Chapter 8 Grandma Lu Cleans Out Her Porch

 Bandit said, "Alright, Eleanor. Tell your story, but be quick about it. I just have a feeling that Grandma Lu will be coming out here to her sun porch since it's such a nice day." Anna and Sonja said, "But what about us? We have a story to tell too. Ours was a rough one, Anna said. People didn't treat us nice at all. Sonja agreed. We had it a lot worse than she did. Look at her in her fancy dress and booties. We have never been treated nice."

Bandit shushed them. "Now you listen to me. I, for one have seen pictures of you being treated very kindly at a lady's house out in the country. Grandma Lu took you out there. I have seen her showing your pictures to people."

"Isak and Kasper said, "Yes. We were there too. Grandma Lu had a grand time putting us on the couch in the living room and then in her office there. One day we found ourselves napping on her bed and sitting in her recliner. We never knew where we would end up when we were there. Anna said, "Yes, but remember we got kicked out of that house too. The lady didn't like us and told Grandma Lu to take us home with her." Sonja said, "Yes, that was a sad day. So that's when we found us out here on the sun porch to keep you off of the nice furniture, Bandit."

Bandit let out a soft growl. "I know. I like to sit on soft furniture, but she's so particular about not getting my fur on her new furniture. Anyway, you girls were on a ship years ago. I understand you are all three lucky to be back on solid ground." 

Eleanor said, "Well, I will have you know that  I escaped but I had grave injuries. My poor head got broken when the ship crashed.

"At least you got rescued with some of the children in the big lifeboats, we were tossed overboard in the freezing water when the ship hit that big ice berg. When people came to rescue the people we were scooped up to help ease the pain and calm the children that were being rescued.  We were cast aside though because we are made of wood and not comforting to a scared child."

"Who care about your feelings? I got a hole in my head and had to go to a doll hospital for months to recover my beautiful complexion. I got a whole new wardrobe, but while I was waiting I was so ashamed of having to wear a plain cotton dress. Terrible it was, just terrible. At least now I'm beautiful once again and can show off how lovely I look."

As the door to the porch opened all talking of dog and dolls ceased. The porch was quiet. One could hear the chirping of the birds that were eating the birdseed that always was waiting for their lunch through the open windows. Buzzing of the bumble bees and the humming of the hummingbirds always made Grandma Lu smile.

"Come here you pretty little girl, said Grandma Lu as she picked up Eleanor. You are getting pretty old. I guess I'd better put you someplace where you won't get dirty. I have a china cupboard that will keep the dust from getting on your pretty dress. Carole Anne would want me to keep you beautiful for the next little girl that gets to hold you.  She loved you so much and always kept you in a box. This way people can look at you and see how pretty you are. Come along. Eleanor watched with horror as she saw the china cupboard door open and saw where her home would be for who knew how long. She was doomed to loneliness. What good was a pretty dress and booties?

Bandit laid on the floor and watched Grandma Lu carry the doll into the house. "Well, I wonder if she's going to leave you four on the furniture. Her chair is empty now, but I'd better not jump up there until I  know it's safe."

Soon he found out that he had made a good decision. Grandma Lu came out to the porch carrying a black trash bag. "Okay you guys. I think that you have served your purpose. Bandit is being a good boy and doesn't jump on the furniture anymore, so you guys are going to the flea market. Maybe someone will have a use for you. I bought you from someone that didn't like you and sold you very cheap. I only bought you to write a story about you, but I can't think of one, So I don't need you guys anymore and I need to get rid of stuff I don't like or need. There you go! Isak, Kasper, Sonja and Anna found themselves in the darkness. Once again thrown away like trash. Even Grandma Lu didn't like them, just used them as a training tool for a dog! She wouldn't even write their story!

Would someone come and get them that would actually love them or were they destined to be bullied and treated badly. The trip to the flea market was a sad and quiet one.

