This was the day Lenny was finally going to go outside. After admiring the beautiful blue sky and peering out at the green grass every single day, he had decided that it was time to go. More than anything else, Lenny wanted to see the sunshine, and today, he was going to do it. There were just two problems Lenny had to face first.
Problem one was that he was a stuffed sheep. And problem two was named Janie.
Janie loved Lenny. Ever since she received him as a gift from her grandmother two Christmasses ago, Lenny had been her favorite toy. Every night she’d tuck him into the crook of her arm, and she’d say goodnight with a big, sleepy kiss on his forehead. She woke up crying whenever Lenny fell off of the bed during the night, and didn’t stop until he was safely back in her arms. All day he sat on Janie’s bed, waiting until she came home from school to play with him until bedtime. Lenny had to admit he felt somewhat suffocated by their relationship.
Lenny had hoped for a long time that someone, maybe Janie’s mother, would misplace him in the backyard, and he could be free. But the chances of that were slim, and eventually Lenny decided that if no one was going to move him, he would have to do it himself.
Lenny focused with all his might to get his fluffy tail to twitch. He thought as hard as a stuffed sheep could. Hours passed. Lenny was about to give up when he felt the tiniest shift coming from his tail. Success! Lenny concentrated again, this time focusing all of his energy into his legs. With excruciating effort, he was able to slowly wiggle himself, inch by inch, off of the bed.
Now, Lenny just had to make it down the hallway, through the kitchen, and out the back door. His plastic eyes grew tired just thinking about it. But Lenny didn’t have a second to spare, so he began his journey.
He had just made it underneath the kitchen table when Janie got home. She bounded to her bedroom and called for him.
“Lenny!” He heard her say. “Lenny, where are you?”
Janie burst out of her room crying. Through tears she told her mother that she couldn’t find her beloved sheep. Lenny felt a pang of guilt inside his stuffed chest. Maybe Janie wasn’t perfect, but he didn’t want her to cry. He got frustrated with her sometimes, but he really did love sleeping in her bed. He loved playing with her every day. He loved Janie, and he wanted to make her happy.
Even more than he wanted to go outside, Lenny realized.
Lenny scooted himself out from underneath the table, praying that someone would see him. Janie did. She dried her tears and picked him up, cradling Lenny in her arms.
Janie smiled at him, and Lenny finally felt the sunshine on his face.