the doll

It seemed like the winter would never end, and I couldn't remember it ever starting. The dark sky hung ominously over the city, threatening permanence, while the falling snow assaulted my body with its sharp coldness. By the time I saw the bus stop on the horizon, my feet were numb and my fingers red, unable to move. It was no surprise when I lost balance on the icy sidewalk. Face down in the snow, I felt so tired that standing up seemed unbearable, my body too heavy to lift. It might have been five minutes or five hours before I felt a warm hand on my back.

"Are you alright, doll? Do you need me to call someone?" A voice, sweet like cherry wine, smooth like silk, and warm like the sun, brought me back to reality. Suddenly, I was on my feet, walking hand in hand with a girl so beautiful that looking at her felt almost sinful.

"When is your bus coming?" she asked, looking so worried that I wanted to hug her, as if she were the one waiting in the cold for two hours. "Oh, you poor thing! You can't wait here in the middle of nowhere. Listen, my friends and I are having a little get-together at my summer house. It's just a five-minute walk from here, and we need to get you warmed up."

"How fortunate that I went out to get a pack of cigarettes, or no one would have found you, and you'd be frozen solid before the bus could even arrive!"

Under the lantern light, I got a better look at her. She had flowers in her hair and kiss marks on her white dress. The smell of honey surrounded her like an aura, making me feel drugged. I couldn't tell if it was really five minutes from the bus stop, as my mind focused solely on the increasing warmth. Slowly, I took off my hat, gloves, coat, and sweater. By the time we arrived, I was in just my top and jeans, which still felt too heavy for the weather. It was the hottest day I've ever experienced. The little wooden house stood with a big garden, the overpowering smell of lilacs mingling with the heavy scent of roses, dahlias, and other flowers I couldn't name.

"Well, let me take care of you. Are you hungry? You must be tired... Make some space on the blanket," she called to two girls, each more beautiful than the other. A blonde girl was reading a book, her head resting in the lap of the other, who was braiding her hair. They gazed at her with dawn-like eyes, obeying her without a word. I sat down, feeling the sun on my face. People were running, lying down, hugging each other, and time seemed to move slowly for them, as if they had never worried about a thing. I put a cigarette between my lips.

"Oh no! You mustn't smoke here! But look..." She brought plates of food, cakes, all sorts of meats, fruits, and vegetables, sautéed and fresh, smelling so delicious I felt faint. I started eating and couldn't stop, barely noticing my rescuer's sharp eyes following each bite.

"You look so beautiful when you eat! You have a perfect set of white teeth!" The compliments didn't stop as I lay on the blanket again with a stomach full of food and a heart full of love. "You have the most wonderful blue eyes, like the sky we're sitting under!" Or when she braided daisies into my hair, "They are so silky, smooth, and healthy!" She stroked my head until I fell asleep.

I woke up to an empty blanket, people sitting around and chattering, laughing around her. When I came closer, I saw a pretty boy putting a flower in her hair and another girl whispering something into her ear, which made her all giggly.

"Oh! There you are! I didn't have the heart to wake you up; you slept so peacefully. But now you can have breakfast with us! Sit down, sit next to me. Could you move for her?" she asked the whispering girl, as a redhead gave her little kisses on the cheek. We ate until noon, when I remarked that I should probably be coming back.

"Well... you'll do as you must. Just remember that the world outside is cold and empty."

So I stayed another day, and as a reward, she took a golden ribbon from one of her friends and gave it to me.

Another night passed, but I didn't sleep as well. I had to get up to get my sweater as it started to get cold. In the morning, she wasn't there.

"Aren't you guys cold?" I asked the group while putting on my gloves.

"Well, no. We are still in her favor," a brunette boy answered while stuffing his mouth with bread with butter and jam.

"Do you know where she is?"

"Probably looking for another doll. Don't take that personally; that's just how the world works."

They were right; I felt the smell of honey coming, and soon, she was standing at the gates with a pretty girl under her arm. Her skin was porcelain, her green eyes with lashes so long they swept her eyebrows. I saw a patch of snow on the ground as they came closer.

"Well! What can I do to get in her favor again?"

"Try to give her little kisses; that's what I do!"

So I sat on her lap and kissed her lips, but she didn't notice because she was talking to the new doll about how perfectly her hands held the cup of tea.

"What I always do is put flowers in her hair!"

So I picked the most beautiful one in the garden, one that smelled like heaven, ripe and white, but when I tried to put it in her hair, I noticed bees flying around it, and there was no space to put it anyway, as her head was full of rotten ones.

"You should tell sweet little things in her ear! She adores it!"

But her ears were full of honey, so I couldn't get through. Disheartened and scared, I fell to her knees.

"What can I do to be your favorite doll again?"

"I'm afraid it can't be done, and let me take care of this," she said as she took my golden ribbon.

Suddenly, I was freezing cold, lying in the snow again. Someone's warm hand on my back.

"Are you alright, doll? Do you need any help? My friends and I are having a little party out in the woods! Come with me, we have to get you warm!"

And so I followed because having the rays of sunshine on my face for a while seemed better than a forever winter.