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Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat…THUNK!

“OW!” whisper-shouted Nim as he hopped on one foot wincing at the sharp pain shooting through his toes. 

Rrrrrufff! 

A small dog, blonde and fluffy scrabbled in his cage, trying to find the source of the noise Nim was making. 

On his tender tippy toes, Nim made his way to the kennel, shushing the pup and frantically waving his hands. “Good dog, nice dog. No need to be alarmed.”

The little dog’s tail wagged furiously and his pudgy face smiled in greeting. 

“Whew!” said Nim. “Disaster averted.”

Taking a deep breath, Nim gazed around the room, taking in his surroundings. Blankets were strewn haphazardly on the couches and stuffed animals littered the floor. The home was well-lived in and cozy. 

“Seems like a nice family,” he said to himself. “Now, where to set up the hot cocoa bar…”.

“Hot cocoa?” 

Nim jumped straight into the air, falling back to the floor with a loud THUNK! He spun around to face a small, odd-looking, stuffed reindeer. Or, was it a giraffe? “Wh-what, er I mean who are you?”

“I’m Leonard, and as for what I am, I think that is fairly obvious.”

“Is it?” asked Nim before he could stop himself. 

Leonard sighed, seemingly annoyed. “Yes. Obviously, I’m a giraffalope.”

Nim gaped at Leonard’s annoyed expression. “Oh, I’m so sor–.”

And then Leonard let loose the most delightful laugh Nim had ever heard. 

“You should see your face! I’m only joking. Of course you don’t know what I am. Joe made me at a Build-a-Bear, brought me home, and named me. I’m the only one of my kind.” Leonard puffed his chest, smiling proudly. 

Nim smiled. “Nice to meet you Leonard. I’m Nim.”

“Oh I know who you are,” said Leonard with a small smile.

Nim frowned. “You do?”

“Of course! San–.” Leonard stopped, eyes wide, and cleared his throat. “What’s in that bag?”

Nim gave his head a little shake, curious about the small giraffalope. “How do you know—.”

“Is that a hot chocolate bar? Can I help you set it up?”

Nim thought it over. There was nothing in The Book that prohibited outside help, but…

Sensing Nim’s hesitation, Leonard added, “I know the house pretty well, and am very familiar with the boys.”

Nim smiled. “Deal!”

Leonard quickly gave Nim a tour of the house, pointing out the boys’ rooms. Then, they got to work organizing the hot cocoa bar. Nim let Leonard take charge of the toppings, while he set to work making the chocolate. After a few hours of hard work, they stood back to look at their creation. 

Nim frowned. “Er, Leonard…I don’t think this is quite right. 

“What do you mean?”

Nim gazed over the scene. Sprinkles were scattered across the table, puffs of whipped cream circled the mugs and a giant pile of marshmallows was melted into an unidentifiable blob.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Nim sighed. The house was waking and they had no time to fix the mess Leonard had made. 

“I guess we’ll have our first entry in The Book,” he mumbled. 

“Oh? What is that?” asked Leonard. 

“When creating a hot cocoa bar, don’t make a mess!”