Lola and the Lost Teddy

It was sleepy time in the cozy burrow.

Lola the bunny had washed her long ears. She had brushed her front teeth. Now she wore her favorite green pajamas, the ones with three shiny orange carrot buttons right down the front.

Lola clapped her paws together. "Time for bed, Button!" she called out.

She looked at her pillow. Button was not there.

Button was her teddy bear. He had fuzzy brown ears, a round tummy, and two shiny black button eyes stitched with yellow thread. Lola always cuddled Button when the bedtime story was done.

"Where are you hiding, Button?" Lola asked.

She turned around on her furry feet. Hop, hop, hop.

Lola hopped over to her big wooden toy box. The lid was open just a crack. She peeked inside with her wiggly pink nose.

There was her red wooden truck. There was her puzzle of a big leafy cabbage. But there was no brown teddy bear inside.

Lola patted the painted side of the chest. "Goodnight, red truck. Goodnight, puzzle," she said.

Hop, hop, hop. Lola looked behind the toy box, but only shadows rested against the wall.

Next, Lola hopped across the warm braided rug. She stopped by the low round bookshelf. Books lived here—tall books, tiny square books, and one book about a puppy that she loved best of all.

Lola crouched down low. She peeked under the lowest shelf.

"Are you reading a story, Button?" she asked.

No fuzzy brown ears popped out. Only her red crayon and a wooden rolling pin were resting there together. Lola touched the spine of the puppy book with one soft paw.

"Goodnight, books," whispered Lola. "Sleep tight on your shelf."

Hop, hop, hop went Lola's little feet.

She reached her little table by the wall. On the round wooden table sat her empty yellow drinking cup and a saucer with just two tiny crumbs left from her bedtime cracker.

Lola lifted the blue checkered tablecloth and peeked under the table.

"Peek-a-boo, Button!" she said.

No teddy bear sat under the table. Only her green bedroom slippers rested side by side on the floor boards. Lola patted the soft cloth.

"Goodnight, yellow cup," Lola said softly. "Goodnight, little slippers."

Lola paused in the middle of the room. She looked all around her snug bedroom. She had said goodnight to the toy box. She had said goodnight to the books. She had said goodnight to her table and her cup.

Her ears drooped just a tiny bit, heavy and warm. A big bunny yawn opened her mouth wide.

"Hmm," Lola murmured, rubbing her nose. "Where can a brown bear be?"

She hopped back to her little wooden bed. Hop, hop, hop.

The bed had a thick patchwork quilt made of yellow and blue squares. Lola pulled the quilt down from the pillow.

Down near the very bottom, right where her feet liked to tuck in, was a funny round lump.

Lola lifted the edge of the blanket. Two shiny black stitched eyes looked right up at her.

"There you are, Button!" cried Lola with a happy giggle.

Button was waiting right under the warm covers the whole time, keeping the bed cozy and sweet. His stitched mouth seemed to smile a happy bear smile.

Lola slipped her paws around his soft brown tummy and hugged him close. He smelled like clean blankets and chamomile flowers.

"You were waiting for me," Lola said.

Lola climbed into the little bed. She pulled the quilt all the way up to her chin. The three shiny carrot buttons on her pajamas gleamed in the soft lamp glow.

She tucked Button right under her arm, his fuzzy ear resting right against her cheek.

"Goodnight, room," Lola whispered into the quiet air.

She squeezed Button once more, feeling his sturdy little stuffed tummy.

"Goodnight, sweet Button," said Lola.

Button's shiny eyes stayed bright, watching over the little bed. Lola closed her long brown eyes. Her pink nose stopped twitching.

Hop, hop, hop... went the gentle dream feet.

Fast asleep, bunny and bear.