Mr. Bear tried to think positively. He began to relive things, as stuffed animals were wont to do when frozen. Still, thoughts of Alphie brought one thing to the forefront. His mind drifted back to a spring day two years before. It had begun like any normal day. Stephanie had spoken to him and to several other animals, talking about the joys of spring. He grinned. Mr. Bear hadn’t lived through a spring yet. And it would be just like Stephanie to take that detective bear exploring with her, or at least tell him all sorts of amazing things later. He expected her to run back up to show him a birds’ nest, or maybe one of those butterflies that couldn’t possibly be as pretty as Stephanie was saying, could they? Instead, after a while, he’d suddenly heard Stephanie running up to her room. It was a sound far different than any he’d heard before. Far worse than the “I’m in big trouble and going to my room” cry, or the “I just skinned my knee” cry. Stephanie had grabbed him, crying her eyes out. And, as he was carried downstairs and hear people talk, he felt as awkward as any toy had ever felt. He knew he was seriously under-trained. Toys were supposed to be for fun. Oh, some could be comfort objects. But, he was not your typical comfort object - especially for a girl. He’d heard stories, from other toys whose owners had come to play, of children who slept with fire chief bears, with action figures, even with toy trucks and trains like Thomas the Tank Engine. But, those were mostly boys. Yet there he was, being carried by Stephanie, away from the rest of the animals, and longing to break toy rules and cry out for assistance. He knew it would be a very long day, and it was. He couldn’t believe the places he’d gone, the sad places. The places no animal ever dared take his owner, but where owners sometimes had to take their animals. It wasn’t until very late that night that Stephanie had finally gotten to sleep. Weary, deflated, and sopping wet, his being sapped of strength, Mr. Bear unfroze, yet felt still almost lifeless. He sensed he couldn’t leave the sleeping girl’s side - she was holding on for dear life, with him hugging her back. And yet, he needed help. He fretted until Alphie and Pillow Person came into the room. Pillow Person had been under D.J.’s bed, until Alphie, noticing D.J. wasn’t around, had gone into D.J.’s room to get him. Mr. Bear gestured with his head. “You heard the news,” he asked somberly. Pillow Person nodded and sighed as he and Alphie walked over. “I just can’t believe it’s happened.” Alphie laid a comforting paw on Mr. Bear’s arm. “Want me to cover for you?” Mr. Bear bit his lip. He had no training in being a comfort object. If Stephanie did get sent to her room as punishment, she was just as likely to hold Alphie or another animal as she was him. But yet, he sensed one very important truth about his new situation. “I can’t leave her. I mean, she’s lost the most important thing in her life,” he exclaimed. “Her whole world has been turned upside-down.” Alphie sensed Mr. Bear’s nervousness. “But, how are you holding up?” “The truth?” The others nodded. Heaving a deep sigh, Mr. Bear admitted “I feel like a newly sewn ball of fur. Like I don’t even have my head or my limbs yet. Let alone that...consciousness little kids can give you.” Rollie the Rhino offered to take over in Stephanie’s arms for Mr. Bear. “You need a break.” Pillow Person, the most experienced of the stuffed creatures, showed Mr. Bear how to wriggle free. He got out, and let Rollie slide in. “We have to be ready to change back at a moment’s notice.” Alphie nodded. “She could wake up crying any second.” “You think I don’t know that?” Mr. Bear threw up his hands and ranted. “All this time it’s been ‘Mr. Bear, how should I handle Kimmy Gibbler here,’ or ‘Mr. Bear, let’s figure out where ice cubes go when they melt.’ I was even ready for ‘Mr. Bear, let’s figure out how far up my nose I can stuff a bead.’” A rabbit gave a “been there, done that” look. “But I am totally unprepared for ‘Mr. Bear, my mother has died unexpectedly, I’m scared of who might go next, and I feel like my life is falling apart.’” Pillow Person wrapped an arm around him. “It’s hard on all of us. These aren’t the nightmare monsters we’re supposed to fight,” Pillow Person stated bluntly. Alphie agreed. “It’s really scary for you too, huh?” “It’s not just that.” They gave him blank stares. “Don’t you see,” Mr. Bear complained. “I’m a comfort object now. She knows her mom gave me to her, so she picked me. I’ve been promoted to a new level. But, there’s a big difference between that and a mere toy, which I was before; even if she was holding me during a timeout. And it was mostly you, then,” he said, pointing to a bunny who had been there since Stephanie was two. The rabbit nodded. “And, one of the main job requirements for a comfort object is that they shouldn’t be scared out of their wits themselves.” Alphie hummed momentarily. He could tell Mr. Bear was frightened. But, he also knew that children clung to certain animals for a reason. And, it wasn’t always just their looks. “Maybe that can be a good thing.” “What,” Mr. Bear and Pillow Person spoke at once. Alphie paced slightly as he spoke. “Mr. Bear; I was just a grandma’s gift. And grandparents give all sorts of animals. But, you and Stephanie share something in common. Right now, Mr. Bear, you’re both scared. And confused.” “So what do I say? I don’t exactly sound like I mean it when I say ‘It’s going to be all right.’” Pillow Person threw up his arms. “You’re right. This is a disaster. A tragedy.” “I’ve fought nightmare monsters before,” Mr. Bear mused, “but Stephanie helped. And we beat them through our cleverness. She’s one bright girl. But neither of us is clever enough to handle what’s happened, and what’s going to come. The funeral home was sad enough tonight. But