5.26.06

Kirsten is an 18-inch tall girl from Sweden, who grew up on the American frontier. And she loves presents! This one came from my mom, all the way from Ohio.

"What is it, what is it?" Kirsten asked.

She opened it up, and...

"Wow!" Kirsten said. "It's a clothes trunk! With lots of assorted handmade clothes from no particular time period inside!"

"My mom says the lady at the antique store said the trunk was from the '30s," I said. "Though I'm not sure about that."

Kirsten made a face. "I hope it's not! Mini Kit came from the '30s. I'll say it's from the 1850s, OK?"

Kirsten threw propriety to the wind and put on the jacket, which just fit her. "Aren't I stylish?" she said. "Now make me a skirt!"

"Uh, no," I said.

"This is kind of a silly dress," Mini Kit said, laughing.

Kirsten laughed too. "Well, I won't fit into it, so you can have it!"

"If no one else is wearing this, I'd kind of like it," a little voice said.

"Yeah, I really don't like it," Mini Kit said.

"And it won't fit me," Kirsten said.

Kirsten and Mini Kit paused...

"What?" Mini Kit and Kirsten both said at once.

The little doll looked down sheepishly. "I know it doesn't fit very well, and if you want it, you can have it..."

"Who *are* you?" Kirsten asked.

"You can call me Mini Nellie, miss," the tiny doll said.

"Where'd you come from?" Mini Kit asked.

"I think it was someplace like the Amazon," Mini Nellie said, scratching her head.

"Cheap lady!" Kirsten yelled at me. "You could've bought a new dress for me instead of another mini doll! Now she and Mini Kit are going to gang up on me!"

"And you won't play with me so much now that you have another mini doll!" Mini Kit objected.

"I'm not trying to be a bother," Mini Nellie insisted.

"Kirsten," I said, "I just bought you a dress, and you like it so much you haven't changed out of it!"

"Right," Kirsten said sarcstically. "It has nothing to do with you being too lazy to change my clothes."

"And Mini Kit, you just had a really big adventure!" I added. "How can you think I won't like you?"

Neither doll looked very happy.

"I'm really sorry, Miss Mini Kit, Miss Kirsten," Mini Nellie said. "I promise I won't get in the way." And she wordlessly went back to the trunk and started putting clothes away.

"I'll clean up," I said. "You dolls go have some fun."

Somehow, all three of them climbed up onto the mantel.

"Hey!" Mini Kit said. "Look at this flag! Kirsten, it reminds me of you!"

"Why?" Kirsten said. "Because it's so folksy and lovingly made?"

"No," Mini Kit said. "Because it only has eleven stars."

"I'm not that old!" Kirsten yelled.

"Miss Mini Kit, that wasn't very nice," Mini Nellie said.

"Hey, I didn't say she was older than Kaya or Felicity," Mini Kit said. "Eek!"

Kirsten picked Mini Kit up and shoved her into a basket.

"Let me out!" Mini Kit cried.

"Miss Kirsten, that's not very nice either," Mini Nellie said.

"Hmph," Kirsten said, walking away.

"Oh my," Mini Nellie said. "What a strange household this is."

 

Mini Kit finally got free from her basket prison, but later, something terrible happened to Kirsten.

The baskets attacked!

"Help me, Maggie!" Kirsten called.

The cat showed only mild interest.

"Help!" Kirsten screamed. "HELP!!!"

One of the baskets tried to swallow her. "HMMMMMMMM!!!" Kirsten screamed, her mouth full of basket liner.

And then she woke up.

"This picture would be a lot more dramatic if I had a bed," Kirsten said. "Or a nightgown. Or at least a blanket."

But then she had another thought. "That was terrible to just DREAM of being eaten by a basket! It must be even worse to actually be trapped inside one!"

Kirsten went over to the chair that Mini Kit was sleeping in. Mini Nellie cleared her little throat and gently said, "Miss Kirsten..."

"What?" Kirsten asked.

Mini Nellie softly said, "Miss Mini Kit asked me to stay up and guard her so you don't attack her while she's sleeping."

"And you did what she told you to?" Kirsten asked incredulously.

"I'm just happy to help," Mini Nellie said. "I can make sure Miss Mini Kit doesn't take revenge on you while you're sleeping, if you want me to."

Kirsten blinked. "No...I can protect myself," she said. "Can I just get by? I promise I won't hurt Mini Kit."

Mini Nellie searched Kirsten's eyes, and then stepped aside.

Kirsten whispered, "Mini Kit, I'm sorry I stuffed you into that basket."

And then she tucked Mini Kit under her blanket. "Good night, Mini Kit," she said softly.

Mini Kit mumbled softly in her sleep, and Mini Nellie smiled.

"Now," Kirsten added, looking up at me, "would you please buy me a Sari doll?"

 

 

(I really hate to see anything bad happen to sweet Mini Nellie. But if you want to see, you can check the outtakes. You terrible person.)

On to 6.4.06 

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