I had found you accidentally, on the ground, beaten up, ragged, and broken with stitches that ran down your back. I was young then, and did not realize that you might have had an owner who needed you more than I did - someone who might have had it harder than me; someone who was much more lonlier and had needed a friend. Yet, I was so happy when I found you on the ground, mangled and almost destroyed, for I had never had such a discovery in my possession. My parents had never given me toys, apart from birthdays and special holidays.

But finding you was sheer luck. It could have been anyone to find you out on the street displayed that way. Even so, it was me who had found you and decided to take care of you.

Up to this day I still do not understand why I had taken you. Even though I was only given toys on special occasions, I still had many to play with. There were so many that I had not even played with half of them, as many of them were stored in either my closet or underneath in the darkness of my bed. Maybe it was because they were not as special. Maybe it was because those toys were just given to me out of special occasions, as if those who had given them to me were obliged to. 

Even though I thought holding on to toys was such a childish thing to do, you were different. You were different for not just because of the legitimate magic you brought, but because you taught me how to embrace my childhood and grasp it properly before I am left by myself in reality with no hand to hold. You did not just teach me how to survive, but you taught me how to live. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Heo Ahreum, a young seven year old little girl, began walking down the streets with a lollipop in . She was alone and had no company. Her parents were busy talking to their boss inside their house, and her caretaker, as usual, had paid no mind to her, letting Ahreum do whatever she pleased to do.

As she popped the lollipop out of she looked across on the other side of the street, curiously glancing at all the young children splashing each other with a green hose and throwing waterballons at one another. Ahreum puffed her cheeks and bitterly looked away, continuing to walk down the sidewalk, silently asking herself why the other children had never asked her to play with them.

When she was tired, she sat down on the curb, staring off into space as cars wheezed by, gusts of wind slapping violently against her pigtails. She began tracing circles with the tip of her toes on the road, suddenly content with being alone.

Ahreum was a strange child, whom everyone wondered about. She was not like other children her age. She did not play with others and did not ask to join others in their play date. She enjoyed reading and being by herself for the most part, and enjoyed doing tranquil things that kept her mind at ease. Because of this many children knew of her, but had never asked her to play with them. All the children had thought she would be an absolute bore to play with, and judged her from various stories and from facts they knew were true. But no one understood that she was like just the rest - someone who just strived to accomplish goals and dreams, and live life to the fullest.

Out in the distance, Ahreum could faintly hear the screams of concern from her mother. Ahreum only sighed and stood up, walking along the edge of the sidewalk steadily, although wobbling here and there.

"Heo Ahreum! Get back here right this instant!" Her mother loudly scolded, earning looks of judgement from their neighbors. Her mother's jogging sped up to a full run. Once Mrs. Heo got a hold of Ahreum, she hugged her tightly and angrily looked at her with tears glistening in her eyes. "Don't do that to me. Your father and I were so worried about you. Ahreum, please, don't run off like that without Mrs. Kim's consent." Mrs. Heo lightly scolded, brushing away her own tears with the back of her hand, the other grapsed tightly on Ahreum's shoulder.

Blinking, Ahreum replied, "It's your fault for picking a terrible 'caretaker'. Mrs. Kim doesn't watch over me like you order her to. You should fire her because she left me out here on the street."

Mrs. Heo only looked at Ahreum. "Did she really leave you out on the street like that, Ahreum-ah?" She mother asked skeptically.

"Well, I told her I was going to go outside, and all she did was wave me off. Then she went back to sitting on the couch to watch her television drama. Besides, I was going to try and play with the other children today. It was a goal, but you ruined it!" Ahreum whined, stomping on her feet, now angry and annoyed that her mother had ruined her time for herself.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I ruined your chances, huh?" Her mother frowned. Ahreum gave her a scornful look. "Yeah, you did. You made me miss my chance in finding friends." She mumbled.

In truth, Ahreum had lied. She did not go out to find friends or see anyone of her peers. She just wanted to be alone. She was tired of being stuck at home all the time with nothing to do, so she decided to enjoy the nature of the world within her neighborhood. Although, she knew very well that she was just stuck with the same surroundings everyday - nothing more, nothing less. But what more could she ask for? 

As her mother pat the top of her head in sympathy, Ahreum spot a dismantled stuffed animal a few meters away further down the sidewalk. Spotting it, her eyes sparkled and she struggled against her mother's tight hold to retrieve the velveteen deer. Once she finally did, she ran down the pavement and grasped it with her tiny hands, observing it carefully. It was beautiful.

Despite the rips, broken stitches and the dirt scattered across its body, the velveteen deer was in good conditions. All it needed was a little bit of repairing, washing, and some love. 

Her mother hurried after Ahreum, sighing. "Ahreum-ah," she called to her.

Ahreum turned around, a gleeful smile on her face with the plush toy hugged against her body tightly. Her eyes were closed and she looked like an angel that had recieved praise from God. Looking as sweet as freshly baked cookies out of the oven, Mrs. Heo couldn't say no to the upcoming pleads of keeping the toy. After all, Mrs. Heo knew very well that Ahreum barely recieved any toys that she actually liked. 

"You can keep it." Mrs. Heo smiled bitterly. It was the first time in the longest that Ahreum had shown genuine happiness, and it was not even her own cause.

Ahreum's eyes snapped open widely, and they suddenly turned into beautiful crescent moon shapes. The twinkle she had once lost before in her childhood had returned again.