text: Collection of short stories Chapter 1 Once upon a time, deep in the lush woods lied a tiny wooden cottage. A particular little girl named Annie was part of the little, poor household. Happily, did she live with her loving parents. The mother, her curly hair dark as coal and the eyes of ocean blue, held a great value to Annie. Never were they apart from each other. Until one day, the mother passed away from an unknown reason. The father and Annie, little with money, could not arrange a proper funeral, so they buried Annie’s mother at the closest meadow with many beautiful flowers. What was left from the mother was only a gift for Annie, a teddy bear, called Tibbers, with black button eyes. And the bear would never leave her side. Little did Annie know that everything would change. One cloudy day, the father had brought two other people into their house, a girl Annie’s age, and the girl’s mother, both with golden hair, and especially the mother had a charming appearance to the father. It was evident to Annie that these strangers were now part of her family, the father in love with the woman. But this stranger held no value to Annie, since she had an oddly piercing and malicious gaze, and she would give the attention only to her own daughter. Annie got along fairly well with the other girl, now her stepsister. They would play from dusk till dawn in their mutual room with dolls and other toys. However, Annie was not particularly happy with seeing the stepsister trying to play with Tibbers, the teddy bear. One time, the stepsister mocked Tibbers, telling Annie he was stupid. Annie was raged and pushed the girl away from Tibbers, making her fall on her back on the floor. The stepsister started whining, and quickly came her mother into the room, rushing to see what happened. The stranger’s cold gaze turned to Annie and blamed her for the doing. Annie, disappointed and upset, withdrew herself into the corner of the room. Annie’s anger made her wish that the stranger would be gone one day. Despite Annie and the stepsister’s fight, one sunny day they went into the woods to play. Close to a ravaging stream, the stepsister wanted to cross the waters with Annie. Annie, hesitant, warned the girl but with a failed attempt. Worried was Annie, and she went after the stepsister who had already placed her feet on the slippery rocks that made a narrow path across the stream. Before Annie could reach the other girl, the girl slipped and fell in the water, trying to grasp from a sharp edge of a rock. Annie, rushing, offered her tiny hand in the hope of saving her companion. But after a moment of trying, the raging, flowing stream took the stepsister with it, leaving Annie on the rocks with tears in her eyes. Back she went home, fear in her mind of what to come next. Reaching home and telling the others what happened, the strange woman fell into turmoil, once again blaming Annie. The woman even wished Annie to be abandoned but the gentle father opposed. Annie, in her room, listening to the adults quarrelling about her, was in sorrow and anger. She was angry at herself and hearing the lover of her father calling Annie evil and selfish made Annie let bright crystal-clear tears fall down her cheeks to the floor. Tightly squeezing Tibbers, Annie wished she had never met the strangers. Instead, she wished her mother was still alive. Annie’s sorrow and anger lit a grain of fire in Tibbers, the gift that reminded of Annie’s loving mother. The fire was fierce and quickly spread to every corner of Annie’s room. The father, noticing smoke coming out of Annie’s room, opened the door and saw his little girl crying in the middle of flames. The father ran to Annie and saved her from the fire, but the crumbling ceiling could not save the father. So he threw Annie aside, and was then crushed by the flaming logs of wood. The whole house was collapsing, forcing Annie to hurry outside with the strange woman. There they were standing in front of the cottage, seeing it fall apart. Annie had saved Tibbers in one piece, and in relief hugged it. The woman was on her knees on the dirty grass covered in ash. She was sobbing and in shock. Annie slowly approached her in the hope of apologising and offering help. But in fury the woman stood on her trembling feet and cursed at Annie. Annie in fear stayed still and watched the malicious stranger mocking her. And then the stranger noticed Tibbers, making her feel disgusted. She grabbed from Tibbers and attempted to rip it off from Annie, wishing to tear it apart. Annie reluctant to give it away pulled back but in no hope. The woman was now successfully holding Tibbers in her hands. Before she was able to rip it apart, Annie started screaming and shouting in tears, her eyes flaming. And something miraculous happened. Annie turned Tibbers alive, making him grow into a giant teddy bear with deadly claws and teeth. And at that moment, Tibbers attacked the strange woman, ripping her apart like she had intended to rip Tibbers apart. That was the power of a little girl who had seen enough turmoil and death, and who was abused by the stranger. Now Annie was relieved, and a part of her felt even happiness. Happy was she to finally get rid of the only person she had always hated. Annie thanked Tibbers, the spirit of her mother, and started hopping joyfully into the murky woods.