The Stuffed Bear

As I hold him in my hands, it's almost as if time moves backwards. The baby blue felt still feels fresh and soft even though it's become hard with a greenish tint. His little plastic eyes feel glossy and just move despite being scratched and rough. A small stitched smile with its string coming loose is still firm and delicate when I see it. The ribbon tied around his neck slowly coming apart stays tightly around his neck. Even his two-foot stature still towers over me as it did when we first met in June of 2002.