Mary-Ann's Adventure

Eleven-year-old Isobel was distraught. How could she not have noticed that Mary-Ann was gone? She'd been playing with her on the swings... it must have been just minutes ago – she could see the little doll's beautiful face smiling up at her, rosy cheeks and beautiful eyes closing slightly each time the swing tipped her backwards. And then her mother had called her and now here she was, half way through the park and Mary-Ann was nowhere to be seen.

"Come on, darling," she heard her mother call, "we'll be late for Granny!"

"But mother, Mary-Ann! We have to go and look for her!" Isobel tugged at her mother's sleeve, "I can't leave without her."

Her mother glanced impatiently at her watch. "Ok then. Five minutes, and no more. You really must take better care of your toys you know." She let Isobel run on ahead, back to the playground and wandered slowly behind, checking through her shopping bags.

Isobel tore past the ice cream stand and through the gate to the playground, frantically looking around her. She ran back to the clearly empty swings, searching in vain for any sign of her beloved companion, peering under the slide and the seesaw, behind the climbing frame – all to no avail. Tears ran down the poor girl's cheeks as she felt the chances of finding Mary-Ann becoming smaller and smaller, and eventually she slowed her search and walked, sobbing back to the gate, where her mother was waiting.

"I'm sorry, Isobel, darling. Maybe someone will find her and take her to lost and found at the police station? We can check in the morning."

Isobel sniffed. "What if a dog found her? Or what if another little girl found her and decided she was too beautiful to take to the lost and found people?"

Her mother sighed. She'd never been particularly well-equipped for providing sympathy for things like this. She did wish her daughter wasn't so attached to that blasted doll. "Look, darling, there's really nothing we can do – and we really must go or Granny will worry."

Isobel nodded tearfully, glancing back one last time and began to follow her mother, who strode off in the direction of the train station, where they would ride out to meet Granny and bring her back to their home. She dawdled, looking in the trees and bushes at the side of the path, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mary-Ann, at this point making not much effort to wipe the tears from her cheeks, sniffing inelegantly every few steps.

"Excuse me young lady," came a voice that made her jump. She looked up to see a middle-aged gentleman peering down at her over the rim of his spectacles, a briefcase dangling from his clasped hands and a frown on his kindly face, "Are you alright my dear? Are you lost?"

She hastily wiped her face and nose as quickly as she could without making too much of a mess of her sleeve. "Oh... no, Sir, I'm not lost," she said sadly, "It's my dolly Mary-Ann who's lost. I just don't know how I lost her." And she tailed off as another sob welled up in her chest. Mary-Ann – lost! She and Mary-Ann had been together since she was tiny, and now poor Mary-Ann was all alone, probably frightened and wondering why Isobel had abandoned her.

The gentleman crouched down so as to be able to look directly at Isobel. "Oh, well, now that won't do! Come, I'll help you look for her. Where did you last have her?"

Isobel was surprised. "Oh, thank you, Sir... but my... that is to say, my mother won't let me look any more because we must meet my Granny off the train today."

The gentleman frowned. "Well," he said thoughtfully, "How is this. You show me where the two of you were playing, and I'll have a good look; we can meet here at the same time tomorrow and I'll let you know if I found her. How does that sound?"

"Oh, that would be so kind of you..." Isobel said in a tiny voice, "Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"

"Not in the least!" the gentleman said, standing up straight and offering her his hand, "I am Franz. May I ask your name?"