Those 70ish Girls

The Dollmaker

Mandy waited until she was sure the cloaked figure was not coming back again. She was so excited to see the doll that was made to look like her, she was braver than she should have been. The key was left in the door. She opened it, removed the key, and let herself in. She had heard about the room in the tower where the dollmaker worked, but she had never seen it. For the moment, she forgot she had come to retrieve the Mandy doll. The room was bigger than she had imagined, and she saw doll parts of every shape and size. Mandy wished she could watch the dollmaker put all the parts together to make a beautiful doll.

After she had looked around, she went in search of the doll the Amanda doll had told her about. Mandy couldn’t imagine having a doll that looked like her. She was so engrossed, she didn’t hear the door open.

“Why are you here? ” The voice sounded angry. Mandy turned to face the door. She was so frightened, she couldn’t speak at first. The figure in the dark cloak moved towards her. Mandy coudn’t move. “The dollmaker,”  she whispered. The ominous presence that filled Mandy with fear started to move even closer, then stumbled and very nearly fell.

“Bring me that wheel chair this instant! Hurry, I’m about to fall.”

Mandy saw a wheel chair backed against the wall, and hurried to retrieve it. She was afraid, but she made herself wheel it close enough for the dollmaker to reach the chair, but not close enough to reach her.

After the cloaked figure fell into the chair, Mandy was asked again. “Now…answer me…why are you here?”

Mandy found her voice and said, “I’m Mandy, and I came to get the doll that looks like me.”

“I am the dollmaker, ” the dark cloaked person in the wheel chair said. “Come, and I will show it to you.”

Mandy moved closer, and she could see the mysterious dollmaker clearly. “I didn’t know you could make dolls,” She said.

“Oh my,” the dollmaker sighed. “How unfortunate that you discovered my secret. No child is going to ruin my plan. I’ve come so far, and I’m almost there. Now, what must I do?”

Mandy stood still, not knowing what to do. Instead of moving closer, the dollmaker started to back up, until she was blocking the door. She smiled, but it was an evil smile.

“I need to go,” Mandy said. “My Mother will come looking for me.”

“Oh my,” The dollmaker shook her head. “She will never think to look here, and it wouldn’t  occur to her that her “Aunt Bea” would harm a child. I’ve already gotten rid of five helpless, little urchins. One more shouldn’t be a problem. I much prefer dolls,” She went on. “They’re smarter, and they’re much more clever than people. Best of all, they’re always beautiful, because I make them that way.”

The doll, Mandy thought. could the Mandy doll help her get away? “You said you were going to show me the doll that looks lIke me. Is she beautiful?

“Hush,” Aunt Bea seemed a little flustered. “Have you ever wondered why I made the Amanda and the Mandy dolls last? ”

“No, why did you?” Mandy was sobbing, but she was curious.

“Amanda is out of the way. She won’t be bothering me anymore. She hasn’t met with any, shall we say, unfortunate catastrophes, but she won’t be coming back to my estate. I don’t make the dolls until I’m sure the living being is forever, and ever, and ever…out of the way.”

She looks so hateful, Mandy thought. Please, please, help me dolls.

The evil dollmaker was still talking. “You and your parents were about to be sent on your way..penniless at that. Dear Uncle Charles was on death’s door. The foolish doctor and attorney impersinators had fled. She was thoughtful for a minute before she went on. “The only one not accounted for was the nurse. I wasn’t quite ready for her to leave.”

” I had it all worked out, you see. With Charles dead, I would be the next heir in line. His neglectful daughter disappeared years ago. Your parents will be proven guilty of trying to bilk their poor Aunt out of her fortune. That accounts for everyone in the bloodline.”

“Yes,” she said. “I must rearrange things. First, I will figure out what to do with you, then, there’s my sick brother Charles to finish off.”

Mandy froze as she saw the dollmaker reach into her cloak and pull out what looked like a sharp tool.

The dollmaker laughed. “You all think I’m limited to a wheel chair. It’s true, I’ve become weaker as of late, but I’ve been driven to make it up here where I make my incredible dolls.”

 

 

“You won’t get away with it you know.” It wasn’t Mandy speaking. “I’m very much alive, and so are Tony, Alice, and Andy.” It’s Abby Ann’s voice, Mandy realized, and she knew by the look on her face, the dollmaker knew it too.

