Tinkerbell, Clockwork, and Lionheart waited patiently at the bottom of the staircase, waiting for the march of tin feet to stop.
“Where are we going?” The pixie whispered. The cool night air blew across her legs and sent little shivers through her short body. She liked the sensation, as it kept her mind from falling back into the spell’s trap.
“There’s a closet in Dr. Coppelius’ room that has all the magic artifacts he uses to transform people into dolls and control his toys. We’re going to bust them all up.”
Tinkerbell gripped Lionheart’s arm. “Wait, could that make us stuck like this? I like my body and all, but I’d rather be looking at it than being in it.”
“It’s a possibility.” Clockwork said. She took careful steps and started to go up the stairs. “But if we do it right, it won’t be a problem.”
“Hang on, babe.” Lionheart took a giant step to the front and crouched, his gun glowing. “You girls stay behind me.” The dolls kept a watchful eye around, but all of the other toys were cooped inside the playroom, readying to play. The superhero pushed open the door to their owner’s room, scanning the area with his gun before stepping inside. They let the hall light filter in to see their way to the closet before closing the door again.
Tinkerbell thoughtfully turned on a bedside lamp that cast a touch of light while Clockwork slid open the closet doors. The closet wasn’t big at all, only large enough to fit a dresser and small table, both of which were covered by a dozen magic talismans in total.
“So pretty. Can I play with them?” Tinkerbell cooed, bouncing on her toes.
Calliope sorted through the racks of clothes, not particularly interested in them. Her mind kept going back to the red headed woman who came into the room earlier tonight; the red headed woman whose curiosity drove her to play with the jester toy. Who's playfulness let that same jester dress her up.
Calliope looked over to the red jester, busy digging through the opposite rack of clothes. There was something missing about her. She was too simple. Calliope had seen all the little aspects of Emily that made her who she was, and Jewel lacked most of them. She just wanted to play and didn't have the inquisitiveness or the responsibility of Emily. Jewel could only play pretend, and Calliope wanted a doll with a real personality.
The other toy looked over to the jester and waved her pretty cloth fingers at her. "I can't take my costume off." She pulled at her pointed collar and her skin was pulled with it. "I can't be a curious kitty."
Calliope was about to reply when the door burst open. Mary came tumbling into the room, rag legs over raghead. But her tumbling body couldn't be stopped and she jumped up on wobbly legs. "You must come quickly! They found Coppelia! And Swanhilda!" She didn't wait for a reply and rushed back out of the room. The jesters looked at each other excitedly, Jewel more so.
"What shall we do for the play, though?" The red jester asked.
Calliope looked to the corner and smiled. "I have an idea." She ran to the back and pushed a big box to the center of the room. It was brightly colored and had a big handle on the side.
"Oooh, what's that?" Jewel asked.
"Do you know what a Jack in the Box is?" Calliope replied, lifting the lid on the box. "You'll be Jack."
Jewel smiled happily and skipped to the box, and her jester twin helped her inside. "First, I put the toy inside the box." She closed the lid on her smiling partner. "Then, I get Emily to come back out." Calliope wiped a strand of cloth hair from her face. "Somehow."
Parker closed her eyes and tried not to think about her owner’s creepy stare. Her owner; the words popped into her mind as if they had always been there. She realized that she had long stopped thinking of herself as a person and started thinking of herself as a doll. That revelation broke through the spells woven into her body and her doll body wobbled. She started to fall to the ground, but an old body caught her.
Swanhilda opened her eyes and looked into her owner’s deep blue gaze. His smile was so soft and comforting. He brushed a hand across his doll’s pale wooden skin and started to put her back on her display.
“Please, give me a moment.” The doll said, softly holding onto her owner’s hand.
“A moment for what?”
Swanhilda glanced to Coppelia, now sitting once again at her window. “A moment before you turn me into a toy. I need to tell you something.”
Her owner shook his head and began to pose his doll.
“Please. I will be your perfect toy forever. Could you give me this one last minute? Please?” After a second’s deliberation, Swanhilda’s owner let her go.
“What do you need to say?” His toy sighed and sat down on her sweet music box pedestal, her knees knocked together and feet awkwardly pointed inwards. Her hands fell together and made a wooden clack, telling her and everyone else she was nearly a full doll. "Why can't I be real?" She asked.
"Eh?"
“I wanted friends. I wanted hobbies, and I wanted a life. But you - your spells wouldn't let me. They made me your perfect little girl."
"I don't understand? I never put a . . . Nevermind, that's enough out of you, Swanhilda." The old doctor motioned for his toy to stand up, but the toy looked back at him and didn't move.
"I'm not Swanhilda. And I'm not Parker, either, Dad." The blue dressed doll stood up and looked the doctor in his eye. "How can you not see? I know we look alike, but I would hope you could recognize your own daughter."
The old man was taken aback for a moment. He looked toward the window where he thought he left his dear Coppelia. She was standing now, her hands resting nervously on her tutu. Her eyes kept darting between Swanhilda and him. He noticed her nose was smaller and chin more square. Her hair, too, carried a bit of red in it. The old man's eyes softened and he looked back toward his daughter. He reached his hand out toward her cheek. "C - Coppelia?"
The doll struck his hand away. "My name is Sarah."
It took a moment of utter stillness before the old doctor reacted. His face contorted to rage and he grabbed his sweet doll by her hair.