Credits: Our Misadventures, Joanne Brisebois, Jen Maddocks

Journaling: Meet Bubbles, my sons 29-yo stuffed elephant. Once upon a time he had a plump bottom, a longer tail, intact tusks and glossy eyes. By the time I realized that my son and Bubbles were inseparable, Heartline had stopped making the model. Because my son constantly twiddled his tail and kept getting his finger caught in the resulting hole, I was forced to shorten the tail. Accidentally putting Bubbles in the dryer outside of a laundry bag ruined his eyes. The cape I made for Super Bubbles wore out and had to be retired. I replaced the ends of paws with old t-shirt scraps and knit mittens and a sweater to cover threadbare spots and holes, but I couldnt do anything about the shredded tusks, which had also been excessively twiddled. In thrift stores I always kept my eye out for a replacement - the thrill of the hunt, really, as Bubbles had acquired one and only status. In 2017 just before our trip to Italy, something possessed me to google Bubbles stuffed elephant - and there it was, a brand new vintage elephant, for sale on eBay. I showed my son, who was not interested; nothing could replace **his** Bubbles - and anyway, $40 was a ridiculous amount to pay. After receiving no bids, the seller, who had a near-perfect reputation, re-listed the elephant, but after a few days the item was suddenly withdrawn - all signs of a private sale not entirely consistent with eBay rules. On returning from Italy, I rechecked eBay for the heck of it and wonder of wonders, Bubbles was back, this time as an auction item with a starting bid of $5.99. Even though my son was mildly offended by the prospect of having a usurper in the house, I couldnt resist - I won the auction for $5.99. I grew increasingly concerned when no tracking number appeared after the item had allegedly been shipped. I contacted the seller several times, but received no response. Finally, I opened a case - which got the sellers attention. The seller claimed that the item had been returned because the address had gotten wet. Would I like it reshipped even though it wouldnt arrive in time for Christmas? None of this had the ring of truth, but I replied affirmatively and crossed fingers. Of course, no new tracking number and no elephant ever appeared. When I asked after my elephant, I received a refund but no further communication. It was clear that the seller had sold **my** Bubbles in a private sale after my purchase. As much as I wanted to flame the seller, I hoped against hope that Bubbles would somehow be re-listed, so I held my fire - and collected screenshots to prove that my item had probably been sold in an illegal private sale. Its now been over three months since I won the auction and though Ive checked regularly, Bubbles hasnt reappeared. I was robbed.