🧸 Scruffy C & the Signs to Look Out For A story for children, grown-ups, and classrooms

🧸 Scruffy C & the Signs to Look Out For

A story for children, grown-ups, and classrooms

It was a quiet morning in Christopher’s Room. The windows were open just a little, and the air smelled like pencils and toast. Scruffy C sat curled in his usual corner — soft, furry, and unusually quiet.

Christopher noticed something wasn’t quite right. Scruffy didn’t seem his normal self.

“Scruffy,” Christopher said gently, “you haven’t talked to me in a while, and you’re normally quite social. Are you alright?”

Scruffy blinked once. Then twice. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “I feel… heavy. But not in my fur. In my feelings.”

Christopher leaned closer. “Is there anything troubling you, or worrying you, that you feel you want to talk about? It’s important to tell someone. It could be me, it could be your mum, dad, a sibling, or a teacher. Someone you trust.”

Scruffy’s eyes softened.

“Shall we sit down somewhere quiet?” Christopher continued. “You can tell me. Or, if talking feels too hard, I have a special card here especially for you. It’s called Signs to Look Out For with Scruffy C. You can point to the pictures that feel closest to how you’re feeling. Let me go through them.”

Scruffy looked at the card. His paw hovered over the unhappy face, then the low battery.

Christopher didn’t panic. He didn’t rush. He just sat beside Scruffy and said, “Thank you for showing me. Now I know how you feel. That means we can talk, we can share, and we can find help together.”

📞 Scruffy's Helpline Card

Christopher handed Scruffy another card — this one had numbers.

Scruffy held the card close. “I didn’t know help had a phone number.”

“It does,” Christopher said. “Help has a voice. Help has a listener. Help has sanctuary.”

Reflection

“At first, Scruffy thought he had to carry everything alone. But Christopher reminded him: noticing the signs is the first step toward safety.”