The Soft Lion Roars

Passing by a window which give off an amber glow, Sam couldn't help but be in wonder. An old fashioned toy shop with old fashioned toys displayed itself neatly. Sam could remember shops like these when he was a kid, but growing up poor, window shopping was as much as he got. But he was not a kid any more, he stepped in with a feeling of nostalgia; that scented wood smell, the sound of a model train making its rounds and tooting every now and then. He felt like he was a kid all over again.
  Sam bent over to examine a stuffed bear, touching its fur and squeezing it, amazed at how soft it was. And then continued to the next thing that caught his eye, and the next. A few more minutes of thinking it over, and Sam knew what he wanted to buy.
  Approaching the kindly old man behind the counter, he placed a stuffed lion, and a yo-yo on top. People stopped appreciating old toys, even something as simple as a yo-yo. But Sam knew somebody who would appreciate these gifts. He went to pay for the toys and opened his wallet and inside was a picture of a woman with a young boy in her lap, he had deep blue eyes and messy blonde hair, just like his mother. God bless her soul.
  "A present for your son, I see."
  "Yes. I can't wait to see his face."
  The kindly old man nodded and smiled, while wrapping the items.
  "Oh, and this" Sam pulled out a card from a bunch of others, "..um.. do you have a pen by any chance?" The kindly old man happily obliged and Sam quickly scribbled a heartfelt note.
  Almost home, Sam beamed, smile on his face and an uplifting spirit. He didn't even notice the time flying by, he was too excited with seeing his son's face as he gave him the presents. Up ahead, a man in black was smoking and looked at Sam with searching eyes. He didn't like the way he looked, so Sam crossed to walk on the other side of the street, only the man did as well. Sam breathed a bit heavier as he tried to walk faster without the looking as he was running from the man. The man in black flicked his cigarette away leaving an ember trail and charged after Sam. He got in front of Sam and pulled a knife from his jacket.
  "Not a sound, unless you want your throat slit." the man in black spoke calmly and Sam knew that he meant it.
  "What do you want?" Sam said in a wavering voice.
  "What do you think? Money, all of it, now." The slender blade shone brightly in the light. Sam had only had a handful of change, he spent most of his money on the toys and the rest was safely stored in a bank.
  "I don't have any." The waver still there as Sam rapidly threw his wallet at the man in black. "Really, I don't. Please, believe me. Please. I have to get home to my son."
  The man in black didn't look pleased, "What's in the bag?"
  Sam hid the toys behind him, "Nothing, just a present for my son. Really, it's nothing."
  "Hand it over. Now. Come on!" He was becoming inpatient, but Sam wouldn't give his son's gifts to this man. So the man in black tried to reach over and grab the bag, and Sam took the opportunity to try and wrench the knife from his hand. They struggled with the weapon, Sam becoming quickly overpowered by the man in black. And in a few heartbeats it was over. Sam with a knife gleaming from his gut, clutching the bag in his hands until the light disappeared from his eyes.

Flashes of red and blue alternated on the child sitting on the couch with a grim face. A child with sad blue eyes and messy blonde hair. He felt... nothing. Numb. The babysitter was cradling his head on her chest muttering "it's going to be okay" over and over, although he it was for herself as well as him.
  The social worker was quietly talking with a police officer, or maybe they were talking normally, he didn't hear much of anything right now. On the table in front of him there was a bag. Placing his hand in the bag, he pulled out a neatly wrapped gift with a card stuck onto it. Some blood stained the card. The child couldn't help but cry as he took the card from the gift and opened it.
  'Kaleb, I know work has been taking up a lot of my time recently, and so I got you a little something. I know, that it isn't like any of those games you like so much, but when I was a kid, I would do anything for more toys. So, I hope you like them...'
  Placing the half read note down he ripped open the wrapping paper and the stuffed lion and the yo-yo landed on the table.
  'The first is a yo-yo, with all you kids and technology, you maybe never even heard of this. It can be tricky at first, but I know you will get the hang of it. And the second is special, it's a stuffed lion. I've noticed your nightmares have come back, so I got you him. The king of the jungle, he is. What better to protect you from monsters then the scariest animal I know. I love you son, now and always. - Dad.'
  Dropping the note, Kaleb's tears ran heavy down his cheeks and snot blocked his nostrils making it hard to breathe. As he cried, everyone in the room stopped and stared at Kaleb with sad hearts. Clutching onto the stuffed lion, never wanting to let it go, Kaleb cry's were heard through the night.