"Wake up Russell!" Russell's mom shouted as she opened up the curtains.
She walked out of the room, her heels click-clacking against the hardwood floor.
Russell rubbed his now open eyes, and threw the sheets off of him. He had a Wilderness Explorer meeting to attend to at noon, and it was already eleven o'clock. He got up and put on his yellow and orange uniform and hat.
He was about to leave the room when he realized he had forgotten to grab his badges, and quickly threw it around his body.
"Hurry up Russell or you're going to be late for the meeting!" his mom called.
"Coming!" Russell shouted, running towards the front door that his mother was opening.
He stumbled as he ran, then slipped his feet into his sneakers at the front door. He slammed the door behind him, and hopped into his mom's faded blue car.
Russell almost fell asleep by the time the Wilderness Explorer meeting had ended. Once it was over, one of his friends noted that one of his badges was missing.
"I don't see anything missing," Russell pointed out, looking proudly at all his badges, "Oh wait! Something is missing! Oh no! My Ellie Badge!"
Russell was devastated. What would he do when Mr. Fredricksen found out? He always went to his house after Wilderness Explorer meetings!
Russell slowly walked towards Mr. Fredricksen's small cottage-like house, looking down towards the ground. He could see Mr. Fredricksen sitting happily on his porch, rocking in his rocking chair. Dug was sitting right beside him.
Woof woof! Dug was barking, and was looking straight at Russell. He began to run towards him, his tail wagging, his tongue hanging out, and his ears flopping up and down.
"I am so happy to see you!" Dug's collar said as it blinked red.
"Hey Dug," Russell said rubbing behind his ear.
"What is the matter?" Dug questioned, sitting on his rump and tilting his big head.
"I'm just tired," Russell lied, pretending to yawn.
They walked together to Mr. Fredricksen's house, Dug running ahead, then prancing back to Russell. What would Mr. Fredricksen say when he noticed the Ellie badge was gone?
"Hello, Russell!" Mr. Fredricksen said cheerfully, patting the boy's rustled hair, "How are you today?"
"I'm fine," Russell said softly.
He didn't know what to do. Should he tell him, or wait for him to notice?
"Let's go inside and have some lemonade," Mr. Fredricksen suggested.
He stood up slowly holding onto his walker. Russell was looking at his feet, his hands behind his back, twisting his foot on the ground. Mr. Fredricksen looked at him, confused.
"Mr. Fredricksen," Russell said, "Can I tell you something?"
"Sure, why not?" Mr. Fredricksen said comfortingly.
"Pinky promise you won't get mad?" Russell asked nervously, sticking out his pinky.
"Pinky promise," Mr. Fredricksen said, wrapping his pinky around his.
"I lost the Ellie badge," Russell admitted.
"Oh Russell, it's okay," Mr. Fredricksen said, patting Russell's shoulder, "That was one memory of Ellie, correct?"
"Yes…." Russell mumbled.
"Well, I have plenty of other memories of her!" he exclaimed, "And guess where they are."
Russell moved his hand slowly to his chest.
"That's right," Mr. Fredricksen said, "right inside my heart. Now, let's go drink some lemonade inside. No need to be all depressed just because you lost one little grape soda bottle cap."
"Thanks Mr. Fredricksen," Russell said.
They went inside to have some fresh lemonade, and when they finished drinking it all, Russell's mom came to pick Russell up.
They went home, and Russell went upstairs to his small, blue room. He opened the door, took two steps inside, then stepped on something pokey.
"Ouch," Russell grumbled.
He bent over and picked up a small grape soda bottle cap with a safety pin stuck to it. The Ellie Badge. He had had it all along. He shouldn't have been worrying about it. Mr. Fredricksen would be happy since he hadn't really lost it.
He looked down at his chest to put the Ellie badge with his other badges, but found nothing to stick it on.
(Author's note: Russell finds the ellie badge on the ground at the front door/in his room.)