Machelle pats her pillow. She pats the blanket. She lifts the sheet. Her teddy bear is not there.
Her pigtails droop. The bow barrette tumbles onto the mattress. She whispers, 'Where did you go?'
Machelle tiptoes into the kitchen. She checks the flour bin, the sugar jar, the bottom of the recycling bucket.
She kicks her shoe against the fridge. A bumblebee buzzes past in the garden. Nothing.
She crosses her arms. She takes a breath. 'I can't find him,' she says to the empty garden. Then she turns and walks back to the house.
Machelle tugs her mom's sleeve. 'My bear is missing.' Her mom smiles. 'Let's look together.'
They find him! Stuffed inside a pillowcase on the couch. He must have rolled there while she slept.
Machelle holds her bear close. She hugs it tight. The sun shines through the window, and everything is okay.
