"WAAAHH!"
The nanny was at her wits end. The baby in her arms cried plaintively, and it was from neither hunger nor pain. She'd never dealt with a child this colicky before. Rocking, singing, swaddling, burping - none of the usual methods worked. She even resorted to giving the little man a bottle of formula to soothe him, but that only caused him to turn his head away and scream even louder.
His parents would be home very soon, and by this time, he should have already been asleep for his morning nap. The girl didn't want to be fired in her first week. She liked this job. Not only did it pay extremely well, her employers were nice, decent people. Sure, they were a tad eccentric. But they obviously cherished their son, who was destined to be groomed as heir to their empire.
She cradled the six-month old close her chest, making soft shushing noises. Poor baby. "Oh little one, I wish you could tell me why you're so upset," the young woman pleaded.
The child paused mid-wail, his little chest heaving with shallow hiccups. He regarded her with wide blue eyes, as though considering her words. He was really quite adorable when his face wasn't scrunched with howls. The nanny rubbed his back lightly, still a little wary. Was he finally calming down? She relaxed her hold and smiled at him.
"WAAHHH!" The child drew little fingers across the fat tears rolling down his chubby cheeks.
"Ah, I see now. You're sleepy," said the nanny.
Amid the soundtrack of halting cries, the girl laid him in his crib and surveyed the nursery, brainstorming a solution. What if I close these drapes? Taking action, she blocked the light streaming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows darkening the room considerably. Then, looking around at the toys placed artfully about the interior decorated suite, she chose the softest-looking one, which was nearly the same size as her young charge. The nanny placed it next to the baby.
The small child instantly threw his arms around the toy and nuzzled it. Then he began to coo. He drowsily stuck his thumb in his mouth, holding the doll tightly. Phew! Soon, the baby was fast asleep.
He napped for a blissful ninety minutes. When the nanny checked on him, she was struck how the blond child and the yellow doll were like two bright spots of sun in the otherwise dark room. On closer inspection, she realized the toy she grabbed actually wasn't a doll, but a large hand puppet shaped like a cat. What an odd toy for a baby, she thought to herself. Then she tiptoed out the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.