It occurred to Pooh and Piglet that they hadnât heard from Eeyore for several days, so they put on their hats and coats and trotted across the Hundred Acre Wood to Eeyoreâs stick house. Inside the house was Eeyore.
âHello Eeyore,â said Pooh.
âHello Pooh. Hello Piglet,â said Eeyore, in a Glum Sounding Voice.
âWe just thought weâd check in on you,â said Piglet, âbecause we hadnât heard from you, and so we wanted to know if you were okay.â
Eeyore was silent for a moment. âAm I okay?â he asked, eventually. âWell, I donât know, to be honest. Are any of us really okay? Thatâs what I ask myself. All I can tell you, Pooh and Piglet, is that right now I feel really rather Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. Which is why I havenât bothered you. Because you wouldnât want to waste your time hanging out with someone who is Sad, and Alone, and Not Much Fun To Be Around At All, would you now.â
Pooh looked and Piglet, and Piglet looked at Pooh, and they both sat down, one on either side of Eeyore in his stick house.
Eeyore looked at them in surprise. âWhat are you doing?â
âWeâre sitting here with you,â said Pooh, âbecause we are your friends. And true friends donât care if someone is feeling Sad, or Alone, or Not Much Fun To Be Around At All. True friends are there for you anyway. And so here we are.â
âOh,â said Eeyore. âOh.â And the three of them sat there in silence, and while Pooh and Piglet said nothing at all; somehow, almost imperceptibly, Eeyore started to feel a very tiny little bit better.
Because Pooh and Piglet were There. No more; no less.