My Daughter Brought Home a Teddy Bear She Grew Attached to, but One Day I Discovered Someone Was Talking to Her Through the Toy — Story of the Day

I assumed it was just another stuffed toy when my kid brought home a teddy bear she instantly adored. But late one night, I noticed she wasn’t simply talking to it, someone else was chatting back through the toy. What I uncovered shook me more than I could ever imagine.

Four years ago, I learnt what the hardest job in the world actually is. Not being a doctor, not being a firefighter, nor even being a president.

The hardest job is being a mother. And not just any mother, but a single mother.

I loved it more than anything. I loved my daughter with every piece of my heart, but it didn’t make it easier.

Daniel, my former spouse, left when Lily was just three months old. He claimed to have recognized he didn’t want to be a father while standing in the doorway, expressionless. I’ve since learned not to look on others for assistance.

It never felt like enough, no matter how much I worked.

I was mentally calculating all the time, comparing food to bills, and making sure she had shoes that fit, even if it meant wearing mine till the soles nearly fell off.

She deserved a better life and a better mother, the guilt gnawed at me at night.

However, I always felt a sense of relief when Lily gave me her toothy smile in the morning. I thought I might be doing something right for a few seconds.

It was just another Wednesday. Lily’s little arms were over my neck as I picked her up from daycare.

She hummed softly in the backseat as we drove to the grocery store, a sound that never failed to make me smile, no matter how worn out I was.

She kicked her legs amusingly as I pushed her into the trolley and headed for the produce section.

Holding my breath every time I added anything to my cart, I carefully examined the prices in the hopes that the total at checkout wouldn’t be too low.

“Can we go see the toys, Mommy?” Lily inquired.

“Not today, sweetheart. For now, I am unable to purchase anything for you. But I swear, we’ll decide on something jointly when I get paid the next week.

She remarked, “I just want to look.”

I paused. I was aware of how this proceeded. Tears, pleading, and occasionally even yelling were the inevitable outcomes of looking.

I couldn’t bring myself to say no again, though, as her eyes continued to beg. I turned the trolley down the toy aisle and sighed.

Leaning forward, Lily’s eyes darted from one shelf to another before settling on a teddy bear.

She might as well have considered it treasure even though it was nothing more than a plush brown bear with button eyes and a sewn smile.

She silently pleaded with me as she gazed at me.

“I truly mean it, honey. Not right now. Alright, next week? I swear, we will return for him.

I prepared for the outburst by bracing myself. Instead, her tiny shoulders slumped and her eyes fell to the ground.

She didn’t yell or weep. She simply sat there, her lack of emotion more powerful than any outburst.

I assumed Lily had forgotten about it by the time we arrived home. As I prepared dinner, I placed her at the kitchen table with crayons.

However, a few minutes later, she ran with a drawing in her tiny hands.

“Look, Mommy!” she exclaimed with pride.

Bright, sloppy strokes depicted a young girl holding a teddy bear in her hands on the page.

She clarified, “It’s me and the store bear.”

I blinked back tears as I swallowed hard. “It’s stunning.”

Guilt clawed at me from within. I detested the fact that money controlled our happiness so much that I was unable to provide her with something as basic as a stuffed animal.

I pinned the sketch to the fridge while she skipped off to wash her hands for dinner.

Lily talked about the teddy bear all the time. Every time I told her that we would be getting paid soon and that the bear would be our first purchase, I felt guilty.

Then I froze when I went to pick her up from daycare one Thursday afternoon. Lily ran toward me with the teddy bear in her arms and her small bag bouncing. The bear in question.

“Where did you get that, Lily?”

“I have him now! I got him from someone.

“Who gave you that?” I inquired.

“I’m not sure. I only had him in my backpack. Look, mother. I noticed her name meticulously sewn on the small ribbon around the bear’s neck when she turned it around.

“Are you certain that one of your friends doesn’t own it?”

“No,” she replied. “My name is on it. I own him.

I tried to grin, but I was uncomfortable on the inside.

I dropped Lily out the following morning and stayed to speak with her teachers. “Are you familiar with the teddy bear she brought home yesterday?” I inquired.

They gave a headshake. “No, Claire. We didn’t witness anyone bringing in a bear like that, and none of the other kids have complained about losing a toy.

With a sorrowful heart, I thanked them and walked away. Perhaps Lily was luckier than I thought, or perhaps it was simply a strange coincidence.

I eventually told myself to stop worrying about it and concentrate on her happiness. Even though it wasn’t from me, she finally got the bear she had been longing for.

Lily never let go of the bear again after that day.

She called him “Mr. Buttons” and demanded that he do everything with her, including sleeping next to her, sitting at the table with her when she ate, and even going to the bathroom with her. He wasn’t just another toy that would end up collecting dust in a corner, and I was almost relieved.

The way she spoke to him disturbed me.

It was harmless at first. She shared with him her favorite animals, the snacks they had at daycare, and how much she detested carrots.

She then began to push that he respond to her. She would say something like, “He told me he likes peanut butter,” or “Mr. Buttons said carrots are yucky too.” Assuming she was putting her emotions onto the bear, I dismissed it with a laugh.

Until one evening.

