"You are a doll. Just a doll. You have not always been a doll, but you will be one for the rest of your life."

The voice saying these things came to Doll through the earpods she wore. It was the voice of her owner, a kind and good woman who turned Doll into what she was now. She whispered through the pods, comforting and controlling Doll.

The toy sat on a smallish blue chair made for a toy smaller than she was. She had one leg up on a stool. Her arms flopped down and almost touched the ground. She felt perfectly soft and perfectly happy, especially when she heard her owner's voice. The chair was in owner's closet -- it was a big closet -- surrounded by other, smaller toys. It made Doll happy to be with her friends.

"You are owned. You are my property. You are my lovely doll, now and forever."

Doll smile widened and she closed her eyes. She could practically feel owner caressing her red doll cheeks, or squeeze on her soft body. She wore the costume of a rag doll: a checkered country dress in pink with a little apron embroidered by strawberries. Green striped tights wrapped up her legs and made them soft and warm, with black buckle shoes made from tough cloth on her feet. Yellow yarn hair spilled from her pink cap and was pulled into cute tails on either side of her face.

"I made you to be perfectly soft and perfectly happy. To live as a perfect, happy, soft doll in my house. You are my lovely doll, now and forever."

Doll had a very strange moment. It seemed like her tummy sort of fell down. She caught her breath in a funny way right when owner mentioned house. Was this worry? Doll had never been worried, but if she had, she imagined it would feel something like this. But Owner took care of the house, or the apartment, as she called it sometimes. Whatever the difference was. Doll blinked. She remembered a piece of paper on Owners table. It was a piece of white paper with a big number on it. It was important.

She blinked. She remembered something Owner had said. About the piece of paper going to the office. If it didn't, Doll's house could be taken away.

Doll gulped. She heard owner's voice whisper in her ear. It gave her courage. Or, at least, comfort.

"You don't have to worry about a thing. Everything will be taken care for you, so you will always be my perfect little doll."

Except Owner -- Doll couldn't believe she even thought this -- had forgotten something! She had forgotten to give the piece of paper to the office. And since Owner wasn't here right now, that meant that Doll would have to help. She stood up from her blue seat with a big smile on her face. Doll was going to help Owner.

She walked to the kitchen where the paper was and found it. She picked it up with both mitten hands to make extra sure it didn't get away from her. Then she turned to the front door. It was big and white, and Doll had never walked through it. Only Owner had gone through the front door. Doll took a deep breath and opened the door. She stepped outside, and a wave of cool air wafted across her body. It would not deter Doll. She needed to do this, or her house would be taken.

Doll closed the door and then looked around. Somehow, she knew the exact way to the mythical office. Owner had done so much kind things for her. Now it was Doll's turn to do something kind for Owner. And she walked off into the great, big world.