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I am one sick kid
Dabria's toothpaste fell off her toothbrush because she had squeezed it on sideways. She reached into the drawer again and put a new bit of toothpaste on the brush. Mummy came in and glared at Dabria.
"Dabria, if your toothpaste falls off, just scrape it up again with the bristles. You don't have to get new toothpaste." Mummy said this to Dabria as though she was divulging a Very Dark Secret. Dabria was not impressed.
"No, that's disgusting," said Dabria. Mummy blinked and said,
"Why is that disgusting, sweetie?"
"I don't know." Dabria inserted her toothbrush into her mouth and started scrubbing her teeth with it. Looking triumphant, Mummy said,
"Dabria, if you don't know why something is, then it really isn't, is it?" By the time Dabria had worked out what Mummy had said and decided she disagreed whole-heartedly with it, Mummy had gone to bed. So instead of saying what she thought, she spat in the sink. It was almost as satisfying.
Dabria put her toohbrush away and tied her hair back with a ponytail holder. She pulled faces at herself in the bathroom mirror, and then went and crawled into her bed. She laid in bed for a long time with the light on, reading a book. Or pretending to read it, anyway. She was holding it upside-down when Mummy came in the room.
"Dabria, you have five minutes, and then you have to turn out the light," said Mummy. As she said this, she held up five fingers, in case Dabria had forgotten how many five was (she hadn't).
Five minutes passed, and Dabria set her book on the floor, and turned out her bedside light. First she laid on her left side, and then she turned to her right side. She even tried her stomach, but she found this most uncomfortable. It was one of those nights where you just couldn't fall asleep.
Dabria laid on her back, and looked at the things in her room. There was a shelf of books. She stared at each one, trying to remember what the pictures were like (as she couldn't read the titles). She looked at her open closet, and all the clothing hanging in it.
Then she looked at a shelf directly across from her bed that was full of dolls. They all sat staring at Dabria. Dabria stared at each one in turn, studying its clothing and expression, and the paint on their china faces. She was looking at the third one in from the left. It had black hair and a green velvet dress. Dabria studied the frills on the dress, and then looked at the doll's face. It had a small nose and an even smaller pink mouth. It had long eyelashes, and...what color were her eyes? Dabria sat up and peered closer into the doll's eyes. They were dark green. No, they weren't either...they were brown...no, they were changing. They were red...red? The doll blinked very slowly, and then a horrible smile was fixed on her face. Dabria jumped backwards, landing back in her pillows. She pawed at her eyes and looked again. Now the doll was leaning and whispering to the doll next to it. All the dolls whispered to each other, and then they all had the same smiles on their faces. And all their eyes had turned red.
There happened to be a cloth doll on the shelf with all the china ones. China dolls don't associate with cloth ones (the very idea!), but that doesn't meant that the cloth ones don't listen when the china ones converse amongst themselves. The cloth doll that was on Dabria's doll shelf leaned forward and looked meaningfully at Dabria.
"'Bria, if you don't do something, the china dolls will wait until you fall asleep. And then they'll rip off your fingernails and your toenails. And they'll pull all the hairs out of your head, and then they'll stick needles in your eyes and up your nose. And you won't feel any of it until you wake up, and then you'll feel it all at once."
The only thing Dabria found strange about what the cloth doll said was the way it addressed her. No one had ever called her 'Bria before.
Dabria slid out of bed, and ran across the hallway, and opened up the door to Mummy's room. She stood next to Mummy's side of the bed and patted her hand urgently until Mummy's eyes opened and she glared at Dabria.
"Go to bed."
"Mummy, all the china dolls in my room have red eyes and they're going to wait until I fall asleep before they rip all my nails off and pull out all my hair. And then they're going to stick needles in my eyes and up my nose." Dabria's father sat up on the other side of the bed and looked at Mummy. Mummy glared at Dabria.
"Dabria, it isn't nice to make up stories and wake up Mummy and Father in the middle of the night. Your dolls do not have red eyes, and they're not going to do anything to you after you fall asleep."
"Okay," said Dabria. She shut the door to her parents room, and walked back into hers. As soon as she walked through the doorway, all the china heads turned and looked at her. Their eyes were still red. One of the dolls on the far end waved to her. Dabria waved back, because it seemed polite, and Mummy said she should be polite, even if a person wasn't polite to you.
Dabria sat down against the door and thought for a while. Then she got up and quietly opened the door to the garage. She picked up Daddy's wooden baseball bat that he used when he played games with his Comp'ny. Dabria dragged the bat back to her room. She closed her door and set the bat on her bed. Methodically, she scooped up all the dolls and carried them past her bed. She dumped them on the floor, picked up the bat, and knelt next to them. One by one, she picked up the dolls, set them down, and crushed their heads with the large end of the bat. After she was done, she looked at the shards of china all over her pink carpet, and was satisfied. She picked the cloth doll up from the shelf, and crawled into bed.
As she lie there, she thought to herself, "Well, tomorrow morning Mummy will ask why all the china dolls have their heads broken and Daddy's bat is out of the garage. And I will tell her if she doesn't know why, then it isn't so, and that it never happened." Very proud of herself, Dabria turned over and fell fast asleep.
