"Where are the old people going?" Pippa asked as she joined Billy at the window.
"They're going to get vaccinated (VAK-sun-ay-ted)," Billy replied.
"What's vac-vaccinated?" Pippa inquired, saying the word carefully. It was a new word for her.
"A doctor or a nurse pokes them in the arm with a needle," Billy explained, "so they don't get sick."
Pippa thought about that for a moment. "Why don't they just pretend not to be sick?" she asked.
"Well," Billy began as the two dolls sat down on the windowsill, "dolls can pretend to be sick or not, but people can't do that. They just have to get well for real. Sometimes they stay in bed. They might stay home from school or work. Sometimes they have to take medicine."
"So," Pippa said, "if they get stuck with a needle they don't get sick? How does that work?"
"I don't know, exactly," Billy said thoughtfully. "Why don't we ask Mandy?"
Pippa thought that was a good idea, so they looked around for Mandy. They found her nearby in the living room, knitting on a big project.
"Hey, Mandy," Billy said. "The Writer and her husband have left to get vaccinated. I know it's to keep them from getting sick, but I don't know how that works, exactly. Why can't they just stick themselves with a needle, here at home?"
"That's a very good question" Mandy told him, "but it takes a special needle and some special liquid that goes through the needle and into their arms."
Pippa climbed up and sat on the arm of the rocker. "What does the liquid do?" she asked.
Mandy thought about how to explain how vaccines (vac-SEENS) work. "Once the liquid is inside the person's body, it shows the body what the germ is that needs to be destroyed. It's sort of like putting up a wanted poster for that bad germ."
"The vaccine tells the body what the germ looks like," Mandy went on. "Then it teaches the body to make antibodies (ANT-ee-bod-ees) that watch out just for that germ. If it comes along, they kill it."
Billy and Pippa looked at Mandy.
"I'm guessing," Mandy said, "you're probably wondering what antibodies are like. They're very tiny, like the germs they fight. They float around in the person's blood until they are needed. That keeps the person from getting sick from that germ."
Pippa climbed off the arm of the chair and settled down next to Mandy. "Why didn't the old people get vaccinated before?" She wondered.
Mandy was expecting that question. "They did," she said. "They have been vaccinated many times, starting when they were very young, but each vaccination (vak-sun-AY-shun) is only good for the sicknesses they are made to prevent."
"Some illnesses," Mandy went on, "are new, or the germs have changed so that the antibodies don't recognize them, so people need to get a new vaccine for the same illness."
"It's like the germ puts on a disguise!" Billy exclaimed. "Like the bad guys who robbed the bank!"
"That's right," Mandy agreed.
"Does it hurt?" Pippa asked. "When the old people get stuck with the needle, does it hurt them?"
Mandy laughed. "It hurts a little bit," she agreed, "but it's so much more pleasant than getting sick, and it only hurts for a second. Then they might have a sore arm for a day or so, but it isn't too bad."
"I remember when The Writer was sick," Billy said then. "We looked after her and did her housework so she could rest and get well. Why did she get sick, if she gets vaccinated?"
"Not all sicknesses have a vaccine," Mandy explained, "and only illnesses that can make someone very sick."
"That's very interesting, Mandy," Pippa said. "I'm glad we can just pretend to get sick if we want."
"Well," Billy said. "The old people will be gone for a while. What should we do while they're gone?
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
"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 © 2021 by Peggy Stuart
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