the fate of ernie

ernie was one of my most beloved childhood toys. and he wasn't just one of those very common ernie dolls. mine actually wore real jeans, had a dense head full of fuzzy hair and cool converse-like sneakers on. and then one day, he was gone.

it happened around the time i was about ten years old and my interest shifted from stuffed male buddies to the un-stuffed kind. his departure came suddenly and at the hands of my evil mom. at that time, the family living next to us had relatives living in the GDR. and when my brother and i had outgrown certain clothes or toys, my mom would give them to the neighbors so they could send them to their relatives. and so in one of those really cruel turns in life, one day i discovered that ernie was gone - sent to live with the communists! sure you can imagine that i was sick with worry at the thought of my beloved ernie falling into the clutches of an eastern regime.

my mom actually tried to make up for it by giving me an "ersatz" ernie for my 18th birthday. but he wasn't nearly as cool as the original one and the pain was still too big as that i could ever develop any deep feelings for this one. the closest i actually came to the original one again, was when my family vacationed near the border to the GDR very shortly before the wall came down. i still remember the high fence with the mine field and shooting towers behind (and i still remember my mom panically shouting: don't touch the fence!). there i was, sad-eyed and longing for my buddy on the other side. at that point i wasn't even sure if he was still alive or - being a symbol of a liberal western childhood - he had been confiscated by the greater powers.

so now after all those years, i finally decided to get some closure. i went on a valiant mission to look for ernie in berlin. this also led me to the GDR museum where one can look at all kinds of objects once used by the people "over there". in fact, the museum consists of cabinets in the form of plattenbau buildings that you can open up and inside you'll find stuff related to a certain area of eastern life. so there i was, standing at the childhood-themed plattenbau. my hands trembling, i opened it only to find some schlumpy teddy bear who had certainly seen better days. but no trace of my beloved ernie. i finally left, resigned to the uncomfortable truth that i might never get a confirmation on ernie's fate.

but then just a few days ago it happened. i had been on my way to my favorite ice cream parlor when i passed by a funky clothing store and suddenly spotted ernie in the shopping window. he was sitting on top of a wooden box among the clothing on display. and not only was he apparently making his living in a decent manner, but he looked as good as he ever had. no signs of torture or broken arms. and not only that, but i was truly comforted by the knowledge that he actually lives in my neighborhood.

and a long life he may have!