Stories of Logell Plush Toys

  Deep into the night, Lily's bedroom was quiet. Moonlight slipped through the gap in the curtains and fell on the bed piled with plush toys, like a thin layer of silver silk spread over the covers. Suddenly, a light brown teddy bear shook the fluff off his ears and slowly climbed out from under the quilt—this was Benny, the mayor of Plush Town. His round black eyes sparkled with excitement, and in his paw, he held a small daisy that Lily had dropped on the bed that day.

"Gather round! Gather round!" Benny whispered softly, afraid of waking Lily. Soon, Max, a Shiba Inu with his tongue sticking out, hopped over from beside the pillow, his tail brushing lightly against the Peter Rabbit storybook on the nightstand. Bobby, a penguin wearing a red scarf, waddled over—one corner of his scarf got caught on the bedsheet, and he struggled a little to pull it free. Mia, a cat with round ears, jumped gracefully down from the top of the wardrobe; her paws landed as softly as feathers, and she stood quietly beside Benny.

"We have a special mission tonight!" Benny held up the paw with the daisy, his voice serious. "Lily is performing ballet at kindergarten tomorrow. This afternoon, she spun around in front of the mirror and said the pink crystal buttons on her dance shoes were the prettiest. But I snuck a look earlier, and one of the buttons is missing! If we can't find it, Lily will be so sad tomorrow. We have to get it back for her!"

"I’ll help! My nose is the best at sniffing things out!" Max puffed out his chest right away, sticking out his wet nose and sniffing in circles around the room. Every now and then, his nose bumped into the building blocks on the floor, making a soft "tap-tap" sound. Bobby patted his round belly too: "I’m good at climbing! I can check the top of the bookshelf and the cabinet!" Mia flicked her tail and said quietly, "Leave the small spots like under the bed and between the sofa cushions to me—I can see clearly even in the dark." Benny nodded, placing the daisy on the pillow as a "marker," then followed everyone to start their search.

As Max sniffed, he suddenly stopped by the desk, his ears standing straight up: "Woof! I smell something shiny! It must be nearby!" Everyone hurried over. Moonlight fell right between the desk legs, and there, stuck in the gap between the desk and the wall, was a pink, glowing button—like a little star hiding in the dark. But the gap was too narrow. Benny tried sticking his paw in, but it got stuck; he had to pull back hard to free it, and a few bits of fluff came off with it. Max tried pushing his nose in, but his nose was too round to fit—he stuck out his tongue in frustration. Mia’s paws were thin, but the gap was too deep; she reached in several times, but could only brush the edge of the button, not grab it.

"What do we do?" Max lay on the floor, staring at the button in the gap, his tail drooping. Bobby shook his head, then suddenly his eyes lit up. He reached up and untied his red scarf: "I have an idea! Look—my scarf is soft and long. Maybe I can hook the button out with it!" He carefully folded one corner of the scarf into a small hook shape, then slowly pushed it into the gap. As he wiggled it, he whispered: "Little button, little button, come out with me. Lily’s waiting for you!"

But the button was stuck tight. Bobby tried twice, and the button only moved a little. Benny hurried over and whispered: "Bobby, shift a little to the left. I’ll hold the desk steady so it doesn’t shake." Mia squatted beside them too, her eyes fixed on the button: "When the button comes out, I’ll catch it right away with my paws!" Max lay on the floor, holding his breath, afraid of distracting them.

Bobby took a deep breath, adjusted the angle of the scarf, and gave another gentle pull—this time, the button slowly slid out along the scarf! Mia was quick; she stretched out her paws and caught the button safely in her palms. "We found it! We found it!" Max was so happy he almost barked, but he quickly covered his mouth, only making a soft "whimper" sound. Everyone gathered around, looking at the glowing button in Mia’s paws, and smiled. Benny patted Bobby’s shoulder lightly: "Bobby, that was a great idea!"

Just then, the door creaked open. Light from the hallway spilled in, and Lily’s mom walked in with a glass of warm milk, wanting to close the window a little tighter for Lily. The plush toys froze instantly—Benny hurried to lie beside the desk, pretending he’d fallen off the bed in the wind. Max curled up right away, tucking his tail under his belly. Bobby quickly tied his scarf back on and stood still beside the bookshelf. Mia gently placed the button in Benny’s paw, then jumped onto the bed and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Mom walked to the window, and as she passed, she patted Benny’s head with a smile: "How did this little bear fall on the floor? Lily will be looking for him tomorrow." She picked Benny up and put him back on the bed, closed the window, then quietly left the room with the milk glass.

Once the door was fully closed and the room was quiet again, everyone let out a sigh of relief. Benny quickly picked up the button and led everyone to Lily’s dance shoes—they were on the chair at the foot of the bed, with four shiny buttons left on the pink fabric, exactly one missing. Benny stood on his tiptoes and carefully snapped the pink crystal button back onto the shoe. Then he stepped back, and together with Max, Bobby, and Mia, they stared at the dance shoe, as if admiring a precious treasure. "Mission accomplished!" Benny announced softly, pride shining in his eyes. "Tomorrow, when Lily sees her dance shoe is all fixed, she’ll smile so big!"

As dawn approached, the sky turned a faint pale blue. The plush toys quietly returned to their spots: Benny lay beside Lily’s pillow, Max curled up at the foot of the bed, Bobby leaned against the bookshelf, and Mia nestled on the quilt. They closed their eyes, pretending to be asleep—only a tiny glimmer of the pink crystal button still lingered on Benny’s paw.

Before long, Lily woke up, rubbing her eyes. As soon as she sat up, she saw her dance shoes at the foot of the bed and jumped off the bed to run over. When she spotted the lost pink crystal button back on her shoe, she gasped in surprise: "Wow! My button came back! That’s magic! Did Benny help me find it?" She picked up Benny and pressed her cheek against his soft fluff. Then she patted Max’s head, touched Bobby’s scarf, and stroked Mia’s ears. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on Lily and her plush friends—warm and bright.

The friends from Plush Town couldn’t speak, but they smiled quietly in their hearts. This was a little secret between them and their little owner—a secret about moonlight, courage, and warmth. A sweet memory that would stay in their soft fluff forever.