Lucy had some of the best friends in the world.
They were funny, strong, brave, kind and a little timid. Lucy loved them all, and they all loved her.
Some days they would go on adventures into the unknown, with Brave. Or they could do something goofy with Funny. They might have a competition with Strong (who would always win). Or they might all pile up next to a fire with Kind.
And at night they'd all go to sleep with Little Timid.
One day, Lucy woke up, ready for a day of fun.
"What shall we do, Brave?" She asked.
"Hmmm... I don't know, maybe you should ask Funny."
But Funny didn't have any ideas either. "Maybe you should check with Strong!" He said.
But Strong said the same. "Hmmmm, maybe you should check with Kind."
"Hi Kind, what do you think we should do today?" She asked.
"Huh, I don't know. Why don't we ask someone else?"
"Who?"
"Let's see what Timid wants to do!"
"Oh, what a great idea! Let's go find him!"
So when they had assembled everyone, they went and searched for Little Timid.
"Tim-I'd. Are you under the pillows?"
Nope.
"Tim-I'd. Are you having breakfast?"
No.
"Tim-id. Are you on the couch?"
Nu-uh.
"Yum-I'd. Are you still sleeping?"
And there was Timid, still laying on his bed.
"C'mon Timid! Let's go have fun!"
Timid didn't respond.
"Come on sleepy head! Wake up!"
Timid didn't wake up.
"Timid? Are you okay?"
No one had fun that day.
No one had fun for a while after that. Lucy watched the once lively home, turn into a grey husk.
Funny handled it the worst. He'd pretend it didn't happen, and try to get everyone laughing again. He'd play pranks, and start pillow fights. No body felt like joining in, so he'd wander off to Timid's bedroom, to see if he wanted to play. Then he'd run out in tears.
Brave was second. He would make up lookalikes of Little Timid. He'd position them behind him, the dance around, swinging his sword, defending Timid from everything that could hurt him. Lucy got the feeling he blamed himself for Timid. This was his way of making up for his failure.
Everyone avoided Strong. He had become violent, blaming and yelling everyone else. He spent most of his time alone, punching his pillow or working out. He would scream at any inconvenience. Needless to say, everyone felt much worse in Strong's presence. But none more than Kind.
Kind receded from all activity altogether. He would spend all his time crying or sleeping. He barely ate. He was so absorbed into his bubble, he couldn't stand the thought of Timid. He was so pale, Lucy thought he was a ghost. And he was, in a sense.
Lucy had seen enough. Everyone was suffering, and it was up to her to fix it.
She called everyone to the living room. Everyone was agitated, but Lucy knew what to do.
From behind her she pulled out a rather large book. It had bits of paper hanging out and it was faded, but everyone recognised it. It was their scrapbook. The memories of every day collected in on book.
As she opened it, she saw all their faces change from grief to longing.
"Lucy..." Kind began. But he was interrupted.
"Hey! I remember that! That was the best pillow fight in ages!" Funny suddenly piped up, picking up an old photo.
Everybody crowded around, curious. "Oh, hey! I remember that too! Remember when Timid smacked you so hard you flew?" Brave asked Strong, light returning to his eyes.
Strong was too proud, though. "Not at all, but what about the time you got fell down a hole and Timid had to get you out, oh brave adventurer?" He asked, a smile creeping up on his face.
Lucy flipped a couple pages over, and took out a photo, showing everyone. "Oh?" Kind said, a smile on his face as he saw it. "And what about the time Timid beat you in a sack race?"
"Well, it wasn't as hilarious as the time we all pranked Funny with those water balloons."
The group burst out laughing. And then didn't stop. We had all forgotten how it felt to laugh. The spirit was returning.
They all spent the whole day musing over memories of times spent with an old friend. They were laughing again. Then they were laughing at each other's laughter.
That night, they all slept soundly, dreaming of times spent with their friends. They all remembered how much they missed Timid, as well. And, although it may still sting, the memories were more important.
Lucy had some of the best friends in the world.
They were funny, strong, brave, kind and all a Little Timid.
Okay, maybe it's more 6-7 years, but I enjoyed writing that.