 

 

“You’re wrong about my Mother.” This time it was Amanda’s voice. “She was our teacher, and she tried to save me from my Father. She’s back now.”

“Our teacher came back to get us that day, but we were afraid, and we weren’t on the bus. We were where we coudn’t be found.” It was Andy, and he talked without hesitation.

“You wanted to destroy the chidren, but by making the dolls, you saved us.” Alice didn’t stutter at all.

”

 

People have always called me brave, because I can walk without whole and healthy legs. Bravery is knowing when you’ve done something wrong and you’re not afraid to admit it. You accept the conseqeunces of what you’ve done.” It was Tony, beautiful smiling Tony.

The broken dollmaker wheeled her chair over to the table where she had spent countless hours making her beautiful dolls. She saw them all. Abby Ann was her first creation. Amanda, Andy, Alice, Tony, and Mandy were all there, and they were beautiful.

 

She gathered them in her arms, and looked at each one. Tears were running down her cheeks, but she was smiling. Her beautiful dolls were wise, and now…she knew what she must do.

 

 

 

 

 

Belle

Mandy’s teacher, Ms. James, heard Andrea say she was meeting with her Uncle’s new Doctor in the parlor. She decided it was time to reveal her true identity. she asked a housekeeper to stay with Mandy and went to join them. After all, it was her Father they were discussing.

Years before, Belle had accompanied her Mother to Europe. She was only 16 at the time, and hadn’t been told they would not be going back to her Father. Nevertheless, she continued her education, and eventually met and married Joseph Jackson, a wealthy businessman.

 

It was sometime after Amanda was born that Belle discovered her husband was involved in several illegal and unethical business dealings. She advised the authorities, and her husband was prosecuted and found guilty. His prison term was 10 years. He threatened Belle with retribution, and was especially furious when she divorced him.

Belle had long since been estranged from her mother, so she sent her daughter and a governess to her Father, and she herself went into hiding. Even though Joseph was in prison, his influence was far reaching. When Amanda became school age, Belle returned to her Father’s estate. She had been very well educated, and wanted to teach her father’s little group of children. She changed her hair color and style,and became Ms. Jameson. Amanda was only 3 the last time she had seen her Mother and didn’t recognize her. Belle thought it best to keep her true identity a secret until she was absolutely sure she and her daughter were safe. Her Father was the only one who knew. Even Aunt Bea was clueless. She hadn’t seen her niece since she was 16.

Charles had shown his granddaughter photos of her Father. She knew what he looked like and was told he could be dangerous. It was a precaution, but in all the years Amanda had been with Charles, her Father had shown no interest in pursuing her.

The Dolls

Mandy was upset that she wouldn’t be spending the morning with her  teacher. She asked the housemaid to take her back to her room so she could play with her dolls. When she entered the beautiful room, Mandy ran toward the dollhouse. She’s back! The Abby Ann doll is back,” Mandy screamed with delight. “Now all five of the dolls are back. See Amanda, I told you Abby Ann would come back. Where have you been?” she asked the little doll.

“I had to go look for all the missing children,”she said.

“I thought you went to find Amanda?” Mandy questioned. “Did you find any of the school children?

“I didn’t find any of them, but I know Amanda is sick, and Tony needs bigger artificial legs and feet,” the Abby Ann doll said. “They all need to be found soon.”

“Mandy,” the Amanda doll said. “The dollmaker made a doll in your likeness at the same time I was made. I saw it. We need to get it. It should be here with us.”

Mandy grew excited. ” Is it in the tower? Where all the dolls are made?”

The Amanda doll confirmed that it was.”I’m going to get her,” Mandy said, “I’ll be right back.”

“I think Mandy is in danger,” The Abby doll said. “She knows too much.”

 

Mandy ran up the circular staircase that led to the tower. Her mother didn’t know she knew where the dollmaker worked. She probably shouldn’t go without permission, but she had to see the doll. Let’s see, she thought, it’s the door on the left.

