"My owner, Madelynn Smith, everyone called her 'Maddie', her parents found out when she was two-years-old that she was deaf. I was a gift for her 4th birthday. But she had a stuffed dog, Jack. He'd been there since she was born. He was the very first friend I ever had. Maddie's parents took her to a speech teacher so she could learn to speak, and her mother spent hours teaching her American Sign Language, and Maddie would try to teach me-that's where I picked it up-.

'Maddie was a happy, sweet, friendly little girl, and the prettiest little kid you ever saw. She would play with Jack and me for hours on end, and he and I became best friends. She took us with her a lot of places.' " Mitsy gulped before continuing.

"Maddie turned 7 this year. 3 months ago is when tough times came. Mr. Smith was a hard worker and a good provider for his family, but then he got laid off his job. He thought it would all be okay, but he had a difficult time finding a new, steady job. 2 months ago, Mr. Smith started smoking and sometimes drinking."

"Drinking?" Woody and Buzz gasped. They were shocked. They weren't used to being around people who did those things.

"Oh no," Slinky said.

"Yes," Mitsy sighed. "When he was intoxicated, he'd yell at Maddie and her mom. But when he'd sobered up, he'd always try to reconcile with them. Maddie was sad because her parents were, and she'd play with Jack and me more than usual.

'Five and a half weeks ago, something horrible happened! This was a rare time that Maddie didn't bring us for a ride in the car. A little extra money had come in, so the Smith family decided to all ride together for some grocery shopping. They'd been gone for a few hours, and Jack and I were watching an old T.V. show when the news flashed on. There had been a bad car accident. The Smith's car had been hit by a drunk driver! Mr. Smith was thrown from the vehicle with only a bump on the head and a couple scrapes. Mrs. Smith had some bruises and a couple fractures, but she'd get better in time."

"What about Maddie?" Woody asked. "What happened to her?" The princess winced, clenching her fists, and hung her head. She was shivering terribly. Woody placed his arm around her. She finally lifted her head up.

"Maddie! Oh!" Mitsy could barely speak. "Our sweet little Maddie...she...she died before the ambulance reached the hospital!" All her words ran together. Woody, Buzz, and Slinky looked at each other in horror. "Jack and I were horrified." Mitsy said when she found her voice again. "We had been Maddie's favorite toys...which meant...we...we were put on display at the funeral." She buried her face in her hands.

"Ah!" Slinky grimaced and turned his head away. This was too much.

"Oh, Mitsy," Woody shuddered. He was shocked. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if Andy...Oh! He didn't even want to consider it! "That's tragic! I'm so sorry." He scooted closer to the sobbing princess.

"Yes," was all Buzz could say.