"Well... This is awkward"<br /><br />It had been quite some time since Jacob had been in a toy store. Come to think of it, it had been quite some time since he had even seen a toy store in general, most of the card and toy shops of his childhood closing their doors over the years, &nbsp;in part due to being unable to compete with the popularity of online shopping in the modern era. <br /><br />Which is why it felt especially strange that Jacob, a man almost at the age of 22, now found himself in the midst of the sprawling aisles of "Wonderland: Toy Shoppe." <br /><br />To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure why he had even entered the store, the bell above the door ringing sharply as if to call him out on his decision to step in. After all, what business did a grown man have in a toy store?<br /><br />But by then, it was too late: Jacob's shoes had already met the plush red carpet of the store, the cute curly haired girl working the cashier shooting him a warm smile before going back to reading her book. Right away, he felt as if he should be embarrassed, or at very least out of place, but whether it was the precariously arranged assortment of beautifully made toys in the store's bay windows (which included an especially interesting a red-headed, life-sized doll grinning happily and posed with the rest), or the novelty of the store's aesthetic seeming like it was almost from another place and time, something had drawn him through the front doors of the shop, almost like magic.<br /> <br />Now that he was in the shop itself though, he was half tempted just to turn heel and leave. But, he had to admit, it would probably be just as awkward for him to back-peddle out the door without so much as looking around first. So, with a nervous smile to the cashier and a quiet sigh, he pushed forward into the store, still trying to figure out exactly what he was doing there.<br /> <br />Slowly making his way through the entrance and keeping a slow pace as he looked around the surprisingly spacious store, he had to admit that "Wonderland" lived up to the name. It seemed like a kid's dream come true, the store packed with an array of modern toys and games, but also a number of unique and handmade toys as well.<br /> <br />"Wow..." he found himself mumbling under his breath, the edges of a smile appearing on his face before he quickly shook it off, slipping his hands into his pockets and doing his best to appear perfectly casual as he looked over the amazing selection of toys. As a kid, he had loved toys, stuffed animals especially, but as he got older he felt more and more embarrassed by this fact, not wanting to seem 'weak' or soft for keeping such childish things around. With that, it had been a good 10 years or more since the last of his toys were moved to his closet, all ending up forgotten or sold.<br /> <br />Making his way further into the store, he could see that there were aisles made of dark polished wood reaching back to the far edge of the store. With no clear plan in mind, he began to wander each aisle, each with its own unique theme. One was filled with model sets of all kinds, the next filled with an array of dolls of all sizes, though none quite as bit as the life-sized girl in the display window.<br /> <br />As he wandered the aisles, eventually making his way to the far back corner of the store, Jacob couldn't help but feel silly once more. He now found himself surrounded by stuffed toys of all kinds, a couple dozen warm smiles and glassy eyes looking back at him as he once again pondered why he even came into this store in the first place. With a sigh, he was ready to make his way out of this final row of toys, but as he looked up, he stopped in his tracks, something unusual catching the corner of his eye.<br /><br />There, on the shelf with all the other toys, was a girl.<br /> <br />Blinking twice, a look of perplexation came across Jacob's face. Slowly turning to face the woman, Jacob almost had to check to see if he was dreaming.<br /> <br />Only a couple of feet from him, somewhat blending in with the rest of the stuffed dolls on the shelf, the girl was sitting perfectly still, but that was just the beginning of it: she dressed from head to toe as a doll, a life sized 'Raggedy Ann' to be exact. She was wearing a short, blue dress with red polka dots, a small apron pulling the fabric snuggly around her frame, and a pair of stripped red and white thigh-high socks encasing her legs, which dangled off the ledge she was perched on. To complete the look, she had a white bonnet atop her smooth black hair, a red circle painted onto each cheek, and a still, warm expression almost perfectly capturing the look of a doll, even with her head drooping slightly to the side as if she was dropped there.<br /><br />That couldn't be the case though. Despite the quality of the costume, it was still obvious that the girl in front of him was just that, a girl, and admittedly a quite attractive one at that.<br /> <br />Cocking his head slightly to the side, almost as if to mirror the girl's posture, Jacob began to approach the shelf, leaning down slightly to meet the doll's drooped gaze. At that, he finally spoke up, his voice laced with a mix of his initial confusion, but also intrigue into this situation he now found himself in.