Bear Custody

tom the bear

Build-a-Bear stores are probably one of the most magical places in the world. Harry absolutely adores his work place. He's 20 year old and he gets to spend his days fulfilling small children's' dreams, what better job are there? Of course, he could do without the demanding, impatient parents or the teenagers that fool around, but it was all worth it to see a child's brilliant smile.

Harry was busying himself with sorting the unstuffed animals, as they tended to end up in the wrong places, when a new customer comes in. As the only one out at the floor at the moment, Harry glanced up. It's a young man around his age together with a little girl - probably around the age of three. He decides to offer his help, as they both looked a little lost. Harry grabbed an unstuffed Batman™ Bear and walked over to them.

"Hello! How may I help you today?" he asked with a big smile. The little girl smiled back at him, making Harry's smile softer. He really loved children.

"We want to buy, but we're a bit unsure how it works." the man said. Harry turned to him, and noticed immediately how handsome he looked up close. Harry dubbed him Mr Handsome in his head without a second thought.

"It would be my pleasure to demonstrate the process." Harry offered. He sometimes made bears as he worked and bought them for himself, but it had also happened that the customer decided to buy the bear he made in addition to their own purchase. His paycheck was suffering, but he couldn't help it. He loved making the stuffed animals, and they were so cuddly! His bed was full of different stuffed animals, but mostly bears. He loved the classics.

"Please!" the little girl said excitedly. Harry tucked the unstuffed Batman™ Bear under one arm and offered the girl his hand. She looked to Mr Handsome - who gave a slight nod - before she took it.

"What are you looking for today, miss?" Harry asked as he lead her over to a wall where they showed how the animals look when stuffed. He saw how Mr Handsome glanced from the unstuffed bear he was carrying to the stuffed example. There was a sign in front of each example announcing the prize, and a bin with the unstuffed animals underneath.

"Ava." the girl supplied. "Something colourful!"

"Then something colourful we'll find, miss Ava." Harry promised. He ignored the look Mr Handsome gave him, unsure of what he should make of it. Instead he pointed out the most colourful stuffed animals for Ava. It was great to watch her expressions - she was very expressive. The moment he saw her break out in a smile, he knew they had found the right one.

"You like Britto Bear?" Harry asked and let go of Ava's hand to give her the stuffed example to look at. It was definitely a colourful bear, as it was designed by the Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto.

"Yes!" Ava answered with an excited nod. Harry carefully took the stuffed bear from her and put it back on the shelf.

"May I lift you up so that you can choose your own?" Harry asked, since Ava couldn't reach over the edge of the bin. At Ava's nod, he carefully lifted her up so she could pick one of the unstuffed Britto Bears. After she had picked one, Harry put her down slowly on the floor before he took her hand again.

"Next stop, the stuffing machine!" Harry announced cheerfully. They walked over to the yellow box full of stuffing. Harry stopped in front of it.

"That's what we'll stuff your bear with." he explained. "Before that, you need to choose a heart. If you want, you can pick two hearts, one for you and one for your..." he trailed off and gestured towards Mr Handsome.

"Uncle." Ava filled in.

"Uncle." Harry continued. "You can also choose a battery heart, and when you hug your bear you'll be able to feel the heartbeat. It costs a bit extra, but it's very nice." he added the last part for Mr Handsome. Ava nodded seriously at the information.