That evening, Alicia and Mary went to the hospital to visit Josephine.
“What happened, Josephine? You were absent for a few days in school without any news!” Mary asked, pity welling up in her as she sees her best friend looking so weak.
Josephine smiled at her friends, indicating that she’s fine. Alicia then leaned close to Josephine and whispered, “How’s the doll?”
Immediately Josephine coiled back from Alicia. Alicia then flashed Josephine a knowing nod and stood back.
“What’s wrong, Josephine?” Mary asked, looking at Alicia. “Alicia, Josephine isn’t feeling well and you know it, why are you saying things that can make her upset?”
“Nah, just making sure things are fine!” Alicia replied, laughing a little. “Hey, Mary. Why not show her what we brought for her today?”
Marry immediately broke into a smile and put her schoolbag onto Josephine’s hospital bed. “I went over to your place earlier,” Mary explained. Unzipping the schoolbag, Mary added, “It’s actually not allowed here, but as long as it’s kept under a small volume…” She then pulled out a black coloured cat from the schoolbag. Josephine gasped.
“You brought Mimi here!” Josephine laughed.
“Shush!!! We can’t let the hospital crews know!” Alicia joined in the laugh and that is then followed by Mary’s.
The little cat purred and rubbed its body against Josephine. Then let out a soft mew. Josephine smiled. This pet was a gift from her mother when she was still okay. Both Stephanie and Josephine had taken their own sweet time to choose the right name for it after seeing it at the pet shop earlier that day. Somehow the sight of a kitten with soft yet slick black fur had made them fall in love with it.
That thought led Josephine to yet another past fond memory as she held the cat close to her.
In that memory, Stephanie was combing her long brown hair while she lied down on her mother’s lap.
“Are you hungry, Josephine? Do you want some spaghetti?” Stephanie asked, her motherly smile showing on her slowly aging face.
“Didn’t we just eat that two hours ago, mum?” Josephine laughed at her mother’s question. She then sat up and massaged her mother’s back before giving her a hug. “I love you, mum,”
“I love you too,” Stephanie had replied. She held her daughter in her arms and cuddled her to sleep, like when Josephine was still a toddler.
Josephine found herself smiling at the fond memories. If only she could go back to those times again, when things were still so perfect…
A loud mew from Mimi jolted Josephine awake from her memories. “Oh shush~!!” Josephine whispered, putting her hand over Mimi’s jaws and patting it.
Mary let out another laugh. “Maybe it’s asking you to recover quickly, Jo!” she said to Alicia, who nodded in approval.
“I’ll try my best,” Josephine replied. Spotting a figure in the hospital uniform walking in their direction, Josephine quickly placed her pet back into the schoolbag and zipped it shut. Thankfully the cat didn’t mew as the nurse walked by. She looked at her friends, who paused for a short moment before they all giggled.
Well, at least here she can stop thinking about Esme.
“Oh, I got to go already!” Mary then exclaimed, looking at her watch. “If I don’t get back home in fifteen minutes my mum is so going to kill me!! Umm… I’ll bring Mimi back home for you, alright?” She continued before taking the schoolbag along with her and left the hospital.
When the doors are closed behind Mary and the footsteps sound further away from them, Alicia sat next to Josephine.
“Are you going to tell me what happened exactly, Josephine? I know you enough to realize that you’re lying to me.” Alicia told Josephine.
At that moment, Josephine had looked straight into Alicia’s eyes, sighed, then shook her head. No matter how close they were as friends, Josephine knew that her friends wouldn’t understand.
Why bother telling then?
YOU ARE READING
The Doll Maker
Novela JuvenilWhen Josephine, Alicia and Mary had stumbled upon a porcelain doll in a second-hand shop, they had not known that it could be so dangerous. Neither had they known that it can cause them so much fear, loss and tragic. Their friendship is barely hangi...
