The Doll Maker

Chapter 2 - Josephine (part 1)

Chapter 2: Josephine

          It all happened because of Rose’s forgetfulness. Then, it happened to Josephine because of the trip to the shop selling secondhand items.

          “Oh look! Josephine, this doll is such a dear!” Mary exclaimed upon, smiling happily at her friend as she spotted the porcelain doll. Josephine turned to look, and lets out a gasp.

          “It’s so beautiful! Don’t you love its eyes? They’re so blue and big!”

          “Oh, you mean just like mine, don’t you?” Alicia laughed, batting her eyelashes at the duo before laughing. Her friends laughed along.

          “So… Are you planning on buying this?” A brunette with freckles stood nervously behind them. She kept rubbing her hands together, almost frantically. Her eyes darted from one girl to another, and she was biting her lip. “Um… uh, I’m Candice, the shopkeeper,” Candice smiled awkwardly at them, a plastic smile.

          “Well,” Mary started, “I’d love to have it, but I’m afraid I didn’t bring enough money along with me today.” Mary looked at the doll and touched a strand of its hair and sighed. “Can you keep it till I come back here tomorrow to purchase it? Please?” she pleaded, attempting a pouty puppy look.

          The atmosphere was quiet and a tad bit awkward.

          Josephine then laughed, breaking the atmosphere. “Oh of course she couldn’t, Mary! There are always other customers wanting to buy this pretty thing, me, for example.” She looked at Mary uncertainly, “Would you mind, Mary?”

          “Hmm… Just as well, I might not have enough money to purchase it anyway. It looks expensive.”  Mary replied with an apologetic smile.

          “It’s... It’s cheap, actually. Second-hand items don’t cost much anyway; only fifteen dollars. If you are planning on purchasing it, I can still cut down the price for you. Would you like to have it then?” Candice asked again, as if she’s keen to have it out of her outlet.

          “Oh my god, of course! Wrap it up nicely up for me, will you?” Josephine beamed at the shopkeeper. As Josephine gets the right amount of money from her purse, Candice scurried to the counter and wrapped it up flimsily with a floral-patterned gift paper. Meanwhile, Mary had her eyes on yet another novel to add into her collection and Alicia continued her window shopping, glancing suspiciously at Candice from time to time.

          In less than five minutes after that, the trio left the shop, with Josephine humming happily, obviously content with her newly purchased item.

          Alicia looks at her feet as they step and cross the gravel path. “Don’t you think Candice is a bit… weird?” she asked her friends. Mary replied with a short laugh and a nod.

          “A little fidgety, I’d say. Why didn’t you buy anything though? I thought you had always been fascinated with antique items! Not like second-hand items were antique much though,”

          “Let’s just say I have the chills about that shop,” Alicia replied with a shrug and smiled. Then, Josephine and Mary went about chatting with the stuff that caught their attention in the outlet, mostly about the doll Josephine purchased.

***

          Josephine placed the doll on her desk which faced the windows in her room and admired it. It’s not just the blue eyes that make the doll so attractive, its long hair hung loosely curled just above its waist, and its lips curved into a gentle smile; just like how a child who’d just stopped crying after being consoled will.

          Then she saw it, a dark stain on its old Victorian style dress, which upon closer examination spells, “Esme,”

          “Esme, is that your name?” Josephine wondered. Seeing some torn parts of the dress, Josephine decided make the doll a new dress. After all, she can sew well, thanks to the gene inheritance from her mother.

          Josephine sighed. Her mother, Stephanie is senile now. Ever since Josephine’s dad had died in a workplace accident, leaving her mother and her with just enough balance in the bank for their daily needs, Stephanie mourned for him every day, sometimes even throughout the night. She was finally announced mentally unstable by the medics and is now senile. Aids from her relatives and a part time job are what left to support both her mother and her life.

          Josephine then took the doll downstairs to get the right cloth for it and start her sewing, but Stephanie stood at the bottom of the staircase.

          “Mum, what are you doing here?” she asked. Josephine asked curiously facing her mother.

          Stephanie did not reply, but instead stood unmoving in response. “Go to bed, mum. You need some rest.” Josephine smiled at her mother and pulled her arm lightly.

          “Put that doll away, I don’t like it!” her mum had replied. “It’s haunted, it’s evil! I don’t like it, put it away!” she then screamed.

          “Oh mum,” Josephine patted her mother’s back and smiled. “Calm down, it’s not haunted. Have you taken you medicine today, mum?” Immediately Stephanie pulled away from her daughter.

          “You’re just like the others, thinking I’m crazy.” Her eyes wandered wildly, looking from her daughter to the doll, then all around, avoiding Josephine’s gaze the whole time. Her eyes, they seem clouded. With fear or with age, Josephine herself couldn’t be sure. “You’re my daughter… You can’t treat me this way…” Stephanie continued, sounding broken as tears welled up in her eyes. She took one last look at the doll before turning on her heels and walked back into her room.

          “Josephine watched till her mum is out of sight, and then silently got to the drawers with her collection of cloth with various patterns for her sewing projects. She laid the doll on the floor next to her and fumbled through the drawers to find the doll the right design and colour for her new dress later one.

          “Hmmm… Plaited green suits you more,” Josephine smiled at the doll before adding, “Esme,”