Isabella shot a quick glance at the kitchen, before stealthily crawling across to the living room. Jane was sitting at the table, doing ‘Adult Stuff’, and she wanted to know what that was. Sure, she was only six, but she was learning new stuff from Sir Froggington every day, she could be helpful. After she made it to the couch she slowly peeked over the top, just enough to see the table.

“Issi… what are you doing?” Jane asked, without looking up.

“I’m being stealthed, so I can figure out what you’re doing?” the girl replied, without moving from her position.

“The term is stealthy, little one, and I’m helping Evelyn prepare a list of supplies needed for her school.”

Isabelle blinked, “What’s a school?” she asked, popping up and throwing her arms over the back of the couch.

Jane sighed, “It’s a place where kids come to learn, like you do with your frog…”

“Sir Froggington,” Isabelle corrected.

“Yes, Sir Froggington. She’s planning on providing food as an incentive, and I’m just trying to decide if we can give them anything else.”

“She has bears, lots of bears.” Isabelle replied, pointing at the garage. “She could give everyone their own bear.”

“It’s not that simple, pipsqueak,” Jane replied, looking up with a smile. “Those are special bears, and she can’t give those away.”

“Boo! Why not?” Isabella asked, as she climbed over the back of the couch and jumped down into the kitchen. She pulled one of the kitchen chairs out, with a little bit of difficulty, before pulling herself up to sit. The little girl’s head barely cleared the top of the table, but she could still look Jane in the face from that position. “Bears, and foxes, and mooses, protect the people around here. I’ve seen it! Why can’t she give them to other people?”

Jane smiled a little, she needed to in order to prevent herself from laughing at Issi’s serious face. “They could be dangerous in the wrong hands. That’s why Evelyn has taken so many precautions with them. If you can think of a really good way to give bears to the kids, without it being dangerous, I promise I’ll run it by Evelyn and the others. Deal?”

“Deal!” Jane watched the little girl roll out of her chair, land on all fours, then take off at a full run heading towards her room. “So much like Evelyn at that age,” she whispered with a small smile. After a second she turned back to the tablet, and resumed reviewing her notes.

~~

At the other end of the hallway Isabelle skidded to a halt in front of her bedroom, threw the door open, and sprinted towards the figure at the far side of the room. The three-foot-tall frog-shaped robot, with a top hat and monocle, watched her approach with interest. “What may I help you with today, Miss Isabelle?”

“I need to figure out how to convince Jane and Teddy to give bears to other people!” the girl said, panting slightly. “Need to help other people!”

“You mean the combat robots doing patrols around the premises?” the frog asked, with one raised eyebrow. Isabelle nodded excitedly. “I don’t think that’s possible, they’re far too dangerous!”

“Boo! That’s what Jane said. If everyone had their own bear they could hug them anytime they wanted, just like I do whenever Teddy brings hers home.”

The frog paused, “Wait, you just want them to hug? Not for the protection part?”

“Protection is good! They keep everyone safe, so I’d like it if we could do that for other kids, but just having a huggable would be good too!” The girl sat on her bed thinking for a moment, then picked up her plush frog and held it out. “Bears this big might be good too. I know Mr. Frog makes me feel safer, but bears are better.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Sir Froggington’s head spasmed slightly, then the bot stepped forward, moving much smoother than before. “Am I to understand that you want to provide security stuffies to the kids around the neighborhood?” he asked.

“You’re not Sir Froggington, are you,” Isabelle replied, eyes narrowed. “You’re Teddy’s imaginary friend. What happened to Sir Froggington?”

Nyx laughed, “Very perceptive, I am indeed Evelyn, aka Teddy’s, AI, Nyx. Don’t worry about Sir Froggington, he’ll be back, good as new, once we’re done talking.”

“About bears?”

“Indeed. I was slightly intrigued by your suggestion. As you know Evelyn tends to be protective of the people around here, and I have no doubt she’ll want a way to keep an eye on those kids once she opens the school.”

Isabelle smiled, “Teddy likes everyone!”

“Indeed. Since Evelyn can’t give people one of the big bears, and as you pointed out the stuffies only give comfort, maybe we can work together?”

Isabelle narrowed her eyes, “Mr…Ms…Mx Nyx, I’m listening.”

~~

Back in the kitchen Jane was busy discussing the issue with Evelyn, who had just come in. “I still think you need to give the kids more than just food.”

“They’re getting aug upgrades from Leah too,” Evelyn replied, between mouthfuls of nutribar.

“You know what I mean. Giving them food solves the short-term problem, but can’t you give them tablets or something too?”

“They’ll be stolen before they leave the district, even with my bears watching the area, you know that,” Evelyn replied, sadly. “We’ll need to think of something else.”

“Bears!” came Isabelle’s call from down the hall.

“I told you sweetie, we can’t give them…” Jane started, before she noticed what Issi was pulling behind her. “What’s all this?”

“They’re bears, I keep telling you,” Isabelle replied. The girl walked right up to the table, pulling a small wagon full of plushies behind her.

“Isabelle… where did you get all that?” Evelyn asked.

“Your imaginary friend helped me. Everyone told me that ‘the bears are too dangerous’,” Issi replied, with air quotes. “But regular stuffies don’t help protect people, so we made these. They look just like your special bears!” She picked out two bears and handed them to the older girls. One was grey, wearing special forces armor, a perfect replica of Spooky, while the other was a little red fox in a ghillie suit, just like Bandit.

“I don’t get it,” Jane said, turning hers over, “they’re just stuffies.”

“Nu-uh, they’re stuffies with trackers and picnic buttons,” the girl replied proudly.

Evelyn and Jane turned to her and stared for a second. “You mean panic buttons, right?” Evelyn asked.

“Yus! Panic buttons. That way the kids will be safer.”

“That’s great Issi, but I don’t think the older kids will…” Jane started, but was interrupted as Isabelle thrust something else into her hands. It was a tiny green bear with Xs for eyes, a itty bitty version of Deadbeat.

“Keychains too!”

“Isabelle, did you think of this by yourself?” Evelyn asked, turning the bear in her hands over.

“Mostly, your imaginary AI helped too!” the girl replied, proudly.

That earned her another look from Evelyn, this one a little shorter. “Right. Well… If it provides the local kids a little extra protection… I like it. We might have to make them a little weathered, so they don’t attract as much attention, but I don’t know anyone that would stoop as low as stealing a teddy bear around here. There are enough troops patrolling the area that backup would only be a minute or two away. Nice job, kiddo.”

Isabelle puffed out her chest for a moment, but broke down into giggles as soon as Evelyn tussled her hair.

“They are cute…” Jane conceded.

“And cuteness is the way,” Isabelle replied, with a serious look on her face. “It’s the best way to solve all life's problems.”

Jane smiled, “Not all of them, but maybe this one.”

Isabelle laughed, pulling a plushy that resembled Heavy, a massive polar bear in a bomb suit, out of the cart and hugging it. Adult problems weren’t that hard, she thought, not with the right point of view.