Abandoned

[Mister] Aiden was not very good at hiding, and the edge’s of Holly Dolly’s lips tugged into a smile. The toy saw her [Owner’s] legs beneath the table cloth.

“Is Mister Aiden in the dining room?” She called out.

There was a giggle of a reply, but it shortened quickly. “Holly Dolly, Shut Down!” The little [Owner] shouted.

“Not fair!” Holly Dolly thought as the now familiar shutdown command locked up her muscles, forcing her limbs into a low-power, low-effort pose on the floor.

[Mister] Aiden crawled out from his very poor hiding spot and blew a raspberry. “Neener, neener!”

“Cheater!” Holly Dolly thought, realizing she had frozen with a truly happy smile. It made sense, though, because she loved to be played with. But that was the C&C Collar talking, trying to make her time as a doll enjoyable.

[Mister] Aiden was not finished playing yet, though. He pushed her shoulder hard, making Holly fall onto her back, her striped legs sticking straight in the air. And she could do nothing about it with all her muscles locked, making her more a figurine than a doll.

He left her there. For hours, she laid in the dining room alone, and simply waiting with the sounds of waves crashing playing in her mind.

“But, we weren’t done playing...” Holly Dolly thought. She hadn’t yet accepted that that wasn’t a decision a doll could make.

Escape

Her programming whispered that she shouldn’t do it. Holly Dolly was safe, taken care of, and would soon be returned to the care of her [Inventors]. She did not need to escape.

On the other hand, it was night, all Grace’s [Owners] were asleep, and she had been left outside her Toy Box, in the room next to the front door. She just needed to get around her Shut Down protocol that locked her body in a doll pose.

For the first time, Grace was grateful she had dealt with sleep paralysis from the time when she was a little [Doll]. It stopped as she grew older, but she never forgot that feeling of being paralyzed. Nor did she forget how to break out of it.

3...2...1...she counted down, preparing her body. She jerked her body from her feet to her shoulders, and like a spell, the Shut Down protocol ended.

[Malfunction: Unauthorized Activation. Additional Day added to Service]

“Owwwww.” Grace said, her head suddenly throbbing, only somewhat soothed by rubbing her soft mittens across her forehead.

[Malfunction: Unwarranted Speech. Additional Day added to Service]

She grimaced, sitting up in the pale blue light shining through the mansion’s front windows. The Collar was a problem. The collar was a huge problem, and Grace tried to take it off.

[Malfunction: Unauthorized Tampering. Additional Day added to Service]

“Oh, shut up.” Unfortunately, she couldn’t remove the damned thing; the plush sealing her hands was thick and specifically designed to stop her articulating her fingers. She’d have to find another way to remove the collar.

“Query: Where are the bots in the home?” Grace asked aloud while leaving the dining room.

[HD824 is not authorized to receive that information]

She rolled her eyes, but it made sense. Still worth the shot. The door was a bit of a puzzler, though. It had a latch and handle design that was difficult for Grace to manipulate. But with both mittens and some mechanical knowledge, the door came open.

The wide open world met her there, in the doorway. Cool air rustled her yarn hair, played with her dolly skirts. She stepped onto the patio, not knowing where to go, what to do, or even how to escape.

Grace only knew that she had to leave.