"when someone loves you for a very long time" explained the old skin horse to the velveteen rabbit "not just to play with but REALLY loves you then you become real"
"does it hurt?" asked the rabbit
"sometimes" said the Horse for he was always truthful "when you are real you don't mind being hurt"
"does it happen all at once like being wound up" he asked "or bit by bit?"
"It doesn't happen all at once like being wound up" he said "You become. It takes a long time. that's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily or have sharp edges or who have to be carefully kept. Generally by the time you are real most of your hair has been loved off and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. but these things don't matter at all because once you are real, you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."
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Posted by Rob22x to Me Likey Breadsticks at 10/13/2005 02:26:00 AM