<br /> <br />"Uh, Hi? Miss? Can I ask what you're doing exactly?"<br /><br />Silence.<br /><br />For a moment, the doll remained inanimate, Jacob all but holding his breath as he revaluated his sanity. But a tense few seconds later, she blinked. <br />Though slow at first, the doll seemed to slowly come to life, the girl blinking a few more times before slowly sitting up to look back at Jacob. Her smile grew slightly retaining the same, doll-like warmth to it, but after what felt like an eternity, the doll responded in an equally warm voice.<br /> <br />"Hi! What do you mean by that? I'm doing what all toys in this store are doing: waiting for someone to buy me!"<br /> <br />Now it was Jacob who took a notably long pause, blinking now a few times himself as if to question what he had just heard. For a split second, he felt like he should just walk away, inform the cashier that their was a crazy woman on the stuffed animal shelf, and get on with his life. But something else kept him there; he wasn't sure if it was his curiosity, the feeling that brought him into the store in the first place, or the allure of the girl on the shelf in front of him, but he wanted to know more.<br /> <br />Playing along, if only coyly, Jacob responded with some residual hesitation in his voice.<br /> <br />"Right... Because you're a doll, is that right?"<br /><br />Seemingly very happy with that response, the girl nodded excitedly, her braids bouncing slightly before she looked to Jacob again with the same bright expression. <br />At that, Jacob stood up straight and looked around, leaning back to peer down the aisle in either direction as if to check if he was being watched before turning back to the doll.<br /> <br />"So, is this a prank show or something? Are there hidden cameras in the stuffed animals? I- I don't get what's going on here exactly."<br />Cocking her head back to the side in an innocent looking confusion, the doll then let out a giggle, flashing Jacob a smile before responding. <br />"Oh, you were making a joke, right? That's funny! But what's a prank show?"<br /><br />Hearing the girl laugh, Jacob's heart fluttered if only for a second. The supposed doll in front of him was very cute, but that didn't detract from the bizarreness of the whole situation.<br /> <br />"Its.. a-" For a second, he almost an answered the girl's question genuinely, quick to shake it off and refocus himself. <br />"Listen, this is fun and all, but come on. You're not a doll. Just look at you, you're-"<br /><br />Jacob stopped short as the girl giggled once more, leaning forward a bit to sit up with her hands on her lap instead of retaining her slouched, rag doll pose. <br />"You really are funny mister; of course I'm a doll! Look!"<br /> <br />With a consistent level of excitement, the girl stuck out her left arm, presenting her hand to Jacob.<br /> <br />With a moment more of hesitation, he slowly took the girls hand, turning it over in his palm. Admittedly, her skin had the smooth, cool texture of a fine cloth, but that's not what she was motioning towards. There, around her wrist, was a product tag. Glancing at it for a second, he read it aloud:<br /><br />"Magical Raggedy Annie Doll: Comes to life for just the right owner. Polyester/cotton blend dry clean only, marked down from $30 to $20."<br /><br />Raising an eyebrow, Jacob looked between the girl and the tag on her wrist.<br /> <br />"This, this is nothing. This doesn't prove a thing. Listen, miss... what's your name?"<br /><br />Without missing a beat, the doll responded.<br /><br />"Well the tag says Annie Doll, but I need an owner to give me a proper name. Aaaand, that reminds me... You seem sweet... I don't know... could you maybe be my owner?"<br /> <br />Again, Jacob's heart fluttered for a passing second before he came back down to reality. Dropping the doll's hand, letting it flop back down into her lap, Jacob sighed. This was going nowhere.<br /> <br />"Look, Annie, or whatever your real name is. This has been fun, but come on. You're a real person, not some doll sitting on a shelf with some other toys. Its not even subtle, I mean look at you! No one, and I mean no one, would ever fall for-" <br />Seemingly from out of nowhere, Jacob heard a new voice chime in.<br /> <br />"Hi there, can I help you find anything?"<br /><br />Shooting upright, Jacob almost jumped, quick to turn to face the voice. There, just down the aisle, was the curly haired cashier girl from the front of the shop. She slowly made her way towards him, a humorous grin on her face as she glanced back down the aisle towards him. With a lighthearted tone of voice, she spoke up again.<br /> <br />"Sorry, I know most shoppers like to be left alone, but I heard your voice and you sounded... frustrated? Were you talking to someone back here?"<br />'Finally, a sane person,' Jacob thought, letting his shoulders relax as she approached. Quick to respond, he looked to the cashier with relief.