Voodootown

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Blink

Ash's basement floor was cold under Blink's cloth butt.  He shook his head and some of the dizziness from Flow's latest charm cleared from his head.  At least he didn't have a stomach like Ash did.

Beside him, Ash dry heaved into a bucket.  As his human settled back against the wall, Blink looked up and gave him a smile.  "That one was closer, right?  No double vision."

"Yeah," Ash said, his voice weak.  "Just the spinning.  Woo hoo."   He tapped the little gold and silver link that hung around his neck on a chain.  With the green and yellow bruises under his eyes and the bandage on his nose, Ash looked pretty horrible, even to Blink.  The drained look from throwing up repeatedly and the new lump on his forehead made it look like Ash had been through some kind of war.

Hours ago, they had put on the first charm while standing up.  After they had both crashed into the wall several times, they had decided to play their guinea pig roles while sitting down.  The falling and lumps on the head had stopped, but other side effects had kept the bucket close at hand.

Next to them, Flow rubbed his palms around his button eyes and yawned.  The other dolls were napping under the stairs.  It was hard work for them to stay awake while their humans were conscious and they didn't need to watch Ash and Blink test out Flow's attempts at a new connection charm.

Blink adjusted himself on the floor, tried to find a warm spot as he looked at the sleeping dolls.  In the last week they had tried everything to protect their humans.  They had investigated why dolls were being kidnapped.  They had found the human who called himself Doctor Midnight and had tried to fight him.  Nothing had worked.

But they had figured out a new plan, and Blink was going to do everything he could to make it work, if he could just warm up his butt.  He wedged his hands under it, sat on them a moment and stopped.  He looked at Flow, then at Ash.  "My butt is cold."

Ash nodded, winced and leaned his forehead into a palm.  "Tell me about it."

"No," Blink said.  "It's cold, as in I feel the cold."

"Okay, Mr. Obvious.  Welcome to the basement.  Haven't you been down here before?" Ash asked.

"No, no...as in nerve endings cold.  I can actually feel the sensation," Blink said.

Flow stopped in mid yawn and looked up from his eye rubbing.  "You do?"

Blink nodded.  "Yeah.  Is it supposed to do that?"

"Not really," Flow said.  "But I think that means it's working."

Ash raised a hand.  It waved shakily by his ear.  "Uh, except for the spinning and hurling."

Flow turned and stared at Ash.  "Huh.  Which direction is the spinning?"

Blink felt his head begin to move as Ash's did.  They started in small, counter-clockwise circles that got bigger.  Ash started to lean to the side, but clamped his head with his hands and leaned back against the concrete wall.  "That way," Blink said.

Flow held out his hands.  "Give me those." 

Blink noticed the dizziness and a tight feeling in his abdomen as he leaned forward to pull the necklace and charm off.  Ash's fingers clawed at the necklace and he began to slide over against the wall as he pulled his charm off.  "Oh, thank you," Ash said as he righted himself.

Flow jogged over, his cloth feet scuffing slightly on the concrete floor.  He took the charms and peered close at the silver and gold.  There was a single twist on one side.  "Ahh, okay," Flow said.