Take Us Home

These were hard times. Carolyn pulled up in the small blue Corsica with her daughter Mandolyn at the Salvation Army. She parked close to the door because it was raining and shut the engine off. It sputtered and then went silent. She let out a deep breath and looked brightly at her daughter and said,"We're here!" She was trying to make it fun. She never imagined that she would be school shopping for her five-year-old daughter at a Salvation Army, but with Jacob getting laid off from the factory, hard times made things necessary that she never thought she would experience.

"Stay close by," she admonished Mandolyn, "I'll get you some cute dresses for school and, if you're good, we'll pick up a toy before we leave. Please, just stay near me, there's a lot of people here today."

She surveyed the parking lot and the women rummaging around inside the double doors. The little girl looked up at her Mom and smiled. This was an adventure to her.

Carolyn headed over to the little girl's section. It looked like a tornado had passed through already and still items were being placed on tables or laying crumpled on top of racks. This was going to be a chore.

Mandolyn went with her mother and stood quietly for a while surveying the crowds. There were a couple of other children, but they were infants in old shopping carts. There was an end of summer clearance bag sale going on, so a lot of baby clothes were getting thrown into carts by women who looked tired and wore clothing that had seen better days.

After a few minutes of standing close to her mother, Mandolyn grew bored and wandered over to the wall where she saw a few toys and a bicycle. She always wanted a new bicycle. Carolyn was busy trying to find Mandolyn size clothes and didn't notice her daughter wander off. Mandolyn reached the corner of the store where two baby dolls sat on a metal shelf alone. For a moment, she stared quietly at the hodgepodge of toys. She was all by herself and enjoying touching various toys that looked overloved. Suddenly, she heard a whisper and looked around. It was the voice of a young child.

"Mandolyn?" the voice said, "we are here."

Mandolyn looked up and around her, but didn't see anyone so she went back to looking at the toys on the lower shelf. It had small kitchen toys, a bowl and a mixer and even an old Easy Bake Oven.
She decided that she would ask her mother for the oven. She wasn't allowed to cook in the kitchen but she always wanted to make little cookies and cakes like she saw on TV. She heard a whisper again, "Mandolyn, we're here."

This time she looked straight up at the dolls. She liked the little doll with the red hair. She reached up to touch her foot and it moved, she was surprised by the movement so she let her hand drop like she'd touched something hot. This time, the blonde doll turned its head to face her. The dolls lips didn't move but the voice in her head was unmistakabley coming from the doll. "We're glad you came. It's time for us to go home. Please make sure to get us out of here. We want to go home."

Mandolyn was a sweet girl and she liked to be home, too. She never experienced voices in her head before, but they seemed okay. She did not feel frightened. She looked back down at the Easy-Bake Oven. She picked up one of the little pans and the mixing bowl. They were bright blue and pink. "Please," said the little redhead with glowing red eyes, "we really need to go home now."

Mandolyn looked back up and smiled slightly, "I would really like the Easy-Bake Oven," she explained.

"Look for one at Christmas." said the blonde doll with a red stare, "just ask your mother to buy us and take us home.

"I will ask her. I need to go back over there because she told me to be good."

When she made her way back to her mother, she tugged at her mother's skirt. Her mother's arms were full of second-hand dresses and some warm pants and even a pair of shoes, a small coat and a pair of boots that didn't look worn at all.

Carolyn looked down at her daughter, a bit distracted, still fondling a little blouse with small butterflies and flowers that she knew Mandolyn would look cute in. She added it to her pile, mentally calculating what it was going to cost at the register. This was the last selection.

"Okay sweetheart, we can go pick out your toy now. What would you like?"

"There are two little dolls the shelf that need to go home with us. Can I have them both, Mama?"

Carolyn looked down at her daughter, troubled, and said, "I'm sorry sweetheart, I don't have much money left, you'll have to pick one thing that you want."

"Okay," Mandolyn said. She walked over to the shelf and when she got there, one of the dolls was missing. The only one left was the blond doll with the red eyes. She picked up the little doll and she tucked her safely under her arm and walked back to her mother.

"This is what I want," she said, producing the doll. Carolyn was alarmed at the little blond doll in her daughter's arms with a red stare. "No, sweetheart, you don't want that doll! What about that little oven over there?"

"No Mommy, can't I just take the dolly home?" Carolyn shook her head, "I will buy you the oven. I promise you, we'll get you a new doll for Christmas."

Mandolyn carried the doll slowly back to the shelf and set her down.

"I'm sorry little girl. I can't take you home." The doll whispered to her. "Tell Carolyn my name is Sandy." And then the doll spoke no more.

Mandolyn picked up the Easy-Bake oven with the bowl and mixer and walked to the register.

As Carolyn and Mandolyn were leaving the parking lot, the rain came down harder and Carolyn had the windshield wipers on going full speed. In the distance they heard loud thunder claps and a bolt of bright lightning struck. It lit up the landscape close to home. Mandolyn looked at her mom and said, "the little dolls really wanted to come home. The little blond doll said to tell you that her name is Sandy."

Carolyn's head whipped over to face her daughter and her face was blanched white, hair prickled at her neck's nape as she sucked in her breath. "Who told you about Sandy?

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 by @wandrnrose7

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