Mandy and Jolena were playing in the backyard when they decided they needed to pretend they were hot and thirsty, so they went to sit in the shade with their water bottles.
“Mandy,” Jolena began, “I’ve been wondering. Where did I come from?”
“You came from a store in a country called England,” Mandy replied. “I remember that we followed your trip using something called tracking on the computer, and that you were sent to Miami by accident,” Mandy continued. “We were worried, because we knew you were dressed in warm clothes, and it was already hot in Miami, but you arrived here safely on time.”
“I don’t remember being too warm, so it must have been OK. Where was I before that?” Jolena asked.
“You were made in a factory in a country called China (CHY-nah),” Mandy said. “We all were. We were designed by artists in another country, Germany, and then made in China.”
“So we’re works of art!” Jolena exclaimed.
“That's true,” Mandy laughed. “We are works of art. I don’t remember much of anything about before I was in the box, but I have read all the writing on my box, and I have also worked out some things on my own. Come. I’ll show you our boxes,” Mandy suggested.
The dolls went into the house to where the boxes were stored. “This is my box. Mandy pointed to the box on top. I know that if I ever have to be put away for a time, I will be safe and protected in my box.”
“Each doll has different experiences after coming out of the box,” Mandy went on. “When I came here, it was still cold, so Veronika loaned me a sweater,” Mandy explained. “When we looked in the mirror, we noticed that I’m a little taller than she is, so we took off our shoes to see how much. That was interesting.”
“There are four of us,” Jolena said. “I only see three boxes.”
“That's because Veronika didn’t come here with a regular box,” Mandy remembered. “But maybe she should tell you about it. Let's go talk to her.”
Mandy and Jolena found Veronika in the sewing room, just beginning to cut out strips of cloth for a quilt.
“Veronika,” Mandy began, “We’re sorry to bother you, but we were wondering why you don't have a special box, like ours.”
Mandy and Jolena climbed up on the cutting mat with Veronika, being careful not to mess up her work.
Veronika carefully closed the safety guard on the sharp blade of her rotary cutter, so no one would get hurt with it. “I’m happy to tell you. I didn’t come here right from a store,” she explained. “I lived for a while with some other dolls like us in a different place with a nice man named Papa Simon.”
Veronika explained that she has no idea what happened to her first box and the clothes she had on in the box, but she arrived here in a beautiful hand-smocked dress, which she is very proud of.
“It’s a lovely dress, and I still have it,” Veronika went on. “Even without my regular box, I knew I would be safe, because Papa Simon wrapped me in some soft white cloth, and you know how much I love cloth.”
“We spent last summer exploring our new home and getting to know each other,” Mandy said. “We had some fun times, didn’t we?”
“After the summer was over, Charlotte came to live with us,” Veronika said. “Her first days here were very interesting, too, but you should let her tell you.”
“Let’s let Veronika get back to her cutting,” Mandy suggested. “We can go look for Charlotte now.”
Off they went to find Charlotte. They found her on the couch, reading. Jolena slipped off her shoes and climbed up onto the couch. Mandy decided to sit on the edge of the couch, next to Charlotte, because her shoes are more trouble to get off and on.
“Charlotte,” Jolena began, “I would like you to tell me about your first days here with Veronika and Mandy.”
Charlotte put her hand in her book, so she wouldn’t lose her place. “Those first few days were very interesting,” she said.
“For one thing,” Charlotte went on, “I had never seen snow before, and there was a big storm. My new sisters told me that this was normal, so I wasn’t afraid.”
“The electricity went out because of all the snow, so we had to use the fireplace for heat,” she went on. “That was fun, for a while.”
“We sat in front of the fire and talked,” Mandy said. “I remember that. It’s how we got to know you.”
“And I got to know you and Veronika! Later we read a book together,” Charlotte went on.
“Yes,” Mandy said. “It was dark outside by then. We had to use a flashlight to see the book! Then we talked about the book together.”
“The next day, we went out and played in the snow,” Charlotte said. “We threw snow at each other, and I accidentally knocked Veronika’s hat off. She couldn’t figure out which one of us did it,” she continued, “but she wasn’t hurt, and so it was OK. Then we all laughed.”
“I remember when you came, Jolena,” Charlotte said. “You came with skis and a ski suit. You will really enjoy the snow.”
“I was so glad to get out of the box!” Jolena exclaimed. “I’m so glad to be here, and I’m really looking forward to getting to ski on real snow. I have already had lots of adventures with all of you to remember and talk about.”
Jolena and Mandy let Charlotte get back to reading. They went back to look at the boxes.
“I think I understand something,” Jolena was telling Mandy. “It isn’t so important where we came from. What's important is what we learn, what we do and what we become once we come out of our boxes. Where we came from isn’t all that we are.” Then Jolena noticed something about the boxes she had missed before. “Mandy,” she asked, “why is your box smaller than my box and Charlotte’s?”
“Well, Jolena,” Mandy began, “You two came with special equipment. You came with your skis, remember? And Charlotte came with her dog and the things she needed for the dog, so both of you needed bigger boxes. I came with only a dress, hat and shoes, and no special equipment, other than my glasses.”
“Mandy,” Jolena said. “I think you're wrong about that. I think you came with very special equipment. You just didn't need a bigger box for it.”
“Now I have another question,” Jolena said. “I want to know why we're here.”
“Jolena,” Mandy said. “You're a very smart doll. You ask questions and you learn from the answers, and what you’re asking is a very important question, but if we try to learn too much at once, we don’t remember as well. Let’s save it for another day. Let’s go back outdoors and play!”
Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
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Do you have questions or comments for us? Would you like to order an autographed copy of one of our books? You can email us at thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.
Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.
“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.
Image on Mariah's yellow T-shirt used with permission, from Free To Be Kids, where human-size shirts with this image are available.
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