Your eyes opened slowly and found they were staring out your front door. Was it a dream? No, you hadn't been asleep. Besides, you could feel your hand grasping something small. You lifted it up and there it was. Proof that all that had happened was real.
Your mind suddenly hit pause and you remembered your little woollen friend.
"Yarny?!" You called desperately into the front yard. "Yarny, where are you? Please don't be gone."
You stepped out onto the porch and searched the grass. No red could be seen; only green.
He's got to be here somewhere. You thought definitely, frowning and clenching your fists. An idea suddenly struck you and you ran to the craft room. You stood in the doorway, your eyes not knowing where to look. You couldn't see him in there, but where else..?
The bedroom? You rushed up the stairs as fast as possible, flung open the door and stepped inside.
"Come on, please, please, please..."
He wasn't there either. In desperation you started opening drawers and looking under things in hopes of finding him, but he was nowhere to be seen. After a long while you stood up straight and gave up. You stood still, not moving, only thinking.
You took a deep breath in and out, and remembered what he had given you. Thankfully it had stayed in your clenched fist throughout your search, and now you peered at it in longing. It's eye still glowed, and tiny specks of yellow surrounded it like magic. That gave you hope. It assured you he was still out there. You closed your fingers around it again and looked out the window.
Where are you, Yarny? You can't be gone.
Your eyebrows creased confidently and you took off down the stairs, into the craft room. You could almost hear dramatic music as you stood in front of the giant bookcase filled with materials, searching for the right thing.
Magical. What's magical? Glitter. Beads. Fake diamon- Where did these even come from?
As you filed through all the things on the shelves, looking for anything that could be remotely considered magical, you remembered a certain something.
That's it. That'll work. It has to.
You spread your magic all over the table; the glitter, the beads, the plastic diamonds, and the charm. You then found the wool and wire you had left there earlier, sat down and struggled for hours.
You knew you weren't the crafty type, but that was not going to stop you from completing your task. You fiddled with the wire to make a skeleton, and then tediously wrapped it in the only red wool you had. Once you had his body, with an opening at the top, you poured in the glittery mess and put the charm in the centre.
After a total of 3 hours at least, it was finished. Yarny lay there motionless and stiff, like a figurine. You waited for something to happen. A minute passed, then ten. Nothing.
Slowly you picked him up; he was the best thing that had ever happened to you. Still he stared at nothing.
You shut your eyes tight. Thoughts came flooding in and your grip became harder as tears welled up. None fell, though. They glimmered and made your eyes shine, but didn't fall.
Memories of your adventure came back, seeming like a lifetime ago. The amount of confidence and bravery you built in yourself was extraordinary. That wonder-filled moment when he first appeared, jumping into your hand with no fears in the world, and helping you recover your photos.
My photos. My photos!
You hadn't checked if they were back. So, once more you dashed up the stairs with your makeshift Yarny, just holding on to the one strand of hope you had left like his red wool lasso. There was the album, closed and sitting on the bed like it had been expecting you. It was entirely hot-chocolate free.
"Come on, this has to work!" You said under your breath as you approached your beloved book. You flipped open the cover and gazed upon photos in perfect condition, pages not soggy and brown, nothing stuck together. You couldn't help but let out a grin.
Placing Yarny gently down on the bed, you picked up the album with both hands, sat next to him and flicked through the pages. Each photo brought back a different memory, some happy, some sad, angry or regretful. Most of all, they brought back nostalgia, and even though you'd seen this book only yesterday, it was like a whole new experience.
Something touched the side of your leg. Something small, something red, something you were very delighted to see back. You slowly and excitedly looked down. There he was, in all his glory, eyes smiling and sparkling like the charm inside of him.
For once you had no words. You were too overwhelmed with relief. All you could do was hold out your hand for him to climb onto, and lift him up for a slightly awkward hug.
He climbed down to the book and started doing something with his wool. He stepped back to reveal a little charm-version of his own face, and he had stuck it to your album.
"Aw, thanks! I'm so glad you're back." You finally found your tongue, and your second sentence came out in a single breath.
He looked up at you and his expression slowly changed.
"What? What's wrong?" You said frantically. "Did I- I don't know, not give you enough glitter?"
He shook his head gravely and jumped down from the book onto the bed, and from the bed to the ground, and then out the door.
"Where are you going? Are we going on another adventure?" You rose and swiftly followed, tossing the book aside.
He was still so fast, even for someone of his size, and he was down the stairs like a sugar-hyped kid.
"Please tell me this is another crazy adventure."
He stopped at the front door, turned back and watched you approach with gloomy eyes.
"Where are you going? Why are you leaving again?" You questioned desperately.
He shook his head in sorrow and gazed up from the ground to you.
Silence loomed between you for what seemed like an eternity. And then it happened.
"It's been amazing retrieving your memories with you, and it's the first time any one of us has made contact with their person. I have to leave for a while, but know that you will see me again not too far in the future." His voice filled your head like surround-sound speakers, coming from everywhere all at once. There was something incredible about hearing his voice after all you'd been through with him.
Then he turned and walked out the open door, and when you ran out after him, heart pounding and mouth dry, all that was seen was your front yard. You stepped out further, half expecting to shrink, but nothing happened. All that was left was Yarny's word he'd be back soon.