Chapter 1 A Tradition
In the township of Ticktople, it was well known that a young woman was given three stations in life. The first was to marry rich, breed, and bring everlasting honor to your family. The second was to be sold off to the Church of the Great String where the young woman would be locked behind the gates of Sister Rose’s Convent and serve the world on a more holy mission—whatever that mission may be. The third, of course, was to visit The Doll Maker.
And unfortunately for Wendy Poplar, this was to be her path.
“It is the responsibility of the youngest children,” he mother said, sipping tea in the drawing room, her cream lace dress as clean and pure as always. Once—and only once—she had seen that dress soiled. The servant who had spilled tea on it had been forced to scrub it clean until the skin on her fingers had been rubbed raw. Then she had been kicked out onto the street for the thieves and rakes to do with as they pleased.
“If you have been born second, why you would have taken your vows and Willa would be visiting The Doll Maker in your place.”
“We’re twins, Mother,” Wendy said. “We are the same age.”
She knew this small, quiet outburst would earn her mother’s wrath. But the injustice of it all was almost more than she could bear.
Mother stood her teacup in one hand and her saucer in the other. Her cold grey eyes pierced Wendy to the core and she wished she hadn’t spoken. She had lived her whole life not being heard…why should she take issue with it now?
“That is not true, Wendy,” Mother said. “You were born thirty seconds after her. That makes you the third child and in this family, the third girl always visits The Doll Maker.”
Wendy said nothing. If she did, it would go unheard and possibly earn her a slap across the face. There was no convincing her mother. There never had been and there never would be.
“You are to go there this afternoon,” Mother continued, “and you will do so pleasantly and with honor. If you were to ask me, I would say you have the most esteemed duty of anyone in the household.”
“I didn’t ask you,” Wendy said, shocked that the words had come from her mouth. Shocked even more at the look on her mother’s face.
For most of her life, her Mother had lived in the gilded drawing room with its creamy pink walls and its sickening sweet perfumes. It was a room that had always made her and her sisters uncomfortable but their mother was always Queen in it. But now, for the first time in her life, Wendy seemed to have jarred her…struck a blow to her Mother in her safe space.
And for that, she had tea thrown in her face.
“It doesn’t matter what you think,” Mother said. Her upper lip was curled back into a bestial snarl that was out of place in the saccharin sweet room. “I refuse to let you let our family fall into obscurity. I refuse. You will do as this family has done for over five hundred years. And if not, I will have the Constabulary take you there instead.”
Wendy’s heart pounded in her chest like a drum. The thought of having the masked giants of the Constabulary take her through the streets in their metal cages…their cold hands touching her…
“No, Mother,” she said. “I will do as you ask.”
Mother’s snarl held for a moment and then slipped back into her pleasant smile.
“Good. Now go clean yourself off and get a move on. You don’t want to be late. And don’t forget the oath.”
“No, Mother,” Wendy said. She curtsied, rubbing her thumb along the embroidered bears on the olive green plaid skirt of her dress. The feeling of those bears beneath her fingers had gotten her through many heartbreaking moments with her Mother and she thanked them again for their service.
She cleaned her face with a wet cloth, hoping to convince herself that she was not crying. After that, she put a pretty, large bow in her long brown hair —wavy hair that cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall of silk— and then made her way down the stairs. As she reached the door, a gloved hand touched her gently on the shoulder.
“You can’t be too hard on her, my dear,” Oona said, “After all, it is a family tradition started by her great, great, great—”
“Great, great, great Grandmother,” Wendy finished. “Yes, Oona, I know.”
Oona had been her mother’s sister but didn’t look a day over twenty. She wore a black and white cotton dress with a slender bow across the chest and a mermaid blue wig with bangs, giving her not only a youthful appearance but a childlike quality. Though she was a blood relative, Mother had always told them it was better to think of her as simply ‘the help’.
Oona put her other gloved hand on Wendy’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “It’s funny,” she said. “After a while, you tend to forget what it was like…visiting The Doll Maker. You learn so much about the family and your mother that after a time, why there’s just no room for anything else. It’s a blessing, really. Did you know your Grandmother lived to be eighty-five?”
Wendy squeezed the hard hands beneath the gloves and turned to give Oona a kiss on the cheek. But when she did, she saw a single tear dancing in Oona’s right eye…an eye filled with the knowledge of a far darker…far more disturbing truth. Oona’s lips were trembling. Her hands gripped hard on Wendy’s.
But her kind, loving smile still remained.
“Now that she’s gone…I don’t know what to do with myself.”
Wendy knew what happened to those who had Visited the Doll Maker after their mother’s had died. There were many that wandered the streets looking for them. There were some who ended up sitting by the gates of the town, slumped in a pile as if waiting to be played with once again.
The thought sent a shiver through her.
“You don’t want to be late, my love,” Oona said. “To be late to The Doll Maker is to dishonor your family.”
“Oona?” Wendy asked, seeing how badly Oona wanted to cry. How badly she wanted to scream. “Oona…what’s—”
“Oh, my,” Mother said from the drawing-room door, “Is Oona getting all sentimental? Reminiscing about her Visit? No time for that now. Say goodbye, Oona.”
“Good…bye…my love,” Oona said as the tear finally fell.
Dread sank into Wendy’s stomach. She kissed Oona on the cheek, hiding the tear from her Mother, and then walked out the door.
Continued…
Wendy was forced to visit The Doll Maker because she was the youngest in this family. It had been seen that’s not a good thing. What would happen to Wendy? I am very curious. How about you?
Let’s meet Wendy next week.
Let’s admire the costumes in Chapter1.
First is what the mother wear: cream lace dress
This is a Retro Palace Slim Lace Long Style Classic Lolita Long Sleeve Dress. This dress is suitable to wear in daily life. It will make you be sweet, gentle and quiet. You can wear it when you read a book. That will be a wonderful scene. You will feel relaxed just thinking about that scene.
Second is: olive green plaid skirt of her dress
This is a Little Bear Detective School Lolita Plaid Long Sleeve Dress. Some little bear on it. This detective school dress will make you be smart and young. You can wear it in school. Just make yourself as a detective. This olive green makes you sedate and cute.
Third: wavy hair that cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall of silk
Last is what Oona wear: black and white cotton dress with a slender bow across the chest and a mermaid blue wig with bangs
This mermaid blue wig is so beautiful that you can wear it in any situation. It will make you be cute or elegant. This will make you be shy and cute if you put together with the dress. Choose it if you want to be shy.