The Toymaker’s Treasure

Once a young girl visited the local shop where the kind elderly man there made teddy bears with his own hands.

She was extremely excited as she walked inside the shopkeeper’s large workshop and was greeted by a seemingly endless sight of hundreds of beautifully crafted smiling teddy bears.

However, after excitedly peering around the shop in starry eyed admiration, she noticed one rather rough looking bear that stood quite conspicuously to her from amongst all the others.

This bear was stitched all over and wore rugged patches that were faded by the march of time.

She reached for him and then rather bluntly said to the shopkeeper;

''It looks like you've done a beautiful job of making your bears and taking care of them, but why is this bear so neglected?

He's been ripped all over and is covered with so many ugly patches!''.

The girl’s mother flushed with embarrassment and was taken aback by her little daughter’s rather terse words, but the tender hearted and kindly shopkeeper simply smiled.

Walking from behind his antiquated work bench with hobbled steps, he gently took the tattered bear from the young girl's hands and held the patch covered bear ever so closely to his chest.

In fact, with eyes closed, he took a few seconds of deeply reflective poise as tears rolled down the rough leather of his wizened cheeks.

He paused softly, head now bowed in an almost hushed reverence.

As hundreds of his bears seemed to look on at their creator, he finally broke the solemn silence and gently said;

“Why this bear knows my love greatest of all.

For every patch was put on him by my own hands many times.

You see, no other bear here has received such greater love and care, though advancing years has worn him down to what you fear to hold.

He is older than time but wears love over his scars.

This one is so very very special and I do believe he is ready for one such as you, for you are the only child who has ever even acknowledged his presence, as hundreds of other children have passed this one by.”

The little girl’s heart swelled to match her oversized eyes, as a smile grew wide upon her face.

She reached up for the patched up bear, and as she then hugged him dreamily, one could not help but think that the bear himself quickly smiled then fell asleep in her adoring arms.

The old shopkeeper’s words kept ringing through her excited thoughts as she walked out the door, head buried in the pillowed belly of her newfound furry friend;

“Older than time, but wears love over his scars”.

She smiled like the sun.