Chapter 7 The Twin Sisters And A Dog Named Josie

 It seemed like those horses were always wandering away, he thought as he found them just on the edge of his and his twin sister's farm. Farm, ha if you could call it that. It was nothing but a bunch of grass, a big old dilapidated barn and a cabin made with logs and pieces of wood that they had pieced together. It did not look like a home and barely resembled a house. It was a monstrosity in his opinion, but the girls loved it and were constantly climbing up into the old hay mow like young boys. He was glad that their mother hadn't lived to see what those girls had turned out to be; well she  would be so ashamed of them. Tomboys; definitely not ladies. It's a wonder they weren't wearing men's pants and shirts.

He hated it out here in this wilderness. Some day he would be on his way to the city. His destiny would not be getting old on this piece of dirt and weeds. No he would not! He just knew that his horse, Juliette, was a winner. She was so beautiful; so perfect. He could see it now. He would be the star of the show in a huge arena where hundreds of people would be talking about him and his beautiful horse. Whoa!! What in the world is the matter, girl. What did you see? A gopher? What is that glow? Those other horses spook you? Don't worry about them. I've got some carrots in my pocket. They will follow us back to the corral. What is that down there in the weeds? Just a minute, girl. I'm going to get down and see what that is that had you so upset. Well, look at this. Two little wooden crosses and some old tattered hats. There are little hearts on the wood. I think I will take these up to the girls. Maybe they can figure out what they are and keep them out of the barn for a few minutes. He gathered them up and carried the sticks back up to the house.

Bandit said, "Well, so that young man saved you guys, huh? Did you have a good life there?

"Yes we did. An interesting life. The twin sisters, Ida and Emma took one look at us and knew that we were originally dolls. Well they just got busy and made us nice outfits and knitted us some new hats to wear. We were safe for many years.

Of course, all good things come to an end eventually. Those women sold the farm and moved into town. The new owners threw us and a lot of other things that they didn't want up into the hay mow. 

We had to scare off critters that were curious about us, but we survived in relatively good shape until the day that the new family got themselves a dog. Her curiosity was almost the end of us. The family had two boys and they found us and brought us to their mother. She was also very handy with a needle and thread and fixed our clothes. But nobody liked us, but the big dog; Josie. She constantly was using us as a chew toy and finally we were thrown in the trash sack to be taken to the local flea market. Isak and I thought there was still a gleam of hope that eventually someone would love us like the old man that made us so many years ago.

Eleanor said, "Okay. I've heard enough of your sad stories. I want to tell how terrible my story is. I barely survived! Anna and Sonja  agreed. They thought it was their turn as well.

Chapter 6 Two Wooden Crosses And Hearts Of Gold

 Kasper looked at Bandit and answered his question. "Did they have a dog? Everyone had a dog! It was the worst time of my life! We were sniffed and drug through the mud and the weeds. We got muddy and dirty, but most of all we were left to rot. Not one single person actually cared about us because we were so different. After a few years we lost all of the scent of humans on our clothes, so the critters didn't care to chew on what left of  our legs and arms. They left us alone, but there were others in the weeds and tall grasses that thought that the wood that we are made from was very tasty. There were ants and beetles that feasted on my neck. I can remember how they crawled up my sleeves to find the best part of the wood that the old man who lived by the sea made me from. The wood he chose was from a giant oak. It was hard wood that can withstand the weather. We ended up being two wooden crosses.

Isak said, "Yes, how I remember that too. The crickets and grasshoppers. They too nibbled on me. It didn't hurt me, but I figured that no human would ever want me again. My clothes were gone, but the one thing that we never lost was the heart that the old man carved into our chests, right, Kasper?"

"That's right. We never lost our heart, the love that he put in his work when he made us will last forever, no matter what clothes we wear. But remember the toad? Oh he was a noisy one, but in this case it was a good thing. He actually saved us with his noisy voice."

That toad had the longest stickiest tongue! He would sit still for what seemed like hours just staring at us. Then that tongue would flick out at us. I think he was scared of us. He made a sharp sound and puffed his belly all up. He probably was as scared of us as we were of him though, he chuckled.

