The Demon in the Doll

Chapter 24

Hello. My name is Wanda Griner, and I'm not a bad person. At least not in my eyes. Don't get me wrong. I've done some lowdown stuff in my life. But who hasn't? Sin is a condition that affects everyone, and I'm no different.

Back when I was sixteen, I wasn't very popular. I was attractive, and I had a great body. But I simply had no idea how to carry myself. For instance, I wore a lot of weird clothes to school that were so strange that the other children would make fun of me. My favorite dress had an Alice-in-Wonderland motif. There were images of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare all over the fabric. I also enjoyed wearing bonnets. I don't know why. I just thought they were cute. I guess you could say that I had a hard time growing up. I was sixteen going on ten.

One of my favorite things in all the world was visiting garage sales with my mother on Saturdays. In fact, it was on crisp day in late October when I first met Dr. Dick Peterman.

Mom and I were driving in her old Impala to a neighboring parish. At the time, I was wearing a Mickey Mouse dress with a purple head covering.

Mom turned the radio down. "I love you, Wanda."

I smiled. "I love you, too, Mom."

"So I don't want you to take this the wrong way."

"Take what the wrong way?"

She swallowed hard. "You look ridiculous."

"What?"

"Those clothes."

"I like the way I look. It's my choice."

"You are a beautiful young lady, and you really shouldn't dress in such a fashion. It makes you seem...eccentric."

"I don't mind being a little weird."

She nervously lit a cigarette and cracked the window. "I'm glad that you're a free spirit. I really am. But a bonnet?" She chuckled joylessly. "This isn't the 19th century, and we don't live on the prairie."

"The Apostle Paul says that a woman should cover her head. I'm just following the bible."

"You're manipulating the text. A woman's hair is her head covering. Men should wear their hair short in a masculine style, and the hair of a woman should be long to show her femininity. That's what Paul was actually saying."

"Well, you have your biblical interpretation, and I have mine."

My parents, Davis and Minnie Pedigrue, weren't always pagans. Quite the contrary. In fact, they used to attend church regularly when I was a kid. Sadly, they eventually lost their faith because of me. They realized that freaks were bound for hell, so they decided to join me for the ride. My parents loved me so much that they actually gave up their souls. The very thought still brings tears of joy to my eyes.

She said, "It's becoming downright embarrassing."

"What is?"

"The other kids at school are talking about you."

"I don't care what they say, so why should you?"

"You father and I work there. We'd like to see you with some friends."

"I have a friend."

"Great! And who might that be?"

"Sandra."

Mom shook her head. "Sandra's not your friend. She's a wonderful girl who is simply being nice to you. You're so pretty, Wanda. Use your assets."

"Sandra is my friend!"