Unmasked! A Retelling of an Old Story

A long time ago there was a little old lady who lived in a tiny cottage in the woods.

Well, it wasn't that long ago. Maybe she's even still there! The cottage wasn't really tiny, either, and the house was in a neighborhood with other houses, but the neighborhood really was surrounded by a forest.

The little old lady was indeed little and old, though. She worked sewing masks out of cloth for doctors and nurses to wear over their noses and mouths to keep from spreading their germs.

With her in the tiny cottage...or the nice house...was a group of dolls.

Each day, the dolls stood or sat around in the workroom of the little old lady's house and watched her sew. They watched everything the little old lady did.

They peeked in the door of the laundry room and watched the little old lady as she washed cloth to use.

They watched her as she pressed the cloth smooth with the iron.

They watched her as she folded the cloth and cut strips and bigger pieces for the masks using a cutter that looked like a tiny pizza cutter.

They watched her as she marked lines on the bigger pieces with a special kind of pencil.

They watched her as she stacked the pieces together that belonged together and picked out matching thread for each kind of cloth.

They watched her as she sewed hems in the masks.

They watched her as she used the iron to press folds into the bigger pieces. They watched her put pins in the folds. 

They watched her as she cleaned up after herself. She picked up tiny scraps off the floor and threw them away. She folded the bigger scraps to put back in the cupboard.

The little old lady looked tired. She had been working hard. The dolls worried that she might need to rest. One day, when the little old lady went to make and eat her lunch, they put their heads together. They met in the upstairs hallway and quietly talked about it. They decided that they would try to help.

The little old lady went to have a lie down for just a few minutes after lunch. Before she knew it, she was asleep. One of the dolls checked to be sure she was asleep. They wanted her to sleep, because she needed it, and they needed her.

The little old lady slept for several hours, because she was so very tired. When she woke up, she was upset that she had slept so long, and she rushed to her workroom to start working for the afternoon. This is what she found.

"Oh, my goodness!" she cried. "How did all these masks get finished? They are all from my cloth, but I don't remember sewing them. I must have elves!" Shaking her head, she went back to work and finished a few more masks before suppertime and bed.

The next day she worked all morning, washing, drying, measuring, cutting, marking, pressing, sewing and cleaning up. At lunchtime she went to have some lunch and then lay down on the couch for just a few minutes. Again she quickly fell asleep. Again one of the dolls came to make sure she was asleep.

When the little old lady woke up, she saw that she had slept too long again, and she rushed to her workroom to start working for the afternoon. This is what she found.

"Now I know I have elves!" She said, looking around. She set to work again and made a few more masks before bedtime.

The following day the little old lady worked all morning, then went to fix her lunch. After she ate, she lay down on the couch for her nap, but she only pretended to fall asleep. One of the dolls came down the stairs to check on her and saw her sleeping...or so he thought.

After a little while, the little old lady got up from the couch. As quiet as a mouse, she tiptoed back up the stairs to her workroom. This is what she found. Two dolls were pressing some cloth. They looked startled when they saw her.

One doll was marking pieces for the folds. She was concentrating so hard she didn't notice the little old lady in the doorway.

One doll was pinning the folds in the fabric. She stopped and stared at the little old lady.

One doll was sewing with the sewing machine. She looked up. She was very surprised to see the little old lady in the workroom.

One doll was taking the pins out of the pieces that had been sewn. He stopped and stared at the little old lady, as she came into the workroom and looked around.

One doll was cutting the thread that held the finished pieces together. He didn't know what to do, he was so surprised.

Another doll was picking up the tiny pieces of leftover cloth and putting them into the trash.

Two dolls were folding up the bigger pieces to put away in the cupboard.

"I knew I had elves!" she cried.
The dolls didn't move.
"Don't worry," she told the dolls. "It will be our little secret. Let's work together. It will be more fun that way, and maybe I can rest more." So they made masks together, and the little old lady took a nap every day after lunch.


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
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia

Pippa: Götz Little Kidz Lotta

Pauly: Götz Little Kidz Paul

Pam: Götz Little Kidz Springtime
Marmalade: Purrrfect Cats from KTL

This story has appeared in print in the book More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart.

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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.

Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook and More Classic Tales Untold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

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Copyright © 2020, 2024, 2025 by Peggy Stuart

Masks

"Look what I have!" exclaimed Jolena as she came into the living room from the front hall.

The other dolls looked up. Jolena's voice sounded slightly muffled in their heads, but of course, they could understand her.

"What do you have on your face, Jolena?" asked Billy.

"I'm wearing a face mask," was the muffled reply. "Our teacher wants everyone to start wearing face masks at school," Jolena explained. "He gave me masks for all of us."
Jolena showed the other dolls what she had in the basket she was carrying.

"Mariah," Jolena said, "I think the lavender one would be right for you, since you're wearing lavender."

Mariah came and took the lavender mask from Jolena. "Thank you," she said. "It's pretty!"

"I don't have a pink one, Charlotte," Jolena said. "Maybe we can get you a pink one later."

"That's OK," Charlotte replied. "I'll just pick out something blue to go with this one. Thank you!"

"What do you have for the boys?" Mariah asked.

Jolena rummaged in her basket and pulled out a bandana. That's sort of a big handkerchief. "The boys can wear these," Jolena said.

"Wow!" exclaimed Billy as he took his. "We can look like bandits! Thanks!"

"We can pretend to rob the stagecoach," Emil suggested.

"You will have to wait a long time for a stagecoach to come through here," Charlotte pointed out. "They aren't used anymore, except at special places where you can see what life was like long ago. Besides, it's wrong to rob anyone. Robbing is stealing. It's when you make someone give you their money or their stuff. We don't do that."

"Bandits aren't the only ones who wear their bandanas like that," Mariah suggested. "Cowboys wear their bandanas like that to keep from breathing in the dust from the trail."

"How do you know about that?" Billy wanted to know.
"I read," Mariah replied.

"Jolena," Charlotte said, "Did Teacher say why he wants us to wear these?"

"Yes," Jolena replied. "It's because lots of children are starting to wear masks when they go out places. The masks keep the germs, like viruses, from getting out into the air for others to breathe."

"That's how children get sick, isn't it?" Emil asked.

"Yes," Jolena agreed, "from breathing in germs from other people and from touching things that have germs on them. That's why they have to wash their hands before they eat or touch their faces," she added.

"But we don't breathe," Billy pointed out. "We don't get sick, either, except just pretend. Why does Teacher want us to wear these?"

"What's a doll's job?" Jolena asked the boys.

"To teach children and give them someone to look after," Billy said.

"And to set a good example for children," Emil added.

"Yes," Jolena agreed. "It's also to help children feel comfortable when they experience something new. When children see dolls wearing masks, they know it's OK to wear them, too."

"Also," Charlotte added, "they might want to have masks for their dolls to wear, too, so it teaches them how to look after others."

"When children look after their dolls," Mariah pointed out, "they are learning how to look after their own children someday."

"I have an idea," said Billy. "Let's take Brownie out for a ride. We can take turns riding her and pretending to be cowboys!"

"That will be fun," Emil agreed. He enjoyed riding Brownie.

The girls helped each other put on their masks, so they could see how they looked in them.

Charlotte's voice sounded muffled when they looked at themselves in the mirror, and she said, "It's good to have a purpose, and this is fun."

Cast--
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
Brownie: Götz Pony Brown Beauty

Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz or Classic Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to a charity that supports pediatric cancer, such as CURE Childhood Cancer, St. Baldrick's Foundation or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
"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 2:00 PM Pacific Time.


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Copyright © 2020 by Peggy Stuart