<br /> <br />"Hi, yeah sorry about that. I'm actually glad you're here, I was just-"<br /><br />At that, Jacob motioned towards the girl he had been talking to on the shelf, but as he turned to face her, it was as if the doll had never moved. She was back in the same, inanimate pose he had original found her in, at first glance fitting right in with the other toys at the shelf.<br /> <br />'Shit.' He thought, rolling his eyes. In a split second, he began to think over how to explain the insane-sounding situation he had found himself in to the cashier, but before he could even begin to explain, he heard the cashier's voice chime in in a sing song voice.<br /> <br />"Awwww!!" She expressed, and without a second thought, the girl walked up to the doll on the shelf and picked her up as if it was nothing.<br /> <br />Jacob's jaw dropped. Dumbfounded, he looked to the display happening in front of him. There, the cashier, &nbsp;who was barely 5'3" and with no muscle on her, had just picked up the girl by her underarms and lifted her off the shelf into the air like she weighed nothing at all.<br /><br />Now in the girl's hands, the doll drooped playfully in her grasp as if she really was just an oversized rag doll, maintaining the same unwavering expression and her arms and legs swaying gently. For a split second, Annie's eyes locked with Jacob's, the doll shooting him a wink that the cashier didn't seem to notice, as if to silently tell him 'I told you so!' before returning to her inanimate state.<br /> <br />"So this is who you were chatting with, right?" The cashier continued playfully, letting Annie fall from her elevated position into a loose hug, the doll now dangling over her forearms between the two of them. After a moment of hesitation, Jacob answered with honesty, albeit with disbelief.<br /> <br />"Uh.. yeah. Yeah I was." He was about to ask how she had just lifted a grown woman into the air, but before he could the cashier responded with laugh, taking his answer as a joke.<br /> <br />"Well you've got a good eye! Dolly here has been waiting on that shelf for weeks now; kids take her down to play with her and the other toys once in a while, but as you can probably tell, no one ever buys her. I wonder why... maybe she's just waiting for the right owner!"<br /><br />Through the disbelief and confusion, that sentence seemed to stick with Jacob. For a moment, it was as if he could see a time-lapse of Annie there on the shelf as the weeks went by, sitting there day and night as the other toys around her were bought and brought home, but never her. He actually felt a bit bad for the toy, and that's when it clicked.<br /> <br />"So... you're saying she's really just a doll?"<br /><br />Giving Jacob a half-cocked grin, the cashier let out another laugh before looking at him with a raised eyebrow. <br />"Haha, uhh yeah! Of course she is. I get she's a little more well made than most toys, but come on, did you see her and think there was a real girl sitting on the shelf? That'd be crazy."<br /> <br />Before he could protest, or even try to explain the conversation he had with the toy moments before, the cashier playfully hoisted Annie up and tossed her to Jacob. For a split second, Annie was in freefall, her limbs flopping each way like a true rag doll, until by instinct alone, Jacob caught the doll mid air in a hug. What he felt confirmed it all: in his hands, he felt the soft give of cotton and stuffing. He wasn't holding a real girl, she really was a stuffed doll. <br />"See? Just a toy" The cashier continued with a giggle, Jacob's surprise giving way to a chuckle in response.<br /> <br />"Yeah, yeah I guess you're right," he confessed. He knew he still should have been confused, or rejecting that anything that was happening was any more than a realistic dream, but with Annie in his arms, her stuffed frame weighing on his hands for support, Jacob felt a relaxed comfort he hadn't felt in what seemed like years. The cashier seemed to notice this, and with the same coy smile, she spoke up.<br /><br />"By the way, she's on sale. Sooo... wanna take her home? She could use a good owner."<br /> <br />Pausing for a moment, Jacob held the doll out at arm's length, the life sized toy dangling in his grasp between him and the cashier. Looking to her expression, it was the same dollish look she always had on, but in that moment her eyes seemed to ask him sincerely: "...Please?" At that, he still felt that he might have gone a bit insane, but he didn't care. Pulling Annie back into his grasp and looking to the cashier, he responded.<br /><br /> <br />"Yeah, I'll take her."<br /><br />---<br />Checking out was easy enough, though it was a bit silly looking as the cashier girl sat up Annie on the counter by the register, the doll looking off contently at the store that was once her home as her new owner paid $20 for her (plus tax of course.)<br /> <br />As the crisp bill exchanged hands, now it was Annie's cotton-filled chest that fluttered. That was it: she had officially been purchased. She finally had the owner she waited for for so long.