Originally uploaded 10.9.08 for AGFMB
Made public 10.18.08
First off, if you read the previous adventure with the squirrel and it seemed to cut out abruptly at the appearance of the squirrel (or at the video), please go back and see if it's working now. I didn't test it after I uploaded, so some browsers may have had problems. Sorry. :(
OK!
Kirsten is an 18-inch-tall girl from 1854, Nellie is an 18-inch-tall girl from 1906, and May is an 18-inch-tall girl from the 1920s. Mini Kit is a 6-inch-tall doll from 1934.
And one day, Nellie went missing!
"Hm," Kirsten said. "I haven't seen Nellie all day. Have you?"
May paid Kirsten no attention at all. "Come here, Sammy," she coaxed, holding out an enticing Cheez-It cracker.
"May!" Kirsten shouted. "Mini Kit!"
The yell startled May. She dropped her cracker, and the squirrel got away.
"For crying out loud, Kirsten!" May said. "Why'd you have to go and scare Sammy?"
"You named that rat?" Kirsten retorted.
"It's not a rat!"
"Hold on," Mini Kit said. "Where's Nellie?"
"That's what I've been trying to figure out," Kirsten replied. "That Cheap Lady didn't take her away, did she?"
"I doubt it," May said. "I saw Nellie using that fancy typewriter, and she seemed upset. Then I found that piece of floor-food and decided to try to lure Sammy back out. When I looked up, she was gone."
Kirsten got up. "Well, wherever she is, I should find her!"
I walked into the room. "Find who?"
"Cheap Lady!" Kirsten said. "Nellie's missing! Where did she go?"
"Oh dear," I said. "She must have heard the news."
"What news?" Kirsten swallowed. "She's not sick or anything, is she?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that." I sighed. "American Girl just said that Samantha's collection is being 'archived.'"
"What does that mean?" Kirsten asked.
"Come on," I replied, avoiding the question. "Let's go find her."
We didn't have to go far...
...before Kirsten found her in my bedroom. "Nellie!" she called.
Nellie looked surprised to see us.
"Miss Cheap Lady!"
"What are you doing in there?" I asked.
"I heard that I was being archived," she murmured.
"I thought I'd save you the trouble of filing me away and do it myself."
"Nellie!" I said. "That's not what archiving means."
"Yes, it is," Nellie said. "'To archive' means 'to file or collect in or as if in an archive.' I looked it up and everything. It's all right, Miss Cheap Lady. I'm comfortable in here."
I didn't know what to say, especially since no one really knows what American Girl means by "archiving." But Kirsten didn't waste any time.
"If you're going to insist on being archived..."
"...then so am I!"
"Miss Kirsten!" Nellie said. "That's silly."
"Help me into a file folder, now," Kirsten said.
"But you're not being archived," Nellie replied.
"No, I'm not," Kirsten said. "But neither are you. I don't care if American Girl says that Samantha and Nellie are being archived, or retired, or being sent away in a rocket ship so that little alien girls can play with them and expand Mattel's audience. You are our Nellie and you are going to stay with us. Miss Cheap Lady will take care of you and everything will be okay."
Nellie blinked hard. "But...American Girl says I'm just part of Samantha's collection. And Miss Cheap Lady can't afford Samantha. Why would she even want to play with me?"
"You're not just part of Samantha's collection," I said. "Not to me, anyway. You're my special Nellie, and I wouldn't trade you for...for...for Kirsten's whole collection!"
"Really?" Nellie asked.
Kirsten considered for just a moment--it would be nice to have her whole collection....but she shook her head. "Even I wouldn't trade you for my whole collection, Nellie. Will you come out of the archives now?"
Nellie accepted Kirsten's help out, and they went back to join the others.
"Nellie!" May called, thrilled to see her friend again.
"Welcome back," Mini Kit said, not taking her eyes off of her swordfighting partner/May's mohair cat.
"I'm sorry I frightened you," Nellie said. "I just heard I was being archived, and I don't even know what that means. It's...scary."
"There are lots of scary things going on right now," May said. "But we'll get through it all together."
Nellie blinked. "We? Miss May, you don't know about retirement."
"Don't I?" May asked. "Some people would say that American Girl gave me the bum's rush, since you can't buy dolls that look like me anymore."
"I...hadn't noticed," Nellie said.
"And don't forget Pegleg Sally!" Kirsten added. "She's pretty special too, even though she's retired!"
Nellie found herself in very good company!
She couldn't help but be scared of being "archived," even if it hadn't happened yet. But as long as she was with people who cared about her, she knew that everything would be okay.
On to 10.20.08