Tessa Turtle sat shivering in the cold, dark house. Never had
she felt so alone. It wasn't just the absence of electricity that
made the house dreary; it was the fact the little girl was gone.
She felt as if she were alone on a boat far from the shore.
Tessa could still hear the ice pelting the roof. The trees were
bending over from the weight of ice. Occasionally, she heard a
loud crack which reminded her of a gunshot.
When the electricity had gone off, the little girl's parents had
gathered up some clothes and whisked her off to her grand-
parent's house. They had even taken the fish and Tessa's friend
and confidant, Pete, the guard dog. None of the other stuffed
animals in the house could speak, so Tessa had no one with whom
she could talk.
Tessa tried to forget her own loneliness and remember that the
little girl had to be protected at all costs. She already had the
sniffles and no one wanted the little girl to be sick.
Tessa heard a clicking sound and the creaking of the front door
as it opened. Who was there? Soon she saw the little girl's daddy.
He was gathering up more clothes; then he went into the garage
and tossed food into the ice chest. Oh my, thought Tessa, it
looked like it might be a while before the little girl could come
home.
Tessa loved living with the little girl and her parents. She
thought of the day the little girl came home from the hospital.
What an exciting day it was! The little girl's parents were
overjoyed. Finally, she had arrived. Even Pete, the guard dog
was excited.
Tessa had watched as the little girl grew. She learned to do
new things. She smiled and cooed. Then she began to laugh.
She started trying to talk, making different sounds. The little
girl's parents could not understand her, but Pete and Tessa
had learned the little girl's language. They all enjoyed
watching her develop new skills.
It was another long lonely night. Tessa was trying to keep
her courage up by thinking about all the happy memories she
shared with the little girl.
The next morning Tessa heard the sound of truck down the
street. She hoped it was someone working on the electricity.
About noon, Tessa heard the key turning inthe front door.
Surely it wasn't the little girl's daddy. He was supposed to
be at work. The door groaned as it opened. Tessa heard
the little girl's mother and grandpa. Her heart filled with
anticipation. There was the little girl, but only for a moment.
Then the little girl vanished from Tessa's sight. That brief
time was enough to encourage Tessa.
After the little girl had been gone several hours, Tessa
heard a humming noise and saw a bright flash of light.
Yea, the electricity was on again. Now she knew that the
little girl, her parents, the fish and Pete would be home
again soon.
She was thinking of all she was going to talk to Pete and
the little girl about when they arrived home. Tessa felt
all warm inside. Surely, there must be more inside Tessa
than stuffing. Tessa knew that the little girl with her
giggles and laughter brought happiness into this home.
She waiting excitedly for the return of "little miss sunshine".
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