Double Spell

THE DOLL The twins found the doll on a cold wet Saturday in early spring. They found it in an antique shop, which was odd because neither Jane nor Elizabeth had ever thought of going into an antique shop before. At age twelve, they didn't think much about dolls anymore, either. And yet, on this rainy Saturday morning, they did both. They were hurrying up Yonge Street, already late home, not paying much attention to anyone or anything they passed, when suddenly they stopped. Both at once, as though they'd been jerked by an invisible cord. They turned, splashed across the sidewalk, and stared into the window of a little shop. ANTIQUES, DOLLS MENDED, it said in scratched gold letters across its front. In the window there were old books, bits of tarnished jewelry, china dolls' heads, old cups and the little wooden doll. The doll was about seven inches high, with arms that stuck straight out from its sides. Its clothes were a dress and bonnet of a bygone time, tattered and faded to a soft pink-brown color. Its feet were a pair of black velvet boots with most of the velvet gone. The paint was worn from its face and chipped in spots. Except for its eyes, which were still a deep and shining blue, the doll was a neglected and forlorn little thing. Not a beauty in any way. What was it about the doll? Jammed between a dusty green glass bowl and a broken clock, it was hard to see. But the twins had seen it, it had stopped them, pulled them, and held them spellbound. For quite a while, they stood and stared. People bumped past. Rain drizzled uncomfortably down the necks of their yellow slickers and into the tops of their boots. Still they stood. "Let's go look," Elizabeth said finally, walking toward the shop entrance. "We promised to go home and baby-sit William," Jane remembered. "We only need to stay a minute." Elizabeth's foot was already on the doorstep. Usually it was sensible Jane who prevailed but this time, probably because she wanted to so badly, she followed her sister. Inside, the shop was dark and dusty but warm. All the twins could see at first were vague shapes that turned out, in a minute or two, to be high-backed chairs, bedsteads, tables, and more of the things that cluttered the window. From somewhere at the back, a woman appeared "sort of like a fairy godmother right up out of nowhere," Elizabeth said later when she was telling William about it. She was little and old like the doll and seemed to belong to the shop. "How do you do," she said, and Elizabeth was encouraged by her warm smile. "We ... we'd like to see the little doll please," she stammered. Elizabeth didn't usually stammer. She felt strange and nervous. "Which doll is it?" asked the woman. "We have quite a few as you can see." And, now they could see, the twins noticed that one whole long wall was covered with shelves full of dolls. Jane took charge. "It's the one in the window. That one." She walked over and pointed to the straight back of the window doll. "Oh," the woman sounded regretful, "I'm afraid that one isn't for sale. It's quite old, you see. I use it just for show." Elizabeth felt she had to hold the doll, if only once. "Could we look at it in here, just for a minute," she pleaded. "I don't see why not." The twins watched breathlessly as the woman reached into the window case, lifted the doll out, and put it carefully into the two pairs of hands stretched out. Their fingers touched the face gently, straighLunn, Janet is the author of 'Double Spell' with ISBN 9780887766602 and ISBN 0887766609.