Six-year-old Zoe lost something very special to him. He lost the fluffy foot-long Caboose-shaped pillow, called Caboo, he had kept on his bed. The loss happened when he moved with his mother to a new town. Falling asleep without Caboo nearby wasn’t easy. Zoe’s gob of hurt caused him to toss and turn.
Waking on a cloudy Saturday, Zoe was especially gloomy. Though he wanted to be alone, his mother, Chime, had planned a visit with their new neighbors.
“It’s important to get along with the people who live next door, Zoe,” said the mother while they crossed their front lawn.
Zoe frowned.
“Are you still feeling bad about losing Caboo?” asked his mother.
After nodding yes, Zoe looked down.
“No one wants to see you moping,” said his mother just before ringing the doorbell.
Inside the home, a seven-year-old girl, Patune, looked forward to meeting her new neighbors. “I hope they like pumpkin pie,” she told her mother, Koy.
“We’ll also offer them cookies,” said her mother before opening the door and greeting her company. “Please come in. Welcome to the neighborhood. My name is Koy. This is my daughter, Patune.”
Zoe’s mother returned the greeting. “I’m Chime. This is my son, Zoe. Thanks for inviting us over.”
Koy then sent the kids off. “You and Zoe play until I call you,” said the mother.
“Let’s see if I have a toy you’d like to play with,” suggested Patune as she led Zoe to her bedroom.
~
After entering Patune’s room, Zoe browsed the toys scattered on shelves. “What’s your favorite toy?” he asked.
Patune thought hard as she looked around. “I don’t think I have a favorite,” she answered.
“One of them has to be special,” said Zoe.
“Hmmm,” hummed Patune, still unsure. Seeing that Zoe looked sad and wanting to please him, Patune grabbed the blue rubber ball on her bureau. “I like playing catch,” she told him.
Zoe scrunched his face. “How can something everyone has be your favorite toy?” he wondered.
Patune took time to think before shrugging.
Something on Patune’s bed then caught Zoe’s attention. It was a stuffed animal—a goofy-looking chubby yellow and brown ostrich, sitting with its legs tucked under it. It had a shaggy tail, bushy eyebrows, a long curved neck and big bulging eyes that seem to be looking everywhere at once. “Does your stuffy have a name?” asked Zoe.
Patune saw what Zoe was looking at. “Ossy the Ostrich,” she told him.
“My favorite stuffy got lost when we moved. It was a caboose I called Caboo,” said Zoe with a sigh.
“I’d miss Ossy if it got lost,” assured Patune.
“I miss Caboo a lot,” shared Zoe as his eyes watered.
Wanting to cheer Zoe up, Patune suggested they go outside. “Wanna play catch in the backyard?” she asked.
“OK,” answered a slouching Zoe.
As they threw the ball back and forth, Patune shared a thought. “If I lost Ossy, I wouldn’t replace her with another stuffy too soon,” she declared.
“Another stuffy wouldn’t be as special as Caboo,” moaned Zoe.
“Maybe your next stuffy shouldn’t be too special,” said Patune.
That didn’t make sense to Zoe. “But I’m gonna want it to be very special,” he made known.
“Making it special is OK, just don’t make it too special,” suggested Patune.
“Why would I do that?” asked Zoe just before Patune’s mother called to them from the backdoor.
“Come in for some pie, cookies and milk,” said Koy.
While their mothers went outside, the kids sat at the kitchen table. Before long, Patune and Zoe had their treats gobbled.
“I don’t want to make you mad, but I still think you made Caboo too special?” said Patune.
Zoe became annoyed. “But how can something someone cares about be too special?” he fussed.
Patune tried to explain. “My mom says something may be too special when losing it hurts for more than a little while. Instead of making one thing very special, why not make a few things sort of special?”
Stuck on thinking no other stuffy could be as good as Caboo, Zoe answered. “But Caboo was special because it was Caboo.”
“Are you saying you’ve got nothing to do with Caboo being too special?” gently asked Patune.
“You’re mixing me up,” said Zoe.
After they put their dishes and glasses in the sink, Patune again led the way to her bedroom. Once there, she surprised Zoe. “You wouldn’t want Ossy, would you?” she offered.
Zoe was quick to answer. “Your Ossy can’t replace my Caboo,” he said as he folded arms.
Patune wasn’t surprised to hear Zoe turn down Ossy. “That’s what I thought you’d say,” she replied as she knelt to pull a box out from under her bed. She then fished inside the box with both hands.
“What are you looking for?” asked Zoe.
Patune ended her search. “I’ve got it! Will you take this?” she asked as she held up a plastic red caboose about an inch in length.
“That little caboose won’t help me forget I lost Caboo,” grumbled Zoe.
“I know. I was thinking it might help you remember what you found,” answered Patune as she lowered the hand holding the tiny caboose.
“What have I found?” asked Zoe.
“Someone who’d like to be your friend,” answered Patune as she again raised the caboose.
Hearing Patune say she wanted to be a friend put a slight, but warm, smile on Zoe’s face. “Thanks. I feel a little better,” he replied as he took the gift.
“That’s terrific,” happily said Patune.
“I guess stuff is just stuff,” realized Zoe.
Patune agreed. “That was a super smart thing to say, Zoe. My mom says it’s seeing ourselves be nice that counts.”
“Remembering things are just things is hard,” admitted Zoe.
“Especially when others, like TV people, keep telling us there’s stuff we gotta have,” noted Patune.
“I’ll try not to lose the caboose you gave me,” said Zoe.
“But if you do lose it, it’ll be OK because it won’t be too special, right?” smiled Patune.
“Right!” smiled back Zoe.
1. Why does losing some things hurt a lot?
2. Why did Zoe miss Caboo so much?
3. What did Zoe mean when he finally said “stuff is just stuff?”
4. Why is it hard for people not to make some things too special?
5. Why should or shouldn’t people make something too special?