A Toy? No, A Friend

Nyssa and her favorite toy, "Teddy". (Age 2)

"Any parent who has ever found a rusted toy automobile buried in the grass or a bent sand bucket on the beach knows that objects like these can be among the powerful things in the world. They can summon up in an instant, in colors stronger than life, the whole of childhood at its happiest - the disproportionate affection lavished on some strange possession, the concentrated self-forgetfulness of play, the elusive expressions of surprise or elation that pass so transparently over youthful features." ~ from The Timeless House of Children’s Games, Sports Illustrated, 12/26/60

Nyssa has had "Teddy" since birth. For eight years, Teddy played ten nursery rhyme songs when his tummy was pressed; then his tummy player wore out and started skipping songs or garbling the notes. Finally, he played one warbled rendition of "Old MacDonald Had A Farm", then his music box died; fresh batteries no longer fixed the problem. But Nyssa loved her "Teddy" just as much as always. He has been to Austria and Italy and Disney World. He has been washed and dried numerous times, seams repaired and cataracts treated with nail polish. He is ragged, but he is still the one and only "Teddy". Other bears have come and gone; none are quite as special..... as "Teddy".

Submission for Thursday Challenge topic "toys". (end of post)