Eleanor said, "Well, will you hurry up and finish your story? I'm the the one that should be feeling sorry for myself. I was so very beautiful in my day. Yes I was. I was well taken care of and was shown to the finest children of the very rich on board ship. No sticky hands on my beautiful lace booties. No rough housing either. Why I wouldn't have been caught anywhere looking like you two do. The very idea makes me sick. Then the disaster happened....

Sonja said, "Yes, disaster is the word that's for sure! I can remember like it was yesterday..."

Bandit said, "Like I said before, let the fellas finish their tale and then it's your turn. We really better get on with it before Grandma Lu comes back out to the porch. She will chase me out of here. So what happened, Kasper?"

Well there was this young fella out riding a horse. A horse that he had found grazing out in the field near where Isak and I were thrown. Well, that horse almost stepped on me! Me too, said Isak. That would have been the end of us, instead it was the beginning of a new and wonderful life for almost fifty years."

Chapter 5 The first evening

 Kasper continued with his story by saying "These folks had always lived in a fairly nice home in town. The mother liked things clean and orderly and taught her children to do the same. The only cooking they had ever done outside was never, he chuckled. The lady always cooked and baked in the fireplace. She could do wonders with very little food so her husband was convinced that they could survive in the wilderness without a problem. He would hunt for food along the way. He was very optimistic that things would be fairly simple although he was aware that being part of the wagon train was going to be very different. He could not imagine things going really wrong. The old doll said, "It seemed like from the very first night things started to go wrong. There were no windows or doors on the wagon. The little girls and their mother got themselves ready for the night inside the wagon while the girls' father checked the horses and made sure that they had food and water.  All four of them sleeping inside the wagon was possible, but it was going to be a tight fit. They had practiced laying just so that everyone would be the most comfortable. When he thought that everything was quiet for the night and his family was settled, he too, slipped inside the wagon for a good night's sleep. He and his family had a long hard day coming at sunrise.  He  climbed into the wagon as quickly and quietly as possible. He crawled up to the head of the wagon  and as he laid his head on one of the goose down pillows he let out a yell. "What in the world is in my pillow?"

Bandit growled a little and said, "Well, what was it? Was it a snake?" Kasper chuckled and said, "No it was me! And within about two seconds Isak was also flying through the air." 

"Oh the little girls' pa yelled. He thought the girls had put us in the wagon. Of course, he was wrong. The girls and their ma came out to see what the commotion was all about. The little girls grinned, but they were the only ones. Pa would not allow us to be part of their belongings. We were flung to the side of the road once more. It seemed being tossed about like trash was our destiny."

The next morning the wagon train started to move slowly heading south west towards their new home. They had no idea what or where they would live. The dolls watched as the wagon train moved slowly but surely leaving them to what Kasper and Isak thought would be forever.

Anna interrupted Kasper and said, "Well, we didn't have it much better on the ship. It was terrible."

Bandit growled and said, "You can tell your story when Kasper is done. I want to hear how they got here at Grandma Lu's house. By the way, did they have a dog?"

The Bullies Chapter 4 The Wagon Train

 Kasper cleared his throat and began a story that was hard to believe, but Bandit and the other dolls listened as their old-new friend began a story of hardship, but a beginning of a new and different life for them. "Yes, the ladies and the little girls took Sonja and Anna on the ship with them. We didn't think that we would ever see them again. One day a man saw us laying in the weeds. He picked us up and looked at us and shook the dirt from our clothes. Our clothes once again were very tattered and torn. He took us to a man that had a shack by the sea. He sold people things that they needed to take with them on board a big ship. His things were not very nice. They were things that he sold for more money than they were worth. The man that found us knew that. He showed us to the man and he shook his head and said, "Who would want such worthless dolls as these? None that I know of. "Throw them in the fire. That's all that they are good for."

