Challenge #02309-F119: ...Now You Do

Once all of the children had a comfort item, it was time to pass those that remained to agitated adults. -- Anon Guest

Where there are disasters, there are the aftermaths. Wreckage and ruin are there, for certain, but the heart of it is always with the people. Sheltered in temporary structures. Huddled under blankets or hiding from the world. The bleeding and needing, the vacant-eyed ones who are broken on the inside... and the children.

There are so many pairs of arms available. Only so many who are free to comfort the young, upset, and distraught. When that supply is exhausted, all that can be offered in that place are objects of comfort. A blanket to help maintain temperature. The warm drink to rehydrate. The seemingly mandatory stuffed toy. The sad truth is that soft toys are a decent replacement for actual, living comfort, and they can be easily manufactured.

There aren't enough arms for those children. There aren't any at all for those full-grown. Emergency responders know that, once the children are seen to, the stuffed toys are also welcome in adult arms. Every species with tactile senses much prefers something soft and fluffy to touch.

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