A Short Story, Soft and Sweet

Just a little side tale.....We changed out sleeping bags for the warmer ones before the White Mountains. The oh so fragrant box that was returned to me contained all the odds and ends no longer deemed necessary as well as the sleeping bags I replaced. When I took the sleeping bags outside to shake out the debris and hang in the sun for an airing, out of Madeline's bag dropped a small stuffed chick-a-dee, something I did not recognize as an item packed for the trail. When I asked her about the origin of the bird, she told me that early on in the journey, she purchased him in a little shop so she would have something soft and furry to sleep with. With seven cats and a dog at home, she was not accustomed to sleeping alone.....so very Madeline.