Suddenly, she discovered a previously nonexistent seam on the back of the teddy bear.
Frantically opening the seam, she finally found a card hidden amidst a pile of stuffing.
Taking it out for inspection, it bore Merlin Edvin's handwriting and a single sentence.
[Hannah Clegg, I like you.]
She sat there, mouth half-open, completely stunned for a long while.
It wasn't until much later that she absentmindedly set the teddy bear back down.
After a spell, she hefted the teddy bear, stuffed the note and fragments back inside, fetched a needle and thread, and methodically sewed up the teddy bear herself.
The next morning, she had just awoken, when some commotion from downstairs stirred her awake.
"What's going on?" She opened the door to see Michael coming out of his room.
"Not sure. Want to go check downstairs?" Michael suggested.
The siblings descended.
Once they saw who was downstairs, they immediately regretted having come down.
