Dollface

The Doll Shop

Elenore was wonderful at her job as an accountant. She was clever and careful and always offered good advice to others who asked. And though she had settled down in a flourishing part of town, there was only one extremely expensive doll shop near her. So when her seven-year-old cousin, Lizzy's, birthday drew near, Elenore decided to make a stop at the doll shop for a present to send to Lizzy. She hailed a taxi there and was initially surprised to see so few people at the shop, as it's display dolls looked magnificent. She noticed the above sign read Dollmaker's Workshop, earning a small chuckle from Elenore. Then she noticed that inside, a man seemed to be arguing with what appeared to be the shop owner. The man was holding up a beautiful porcelain doll with flowing locks of red hair and glittering green eyes. He appeared to be shouting and waving the doll around in a fit of anger. The other man looked like he was trying to calm the customer down and, from the look in his eyes, he was worried that the man would break the doll. Out of concern, Elenore pushed the doors opened and entered.
At first, Elenore was overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the creations all around her. She saw dolls of every material, stuffed animals with the softest furs, flowers that seemed to shine and sparkle when touched by sunlight, trains and tracks that moved very quickly and made very life-like train sounds. It was almost like stepping into Santa's workshop, except there were no elves working on the toys. Elenore was so dazzled by the shop that she almost forgot why she had come in, until the angry customer banged his fist on the counter.
"I paid $80 for this thing!" he shouted violently. "$80! You said it was practically perfect! But when my wife washed this thing, the dress faded and ripped! How is that perfect?!"
"Sir, please," the manager said. "I warned you that it shouldn't be washed. The clothes... they're delicate. They're made out of weak material, but it was the best I could use with your hefty order."
"The best you could do?!" the customer yelled. "The best?! I'll show you the best I can do with this thing!"
And before the manager could protest, the man threw the doll to the ground and stomped on it repeatedly. Elenore was in horror, such horror that she couldn't move, but the manager was on the verge of tears as the once glamorous doll was reduced to pieces of broken china and dirty rags. The man then grabbed the manager by his shirt collar and threw him back, knocking him into a shelf behind him.
"I want my money back by this afternoon!" he spat. "And a new doll! And this one better be perfect, or I'll stick your head on my wall."
And with that, the customer shoved past Elenore and stomped out of the doll shop. Elenore wanted to chase after the man and scream out every profanity she knew, but she instead forced herself to stay back and began picking up the pieces of the doll. The manager hurried over and grabbed one of her hands to stop her.
"You don't have to do that, miss," he told her. "My mess. I'll clean it up and help you as soon as I can."
"No, no, it's okay," Elenore responded kindly. "That man was extremely rude. You didn't deserve all that."
The man looked shocked and scrutinized Elenore carefully. "You're...kind. No one else is. They just demand an overpriced doll and expect it to come within minutes. Why are you being so nice? Who are you?"
Elenore looked into the man's dark blue eyes and smiled. "My name is Elenore, and I've always liked helping people. It makes me feel like I have a purpose in life, and I hope I give others that feeling, too."
The man's eyes widened in shock, but he seemed to copy her smile, though Elenore couldn't really tell as he wore a black and blue scarf that hid his mouth. As they cleaned, Elenore kept sneaking glances at the man, admiring his untidy black hair, his dark blue eye, and even his prosthetic pink eye. He looked good-natured, smart, and incredibly handsome.

Elenore and the man took their time cleaning, even making small talk about the man's skills in doll making and Elenore's love for finance. Even after they had finished scooping up the last of the doll, Elenore and the man continued chatting about each other. It wasn't until the clock on one of the walls started chiming that Elenore remembered why she had traveled here in the first place. The man was all too happy to help her and kindly offered her a tour of children's dolls, to which she gleefully agreed.
The man showed her a shelf full of plush dolls, baby dolls, fluffy dolls, and others. Elenore was astounded by the man's talent, asking how he was so gifted.
The man blushed, embarrassed. "Well, my father was a dollmaker. He owned a shop in Syracuse that was abandoned later. He taught me everything about making dolls, and it became my life, my greatest ambition, to make dolls like him someday. However..." He sighed sadly, his eyes darkening. "...he didn't get to see it. He died when I was a kid, murdered by some asshole he wouldn't sell to."
"Oh!" Elenore gasped. "I'm so sorry...that was insensitive of me to ask...."
"No, it's okay," the man responded, smiling. "You told me about your life, so it's only fair that I tell you about mine."
Elenore smiled back as she picked up a cute baby doll wearing a pink dress. "Thank you, Mr...um...sorry, I don't know your name. What is it?"
"Vine," he answered. "My name is Vine, Elenore, thank you."