"Did you get another email from The Other Billy?" Emil asked Billy that afternoon.
"Yes," Billy replied. "I can't wait to read it and find out what he's up to."
Billy and Emil both started reading the email to themselves. (Billy didn't mind that Emil was reading over his shoulder. The Other Billy's email messages were sent to all the dolls in the family.)
While the boys are reading, maybe we should stop and explain who Billy's and Emil's friend is and why his name is The Other Billy.
The Other Billy is a doll, of course, but he's a different kind of doll from our Billy and our Emil. This Billy came from a different manufacturer (man-you-FAK-cher-er). He was made in a factory that belonged to a different company from the one that made our Billy and our Emil. His eyes close when he's on his back. He can't watch the clouds or see the stars, but he can sleep without a sleep mask.
After this Billy left the factory, he came to stay with The Writer so he could get some clothes before he went to live with The Writer's grandson, Zachary.
Mandy made him a sweater while he was here. He could wear it like a cardigan, with the buttons in front.
It could also be a pullover, if he wore it with the buttons in back. (Dolls don't like having things pulled over their heads, so their pullovers often fasten in the back.)
If you can only have one sweater, this is the kind to have.
The Writer bought The Other Billy some clothes. He received extra pants and shirts, pajamas, winter boots and a warm jacket. It would be winter soon where he was going, and he would need these things. The Other Billy also received a fancy dress outfit for parties or for dancing on the stage, because he likes to dance. Of course he needed some fancy dress shoes, too, that can also be dance shoes.
When The Writer had collected all the clothes the other Billy would need for his journey and for his new home, he said goodbye to his new friends and climbed back into his box. "I'll email you," The Other Billy said as The Writer put the lid on the box.
The Writer put his box into another box for mailing. The Other Billy (who didn't have his name yet) was excited to see his new home and meet his new family.
Now it has been more than six months since The Other Billy went to live in his new home. Zachary named him Billy, and they have lots of fun adventures together. Now The Other Billy was looking forward to going back to school, which starts in September where he is.
"Look! He attached a photo," our Billy told Emil. "He says he put a box on top of some books to make a desk so he could pretend to be a student already, and then he had one of the other dolls take the photo of him."
"See? He says that in the photo he is just starting to draw a picture of the beautiful sky," Billy told Emil.
Both boys looked at the photo. They were looking forward to starting school again in September, too. They liked the idea of having a doll-size desk at home. They thought the other Billy was smart to think of how to do it.
"Does he answer our question?" Emil asked, staring anxiously at the computer screen. "Does he say if he was named after you or not?"
Both dolls read on. "He does," Billy said. "Here it is. He says that as much as he likes me and all of us, Zachary named him Billy after Bill Nye, The Science Guy*. That's a real person!"
The boys thought about what Bill Nye looked like. They could see him in their heads, even though they can't close their eyes. He is a human person who knows a lot about science. He knows even more about science than Mandy does.
"Wow!" Emil exclaimed. "Imagine being named after a real human person, and someone so smart! Let's see what else he says."
The boys continued to read the email.
"It's very interesting living here," The Other Billy wrote. "I already knew that dolls teach children how to look after someone who is smaller than you. That's very important. I knew that dolls also allow children to have adventures they couldn't have in real life," he explained, "and we do that, but my boy and his sister like to write stories and plays, so we (the other dolls and I) talk to them and give them ideas. They think they come up with the ideas on their own, though, and that's OK. I'm happy to let them take the credit for being creative."
"Wow!" Billy exclaimed when he had read that. "He's doing something like what we're doing, only he gets to live with real human children, not old people!"
"That must be nice," said Emil wistfully, and Billy agreed.
The rest of the letter was about Billy's new doll family. There are a lot of dolls, because the boy's sister also has dolls. Billy wrote all their names and something important about each one. It was interesting.
"Billy's a good writer," our Billy stated when they had finished reading the email. "I feel as if I know all of his family members."
"I think," Emil said after a moment, "that the best part is that the children listen to their dolls and use them to write stories and plays. That must be fun. Not all children listen to their dolls."
"Yeah," Billy agreed. "I think it's because you have to listen with your heart, not your ears. Maybe no one ever told them."
Do you hear your dolls talk to you?
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH. We are also not affiliated with American Girl Brands LLC nor Mattel Inc.
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Copyright © 2021 by Peggy Stuart
Even though I'm an old person, my dolls still talk to me. Sometimes they tell me I'm silly, but most of the time, they just want to know if I'm OK.
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