„I have to arrange a few more things, but I’ll help you unpack them later, okay?” my mom said, pointing to five large boxes in my new, bigger room. We’ve just moved from a small city apartment to a large house in the countryside. While my parents are very enthusiastic about the move and our new house, I’m not.

I was sad to leave all my friends there, especially Sarah, my best friend. Even though my parents said I could visit her sometimes, it would be strange not to see her every day. I also miss my neighbor’s dog, Max, but my mom promised to take me to a shelter where I could choose my own dog. I’ve always wanted a dog, so I’m looking forward to it.

“You will love this place. You will see,” she said, hugging me, then she left the room. I was a little afraid of staying in this big new room alone, so I ran after her. But I didn’t notice a purple teddy bear on the floor, and I tripped over it, falling to the floor beside it.

“Ouch, that hurt,” someone said, but I didn’t see anyone in the room.

“Who is it?” I asked, startled, scanning the room. Then I saw the teddy bear sitting on the floor, rubbing its paw. He looked at me, terrified, and started screaming as he ran to hide behind one of the boxes.

“Hello, I’m so sorry for hurting you. I didn’t mean to,” I said apologetically. “I’m Amy, by the way. Who are you?” I asked him, but he stayed hidden behind the box, trembling with fear.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me. I won’t hurt you again. I promise,” I tried to reassure him.

“I don’t have a name,” he finally answered me, peeking sheepishly out from behind the box.

“It’s sad. I will call you Mr. Lavender, then, because you are the same color as lavender,” I said, and he didn’t protest. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Lavender,” I added, then slowly offered him my hand. He stared at it for a moment before reluctantly taking it in his paws.

“Now we are friends. You are my first friend here,” I said happily, and he nodded. “Do you want to go outside to play in the garden?” I asked because I wanted to explore it. We didn’t have a garden at our previous home, so having one now feels like an adventure.

“You want to go outside? Have you lost your mind? It’s so scary out there. Someone could eat you or hurt you…” He started panicking.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We will stay only in our garden. Nothing will happen to you there,” I reassured him, even though he scared me a little. “I will protect you.” I took him into my arms. He protested for a while because of the height, but I calmed him down.

“Mom, can I go to the garden to play with Mr. Lavender?” I asked my mom as soon as I stepped into the living room, where she was rearranging some things.

“With whom?” she asked, a little confused, and I pointed to the purple teddy bear. She looked at Mr. Lavender, surprised. “Where did you get this?”

“He was in my room. He can even talk,” I said enthusiastically, looking at Mr. Lavender. “Say hi to my mom,” I asked him, but nothing happened. Mr. Lavender stayed lifeless in my arms.

“He is a little shy; he is afraid of everything,” I excused his behavior. “Can we go now?” I asked, and my mom nodded. “But don’t be out for so long. Tomorrow you are going to a new school, and we have to unpack your things.”

“Do I really have to go there?” I asked sadly, because the idea of going to a new school scares me a lot.

“Yes, you have to.”

“But I don’t know anyone there, and everyone makes fun of a new kid. They will be mean to me. Could I be homeschooled instead?” I started negotiating with my mom.

“No, you have to go there. You are a nice kid, and everyone will love you. You will see,” my mom tried to reassure me, but it didn’t work. “And you can take your teddy bear with you if you want,” she added. Great, we will be terrified together.

“Fine,” I said sadly, and left the living room.

“Why didn’t you move or say anything?” I asked Mr. Lavender, a little upset, as soon as we were outside the house. “Now I look like a liar!”

“Because I was afraid. And playing dead when you are afraid is the best option because no one pays attention to you that way,” he explained, as if this were the most obvious thing to do. Then he hopped onto my shoulder because a snail on the road startled him.

“You’re weird,” I told him, but he didn’t listen because he was trembling in fear again. “What now?” I asked him, confused.

“This monster is crawling on me,” he said, terrified, pointing to the branches of an old willow tree that were lightly brushing his shoulder.

“It’s just a tree,” I tried to calm him, but it didn’t work, so I stepped away from the tree. “Better?” I asked, and he nodded, relieved.

“Look, a cat!” I noticed a cat sleeping on the bench. “Do you want to pet her?” I asked Mr. Lavender, and he shook his head no. “This beast has claws. I don’t want to die,” he objected almost immediately. I ignored his objections and walked straight to the cat. Mr. Lavender clutched my shoulder tightly in his paws and buried his face in it.

“Hello, kitty,” I greeted the cat, reaching out my hand toward her. She started to purr and let me pet her. “See, she isn’t scary at all,” I said, and Mr. Lavender loosened his grip on my shoulder as he looked at her. “I still don’t want to touch it,” he said resolutely.

“I hope our cat doesn’t bother you,” I heard a voice behind me. I turned around and saw a girl, probably my age, leaning against the fence. “She likes to sleep there all the time,” she explained apologetically.

“No, not all. She is lovely,” I answered with a smile. I was a little afraid to speak to her, but Mr. Lavender’s presence helped me. And also the girl seems nice.

“I’m Sophie, by the way. I live in that house,” she said, pointing to the one next to us. “You must be the new kid, right?”

“Yes, I’m Amy. Nice to meet you, Sophie,” I said politely.

“We are in the same class, then. We can go to school together if you want. I can show you around,” she offered, and I nodded right away. “That would be amazing,” I said enthusiastically.

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” She waved at me, then disappeared into her house.

“Playing dead again, huh?” I asked Mr. Lavender, amused. “Why are you so scared of everything?” I asked, and he started moving again.

“Because you made me that way, I represent your fear. I act scared because you are scared,” he explained, and I looked at him, confused and surprised at the same time.

“But why? How is that even possible?” I asked, confused.

“When a child is afraid of something, that fear gives me the energy to become a toy. Then I show them their fear by behaving ridiculously scared, and I help them face their fear this way,” he explained. I have to admit that helping him to be braver actually helped me too.

“You know what?” I asked with a smile. “It actually helped me a lot. I’m not afraid of going to school anymore.”

“Well, that means you don’t need me anymore,” he said proudly. “I have to leave you now. Another child needs my help. He is afraid of going to the dentist, and his fear is calling me,” he said, and I nodded sadly. I don’t want him to leave me, but I know this boy needs help, too.

“But I will put myself into another toy so that you can keep this teddy bear. Every time you feel afraid, you can look at it, and it will remind you that you are brave enough to do anything,” he comforted me, and I thanked him.

“It was nice meeting you. Have a good life,” he said, waving his paw.

“Goodbye, Mr. Lavender,” I said, holding back my tears as I watched the teddy bear begin to flicker with bright light.

But suddenly, the flickering stopped. The teddy bear went lifeless in my arms.

“Thank you, Mr. Lavender,” I said, hugging the lifeless teddy bear. I feel more comfortable and braver now, even though he left. I’m sure I won’t be afraid tomorrow. And if yes, I can always play dead.