Friday, April 17, 2020

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
Marmalade: Purrrfect Cats from KTL

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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 StorybookClassic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook are available from BookBaby and other booksellers worldwide, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Royalties (net proceeds) go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. If you don't get free shipping elsewhere, buy from Book Baby. Half of the price goes to charity (specific information available upon request). Autographed copies of all three books are available from the author. (Multiple books to the same address have a discount on shipping.) To inquire, email thedollsstorybook@icloud.com.


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Copyright © 2020, 2024 by Peggy Stuart

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