John Donald O'Shea

The Stuffed Animal John Donald O'Shea

"The Stuffed Animal" is the name of a small Victorian-style shop, belonging to a middle-aged woman, Miss Abigail Grace. Miss Grace has one abiding interest in life - finding stuffed animals and dolls at neighborhood yard sales, "rescuing" them and repairing them in her little shop. She describes her shop as a "retirement home for dolls and teddies that were once the favorite toy of a small boy or girl." Early one Christmas Eve, Cindy Kim, now an adult, chances to meet Miss Grace on the street. Cindy inquires of her favorite childhood doll, Sabrina Ballerina. Cindy's mom had put Sabrina in a yard sale, and had recalled Miss Grace buying Sabrina. Miss Grace remembers finding Sabrina and takes Cindy to her shop for a Christmas reunion with Sabrina. As she enters, Cindy meets Tommy, Susie and the other rescued dolls and teddies, and learns their stories. Then as Cindy and Sabrina are happily reunited, an uninvited crone, Vendetta Cage, enters the shop, sees and offers to buy Sabrina. When that fails, Ms. Cage undertakes to "steal" the doll. Happily, Ms. Cage's plan is thwarted when she trips over Ms. Grace's rather large sleeping dog, Furf (short for "Furface"), who had plopped down just inside the shop's door. With Ms. Cage foiled, a Merry Christmas ensues for Cindy and Sabrina.