<br /><br />A moment later, Annie felt as a familiar pair of strong hands lifted her off the counter and tucked under one arm, hearing as Jacob thanked the cashier before making his way to the door. For a split second, Annie's drooping gaze met with the eyes of the cashier, who gave her a warm smile and a wave.<br /> <br />As she watched the pair leave the store, Alice, the cashier, couldn't help but find herself grinning as she went back to her book. She had known the whole time that Annie was more than just another stuffed toy on the shelf. After all, she'd been working at Wonderland for years, and had seen (and made) more than a few magic or living toys pass through those doors over that time. But, it was always more fun to play coy with customers like Jacob, and it was for good reason too: without a bit of encouragement, he may have never left the store with his new doll. After all, he was just the right owner for her, and deep down Alice knew that he needed a doll like that just as much as she needed him. <br />---<br />Jacob wasn't quite out of the fire yet; walking out of the shopping mall with a life-sized rag doll dangling under his left arm, he definitely attracted more than a few passing glances or looks of amusement from the crowd around him. He was a bit embarrassed, just as he had been when he originally entered the store, but just as he was getting a bit red in the face he heard a gentle giggle come from the doll under his arm.<br /> <br />"Relax, owner. I can feel your heart racing from here!" She whispered to him before going back to her inanimate rag doll act. Hearing her call him owner, Jacob's heart fluttered for another moment before he calmed down, giving the doll a gentle squeeze as he repositioned her under his arm.<br /> <br />"Just hope that we don't bump into anyone I know here. Otherwise you're officially a birthday gift for my niece." He whispered back from the corner of his mouth, yielding another giggle from the rag toy.<br /> <br />"See? I told you you were funny."<br /><br /><br />After speedwalking out to his car and loading Annie into the back seat, Jacob breathed a sigh of relief as he started his drive home. He had originally come to the mall that day to get some other stuff, but as he occasionally glanced in his rear view mirror and caught the occasional glimpse of Annie, flopped onto her side and as inanimate as any normal doll would be, he had never been so glad to have been sidetracked. <br />Pulling into his apartment block, Jacob quickly scooped the doll up over his shoulder and after doing a quick check to make sure he wasn't about to bump into one of his neighbors, carried Annie up the stairs to his place.<br /> <br />Finally, in the security of his apartment, Jacob let out a long sigh of relief. For a moment he just leaned there against the wall by his door, Annie drooping in his arms, before a second later the realization of everything that had occurred rushed back to him.<br /> <br />"Oh... wow..." He mumbled out loud, reviewing the events of that afternoon in his head. Did he really just buy a living doll?<br /><br />Not waiting a second longer, he kicked off his shoes, half running to his bedroom with Annie bouncing with each bound he made. Almost jumping onto his bed, Jacob was quick to prop up Annie against the pillows on his backboard, laying her out as if she was a toy posed on a kids bed, which wasn't too far from the truth. <br />After positioning her just right, Jacob ran his hand along the doll's cloth chin, leaving her in a pose not unlike the one he originally found herself in in the toy store. At that, he backed away to the foot of the bed, taking a second to admire the doll laid out in front of him. He almost expected her to spring to life like before, but unlike the toy shop, Annie sat as inanimate as ever.<br /><br />A moment passed, then another, until eventually the silence of the room built an uneasy tension between Jacob and his new doll. Confused yet again, he inched towards her atop his bed before speaking up.<br /> <br />"Uh.. hello? You ok?" he started, enduring another few moments of silence before he waved a hand in front of her gaze. <br />Nothing; the doll didn't react. It was as if she was never alive, just as inanimate as any other toy. <br />At that, Jacob fell to the bed with a groan, putting his hands on his head as he lay beside the doll he just bought. If he hadn't questioned his sanity before, he certainly was now. Out loud, he began lamenting.<br /><br />"I couldn't have imagined all that... maybe there was a gas leak in the store? Or maybe-" Before he could finish, he could hear the sound of a light, warm laughter. Dropping his hands from his face and shooting up, he saw Annie half kneeled over giggling to herself. Through her laughing fit, she spoke up.<br /><br />"You should have-," she paused, still chuckling. "You should have seen the look on your face! I got you soo good."<br /> <br />In a split second, Jacob felt a rush of relief, then frustration, but inevitably he found himself falling back to the bed beside the doll, laughing himself.<br /> <br />"Oh you jerk," He replied, playfully tackling the living doll, who was still in the middle of laughing at her prank.