Veronika wondered why Pippa was so quiet. She had been quiet ever since she got home from school. This was not normal. Veronika knew the little doll well enough to know. Something must be wrong.
"Is anything wrong, Pippa?" she asked, after sitting down next to the smaller doll.
"I’ll be right back," Pippa said. She knew you could talk to Veronika about anything. She had told her bear about it, but it would be good to be able to talk to another doll about it. She got up, put down her bear and left the hallway. In a Moment she returned with a piece of paper, all folded up.
"I'm supposed to give this to The Writer," she said. "It's a note from my teacher."
"I'm afraid The Writer will be disappointed in me," the smaller girl replied. "I was naughty today in school. Teacher gave me a note to give to The Writer."
"Why don't you tell me all about it," Veronika suggested.
"I shoved Kevin," Pippa replied, as she sat down again. "It made him fall down. Kevin doesn't have knee joints, so he just toppled over."
Veronika tried to keep a straight face, which actually isn't too hard for a doll, but she really wanted to laugh, thinking about Kevin, lying there on the floor with his eyes closed, because he probably was the kind of doll with sleeping eyes.
Veronika thought then about how sad it would be to not be able to lie in the grass in the summer and look at the clouds in the sky because your eyes don't stay open. That thought took away her desire to laugh.
"So you feel bad," she told Pippa, "because you did something you know you shouldn't do, and you're disappointed in yourself."
Pippa nodded her agreement. "That about sizes it up," she said, "but it isn't just that. I'm afraid The Writer will be upset when she reads it." Pippa knew she had to give the note from her teacher to The Writer, but she was putting it off. It was a very unpleasant chore. She did not want The Writer to be disappointed in her.
"Maybe if I tell The Writer first what Kevin did," Pippa suggested, "maybe she will see why I shoved him."
Veronika wanted to know what Kevin had done, so she asked Pippa.
"He was pretending to make faces at me," Pippa said. "Silly faces, and he wouldn't stop. I wanted to tell the teacher, but the teacher was busy, so I shoved him."
The teacher had noticed Kevin lying on the floor and had come over. "Teacher scolded me," Pippa continued. "She said that it was unkind to shove someone. She said it’s even worse to shove someone without knee joints, because it’s hard for them to get up again, because their knees don’t bend."
"Then I told her that Kevin had been pretending to make faces at me and wouldn't stop," Pippa continued. "I told her he deserved it."
Pippa looked down at her hands. "I thought she would know I had to shove Kevin, but she said that just because someone is pretending to make stupid faces at you doesn't give you the right to shove them. She said if I just ignored Kevin, he would have gotten tired of it and stopped."
Veronika nodded. She agreed with the teacher. "Did it hurt you that Kevin was making faces at you?" she asked.
"It made me feel yucky!" Pippa exclaimed. "He was doing it to make fun of me because I'm small," she said. "I think he hates me! I didn't know what else to do!"
Veronika thought for a moment. Then she said, "What if I told you that I think Kevin was pretending to make faces at you because he likes you, not because he hates you?" she asked.
Pippa looked up. "You think he likes me?" she asked.
Veronika nodded.
"But why would he be so annoying if he likes me?" Pippa wanted to know.
"I think Kevin was trying to get your attention," Veronika explained. "Sometimes when one doll likes another one, they want that other doll's attention and don't know how to get it. A lot of teasing is just that: trying to get someone's attention."
"Why didn't he just tell me he likes me?" Pippa asked in exasperation. "It would have saved us both a lot of grief!"
Where had Pippa come up with that expression, the older doll wondered. "Well," Veronika said, "maybe Kevin doesn't realize he likes you. When you're young, you don't always realize what your feelings are."
"I know what my feelings are now," Pippa sighed. "I feel bad that I shoved Kevin. His head could have come off! That would have been embarrassing for him...and for me, too, I think."
Veronika was quiet for a moment so Pippa could think about that. Both dolls were quiet while Pippa thought.
Suddenly, Pippa stood up. "Now I have my work cut out for me!" she exclaimed. "First, I have to give this note to The Writer and tell her I know it was wrong to shove Kevin, and I won't do it again. Then, tomorrow, I have to apologize to Kevin."
Pippa turned and looked at Veronika, touching her bear for comfort. "I have to apologize to Kevin," she repeated quietly.
"He sure managed to get my attention," Pippa said. "I'm going to suggest next time, he should just tap me on the shoulder."
Bear went along with Pippa, for moral support. It’s a teddy bear's job.
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
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Copyright © 2022 by Peggy Stuart
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