Al

{Third Person}

Cheyenne lay on her Queen-Sized bed curled into a ball. She clutched her stuffed Koala bear, Al, in her hands, his matted white hair pressing into her face. Eric had given it to her last August.

Eric had been working as an animal groomer in the animal shelter. He came up with the idea for Cheyenne to volunteer at the shelter so they would have more time together.

Her second day there, a dog came in who'd either been lost or abandoned. He died later that day from being malnourished. Cheyenne remembered locking herself in the shelters bathroom and crying. she loved animals, and it was hard to see one so unhappy and emaciated.

When she came out of the bathroom, Eric was there with Al in his hands. The shelter had a whole closet full of stuffed animals that they gave away when people adopted an animal. While Eric obviously hadn't gone to much trouble to acquire Al, it was the thought that counted. He'd handed over the stuffed Koala and said, "I remember the first time i saw a doggy die." Cheyenne had cast her eyes to the floor and said,

"But i bet you didn't lock yourself in the bathroom and cry."

"Actually..." He shrugged and said, "I threw up, which made me want to cry." He nodded at the Koala. "I commemorated the doggy's life with one of the stuffed animals. I still have him at home, his name is Bear."

Cheyenne laughed, trying to picture a stuffed animal sitting on Eric's bed.

She smiled now, too, as she took a big whiff of Al. He smelled like Karmala perfume- Eric's favorite.

She rolled over onto her back and starred at the sunbeams shining across her white ceiling.