 The man looked at us and decided that the shopkeeper was right. But he didn't throw us in the fire, he threw us in the back of a wagon. The kind of wagon that he threw us in was called a covered wagon. It had strong white material that kept the dirt and sun from getting in. It was called canvas. He never looked back to see where the wagon was going. What he didn't know was that the wagon was part of a wagon train. The wagons were loaded with food and all kinds of things that they would need on their way to where they were promised very cheap or even free land out west in the United States. The state they were in now was called New York.

A mother and two little girls had their things packed in the wagon. There was a spinning wheel in the back of the wagon along with their two dresses a piece, bonnets, aprons and some warm bedding. In the wagon was a trunk with some favorite pieces of china and a wedding dress, some dried flowers, and a journal. The quilts that the mother had made covered the china to keep it safe from breaking. In the trunk were pictures of relatives that the little girls could not remember, but their mother did. They found their mother looking at the pictures with tears in her eyes as she put them in the trunk to be packed. 

There were two pillows made with down from the geese that the mother had raised. There were two other pillows that were not nearly so soft and comfortable. They had been made from chicken down and some feathers were escaping the casing as they were thrown into the wagon.

Under the bedding was their mother's Bible. She read them stories from the Bible every evening before bedtime. They were even learning their letters from the Bible. Soon they would be able to read the stories by themselves. These were exciting times for the girls.

The girl's father said, "Alright we are all set.. I have gotten the trading done. We are to start out with the wagon train the first thing in the morning. So get yourselves into the wagon and get a good rest. Make sure the dishes and anything that might break be put in it's place. We don't want to lose anything. President Jefferson has purchased a great deal of land from the French for not much money. I am assured that we will be able to buy several acres of land for perhaps only $2 an acre when we get there. I am hoping that the rumors that I am hearing are true. They are saying that some of the land is even free. Times will be hard. We might get hungry and cold and too hot. But are you girls tough enough to make the trip with your Ma and I? The girls danced a jig and assured their father that they were indeed tough and anxious to start a new adventure. Little did they know that the adventures would start that very night.

The Bully Chapter 3 Bandit and the Dolls Tell Their Story

 Bandit looked around the porch looking at the dolls that Grandma Lu had put on the furniture. They were a sorry looking lot. He had not liked them from the beginning. He had heard that Grandma Lu hadn't liked them when she bought them from a young girl, but felt sorry for her. He heard her tell her husband that she looked like she needed the money. He was a bit miffed with Grandma Lu because she had put a doll on the chair that he liked to sit on. Grandma Lu had told him not to sit on that chair but it was so comfortable. The dolls weren't regular dolls. They didn't have any legs and some of them didn't have any eyes. Maybe he would just move that one so he could sit on that chair. He jumped down on the floor. At that very moment Grandma Lu came out on the porch and said, "Don't you get up in my chair, Bandit. Your chair is right over there."

Bandit watched as Grandma Lu sat in her favorite chair and looked out the window. For some reason she liked to watch the hummingbirds go to their feeders. He watched her as she got up and went into the house after hours of bird watching. How boring is that?

He quickly jumped up into her chair and said, "Alright, dolls. I know your story. Yeah, I know you have had it rough most of your life, but you've got it made in the shade here. That lady that lives here makes you follow the rules, but my favorite is her husband. He gives me treats whenever he thinks I want one. I'm pretty much the king of the castle around here, so you need to listen to me."

"The old man doll,  Kasper, said, "We have heard your story too. The people where you used to live didn't even like you and gave you away. They had a rope tied around your neck. You were just lucky Grandma Lu found you and brought you here. And what makes you think that you know our story, anyway?"

Kasper

"I know your story because Grandma Lu looked at pictures of you guys in the olden days. You guys are really old. Did you know that? An old man made you maybe a hundred years ago. Some bullies broke into his house and stole you then threw you away. So there!"

Anna spoke up and said, "I don't think I like you very much. Maybe you are a bully too!"

