The Thompson house was always filled with noise—laughter, footsteps running across hardwood floors, and the occasional crash of something breaking. Simon, the elder sibling by three years, often believed it was his sworn duty to tease his younger sister, Emily. She was only nine, clever enough to outwit him at times, but still young enough to fall for his tricks.
On this particular Saturday, the two were supposed to be cleaning the living room together. Their parents had gone out, leaving them with a simple list: vacuum, dust, and don’t fight. The last rule was the hardest.
The Mischief Begins
Simon, tall for his age and brimming with restless energy, couldn’t resist playing around. As Emily stacked books neatly on the shelf, he sneaked behind her, plucked the stuffed rabbit she always kept close, and dangled it above her head.
“Looking for this, crybaby?” he taunted, smirking.
Emily spun around, her eyes widening. “Simon! Give Mr. Flopsy back!”
Simon raised the rabbit higher, well out of her reach. “Say please in pig language,” he demanded, snorting obnoxiously.
Emily’s cheeks flushed. “That’s not funny!” she said, leaping to snatch it, but Simon pulled back at the last second. She stumbled, nearly tripping over the coffee table. Her eyes shimmered with tears.
The Moment It Went Too Far
It wasn’t the first time Simon had teased her, but something was different. Emily hugged herself, blinking rapidly, and her lips trembled. Finally, the tears slipped free.
“Why do you always have to be so mean?” she whispered, voice cracking. She darted into the hallway, leaving Simon frozen with the stuffed rabbit still in his hands.
The sound of her sobs echoing up the stairs hit him harder than any scolding ever could. He stood rooted, guilt washing over him like a heavy tide. He hadn’t meant to really hurt her. Teasing was supposed to be fun, not cruel.
The Guilt
For several minutes, Simon paced the living room. He looked at Mr. Flopsy in his hand—the rabbit’s stitched smile seemed to accuse him. He thought about all the times Emily had cheered him up when he was upset, how she shared her candy even when she didn’t have much, how she always saved him the last cookie. And what had he done? Made her cry over the very toy she loved most.
He groaned, rubbing his face. “Nice going, genius,” he muttered to himself.
He had to fix this. But how?
The Plan
Simon crept upstairs, careful not to make noise. From Emily’s bedroom came muffled sobs. He peeked inside and saw her curled on the bed, hugging a pillow as if it could replace her stuffed rabbit.
His heart twisted.
He tiptoed away and hatched a plan. If an apology wasn’t enough, maybe he could show her how much she meant to him. He raced to his own room and dug through a drawer until he found what he was looking for: an old shoebox. Inside were his prized trading cards, the ones he’d been collecting for months.
To Simon, those cards were treasures. To Emily, who had always wanted to trade with him but was usually brushed off, they would mean the world.
The Gesture
He scribbled a note on a scrap of paper:
Dear Emily,
I’m sorry for being mean. You’re the best sister, and I don’t deserve you sometimes. I promise to try harder. This is for you.
He placed Mr. Flopsy inside the shoebox alongside his rarest trading card—a shimmering holographic dragon he had never let anyone touch. Closing the lid carefully, he carried it to her room.
Knocking softly, he said, “Em? Can I come in?”
There was silence at first, then a sniffle. “Go away.”
“Please,” Simon said gently. “I’ve got something for you.”
After a pause, the door creaked open just enough for him to slide the box inside. Emily sat on the bed, her face streaked with tears.
“Open it,” Simon urged, his voice almost trembling.
The Surprise
Emily lifted the lid. Her breath caught when she saw Mr. Flopsy resting inside, safe and sound. Then her eyes landed on the trading card beside him.
“Simon… your dragon card? But you love this one.”
Simon shrugged awkwardly, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Not as much as I love you. I was a jerk, and I hate that I made you cry. You don’t deserve that.”
Her tears welled up again, but this time they weren’t from sadness. She clutched the rabbit tightly, then set it aside and ran to hug him.
“You’re still annoying,” she muttered into his shirt, “but thank you.”
Simon laughed, hugging her back. “Fair enough. I’ll try to be the less-annoying kind of brother.”
A Lesson Learned
That night, when their parents came home, the living room sparkled clean, and the siblings sat on the couch together. Emily leaned against Simon, holding Mr. Flopsy, while Simon taught her how to organize the trading cards. Their parents raised their eyebrows, surprised at the peace between them, but didn’t ask questions.
Simon had learned something important: teasing might seem harmless, but the people you love most deserve kindness above all. And sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is admit when you’re wrong.
From then on, though Simon still joked and teased, he never let it cross the line. And Emily, whenever she saw the dragon card—now framed on her desk—smiled and remembered the day her brother proved he cared more than she ever thought.
Epilogue
Years later, when they were grown, Simon and Emily often told the story to friends and family. “Remember when you made me cry?” Emily would say, smirking.
Simon would groan. “Do you have to remind everyone?”
“Yes,” she’d reply, grinning. “Because it always ends with what you did next.”
And every time, the listeners would shake their heads, smiling in disbelief at the boy who gave away his most prized possession just to make his sister smile again.