Thomas came as often as he could, bringing Sarah with him. Everyone became enamoured with her and started to learn sign language, if they had hands that could sign. Thomas and Cecelia formed a special bond and she was shrinking every day, doing so at a much higher rate than I could have ever imagined.

One day, Cecelia didn't come out when Thomas showed up. This as very unusual for her and we were all concerned. So, we, meaning Thomas, me, and a few of the friends, went to go and find her.

She was sitting in the dark in her cave. We only knew that she as there because we saw her cat eyes reflecting the light.

"Cecelia!" Thomas exclaimed, running to her. "What's wrong? You didn't come to the cabin today."

"I... don't want you to see me," she said. It sounded like she was crying.

"Cecelia, what's wrong. We're all your friends and we just want to help," I said, trying to be as gently with her as I could.

"Come on out, Cecelia," Thomas coaxed.

"No, I don't want to come out," she said firmly. "Go away."

"Go away? Cecelia! What is wrong? Why are you being this way?" I said, shocked at how she was acting. This just wasn't her.

"I just want to be alone," she said. "Go away. Please." We could hear the sorrow in her voice. I didn't think that she really wanted us to leave, it was just that something was wrong that she didn't want to share.

"I won't force you to come out, Cecelia, but we're all worried about you."

She was quiet of a moment. "Okay," she said, agreeing to come out. We could hear her shuffling around in the cave and then she came out into the sunlight. She as hunched over and very, very sad. Big, fat tears made the fur around her eyes wet. But, what was most concerning was the fact that she had many bald spots.

"What happened, Cecelia?" I asked, "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head and a small cloud of fur fluttered to the ground. "It's just... falling out." She started to cry in earnest. Well, sob, really. She was shaking so hard that she as shedding and great clumps of fur were falling out and floating down.

I looked at Thomas, who looked back at me. Neither of us knew what to say. In the end, I did the only thing I knew to do, "I'll call the Doctors, Cecelia. Maybe they'll know what to do."

I pulled out my cell phone. Yes, I had a cell phone in the swamp. Internet, too. We weren't savages. I called the Doctors, Doctor One and Doctor Two. Thing One and Thing two had taken Dr. Seuss' advice when they grew up and gotten medical degrees. It was really quite impressive. They were the go-to Doctors of imaginary friends. Dr. Who was just never around long enough to be reliable.

Shortly after I called, a big red box appeared and opened. Out jumped Doctor One and Doctor Two. Over their red footed pajamas, they work white lab coats, and they had large seashell stethoscopes. They had, at one time, tried to cut their hair into a more "respectable" style, but the very next day, their wild, blue, messy hair had grown back, so they just went with it.

They got along famously with Mrs. Foster's Mr. Herriman, the very prim and proper rabbit she had had as a friend when she was a child. All three of them expected nothing less than perfection, but also cared a great deal about those in their care.

"Now what seems to be the problem," Doctor One said. "Dear blue one, with you?" finished Doctor Two. They nearly always rhymed, a habit they had left over from childhood.

"My fur is falling out," Cecelia said quietly, tears threatening to fall again. Thomas patted her in comfort.

"Oh my, oh me, now what could that be?" The Doctors said. "Come closer, dear friend; we'll have a look-see." They gestured gently for her to come forward and she did, creating another flurry of fur just by walking into the clearing.

The Doctors took pairs of green glasses from their pockets and put them on. "Hmm. Yes, we see, we see the problem here. You are shedding and shedding, you poor, poor dear."

"Yes, we can see that she'd shedding, Doctors," I said, "But can you tell us why?"

They set about examining Cecelia, listening to her heart with the stethoscopes, having her cough so they could listen to her lungs, and hitting her knee with a little rubber hammer to test her reflexes. They Hmmed and Ahhhed, and we all waited patiently.

At last they were finished and they settled back onto the ground, talking to themselves quietly, discussing possible ailments.

"So, what's wrong with my friend?" Thomas asked. He as holding onto Cecelia's finger; she'd wanted to hold hands as the Doctors worked and then Thomas just hadn't let go.

"There is nothing to do, oh yes, it's true!"the Doctors said together.

"I am being me..." Doctor Two said.

"...and you are being you." Doctor One finished.

"Do you mean to say that there's nothing wrong with her?" I asked incredulously. "I mean, look at her! She'll be bald in an hour!"

Cecelia burst out crying and I regretted what I'd said. It was not a very kind way of me pointing out that she would be bald soon at the rate she was losing fur. But, despite my lack of tack, what I'd said was true.

"Oh now, be kind! Don't get all wild. We think, my friend, she's waiting for a child."

I sighed, "Yes, we know that she's waiting for a child. That's why she's here."

"But a very special child this is, as you will see," they said together before looking at one another and whispering "it's a secret, you know, between you and between me."

"A secret!" Thomas all but shouted. "A secret? But that doesn't help."

"Oh, yes it does, when we share it with our friend. You'll see that it turns out delightfully okay in the end." They motioned for Cecelia to come closer and she put her hand out for them. They lightly stepped onto it and she lifted them up to her ear so they could whisper.

Cecelia gasped, turned lavender and then began to quiver. "Really?" she asked.

"Really and truly, and maybe this day. You'll get what you want and then up, up and away!"

I furrowed my brow, trying to puzzle out what that meant. I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

But, she grinned widely, and for that I was grateful, so I said nothing. Doctor One and Doctor Two jumped down from her hand, using their lab coats as parachutes, before running for the red box, jumping in and disappearing.

I looked at Cecelia who stood up and said, "Okay, everyone stand back!"

We all took several steps back. Some of the friends hid behind trees. Or, rather, they attempted to hide behind trees; they were rather large to be doing so.

Cecelia took a deep breath and began to shake. She shook and shook, until all her fur fell out. Then, the most amazing thing I'd ever seen happened; Cecelia shrank before my eyes until she was only six feet tall!