the funeral itself? We stuffed animals can keep pouring out love in incredible ways. But I don’t know if I have enough strength to give all that she’ll need from me.” Alphie smiled and put an arm around Mr. Bear. “Look, you don’t have to know how right now. She needs you to just be there to listen. Later, you can provide a few comforting words, and then more as you go. But what she needs right now is to know you’re there for her. Because you are a link to her mother.” Mr. Bear smiled at the dog. He always seemed wise beyond his years. “Thanks.” Rollie cleared his throat. “She’s shaking a little, you better get back here, this looks like a nightmare.” Mr. Bear was amazed at how collected Rollie - won by Stephanie’s dad’s friend Joey for her at a carnival when she was three-and-a-half - could be. He sighed as he leaped up and went back into her embrace, freezing at he did. Though she didn’t awaken that time, she did several minutes later. “Mr. Bear, what’s going to happen now?” Mr. Bear’s eyes grew wide. He thought he was just supposed to stay frozen. Was he supposed to answer that?! “Uh...everything’s going to be all right.” He wished stuffed animals could pray like he’d seen these people pray. He whispered “maybe you should go wake your dad or grandma.” Stephanie rushed from her room to her dad’s room to D.J.’s - their dad was still up with her. Pillow Person had snuck back under the bed where he’d been. A doll had been standing as a lookout, lest she start to look for him and find him not there. Stuffed animals could sometimes change positions a little. But, this was a very bad time to do that. These girls needed to know things would stay put. Mr. Bear remained quiet as Stephanie and Danny talked. He would try to glean as much as he could, and hope for the best. Mr. Bear’s mind shifted back to the present. He had helped Stephanie so much then. Even after she met Allie, her first day of Kindergarten, she still clung to him. She got agitated a lot more easily than D.J.. In a way, he was glad D.J. hadn’t relied on Pillow Person quite as much. But, that pillow could only guess how to handle things. Alphie almost seemed more able to handle things, more able to help him cope. Stephanie had carried him around a fair amount, although that amount decreased quite rapidly as the months wore on. And now, was Alphie able to help another kid? Or would he just lie somewhere, forgotten? And, How long would it be before someone opened that piano bench? In most households, it could be a long time before he was found. But, in a household with a toddler, the average length of time was two hours, it seemed. And if not - he needed to figure out how to check for time, so he could get out and catch up on things when it was nighttime. Sure enough, just as he thought of that, Michelle opened the bench and pulled him out. Stephanie seemed elated to see him. She still clung to him a lot sometimes. After they finished watching home movies, Mr. Bear wondered if the others had seen him leave. He hoped they weren’t worried about him. Once he got placed upstairs and Stephanie left her room again, Mr. Bear noticed two things. Pillow Person was back on D.J.’s bed. And, Rollie appeared baffled, to say the least. “Do you have any idea what’s been happening here,” he exclaimed as soon as they could safely move. Mr. Bear looked around casually. “No, can’t say as I do. Except that our friendly neighborhood pillow here seems to have been found.” Pillow Person threw up his arms, then beckoned Mr. Bear out the door. “Follow me,” he insisted. Mr. Bear gasped. In Michelle’s room were literally dozens of new stuffed animals. “Didn’t anyone tell the bunnies they weren’t supposed to multiply with us,” he shouted. Pillow Person shook his body - he really had no head per se. “That’s just it, Chief. Stephanie was so bummed because she thought you were gone, so she got the chance to pick from one of all these animals their grandparents brought. Except Michelle got into them on the couch and claimed them all for herself.” Pinky, Michelle’s pig, oinked adamantly “I haven’t even begun to get the names straight. And some don’t have names. And don’t think they won’t all stay Michelle’s, either. She’s already named the panda here Peaches. ‘Course, she was thinking about dinner at the time.” Mr. Bear rubbed his chin and mused, “At least she didn’t have to go to the bathroom. I’d hate to think of what she would have called him then. Well, I guess we’ll have to have one massive welcoming party, then.” Mr. Bear grinned. “All you guys still couldn’t take the place of me, huh? Boy, that would really warm my heart - if I weren’t made of stuffing, of course.” After several minutes of telling the animals about the family they’d just come into, Mr. Bear and Pillow Person received a shout from Rollie. “Hey, some girls might be coming this way.” They raced back into their former positions and froze. Stephanie was coming upstairs with a classmate who Mr. Bear had seen a couple times. But, most amazingly, there was Alphie! “Look, Mr. Bear. Sally, I used to have a dog just like that,” Stephanie remarked. “Wouldn’t that be funny if it was Alphie?” The visitor shrugged. “Could be. I just know I got him today.” While the two played, Alphie managed to sneak over to Mr. Bear. “Poor girl’s parents are filing for divorce. She’s really going through some hard times. I’ve heard lots of stuff just in the last hour.” Mr. Bear grinned. “Well, I guess you got to the place you were meant to go.” Stephanie quickly looked over that way, and the two froze. “Mr. Bear, Sally says she doesn’t know if that’s Alphie or not. I think it’s gotta be. I mean, I’m sure you teach all these other animals so much about friendship and love and stuff. Don’t you?” And in the wonderful, timeless imagination of a little girl, Mr. Bear smiled, and nodded his agreement.