Prompt: Pick a childhood toy. Describe it twice, first through the eyes of a child, and then through the eyes of an adult remembering his or her childhood. What changes? 

1. She’s the most adorable thing! Peppy is a kitty soft white fur and peppermint candies on her tummy. They are all glittery and pretty and sparkle in the sunlight. It makes her look even happier, and she even has them on the bottoms of her feet and in her ears. She has a pink glittery nose with a spot of blue on it. I think I accidentally got paint on her when we were playing. And she’s always teasing me, always has her tongue sticking out at me. But I know she doesn’t mean it; she’s just playing. She has this little spot in the middle of her forehead where she still smells like peppermint, even after we’ve been together for so long. It always makes me feel nice and safe. She goes with me everywhere, she’s even come to New York with me when we go to see Aunties. I bought her a little hat and sweaters and mittens, and I have a baby carrier for her so she doesn’t have to walk in the airport or hide in my bag. She loves to travel, or just sit with me while we are reading or watching TV.

2. She’s just a stuffed animal. A quirky, sweet-looking stuffed animal that still smells faintly of peppermint at a spot right in the middle of her forehead. I’m amazed she’s kept that scent in such a small spot over all these years. She was a gift from my mom’s best friends, my Aunties, and I loved her to pieces as a child. I bought baby clothes and cut ear holes in little hats for her so that I could take her to the “frozen wastes” of upstate New York when we would go to visit Aunties in late winter. Peppy, as I call her, is little more than a cute stuffed cat but, to me, she represents a very happy relationship.