a raspberry, thinking hard. When Slayer tried to close the door on Spike, he put his foot in the...Yes! He could put some toys in the way! Grinning madly, Byron toddled to his toy chest and pushed up the bulky lid. Not a ball, not blocks...Spanky! Grabbing the old raggedy toy monkey that he slept with when he was just a baby, Byron ran back to the chair and scrambled up. Holding the monkey in his teeth, the little boy used both hands to work the doorknob. Just as before, the door clicked and opened, but pulled Byron along with it.

Enjoying the swinging of the door now that he had the trick, Byron held on to the knob really tight with one hand, and used the other to take Spanky out of his mouth and put him behind the door. One-handed, he lost his grip and dropped again, but let go of the monkey at the same time. He bumped the door, and it swung...right into Spanky!

Byron clapped and squealed in delight as the door hung open.

Free, free, hahahahaha!!!

Still giggling, the toddler levered himself to his feet and swaggered to the door. The opening wasn’t very big, but the door moved easily, and Byron took the time to move the chair back to its normal spot and kick Spanky under it before he stepped out into the hall.

“Wow....”, Byron breathed, looking all around the darkened hallway outside his room. “It so BIG!!!” A burst of sound came from the far end, where a light flickered on a wall. Curious, Byron toddled toward it. “I ‘splore. Cause I a Big Boy.”

Nodding to himself, Byron marched confidently toward his destiny, determined to make his Spike proud.

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