Mandy pushed on the door, but it was locked. She was about to leave when she heard a shuffle on the other side. She quickly hid in the shadows of the dark landing and watched. The door opened and someone wearing a dark cloak with a hood came out. It must be the dollmaker, Mandy thought. Whoever it was took a key out, locked the door, then put the key in the cloak pocket. The dark figure started down the stairs, and Mandy was about to come out of her hiding place, when she saw the figure turn around, go back to the door, unlocked it and go back in. Apparently they had forgotten something. Moments later they came back out, but this time the key was left in the door.

 

“I can’t believe any of this Aaron,” I said. “I’ll check on Mandy, then I’ll try to reach Dr. Davis. I’m sure he must have examined Uncle Charles, and got busy at the hospital before he had a chance to call me with his assessment.”

“Okay good.”Aaron agreed. ” I’ll get my briefcase and pull the paperwork. I’ll grab the attorney’s information and give him a call. I love you, Andrea,” Aaron said. “We’ll be okay, I promise. Do you want to plan on meeting back here in time for dinner? I haven’t even seen my daughter yet. ”

“Love you too Aaron. Mandy and I will meet you here.”

Mandy was in her room playing with the dolls. “Where’s Cindy honey? She was supposed to stay with you. Are you alright?” I asked.

“The cook came and got her. She needed help in the kitchen. I didn’t want to go Mommy.”

“You’ve been really quiet all day,” I said. “Are you sad about something?” I put my arms around my little girl and held her close.

“Everybody here, even all the dolls want Amanda, not me. I want to go home Mommy. I want to play with dolls that don’t talk to me.”

“Honey,” What do the dolls and the housekeepers here say to you that upsets you so much? I know they miss Amanda, and everyone wants her to come back, but is there something else?”

“They say we don’t belong here, and they wish someone would burn that schoolhouse down.”

“Okay honey,” I said. “Mommy’s got to make a phone call, then we’ll meet Daddy for dinner.”

————————————————————————–

“Aaron, you look pale. Did you reach the attorney?”

“What attorney? There is no such law firm. Apparently, they kept their email and phone numbers just long enough to carry out their scam.” I’ve put some calls in Andrea, but at this moment, I have no idea who owns this place.” Aaron quit talking as one of the housekeepers brought me a message. “Well, Aaron,” I said as I read the message. “The hospital has no doctor on staff by the name of Davis.”

Aaron shook his head in disbelief. “I doubt we’re in any danger or anything tonight, and there’s nothing more we can do until tomorrow.” Let’s eat some dinner, then we’ll go up to our rooms and develop a strategy for tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I said. I knew I sounded as tired as I felt. “Mandy is staying in our room tonight.”

As I tried to go to sleep, my thoughts went from Aunt Bea, to Uncle Charles, to the children. What, in God’s name happened here? What part were we supposed to play?

————————————————————————–

I woke up before Mandy and Aaron, and knowing they were both exhausted, I let them sleep. I dressed, and headed downstairs for coffee. I felt like I needed some fresh air, but subconsciously, I wanted to go see the school.

As I got closer, I found it hard to believe that it had only been two years since there had been students here. It was in bad need of a paint job, and other repairs. The inside didn’t look much better. The desks were still in a row, and there were some books scattered around. The writing on the blackboard said “Even a thread of hope is still hope.”

The obligatory picture of George Washington hung on the wall, and there was a photogragh in a nice frame on the teacher’s desk. I felt tears sting my eyes as I realized it was a picture of all the students. How bright and happy they all looked. I realized I didn’t know anything about who taught them. That’s interesting, I thought. She looks like the lady who was to tutor Mandy. Why would she not have mentioned that she taught the kids in the school? It’s Tuesday, I thought…she is supposed to be here at 9:00.

————————————————————————–

 

THE CHILDREN……

All the children loved their school, and life on the Estate was far beyond what any of them had experienced in their young lives. They had been together three years. They lived together, played with each other, and went to school together. They became a close knit group. Each child had a challenge to overcome. They helped one another with love and empathy, and were each other’s biggest encourager and protector.

They all loved their benefactor, Mr. Sanders, and he cherished them. He had only set out to give his Granddaughter Amanda school chums, but it had evolved. It wasn’t that he chose from a group and decided who was the most deserving.  Charles Sanders believed the good Lord brought the children to him.

Charles knew without a doubt who he wanted to teach these extraordinary children. Ms. James was the right person to help these special children learn and grow.

