A Careful Stitch

My fingers twitched, and suddenly the thin silver needle between my gloves felt cold and real. I paused, testing the tension in my wrists. I could move! Looking down at the little blue plush dog propped before me, I saw an open seam along its shoulder. With a steady, deliberate pull, I drew the white thread through the fabric, smoothing the soft blue fuzz down flat with my thumb. The stitch held perfectly neat.