“I’m not the same,” Mr. Rabbit whispered.

Theo looked at his own little hands—stiff, wooden, hinged. “A prince in a carousel. Then a wind-up drummer. Then a music-box jester.” He paused. “Every time, I thought I’d lose myself. But you don’t lose. You become .”

“No,” Theo said, leaning against a thimble. “You’re remade . Not less. Not more. Just… you, but truer.”

She didn’t put him on the “To Be Remade” shelf.

And Theo, the prince, the drummer, the jester, the Little Man made of spare parts, would smile his stitch-mouth smile.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Rabbit,” Yuki had said that morning, setting him on the “To Be Remade” shelf. “You’ve had a good, long hop. But I can’t fix this. You need a remake.”

For the ear, Theo couldn’t find matching velvet. So he made two new ears—one green, one gray—and sewed them on with golden thread.