The Tale of Friendship

When Elara was five, the world fell silent. Her parents never came home after the night of the zombie attack. The neighbours whispered the word “orphan,” and Elara learned to wear loneliness like a cloak.

One morning, scavenging for scraps near the alley bins, she saw him—dusty, torn, and forgotten. A teddy bear with one button eye. Something about him felt alive. She hugged him tight, whispering, “You’ll be my friend.” From that day forward, she named him Bramble.

Bramble became her guardian through the long years. At night, when the wind howled like the groans of the undead, she pressed her face into his fur and imagined safety. She grew from a small child into a quiet teenager, carrying Bramble everywhere, though others laughed at her for it.

Then, on her sixteenth birthday, something extraordinary happened. She was sitting by the window, clutching Bramble, when she heard a voice—soft, gravelly, but clear.

“Elara… your father is alive.”

Her breath caught. She looked around, terrified, but the room was empty. The voice had come from Bramble.

He spoke again. “The night of the attack, he fought. He survived. But the zombies… they stole his memory.”

Elara’s heart raced. Could it be true? For years she had buried hope, but now it burned bright again. Guided by Bramble’s words, she began to search, following fragments of rumors through abandoned towns. Finally, in a desolate camp, she saw him: a man with weary eyes, scarred hands, and no memory of who he was.

“Father?” she whispered.

He looked at her, lost—but something stirred. Tears welled in his eyes as if some buried part of him recognized her.

Elara pressed Bramble into his hands. “This bear saved me. Now let it save you.”

The man trembled, clutching the toy. Slowly, like a flame sparking back to life, recognition flickered in his eyes. “Elara…”

For the first time since childhood, she felt whole.

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