Let's break this down. We're going to add 3871 and 8985 together.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 1 & 5 in column 1 and get 6.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 7 & 8 in column 2 and get 15.
We'll write down the last digit 5 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 9 in column 3 and get 18.
We'll write down the last digit 8 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 3 & 8 in column 4 and get 12.
We'll write down the last digit 2 and carry the 1 to the next column.

So, 3871 + 8985 = 12856.

