A little girl about 10 years old is cooking "french toad" for her father, on his birthday. She gives him a wallet she made for him, and inside is a picture of the two, with her mother. We find out that the mother is dead. He hugs the girl and thanks her, and it's clear that they love each other. While driving her to school, a boy rides his bike out in front of the car, and there is an accident. The man is okay, but the girl is in a coma, and the doctor's say there's no chance she'll come out of it. The man is heartbroken, since she's all he has. While leaving the hospital, he sees a catholic orphanage across the street, where they're holding a church rummage sale. And he sees a little girl on top of the roof! The man runs over to the nun who is in charge of the sale, and tells her. They both look again, but there is no one there. The man thinks he's going crazy from his grief, and he looks around him at the things on sale. He's right by a large object that's covered in black plastic. The nun explains that the orphanage is moving to a new location and they're having a moving sale, trying to get rid of things they don't need. The man thanks her and moves away. He glances back, and sees the same little girl, her long red hair shining in the sun, swinging on a swing. She points to the black-swathed object, and then back at the man. He looks at it, then back at the swing. The girl is gone. He goes back to the nun and asks her what the object is. She takes off the black covering, saying it's an antique, and he sees it's a huge old-fashioned child's bed in the shape of a baby's cradle. The man asks how much it is, and hands the nun a wad of bills. She's surprised, but takes them.

He takes the bed home and sets it up in his daughter's bedroom, exactly why he doesn't know. That night, the little girl with red hair appears in his house, walking down the hall and waking him from his sleep. He knows he's seeing a ghost, but isn't really afraid. She asks him to tuck her into her bed, and then looks up as if she hears something. She says the nuns will be angry if she's caught out of bed, so he takes her hand, with some trepidation, and then walks with her to the bedroom. He tucks her into the old bed, and she asks for Toby. He doesn't know who Toby is, and she pleads for him to get Toby. He looks away, and when he looks back the bed is empty.

The next day he goes to the new orphanage, and talks to the nun. He asks her about Toby, and she's shocked that he knows about him. She rummages through some boxes and finds Toby, who turns out to be a teddy bear. She tells him that the little girl who owned Toby died many years ago of tuberculosis, at the orphanage, and she keeps the bear as a sentimental treasure, since she loved the little girl. The man tells her of the little girl's visit to his house in the night, and that he has to take Toby back with him. She reluctantly lets him take Toby after he tells her of the ghost's visit.

He stops by the hospital and checks his daughter out, taking her home with him. She's still in a coma. He tucks her into the old bed, and holds Toby in his arms. He sits by the bed, watching her, but falls asleep sometime in the night, and Toby falls out of his hand as he sleeps. When he wakes up the next morning, his little girl is awake and she knows him. It's as if she recovered completely. He's happy, but is not sure what to make of her asking for Toby. He gives her the bear, and she smiles happily. How could she have known about Toby?

Last revised: Tuesday, September 24, 2002

 
 Email the Website Owner: Marta Dawes