This is an original Short Story by Larry Litle. All Rights Reserved. No copying or using without direct permission from the author. This story is inspired by my son’s lost Pooh Bear in the middle of the night and our lack of sleep. I hope you enjoy.
I wander out of my room and head down the long hallway. I can barely see where I am going because it is very dark. My Daddy meets me on my way to his room. He must have heard the squeak of the floor as I was walking down the hallway to his room.
He grabs my hand and leads me towards the bathroom. He must realize I am up for my nightly restroom break. My yawn seems to go on forever as I rub the sleep out of my eyes. My Daddy helps me wash my hands after I use the bathroom. He walks me back to my room and tucks me back into bed. He tells me to go back to sleep since it is not time to get up. Normally this where the story would stop but not tonight.
I lay in bed and try to fall back to sleep and I reach around in the dark for my Teddy. I find several other stuffed animals in my bed. All of my favorites are with me except I can’t find Teddy. This is not good at all.
What could have happened to Teddy? I just know he was here when I went to sleep. I can’t sleep without him. I get up and desperately search my bed but he is nowhere to be found. I just have to find him because I am worried for him.
I search under my bed but I can’t not see well enough in the dark. I find my light switch and turn it on. But now it is way too bright and my eyes are not adjusting to the light.
Suddenly, Daddy is back in my room. He is a little upset that I am up again. I can hear the mix of exhaustion and frustration in his quieted voice. I apparently wasn’t being quiet when I went on my frantic search for my bear.
I explain to Daddy that I am missing my special Teddy. He started looking for Teddy with me. We searched all through my bed. We looked under the bed but didn’t find him. Daddy even looked in my toy box but could find him. He left my room to search the living room but he came back empty handed. What could have happened to Teddy? How am I ever going to sleep again without him?
Daddy covered me back up and gave me my other stuffed toys. He promised to help me look for Teddy in the morning. He tucked me back into bed and told me to stay in bed. I am not sure if he heard me crying in my bed but Daddy did bring me back his special bear from when he was a boy.
I am not sure that Daddy was ever really a boy my age. But he promised his bear was great at cuddling and would protect me just like he protected my Daddy. There was some comfort in this but I still couldn’t go back to sleep.
I know that my Teddy has protected me for the Boogey Man and Nightmares. Was he off somewhere protecting me now? Did the Nightmare King visit me in the middle of the night and Teddy is fighting him in the Nightmare Realm? Did the monsters under my bed creep out and Teddy has them in a headlock somewhere in my closet?
I am so worried about Teddy. I just cannot go back to sleep so I get up once again. I attempt another quiet but futile search for Teddy.
How about the closet? Do I dare open that dark dungeon without my Teddy to protect me? Then I had a good idea. I grab Daddy’s Teddy in one hand, since Daddy promised his teddy is a good protector, and hold onto another stuffed animal in arm. Two of them should do the trick or so I hoped. I slowly turn the knob of my closet door with my free hand. The door creaks as it slowly opens. I softly call “Teddy” as I walk inside.