————————————————————————–

Such is the way things were on that day. The children were especially excited. They hardly ever left the estate, and none of them had ever been to the zoo. The cook had packed a picnic of fried chicken, potato salad, and chocolate cake…Best of all, they got to ride on a bus. They had studied all of the animals for weeks, and now they were going to see them.

————————————————————————–

I rushed to find Mandy. It was hard to think that some unknown, sick, person had obtained a photo of my daughter and made a doll that looked like her. It was made even more frightening by the knowledge that five children were missing and had been for two years.

I found Mandy and the maid playing dress up in Mandy’s room, or should I say Amanda’s room. Uncle Charles had designed a little girl’s dream, for his beloved granddaughter. I felt the need to check on the dolls. Once again, they were all there, but the Abby Ann doll.  I thought about the two newly completed dolls that hadn’t yet joined the others. What did all this mean?

I asked the young housemaid to have lunch with Mandy. I wanted to go check on Aunt Beatrice….She had apparently recovered quickly. She and Gladys were just leaving for bingo. Each had a motorized wheel chair. I reminded them not to sit in the smoking section. My goodness her room hurt my eyes.

I knew I shouldn’t, but I decided to have a look around Aunt Bea’s living quarters. I can’t even  begin to describe her decorating style, but suffice it to say, it was “her.” I didn’t find anything noteworthy until I got to the seating area. There was a large antique showcase and in it was a collection of dolls. Most of them were not like the dolls made to look like the children, but there were two that made me smile. I took them out of the case. One was a hat decorated with dolls, and the other was an Aunt Bea doll.

“Well, did my patient recover or did she die?” It was the good Dr. Davis standing in the open doorway.

“Good afternoon Dr… you have caught me snooping. Thank you for stopping by to check on My aunt,” I said. “When I got here, she and Gladys were leaving to play bingo. I warned them to stay out of the smoking area.”

He was smiling when he commented that Gladys was a very healthy chain smoker. “At least for now anyway.”

I’m glad I ran into you today,”I said. “Tell me, have you checked on my Uncle today?”

“Not yet, I’m afraid I haven’t seen him for several weeks. Nurse Jones keeps me up to date on his condition, and according to her reports, there hasn’t been any significant change one way or the other. If you would like, Ms. Allen, I would be happy to go see him now, before I have to head back to the hospital.”

“Please call me Andrea,” I said. “I saw him this morning and in my opinion, he is stuck in limbo  between too much, or not enough medication. I also filled the doctor in on Aunt Bea’s concerns that he might be leaving the tower to wonder around other parts of the estate.

He was frowning when he said he’d rather not comment until he had examined Charles. He left to do just that, promising he would let me know of his findings.

————————————————————————–

Monday finally got here and Aaron got home from his business trip. Having my husband around for awhile to help figure this mess out was a relief. I filled him in on everything I had observed and experienced while he was gone.

Aaron was thoughtful for awhile before he spoke. “Andrea, I am so sorry you’ve had to deal with everything on your own, but there are things going on that just don’t add up. “The school children disappeared without a trace two years ago right?” I nodded yes. “It sounds like your Uncle had an immediate breakdown, which would have made it impossible for him to be of any help in the investigation. I’m thinking out loud here,” He said, “So stop me if you have something to add, or you think I’m going in the wrong direction.” I nodded my head again. “According to the attorney, Aunt Beatrice was behind the offer to deed the property to us in exchange for managing your Uncle’s care and allowing them both to live here as long as they live. After two years had gone by, they… well, actually your Aunt all of a sudden came up with this solution?”

“I see where you’re going with all this Aaron. We were brought here for some other reason weren’t we, and what about the dolls appearing and disappearing? I have no idea where the Abby Ann doll went. I only know that she and Uncle Charles’ Granddaughter Amanda, we’re closer than sisters. Until now, there was no Amanda doll, and whoever is doing this, has added Mandy to the mix.” My head was pounding.

“Andrea, did you ever hear back from Dr. Davis after he examined Charles?”

“No, I didn’t”, I answered. That was yesterday, and he promised he would get right back to me.”

“We have to get to the bottom of this,” Aaron insisted. “You call the Doctor, and I’ll get in touch with the attorney. By the way, where is Mandy right now?