Anna

"I most certainly am not a bully. Bullies sometimes hurt people by punching them or in my case biting. I don't bite and I don't say anything mean either. I'm just telling the truth. The old saying is 'If the shoe fits' By the way your shoes don't fit. Why don't you have any legs?"

Bandit

Kasper looked at Isak and said, "He thinks he knows our story, but he doesn't know the half of it. If it's okay with you three I'll tell this nosy dog our life story. If I forget something just join in."

Sonja

"Alright then. We were born about eighty years ago. Actually the man that made us became pretty famous after he died. He was the man that made Pinocchio. They even made a movie about Pinocchio.. But when the old man made us he was so poor he barely could buy enough food for him and his little cat. Some bullies stole us, then stole some fruit from the farmers in their market. The police saw them and they ran so fast that they threw us away. Life after that was not good. We laid in the grass by an old road for a few years. The grass grew tall and people didn't see us for a long time. We got rained on and snowed on. It was so hot and at times in the winter it was very cold. I thought we were goners for sure. Big animals sometimes would sniff at us and pick us up with their teeth and drop us because we weren't good to eat."

"Well Grandma Lu told her husband that you came to America on a boat. Is that right?"

Kasper said, "It was big so it was called a ship. The trip was long and our clothes became rags at best. We barely had anything to cover the wood that the old man made us out of."

The worst part of the trip on the ship was that we got separated. There were three little girls and their mothers. They only wanted the girls; Anna and Sonja. There was another doll there whose name was Eleanor. She was the bully. My goodness she was mean. She was all fancy. She talked fancy and dressed fancy. The little girl that was holding her talked bad about us because our clothes were dirty and we were not soft. Our backs are wood so we are not a doll that little girls generally like to snuggle with. Our life on board that ship was absolutely miserable."

Bandit said, "I didn't know that part of your story. Where were Isak and you, Kasper?"

The Bully Chapter 2 Masked Bandits

 The old man could hardly work on his last projects because he was so very hungry. He patted his tummy and said, "Hush now. If  I can sell these dolls for a few pennies you will be fed." As he put the last doll on the shelf he picked up the little wooden doll he had made in the image of his son, Pinocchio. How he loved his son. But like all children he had grown up and away. He had made a life for himself and he was so very happy for him. But, oh my how he missed him. He sat at his old wooden table and remembered the bad and the good times. He knew he had little time left on this earth and was awaiting the time when he could join his relatives in Heaven. He patted his little wooden Pinocchio and laid down on his small, but comfortable bed like he had done so many times over the years. He was about to close his eyes when he saw a twinkle in the sky and smiled. The time was now and he was happy. He had had a good life and was ready to climb the stars to greet his family.

                                                           ****
The bandits were hungry and needed money for food. They didn't have a job and they didn't want one. Robbing old folks was much easier and more fun. They couldn't have found a better place than the old wood carver's cottage.  He surely would have some pennies that they could steal while the old man was sleeping. As they snooped around the mostly dark cottage, They were disappointed to see that there was nothing of any value in the cottage, but some dolls that looked like they were only half finished. "Let's take these and see if we can sell these for some coins. Hopefully we can get enough for some fruit to fill our bellies," one whispered. They saw the old man sleeping in his bed. Odd that he had a smile on his face. One whispered, "Let's get out of here. It's creepy in here." They quickly left.  Each with a doll or two under their arm and escaped into the village.

The bandits waited until the market opened early in the morning. The villagers were already coming into the market and selling their wares. There were fish mongers and fruit farmers. Oh the grapes and the melons looked so good and they were so hungry. The bandits of course, had taken off their masks and tried several times to trade a doll for some food to eat. No one would buy or trade the dolls for their food. One recognized the dolls as something that the old wood carver that lived by the sea would make. "Where did you get those dolls? Huh? Where is the old man that made those dolls? Get back here I say. Police! Police! Come quick. We have robbers in the market!!"

