I’ve been working at Build a Bear for the past few years. I love my job, I love being called Beargene, I love that I became a manager of a new branch this year. Customers and upper management both praise me, saying I inspire their kids, loving that I take special requests.

Today our store was booked for little Timothy’s birthday party. Timothy is one of my most frequent and favorite customers, his parents get him new bears almost every week. He owns at least one of every bear we do here, along with all their accessories and every heart and scent.

Timothy smiled at me with his normal gap tooth look. Today is extra special, since he had something to show me. He’d made a bear for me to help him stuff, and he’d made a heart as well! And even more surprising, as all the party goers were leaving, he gave me the bear as a gift, for always being such a great person who always helped him stuff his bears.

Tonight the bear sits on my shelf.

It’s looking at me.

The texture of the bear is unique, it’s soft but not furry. Kind of like the outside of a peach. But not fleshy, you know? Maybe he used some sort of pleather.

As I lay down to sleep, I can hear the heart thudding. Or is it my heart? I remember during the heart ceremony today, Timothy had told me he was thinking of me! How sweet was that? It’s my own heart, I take a deep breath to relax, this is the first time I’ve brought my work home with me, but I couldn’t let upper management know I’d stuffed a custom bear.

I curl up in my bed, watching the bear on the shelf. I’m impressed at how well Timothy had made the bear, down to a pair of plastic eyes that even in the dark look almost real as they glitter with the reflection of a streetlight outside.

The smell in the bear was nice as well I remember, Timothy had me pick, I’d chosen my favorite, the Thin Mints smell. As I’d put the bear on the shelf, the smell of mint and chocolate had clung to my hands.

The bear is looking at me, but I know in my heart it is with love, since Timothy had made it for me.

Slowly I fall asleep.

When I wake up, I see Timothy, so much larger now, smiling at me. I see a lump in my bed, unmoving. Timothy’s hands reach forward and embrace me, so warm against my flesh. My chocolate and mint smell fills the air and my tiny heart begins to pulse.

“Time to take you home, Bearnard.”