Buena Mano Book 1 (Unedited/Unrevised)

I'm O-Ok... Chapter 3.1 The Doll Collector

I woke up the next day feeling spent from that agonizing night. I felt sorrow for all those cute little things were gone. They left me in oblivion. I never thought that he would do this to me and my friends. Now, I'm alone.

"No you're not!" a sweet and gentle voice told me. I looked around and saw no one.

"Ok, calm down" I said to myself. "You've been through a lot. There's no wonder if you hear stuff from nowhere."

Then I heard a sweet chuckle. I was getting scared and started to breathe heavily but it didn't stop. "Where is it coming from?!"

"It's all in my head" I reasoned with myself and after a few moments it stopped. To my surprise I still held my princess in my arms. I didn't think it was her because she was the only friend I had, at that time. I couldn't let her go. With her, I felt safe and secure. I loved her so much that it stopped the voices calling out to my tattered mind.

My mother let me out of that God forsaken place after a few minutes of haggling with myself over the reality of the entity that spoke to me. I hugged her so deeply and said I was sorry for being an inconvenience to her. She saw my princess and said: "Don't worry. Girl or boy, it doesn't matter to me. All that matters is you are my child."

I was dumbfounded. But at most, I felt I found a second friend in this damned world. I couldn't tell her that I was a guy who admires cute things. I couldn't. The setting was perfect and she looked cute in her dress. The only downside is her face covered in tears. I didn't want her to cry. I only want them to smile...

I stayed at another house for two weeks, as my mother suggested, to help cool down the anger of my father. Spending most of the time playing with my princess and making dresses to fit her. At the end of those blissful days, I returned to my old house. It wasn't the same though. Before he destroyed my precious dolls, we used to eat together when they weren't out for work. Now, my father does his best to avoid contact with us. It was always me, my mom, and my princess eating together after that incident.

Always, when we were at the table there was a question that lingered in my mind. "Who told them?"

"Who was that bastard that led to my doll's demise?" I pondered that question every day until such time that my mother saw it fit for me to go back to school. I woke up and saw what a beautiful morning it was to start over. I wanted to set things straight with my community and finally explain to my parents why I loved my princess. I got ready and went downstairs to greet my mom and dad, but they weren't there. I thought they must have gone to work early.

So I grabbed the lunch that I thought my mother prepared for me and went to school. I brought along my princess, just in case my father throws another fit. I can never be too careful. Especially, for my very special friend. For a moment before I put her in my bag, I thought I saw her grin. Then again I must be hallucinating and just let it slide.

My return to school was filled with mixed feelings. At first, they had awkward gestures towards me. Gazed at me with their judging eyes and talked behind my back, sometimes even doing horrid stuff. For instance, they all moved two tables away from me when I sat down to eat lunch. One of my schoolmates threw a note at me saying that when I die, the devil would roast me in hell. And another one even asked me point blank if I was thinking of having my sex changed.

I felt horrible and tried to keep it to myself. When it was time to go home, I stayed inside the school grounds, took out my princess, and hugged her tightly. "I don't want to see my mother cry" I said to my princess looking towards her beautiful blue eyes. I imagined she understood me and comforted me in some way.

"I am a guy but maybe in their eyes I am not. I tried to hide my treasures from the community but still they knew. They knew it from the very first doll I bought from the store." I told her as the tears gushed out the ducts.

"It all leads to that young man. The same man that sold me my precious dolls." I said as my sadness turned into something much more sinister. "HE'S the one to blame!"

The next day I went to the store to confront the young man but it seems God has dealt the punishment. The police were there blocking the way in. From what I saw, the glass from the storefront was shattered into a million pieces and the toys were missing. They filed a report saying it was a robbery and pointed the culprit as the young man. He was missing then and even today. Probably hiding.

My dad left me and my mom. They got divorced. They both said it was for the best. I thought so too. But after a few years without my dad, my mother killed herself. It was a tough and difficult time for me. Aside from the bullying, I had to find a part-time job to help me with my studies.

"After that, I grew out of the trauma after a few years. Forgot what needed to be. Stopped all that crying and dedicated myself to music. The people who once bullied me became either my fans or my followers. It seemed like they've forgotten about my past. My princess stayed with me all those years. Even now, I keep her in a special place." I told the man in front of me, as he sipped the cup of coffee I gave him earlier.

He always visits me in my home. I thought he was paparazzi at first. But his aura made me think otherwise. He somehow gets me to talk about my personal life. Something, I only could share with my princess. Even my wife doesn't know what goes on with my head. I don't know. It's like he has some sort of spell over me.

He looked very peculiar, like he was sick but I don't really know. He always wears a black fedora and a coat to ward off the cold winter winds here in our town. Can't see his face clearly but I deduced from his voice that he was a little bit older than me.

"That's good to hear." he said, wiping off the coffee stain from his moustache. "But I feel that there's more to this story you aren't telling me, are there Ronny?"

I started to think he knows more about my life than me. Sensing a bit of danger from his words I cautiously answered. "I-I'm n-not sure about what you're insinuating... But..."

He smiled. A smile so indicative, I couldn't help but feel a chill running down my spine. My cup was shaking as I tried to find something to divert my attention and stop me from getting nervous.

"Is my question bothering you?" he asked.

"N-no, I-I think I h-had too much coffee." I replied.

"Then let me change the subject." He put his hand over my cup to stop me from shaking.

"What is her name again?" he asked me.

"W-Who?"

"You'reprincess..."