As the bandits ran from the market one of them grabbed an apple and stuck it in his pocket. Another grabbed a plum. They ran as fast as they could. The dolls were not worth the trouble. They threw them to the ground and made their way to the next town to see what they could find to steal. Life was fun for them and so exciting. They laughed as they rounded the next grove of trees. They had gotten some fruit to share. Today's grab would be better they were sure.

The local police caught sight of three people running through the crowd. "Stop! Stop, I say. Police!" They chased them until they could no longer see the culprits. At the side of the old dirt road there lay  four dolls. They were all dirty and tattered and torn. "Ahh, what a shame. These look like the puppets and dolls that the old man by the sea makes. Let's return them to him. That's the least that we can do for the nice old man."

The Bully Chapter 1 The Woodcarver

 Arienna Faith was listening to her mom and grandmother talking. They were out in the kitchen talking about some relative. She didn't know any of the people that they were talking about so she decided to go to her favorite place on the couch and read a book. Reading was such fun. She loved to be part of the stories that she read. She couldn't wait until her little sister, Livy was able to read. She just knew that she would love it too.

She heard her grandmother talk about a cousin that lived in a different state. He was old too she imagined as she looked through the pages of the book she had chosen. Her ears kind of perked up when she heard that this cousin had married a lady that wrote stories and even some books. "That would be so cool if I could read a story that she had written. I wonder what kind of stories she writes. Livi, come over and sit with me. Would you like me to read a story to you? It looks kind of fun. Remember when we go on field trips and see the ocean? I think this story even has castles and stuff in it too. Cool. Okay this is how it starts. Look! It starts by going down the steps in an old old castle"....

As Arienna and Livy started down the steps they found themselves entering a magical world. They had stepped right into a story book! Arienna took a deep breath and said, "Okay, Livy, this is how it starts."

Once upon a time many many years ago there was an old man that lived by the sea. He was a sad old man. For many years he was well known for doing beautiful wood work. He made clocks and puppets. Many years ago he had made a wooden puppet that looked just like a little boy. He painted a face on the puppet. Of course, he put a smile on his face and bright shining eyes. He put a cute little nose on the puppet and set him on the shelf.

That night he and his cat, Figaro and goldfish, Cleo, settled down for the night. A bright light woke him up. It was a falling star. The old man jumped out of bed and made a wish. 'I wish I may, I wish I might, make a wish this very night.' He wished that the little puppet he had made that day would magically become a real little boy. How he would love to be a father of a little boy; one that he could be proud of.

A beautiful fairy all dressed in blue heard the old man's wish and decided that she would grant his wish for a son. She touched the old man's shoulder and said, "I am going to grant your wish. However, there are some rules that the boy will have to follow. I am making that cricket over there in the corner his conscience. A conscience is an important thing. It helps you make the right decisions. That cricket's name is Jiminy Cricket and he will always be there to help your new son know the difference between right and wrong.

The fairy continued to tell the old man that being a parent was not an easy job, but wished him well.

As the old man looked out at the sea he shook his head. Those first few years had really been difficult. He had named the puppet Pinocchio and my goodness how he had loved him. Pinocchio had been tempted by bad people. He had done things that he shouldn't have and went places that were filled with bullies and really bad people. He shivered as he thought about Treasure Island. I almost lost him forever, but he ended up saving my life by putting his own life in danger. Yes, we had a good life after that, but he grew up and away and now I am very old and alone. My hands are no longer able to carve the wood like I used to and my little cottage is run down and falling apart. I have some wooden dolls started that I must finish or I will not be able to buy food for my cat and my fish. They are all that I have left. Even Jiminy Cricket moved out.

He carefully made his way back to the cottage with a last look at the sea. The sea had kept him company since his son had left, but it could not give him his youth back or his ability to make a living. All he had left was enough wood to make the four dolls and some scraps of cloth for clothes for them.

As the old man walked through the door he knew that his days were numbered. He stumbled as he neared his small bed in the corner. He whispered, "I wish I may, I wish I might, see my son once more tonight."