For those who have been hoping for a glimpse of the novel, I present to you a small snippet. It is not of the story itself, but of a short story that is shared within the novel between two characters.

Once upon a time, there was a young boy who was almost five years old, who lived with his mom and dad. They were a happy family, until one night the boy started getting nightmares every night. After a week of the boy waking up in the middle of the night crying in fear, his parents took him to the doctor. But he couldn’t see anything wrong with the boy. So, on the way home, the boy’s parents stopped and bought him a teddy bear. This teddy bear was big and fluffy, had thick brown fur and velvety paws, and a big red ribbon tied around his neck. He also had big brown eyes, and a wide smile, the kind that cheers you up every time you look at it.

That night, the father told the boy, “Before you go to sleep, talk to the bear. Tell him what it is that you are afraid of, and give him a hug. Then you won’t be afraid anymore.” And so the boy did. That night, before he closed his eyes to go to sleep, he whispered in the bear’s ear “I’m afraid of the dark.” And it worked. The boy slept through the night, without a single bad dream. His father also told him that the magic would only work if he spoke to the bear every night. And so the boy did. Every night the boy whispered into the bear’s ear and told him what he was afraid of. Some nights it was the dark, and other nights it was the monster in his closet. Night after night, year after year, the boy whispered to his teddy bear.

As the years passed, the bear started showing signs of being well-loved: his fur grew matted and patches started growing. His ribbon became a tattered shred and soon both of his eyes rubbed blank. But his smile stayed just as wide.

Eventually the boy grew up. He finished school and got a job. And still he gave his bear a whisper and a hug every night. Then the boy had a girlfriend who he fell in love with, who made him happier than anyone had ever before. And though the boy no longer hugged the bear through the night, he kept the bear in a closet so he could whisper to him and give him a hug before turning in. The night before the boy married his girlfriend he whispered to the bear, “I’m afraid that tomorrow won’t be perfect.” And this night, barely more than a pile of tattered fabric with a wide smile, the bear spoke back. “You’re ready to let me go.” “But I love you,” the boy said. “You are grown up now. You are on your way out of childhood,” the bear said. “And now, it’s time to love your wife. Every night, you must tell her something that you love about her. And give her a hug. And when you have children of your own, you must buy them a new teddy bear so they can whisper their fears and learn to love, just as you have.”

I hope you enjoyed it!

Until Next Time,

Joe