Disclaimer: I do not own Winnie the Pooh, nor do I profit from this work of fiction.

A/N: This is based on the movie, 'Pooh's Grand Adventure.' It is of a low quality, but I felt that it filled a necessary role on the literary landscape.

Nothing Lasts Forever

It was a gloomy morning in the Hundred-Acre Wood. Or at least, it seemed that way to Pooh. That morning, when he got out of bed, he couldn't even summon the energy to do his stoutness exercises. He did, however, have enough energy for a small smackerel. He ambled over to his cupboard and withdrew a 'hunny'-pot.

It was empty. Of course it was, on a day like today; today was not a day of delicious smackerels.

Without a snack to start his day off happily, Pooh was quickly overcome with melancholy. He walked blankly over to his table, and sunk into a seat. He began to cry.

"Pooh?" Distantly he heard a voice, one he recognised quite well. "Pooh, are you in there?"

It was Piglet. "Come in," called Pooh, forcing his voice to remain light-hearted and steady. He quickly forced a friendly smile on to his face.

"Oh, Pooh, there you are. I just came by to check how you were doing. Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay, my dear friend Piglet! Why wouldn't I be?"

"You… haven't forgotten what day it is, have you, Pooh?" Piglet moved closer to Pooh.

"Why, it's Tuesday, Piglet."

Pooh tried to retain his cheerful tone, but he couldn't look Piglet in the eyes, and Piglet realised that Pooh knew exactly what was happening that day. But he had to say it anyway.

"Pooh. It's Christopher Robin's—"

"I know, Piglet! I know." Winnie the Pooh had never shouted at Piglet before, and although he quickly regained his composure, he knew that it was time to give up the façade. "I'm sorry, Piglet. It's just hard for me. I always thought…"

"Thought what, Pooh?"

"That… we would be together forever. I told him the same thing, once. And he told me that no matter where he goes, we'll always be together. But now…" Pooh started to break into tears. "He's gone. And I'm here without him."

Piglet had never seen Pooh like this, and wasn't sure how to act, but let his instincts guide him as he put a comforting hand on Pooh's shoulder, waiting for him to stop crying. It felt like an eternity for both of them, Pooh wallowing in grief, and Piglet unable to do anything but watch his friend's sorrow.

Eventually the tears subsided. Piglet decided it was time to speak.

"Do you want to talk about it? Or maybe do something to take your mind off it? I think that Rabbit might need some help with his garden lately, although he would never ask for it."

"No, that's alright, Piglet. I think I'll just stay here quietly until… until it's time."

"Then I'll stay with you."

And Piglet did.

The time came. All of the others spoke about Christopher Robin, and then it was Pooh's turn. He knew that he was meant to give a speech, but he didn't know how to read or write, so he had been trying very hard to remember the different things he wanted to say.

"It feels as though Christopher Robin has been in my life forever… but when I was with him, that 'forever' didn't feel long at all. And in fact, it was far too short.

"Now, I must learn to face what must be a forever without him… it must be a forever, because it has only been a week since we first heard the news, and that time already has been an eternity. I know that he wasn't always here with us – first it was school, then it was work – but even when he was absent, just the knowledge that he would return always made the grass a little greener, the sun a little brighter, and the honey a little sweeter. The world won't be the same without him."

Pooh then proceeded to expound on the numerous qualities of Christopher Robin that his friends had already mentioned, to finish on a lighter note, and because he owed Christopher Robin a proper speech; but there was really nothing further to say.

Later that night, Pooh stared out of the window from his bed, and remembered something that Christopher Robin had told him many years ago: "Even if we are apart, I'll always be with you." Pooh didn't understand what Christopher Robin had meant, because he couldn't feel Christopher Robin there with him. His main feeling was a much less pleasant sensation, one of emptiness, as though half his stuffing had been taken away from him. Although he knew that it was hopeless – although he knew that Christopher Robin could never reach him now – he looked at the brightest star in the sky and hung his wish upon it: Christopher Robin, please. Come and find me. Wherever you are.