<br /> <br />Rolling across the comforter with her in his arms, he eventually stopped right near the edge of the bed, the two of them still chuckling with Jacob on his back and Annie now sprawled out on top of him. All of a sudden though, he felt as the doll wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, or at least as tightly as a stuffed toy could manage. She was finally home. Feeling the same, deep comfort he had before in the toy shop, he returned the affection, the pair enjoying the relief for a few moments before Jacob spoke up.<br /> <br />"So... this is real then? I have so many questions... like can you always move around like this? Or is it just in front of me? Do you go inanimate in front of other people? Were you always like this or did someone make you with magic or something? And-"<br /><br />At that, Jacob felt at the doll propped herself up, rolling her eyes before giving him a kiss on the cheek. All at once, the questions stopped, a familiar shade of red coming over Jacob's face. 'Did... did she just kiss me?' He thought. Leaning in, Annie spoke up.<br /> <br />"You think too much. Just enjoy it; we have all the time in the world for your questions later. After all, you own me now... Besides, right now we have more important things to do."<br /><br />In anticipation of what she meant by that, Jacob watched at the doll got up off of him and the bed and trotted over to his desk to grab something. A moment later, the rag doll jumped back onto the bed, positioning herself on her knees and facing away from Jacob.<br /> <br />"Owner, can you undo the back of my dress please?"<br /> <br />If his face wasn't red before, it certainly was now. Sitting himself up, he looked to the doll with a look of surprise, but as the moment passed, Annie looked back to him and his embarrassed expression. Rolling her eyes and letting out a playful scoff, she spoke up once more.<br /> <br />"Relax, I'm not that kind of doll. Just trust me, please?"<br /> <br />At that, Jacob hesitantly approached the doll, seeing a long concealed zipper running down the back of her dress. Resting one hand on the doll's frame and another on the zipper itself, he slowly unzipped the back of the girl's dress. He didn't have to go far though, stopping as something popped out from underneath before he had even brought it down to her lower back.<br /> <br />There, at the base of the doll's neck, was a small tag sewn onto her cloth skin. Guiding a hand along the doll's back, he took the tag in hand, reading it aloud:<br />"This ______ doll is the property of _______. If Lost please return to _________"<br /><br />At that, Annie lifted up a black sharpie in one hand, looking back over her shoulder to hand it to him.<br /> <br />"Well, I did say I needed an owner to give me a proper name, right?"<br /><br />For a second, he paused to think. He had never named anything before, let alone something as important as the living doll sitting in front of him on the bed. Holding the doll's tag in his hand for a moment longer, he eventually popped the cap off the sharpie and filled in the blanks. If the rag doll could hold her breath, she would have, waiting in anticipation as her owner finished writing and spoke up with her new name.<br /> <br />"Jane. 'This Jane Doll is the property of Jacob. If Lost please return to-" Before he could finish, the rag doll flopped backwards, falling into Jacob's lap before looking up to him.<br /> <br />"Jane... I like it. I really like it, owner."<br /><br />And that was it. Jane finally had a name. Though she had one in her life before she was a doll, Jane seemed to fit her even better, short and sweet (just like her, she mused.) She finally had a bed to be propped up on instead of waiting tirelessly on the shelf with the other toys. And most importantly, she finally had an owner she could make happy.<br /> <br />"So, what now?" Jacob asked honestly. He still had a lot of questions, but for now he'd be satisfied with just that one answered.<br /> <br />"Now?" Jane started, sitting back up before taking Jacob by the hands and guiding him towards the head of the bed.<br /> <br />"Now, you need a nap. I can feel how exhausted you are from here owner. Come on, what kind of doll would I be if I didn't help my owner get some rest?"<br /><br />Admittedly, he was exhausted. After the rabbit hole he had tumbled down today, the excitement and confusion of it all, he felt like he could sleep for a week. Luckily, he had a new pillow. Taking the lead, Jane let out a little giggle as she felt Jacob wrap one arm around her waist, pulling her under the covers with him before pressing the doll to his chest, her stuffing compressing slightly in his grasp as she immediately felt his body hear course through her. With his face half buried in her chest, Jacob spoke up one last time before dozing off. <br /><br />"My name is Jacob by the way... you do like calling me owner though, don't you?"<br /><br />Feeling in a state of almost bliss as her new owner used her as a body pillow, quick to wrap herself around him as well before going inanimate, Jane responded genuinely.<br /> <br />"Yeah, I really do."<br /><br /><br />To be continued.....?