Life

I looked down at the old rusty box I had wrapped up my important belongings and there it was.... life, I hadn't seen her in so long, she got me nostalgic. The first time I ever held her in my hands I was so young and afraid of the world, she was beautiful and her colorful stripes had lost its glory over the years.

Mom once told me I was just as strong as I had made life out to be but I was in doubt of the veracity of that statement until now. One would wonder why a little girl would attribute such strength and virtue to a toy but life meant so much more to me. She helped me conquer all my fears and become everything I could have only imagined, she even made me more creative.

I was seven when dad brought her home from work one day, she was bigger than my other toys and I loved animals and wildlife, just too scared to ever get a pet. Dad told me I could name her whatever I felt was befitting, I was young and ecstatic and I can't quite remember exactly why but I chose life because everything about her felt real. She made me think far into a world where I could be free from fear over the years and I clung unto her when fear tried to overwhelm me. For a girl with hardly any friends she became my best friend and by far my favorite toy, I took her everywhere.

Dad got me life just a week before our house was destroyed in an arson. It was horrible and we lost everything including dad. Luckily he got me out of the house with life right before the final explosion. Life is my only surviving gift from dad, that's why she's so precious. We've been through a lot together, my tears, laughter, insecurities, dull moments and fun moments. She's much more than a stuffed toy, she represents everything I've ever felt at different times and everytime I look at her I picture dad's face and I can almost hear him whispering its okay. The only time it wasn't going to be okay he gave me life and that's what she means to me - life.

She was my ray of hope and I almost idolized this toy at some point while growing up but with time I realized one lesson dad tried teaching me so many times as a child which must have prompted him to buy her. I am myself and no one could ever take that away. Dad saw a tiger in me and often called me his little tigress. He told me one day I'd be as fearless as a tiger and a radiant as their colors. Dad saw a unique strong woman, he saw a tiger, a fighter. I saw a scared little girl but keeping life over the years made his words ring daily in my ears and taught me how to see myself as more.

My beautiful tiger, I left her here at mom's when I moved across cities and I finally have a pet, a rabbit, she's divine!. With life I conquered my fears and learnt to be a better person, I learnt to speak to myself and encourage myself in the bad times. I'm as fierce as any tiger tiger out there now and no one knows my little secret. I'm a zoologist and not many people understand why I'm particularly drawn to tigers but I'm sure life does, literally.

A little girl across the street, Jill, she's six, mom says she moved in last week with her grandma, she lost both parents in a fire incident and she's very shy. I'm off to brighten up her day and give her life, it's better than being in a box with old papers, maps and pictures.

"Are you ready Maddy? we're leaving now", mom called

"Yes mom, I'm just wrapping up some things, I'll be out soon".

She's beautiful and she reminds me of a rainbow, she must love colors, such a darling! Jill's gaze could light up a room and her eyes have a thousand little stories to tell, I can't wait to hear what stories and adventures they'll have together

-"Hey there, I'm Madeline and this is life, she's here to make things better" I said handing over my most sacred toy to the quiet child before me.

-"She's beautiful, I love tigers"

-"She's a lot more than a toy you know"

-" What do you mean?" she asked with a puzzled expression.

-" Well she's special, she can be whatever you want her to be and you can talk to her"

-" Would she talk back?" she asked looking up to me

-" No, but you do, you get to tell her just how you feel, what keeps you up at night and what makes you sad, she was once my best friend, my only friend", I said with a warm smile.

-" I have other toys, why does she have to be more special?" she asked again

-" Just how much do you love tigers?" I asked patting her nice long hair.

-" A lot, I watch a lot of them on Animal planet, my grandma says I should stop or I'll become a tiger one day" she said and we both laughed.

She had a beautiful smile and I could only imagine what she's been through at such a young age.

-" What happened to your mom and dad?" I asked looking at her in realization that she needed much more than a stuffed animal for her to feel better.

-" My nana said they went to heaven but I think its really hell, there was a fire and heaven's a nice place without any of that" she said with an awfully sad look.

-" My house burned down when I was close to your age, life here was the only thing that made it out of the fire, the fire swallowed my dad and all my other toys in it "

-" Really?" she asked with so much concern.

-" Yes, its not hell, its just a horrible way to leave you know, but I got passed that, and your nana is really sweet so you'll be fine.... you can think of everything your parents wanted for you and you'll be fine", I said to a listening Jill.

-"Life is what you called her, I'll call her hope, its the last thing my mom taught me before the fire"

-"You're a smart little girl Jill"....