Here it is. The fruit of playful imaginings, inspired by the fabric at hand, no doubt. In any case, I was looking forward to putting this little guy together. It was playing against the screen of my imagination, begging for a place in the order of things.

It was time for something different. Of course, the focus tends to shift back to replenishing good sellers that dwindle to nothing, consistently. No complaints. This is what I want, after all. But it can be challenging to live with new ideas that take on life and even a conscience of their own, it seems. It gets to a point where you have to sooth it, as though it were a child, begging to play. “Not yet,” you plead. “I need to finish this or that first. Then I can give you my full attention. Isn’t that what you want?”

Then, we meet. At last. The living object of my imagination rests in my hand and it feels right. I think the wait is an important part of the process. It helps define the shape, so that when it is born it has an undeniable presence of its own. Or it’s all in my head. It does not matter. It is real anyway.

It does not have a tail? No. I doesn’t. The shape, the outline, is all that is required to make a connection. The soul is in the eyes, after all. This little guy could be the first in a line of animal-inspired buddies for children and the young at heart. Or how about this: it could be a tooth fairy mouse!

Eleven more await assembly. They will be distributed among my four sales point locations. 7 1/2 inches tall. Color schemes will vary.