Something had woken him up.
There was something making noise underneath his bed!! He didn't see his Mama or Nathalie in the room, and he couldn't find his bear! Hadn't he fallen asleep with him right under the covers? He knew he did!
Juri tried not to be scared as he sat up in the strange bed. Surely the noises he heard were just normal hospital sounds - right?He took a deep breath and leaned over the edge of the bed.
He looked left.
Nothing.
He looked right.
Nothing.
But wait.... what was that? He heard a little "pffttt" from up on his bed. Very slowly Juri raised his head back up. He felt his covers lift up a little bit by his feet.
Was it his imagination? He was so frightened he could barely breathe. Where was Mama? Where was Nathalie? He wasn't at home so he did not feel it would be nice to holler for them - he would wake everyone else up! But what was he to do?
"Pfffttt"
THERE IT IS AGAIN! He felt something stir by his feet. He quickly pulled his feet up and sat with his knees to his chin.
He knew he wasn't imagining it.
With all the bravery he could muster up, Juri took a deep breath and held it. He lifted up his covers and ....
Juri couldn't believe his eyes. Surely his teddy had not REALLY made a face. Although he had spent a lot of time hoping for his toys to come to life, none of them ever had, and he was certain that they weren't suppose to. Only in his imagination!
But here was Pupcatz, clumsily making his way up to Juri at the top of the bed.
Juri wasn't scared anymore. Just amazed. He leaned forward to get a closer look.
Pupcatz leaned forward too.
He reached out and poked Pupcatz in the tummy.
Pupcatz leaned forward and poked Juri in the tummy.
Juri pulled Pupcatz's ear. Pupcatz climbed up onto Juri's lap and pulled his ear!
"This can't be!" Juri said out loud. "You're a teddy bear! How come you can walk and move and make funny faces?"
Pupcatz shrugged his shoulders. He opened his mouth as if to say something, and all of a sudden Juri's Mama came into the room.
"Juri, maly, what's wrong? Why aren't you sleeping?"
Juri looked down at Pupcatz - he had been about to say something! But now he lay on the bed, silent and motionless. Juri didn't know what to say to his Mama. He did not want to seem silly!
"Nothing's wrong Mama, I just had a strange dream and so I woke up, but I'm ok. I will go back to sleep now."Juri lay back down and grabbed Pupcatz.
"I'm tired Mama, I'm going to go back to sleep now." He hoped his Mama would not be suspicious. Usually if he woke up in the middle of the night he always tried to get his Mama and Dad to let him watch TV or stay up reading for a while. Hopefully she would not think something was amiss, and she would go back to her seat in the lounge. He wanted Pupcatz to come back to life!
"Ok, I'll be right outside if you need anything." she pulled Juri's covers back up and kissed his forehead.
Juri pulled Pupcatz out from under the blankets.
"Ok, she's gone!" he whispered to the bear.
And to his amazement Pupcatz blinked twice and SMILED!
"Can you speak?" Juri asked the bear.
Pupcatz nodded. But put his finger in front of his mouth as if to say "shhhhhh!".
And then he hopped off Juri's bed silently and ran across the floor, and out the door!
Juri didn't know what to do! He wanted Pupcatz to come back! Where was he going? But within a moment he had his answer. Pupcatz was back, and he was holding chocolate chip cookies! And a glass of milk! How had he known that Juri was so hungry?
Grumble grumble grumble.
Oh! That's how! He must have heard Juri's tummy while he was under the blankets!
Pupcatz skillfully climbed back up onto the bed, magically not spilling any milk or dropping any cookies.
Juri and Pupcatz had a midnight snack together on the bed before Pupcatz tucked Juri back in.
Pupcatz leaned over to Juri's ear.
"Try to sleep again now. We will have more fun together tomorrow."
And as excited as Juri was to have a real LIVE talking teddy bear, his eyes slowly shut, and he drifted back to sleep.
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