Little Stoaty

Lizzie took Little Stoaty everywhere: to work, even to meetings with senior directors, Stoaty would be there in her handbag.

Of course she had to be discreet, secretive even, if her work colleagues found out that a grown woman carried a cuddly toy with her at all times it would ruin her reputation.

But, strange though it may seem, she couldn't function without Stoaty nearby, even if he was hidden away. She'd had Stoaty forever, he was the only thing left from her childhood, and if he wasn't there she became a nervous wreck. She needed the reassurance of a familiar stoat.

Lizzie had lost both of her parents when she was a young girl, a car accident while she was at nursery school. She had no close relatives, and went into council care. Her parents had borrowed heavily to start a home and when they died everything in the house, and the house itself, was sold to cover the debt.

Lizze was left with nothing but the stoat she carried with her everywhere, and with her parents gone, her house gone, her belongings gone, Stoaty became the most important thing in the world to her.

However, having to sneak Stoaty in and out of work and everywhere else felt humiliating, she longed to be able to have Stoaty with her openly, without shame, even if it was just for one day.

Just for one day! She had an idea. In the work suggestion box she put 'Hold a Bring Your Cuddly Toy To Work Day'. She wrote it anonymously using her left hand.

It may lead to nothing, of course, she told herself, it may easily be dismissed as a silly idea, but she knew her company and had written the suggestion in finest corporate speak, describing the proposal as a team building exercise which would cost the company in terms of time nor money.

She heard nothing the next day, nor the next week. She was about to give up hope. Then an email went round and a poster appeared in the canteen: Tuesday 18th, Bring Your Cuddly Toy to Work Day.

It had worked.

Lizzie was excited but daren't show it. When the topic came up she casually said that she had an old toy somewhere, so she supposed she could bring it. She didn't reveal that the toy was with her now, and at all times, hidden away in her handbag.

The night before the day finally arrived she was so excited she could hardly sleep. She gave Stoaty a thorough brush and straightened his whiskers. He looked old and shabby, but that's because he was old and shabby. Nothing could change that.

Lizzie arrived at work early. By force of habit she kept Stoaty in her bag, she was afraid of being the only one who'd brought a toy in, and making a fool of herself. People started to arrive, none had cuddly toys on display, but a few carried bags they didn't usually have, some had furry tails sticking out of holes.

There was no point waiting for someone else to be first, because everyone else was doing the same. She took Stoaty out of her bag and placed him pride of place next to her computer.

"Ah," said Jenny, "You've brought your toy."

"Yes, this is Little Stoaty. Have you brought a toy in?"

Jenny took an ancient-looking teddy bear out of her bag. "This is Jeremy," she said.

Nervously, slowly, people brought their toys out and introduced them.  Lizzie got hardly any work done, she spent the entire day talking cuddly toys.

That afternoon Lizzie had to go to a cross-department meeting. As she'd found in her own office that morning, everyone clearly had their toys with them, but hidden away in bags. More confident than she'd been first thing, indeed more confident than she'd ever been, she plonked Little Stoat down in front of her. The other attendees stared at Stoaty and, slowly, began to take out their own cuddly toys. 

Mr Bright, the Company Director, marched confidently in five minutes late carrying a cuddly toy dog a foot bigger than himself, which he placed on the floor beside his chair.

"Ah, good," he said. "I see you've all brought your toys along with you. We should start the meeting with introductions."

"But we all know each other," said Thompson from accounts.

"I mean we should introduce our animals. I assume they all have names. And histories, some of them. I'll start, shall I? This is Tiny, named after the silent era comedian Tiny Sandford. My father-in-law gave him to us as a tenth anniversary present. Let's go to my left shall we, Sally."

"This is Stuffed Toy Cat," said Sally, smiling nervously. "I bought it especially for the Day, because I didn't want to be left out."

"Excellent Sally," said Bright.  "What about you Nomadson? What is that animal."

"It's a mammoth. My wife went to the natural history museum and bought it for me as a souvenir. We call it Primigenius after the mammoth's Latin name."

The rest of the committee introduced their toys: Sid the Squid, Godollop the sausage dog, Anthony the Anteater, Little Leopard, Matilde the Wildebeest and Geoff the Kangaroo.

The rest of the meeting progress as normal, or pretty much as normal. Everybody seemed more motivated than usual and in good spirits.

"This bring your cuddly toy to work day has been a triumph," Bright said at the end of the meeting.

"I'm so pleased I thought of it. I feel I know you all so much better. We should make every day a bring your cuddly toy to work day."

Which is how Little Stoaty came to attend every meeting from that day forth. Within three years he was running the company.