Manny was an incredibly shy kid who kept to himself. He barely spoke at school or even at home. He didn't have any friends other than his cat Mr. Marbles. His grandparents were very worried about him.

After the accident, Manny went to live with his grandparents. He loved them dearly but he really missed his parents. One afternoon, Manny's grandpa decided to go upstairs to the attic and retrieve an old friend that he hoped would cheer up his grandson.

"Manny, can you come downstairs for a little bit?" his grandma called out. She cleared her throat before announcing, "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you the comedy team of Grandpa and Chester Fields!"

"Why thank you young lady. Say 'hello' to the nice boy Chester." "Hello Manny" his grandpa tried to say without moving his lips. "You're in for quite a treat tonight folks. While I drink this cup of water, Chester will recite the alphabet. A-B-C...." Before he could finish, Manny's grandpa had spilled water all over himself. And for the first time in a while, Manny laughed.

After dinner, Manny brought the dummy upstairs with him. He sat and looked at the wooden figure for a while before picking it up. "Hello Ladies and Germs, my name is Manny" he said with a giggle. Manny wasn't able to able to pronounce certain words without moving his lips which made his routine even funnier.

"Is that laughter coming from Manny's room?" "I think so. Let's go see what he's up to." "I think it's best if we leave him alone. He seems to have taken to the dummy. I remember his Dad being terrified of Chester when I first introduced them." "You're probably right. Maybe this will help Manny cope with everything he's dealing with."

THE MANNY AND CHESTER SHOW

A few weeks had gone by and Manny's grandparents noticed that their grandson was talking more. He would engage them in dinner time conversation and his grades started to improve at school. Every night he would practice his routine with Chester until it was time for bed.

It was getting late one night so Manny gently put Chester back into his trunk. Even though Chester wasn't real, Manny always kept the trunk open so his wooden pal could "breathe." "Goodnight Chester." "Goodnight Little Man?" "Who said that?" Little Man was what Manny's father used to call him.