- one -

The ocean air will be good for her sickness, they had said. And so, Lucille had moved with her grandmother to a cozy cottage by the sea.

Oh, but how lonely it was! A cottage on a cliff no one ever climbed, no visitors, and a little girl who was too sickly to venture far.

Her grandmother, seeing how forlorn Lucille had become, spent many days and nights settled in a rocking chair by the fire. Hours passed with needles, thread, and fabric in hand. Snipping. Stitching. Stuffing. The result, presented to Lucille on the morning of her birthday: a painstakingly handcrafted plush with rabbit ears and.. were those shark fins and a tail?

"Nainai!" A delighted squeal, followed by snippets of, "Oh, my favorite animals! And my favorite color!"

Lucille's grandmother smiled as she watched her twirling around with her new friend.

"Do cherish it, my little Lu."

- two -

The days strolled by, filled with all sorts of new joys.

Lucille hosted many teatimes with her new rabbit plush, whom she formally dubbed "Cherish"—and informally, a plethora of nicknames; some notable ones including Cherie, Cherry Puff, Xiao Tu, and Tutu.

She spent hours doting on her little rabbit. Lucille "fed" her all sorts of sweets and pastries, took her on short walks when the sunlight fell gentle, and dressed her up with different outfits and accessories. Many, Lucille's grandmother had crafted for her, but some, Lucille had fashioned by herself, albeit with a good deal of guidance from her grandma.

Occasionally, the doctor dropped by. At first, his visits involved furrowed brows and hushed conversations with Lucille's grandmother, behind closed doors where she couldn't hear. But gradually, his brows had relaxed, and his voice had dropped its fake optimistic quality for a genuinely hopeful one.

On Lucille's 8th birthday—the second one she's celebrated since moving to the seaside—the doctor gifts her some pretty bows and hairties, then leaves a hearty clap on her grandmother's shoulder.

"She'll be running down to the beach in no time," he says with an easy smile.

The doctor joins Lucille and her rabbit for teatime, then departs with a lightness in his steps.

The sun seems quite beautiful that day.

- three -

The doctor pays his second-to-last visit on the day of Lucille's 9th birthday.

It's a quiet celebration.

After seeing her condition, he has no need to visit again, but he decides to come one final time for a special occasion.

After the funeral, he does not return.

- four -

A gravestone.

And right beside it, sits a small, worn-down plush.