The Bear Who Believed

Lily loved her stuffed bear more than anything. Barnaby was soft and brown, with one ear slightly bent. Every summer day, Lily would take Barnaby swimming in the lake behind her house.

'Hold tight, Barnaby!' Lily would splash, towing her bear through the cool water. 'The fish are our friends!'

One hot afternoon, while Lily was busy helping her mom inside, something magical happened. A real dog—a golden retriever with a happy, wagging tail—spotted Barnaby resting on the dock. The dog, whose name was Sunny, nudged the stuffed bear gently with her nose.

Suddenly, Barnaby's glassy bear eyes twinkled. He could move! He could feel!

'You're alive!' Sunny barked joyfully.

'I'm alive because Lily believes I am,' Barnaby whispered. 'Her imagination is so strong, it made me real!'

Sunny and Barnaby became instant friends. They spent the afternoon swimming together, Sunny paddling while Barnaby bobbed beside her. They played hide-and-seek in the tall grass and shared berries from the garden.

When Lily returned, she found her iphone on the grass. Someone had taken a photo—Barnaby and Sunny, side by side, both smiling. But Barnaby was just a stuffed bear again, wet and still.

Lily gasped. 'You made a friend while I was gone!' She hugged Barnaby tight. 'I knew you were magical all along.'

Sunny appeared from behind the trees, tail wagging. The dog and bear and girl all knew the truth: friendship and imagination can make anything real.

That night, Lily's mom asked, 'How was your swimming adventure?'

'Magical,' Lily whispered, already planning tomorrow's adventure with her two best friends—one real, one stuffed, both absolutely perfect.