Lily liked it when I left her door slightly open after tucking her into bed. I heard her quiet voice as I passed the corridor.

“Mr. Buttons, good night,” she muttered.

Then I heard it. A response. “Goodnight, Lily,” said a delicate, quiet voice that was definitely feminine.

My blood froze. For a moment, I was unable to breathe. I opened the door slowly.

Lily gave me a drowsy look. You see, mother? He talks, as I mentioned.

I approached her and grabbed the teddy bear out of her grasp. In an attempt to find a speaker or a button that might help me make sense of what I had just heard, I shook it and rubbed my hands against its velvety belly.

Nothing.

“Don’t harm him, Mommy!” Lily sobbed. “Return him!”

I returned him slowly. Her eyelids grew heavy as she gave him a deep hug, suddenly becoming calm.

I sat there for a while, trying to tell myself it was all in my head as I stared at the bear in her arms. Perhaps I had hallucinated the voice because I was so exhausted. Perhaps Lily had imitated it without my knowledge. But I knew what I’d heard in my heart.

I couldn’t stop observing Lily with that bear for the following few days. I had to strain to hear if he would respond each time she whispered something to him.

On two occasions, I believed I heard tiny murmuring, but I convinced myself it was her imagination. But until I found out, I couldn’t sleep.

I sat quietly in the hallway one afternoon while her bedroom door was ajar. Curled up on her bed, Lily was caressing Mr. Buttons’ ears.

Through her tiny sing-song voice, she inquired, “How did you know what I had for breakfast today?”

Quiet. I briefly believed that I might have finally caught her chatting to herself. After a few seconds, a voice that was recognizable to the listener said:

“I have a helper. There is a small owl in the kitchen. She sees everything.

An owl. I understood her meaning perfectly. There was a tiny porcelain owl figurine on the kitchen shelf.

Running to the kitchen, I grabbed the figure from the shelf and threw it to the ground.

As it broke apart, tiny wiring and a camera lens glinted in the light inside the fractured shell.

I let out a gasp. I squatted to look at it, my hands shaking. She had been observing us.

In our house, not just Lily, but both of us. My thoughts were racing when I suddenly recalled the plumber who had come to fix the leaking faucet a month prior. While I went upstairs to see how Lily was doing, he had been by himself in there.

I ran to her room again. “We are going for a drive, dear Lily.”

“Where?” she inquired.

“It’s unexpected,” I remarked. However, I must accompany Mr. Buttons first. Teddy bears are the reason he is visiting a wellness hotel.

She scowled and gave him a closer hug. “Why is he unable to remain with me?”

“Because they don’t let kids in and this spa is only for toys.” Lily waited a long moment before grudgingly giving him up.

We were in the car a few minutes later. After buckling her, I took to the road. I was going to a house that I hadn’t visited in more than five years.

Memories of the acrimonious arguments, the slammed doors, and the tears flooded back as I drew into the well-known driveway. From the backseat, Lily observed with interest.

She said, “Mom, who lives here?”

“You’ll learn soon,” I muttered. “Wait in the car for now. I must speak with someone.

I marched to the door, rolled down the window a bit, and tucked Mr. Buttons under my arm. It swung open after I banged hard.

Margaret was standing there. Her face turned white. “Claire? Why in the world are you here?

I thrust the stuffed animal in front of her. “Want to describe what this is?”

“It’s only a toy.”

I yelled, “Don’t play games with me.” “I could hear your voice emerging from it. In my kitchen, I also discovered a secret camera. Are you aware of what you did?

Margaret’s mouth quivered. “I can explain, please—”

I interrupted her, saying, “Then do it.” “Justify your eavesdropping on us. Tell us why you felt it was acceptable to enter our lives in this manner.

“All I wanted was to be near my granddaughter.”

“Granddaughter? You’re referring to the kid you instructed your son to avoid? You didn’t want anything to do with the baby?

Yes, my former mother-in-law was Margaret.

“I was mistaken,” she muttered. “I was stupid and harsh. But every day I regret it. I reasoned that perhaps I could make up for it if I could at least hear her and speak with her.

“By installing a camera in my residence?” I yelled. “By using a stuffed animal to deceive my daughter into believing in you?”

Through tears, she uttered, “I didn’t know how else.” Claire, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. However, I wish to improve today. I’m curious about her. Please.

I just stared at her for a while.

I moved in closer. “I’ll go directly to the cops if you ever do something similar again. Do you get it?

Tears were streaming down her face as she nodded.

I turned to go, then stopped myself. I kept my hand on the door. I pictured Lily waiting in the car, her little face full of hope.

I opened the car door and walked back outside. I murmured softly, “Come meet someone, Lily.”

She took my hand as she slipped from her chair. Margaret was standing in the doorway wiping her eyes when I escorted her there. “This is your grandmother, sweetheart.”

Lily stepped forward hesitantly after looking up in astonishment. In the next second, Lily put her arms around Margaret as she leaned down. Margaret sobbed and held her close to her.

Margaret wasn’t someone I trusted just yet. However, I believed in my daughter’s desire for affection.

She was deserving of a grandmother. I wasn’t the only family she deserved. And I would give her that even if it meant swallowing my pride.