Peter Barnum Toastmasters CC#5: Lani and Teddy A few years ago, in a little house in the town of Squirrel Hill, there lived a husband and wife, and their young daughter. The father managed a small hardware store, while the mother worked at the local clinic. But this story is not really about them, but rather their little girl, whose name was Lacey Elizabeth Melanie, although she liked to be called just Lani. Her best friend and companion was a shaggy, stuffed teddy bear, named simply Teddy. Lani loved to talk with Teddy. She imagined he would tell her many stories, about conversations he had heard between the ants, about how to find the perfect hiding spot, and of the lives of the people who built the pyramids, which she had seen a little of one night when she was allowed to stay up late and watch television. Sometimes she would try to retell the stories to her parents, although they never seemed to quite come out right when she tried to tell any grown-ups. Her Aunt Barbara was the worst. “Oh what stories you little girl tells, isn’t she such a sweetie.” Lani would try to explain that they were Teddy’s stories, but this would just make her Aunt pinch her cheeks and laugh. Grandma was the only one who really seemed to understand. On holidays, they would often go over to Grandma’s house. Grandma would sit in her old plush chair, and Lani would lie on the floor for hours, telling of all the things that Teddy had seen and done. Actually, Grandma would sometimes pinch her cheeks too, although only a little. And she often would give Lani fresh cookies and warm cinnamon milk, which more than made up for it. One day, Lani and Teddy were sitting by the window, watching the trees blow back and forth in the gentle summer breeze. “Oh Teddy,” she said to him, “Mama said we’re gonna go to Grandma’s house today, aren’t you excited?” “Yes Teddy, I think we’re gonna walk there, so we’ll get to see the woods.” The woods were only a small grove of about a hundred trees, although everything you could ever want was there. There was a little babbling brook with stepping stones, squirrels, and bushes covered with sweet smelling flowers. Lani once thought she even saw a badger, although Mama said that badgers didn’t live in this part of the country. At last, they started the walk. Mama and Papa walked ahead, while Lani skipped along behind them, holding Teddy tightly in one arm. The walk to Grandmas was a short one and Lani knew the way by heart, although she was not usually supposed to go by herself. After a few minutes, they reached the cobblestone path through the woods, when Lani caught a glimpse of something in the corner of her eye. “Teddy, did you see that?” She turned her head, but couldn’t see what it was. “It must have been badger!” Lani walked slowly toward where badger had seemed to disappear, and hoped that she would be able to coax him out with a treat. She had read that badgers only liked to eat bugs and worms, but she had a couple of wrapped sweets that she was sure would be much nicer. Mama and Papa were talking excitedly about a new addition to the porch, and weren’t paying attention as Lani trotted off into the trees, still clutching Teddy. She went up to big oak tree that she thought badger had gone behind, and cautiously stuck her head around the trunk. There wasn’t any movement - but wait! A little ways away a lilac bush was quivering. Lani ran over and got down on her hands and knees and peeked under the bush. She startled when a blue jay flew out of the bush, chirping as it winged off. Disappointed, she turned back to get back to the path, when she noticed something else. Lani had been to the woods many times, but had never noticed this spot before. Three shafts of light filtered down through the leaves, illuminating a little grassy hill, with two big, smooth rocks sitting right in the middle; a girl-sized one and one just the right size for Teddy. She set him down on his and sat down cross-legged on hers. She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on her face. “Mmm, isn’t this nice.” “It is.” Lani’s mouth dropped and her eyes widened. She turned to Teddy. “It is nice.” “Oh Teddy, you’ve never talked before!” Teddy turned to her and laid his paw on her hand. “But what of all the stories I’ve told you? What about the long mornings, sitting in front of the window?” “But-” “Just because we’ve never talked, doesn’t mean we’ve never talked. There’s more to conversation than just talking. We can talk anytime you want.” “Oh Teddy, we hafta go and tell Grandma!” Lani scurried back to the path and ran to catch up with her parents. Grandma had just opened the door for them, and Lani pushed between their legs and tugged excitedly at her Grandma’s pants leg. Her father was telling how much they were enjoying the weather and how they were going to try the pool out soon. But Lani was bubbling over and interrupted and tried to tell about Teddy right there, but all she could think of to say was “Grandma, Grandma!” All the grown-ups laughed and her father picked her up and they went into the living room. Her parents sat on the couch and Grandma in her plush chair. Lani couldn’t restrain herself, and jumped around the room, back and forth between her parents and Grandma, trying to tell about what happened in the sunny glade. After a couple of minutes, her parents tried to shush her and asked her to sit on the couch with them. But Grandma just winked at her and patted her head and asked “would you and your bear like a cookie?” “Teddy says he would like that very much.”