"Dabria, if your toothpaste falls off, just scrape it up again with the bristles. You don't have to get new toothpaste." Mummy said this to Dabria as though she was divulging a Very Dark Secret. Dabria was not impressed.
"No, that's disgusting," said Dabria. Mummy blinked and said,
"Why is that disgusting, sweetie?"
"I don't know." Dabria inserted her toothbrush into her mouth and started scrubbing her teeth with it. Looking triumphant, Mummy said,
"Dabria, if you don't know why something is, then it really isn't, is it?" By the time Dabria had worked out what Mummy had said and decided she disagreed whole-heartedly with it, Mummy had gone to bed. So instead of saying what she thought, she spat in the sink. It was almost as satisfying.
Dabria put her toohbrush away and tied her hair back with a ponytail holder. She pulled faces at herself in the bathroom mirror, and then went and crawled into her bed. She laid in bed for a long time with the light on, reading a book. Or pretending to read it, anyway. She was holding it upside-down when Mummy came in the room.
"Dabria, you have five minutes, and then you have to turn out the light," said Mummy. As she said this, she held up five fingers, in case Dabria had forgotten how many five was (she hadn't).
Five minutes passed, and Dabria set her book on the floor, and turned out her bedside light. First she laid on her left side, and then she turned to her right side. She even tried her stomach, but she found this most uncomfortable. It was one of those nights where you just couldn't fall asleep.
Dabria laid on her back, and looked at the things in her room. There was a shelf of books. She stared at each one, trying to remember what the pictures were like (as she couldn't read the titles). She looked at her open closet, and all the clothing hanging in it.
Then she looked at a shelf directly across from her bed that was full of dolls. They all sat staring at Dabria. Dabria stared at each one in turn, studying its clothing and expression, and the paint on their china faces. She was looking at the third one in from the left. It had black hair and a green velvet dress. Dabria studied the frills on the dress, and then looked at the doll's face. It had a small nose and an even smaller pink mouth. It had long eyelashes, and...what color were her eyes? Dabria sat up and peered closer into the doll's eyes. They were dark green. No, they weren't either...they were brown...no, they were changing. They were red...red? The doll blinked very slowly, and then a horrible smile was fixed on her face. Dabria jumped backwards, landing back in her pillows. She pawed at her eyes and looked again. Now the doll was leaning and whispering to the doll next to it. All the dolls whispered to each other, and then they all had the same smiles on their faces. And all their eyes had turned red.
There happened to be a cloth doll on the shelf with all the china ones. China dolls don't associate with cloth ones (the very idea!), but that doesn't meant that the cloth ones don't listen when the china ones converse amongst themselves. The cloth doll that was on Dabria's doll shelf leaned forward and looked meaningfully at Dabria.
"'Bria, if you don't do something, the china dolls will wait until you fall asleep. And then they'll rip off your fingernails and your toenails. And they'll pull all the hairs out of your head, and then they'll stick needles in your eyes and up your nose. And you won't feel any of it until you wake up, and then you'll feel it all at once."
The only thing Dabria found strange about what the cloth doll said was the way it addressed her. No one had ever called her 'Bria before.
Dabria slid out of bed, and ran across the hallway, and opened up the door to Mummy's room. She stood next to Mummy's side of the bed and patted her hand urgently until Mummy's eyes opened and she glared at Dabria.
"Go to bed."
"Mummy, all the china dolls in my room have red eyes and they're going to wait until I fall asleep before they rip all my nails off and pull out all my hair. And then they're going to stick needles in my eyes and up my nose." Dabria's father sat up on the other side of the bed and looked at Mummy. Mummy glared at Dabria.
"Dabria, it isn't nice to make up stories and wake up Mummy and Father in the middle of the night. Your dolls do not have red eyes, and they're not going to do anything to you after you fall asleep."
"Okay," said Dabria. She shut the door to her parents room, and walked back into hers. As soon as she walked through the doorway, all the china heads turned and looked at her. Their eyes were still red. One of the dolls on the far end waved to her. Dabria waved back, because it seemed polite, and Mummy said she should be polite, even if a person wasn't polite to you.
Dabria sat down against the door and thought for a while. Then she got up and quietly opened the door to the garage. She picked up Daddy's wooden baseball bat that he used when he played games with his Comp'ny. Dabria dragged the bat back to her room. She closed her door and set the bat on her bed. Methodically, she scooped up all the dolls and carried them past her bed. She dumped them on the floor, picked up the bat, and knelt next to them. One by one, she picked up the dolls, set them down, and crushed their heads with the large end of the bat. After she was done, she looked at the shards of china all over her pink carpet, and was satisfied. She picked the cloth doll up from the shelf, and crawled into bed.
As she lie there, she thought to herself, "Well, tomorrow morning Mummy will ask why all the china dolls have their heads broken and Daddy's bat is out of the garage. And I will tell her if she doesn't know why, then it isn't so, and that it never happened." Very proud of herself, Dabria turned over and fell fast asleep.