Oct 14, 2022
The Doll Maker, #17 — The water boiling in the kettle frightened Red.
“It’s just the kettle for my tea, Red,” I rushed to her. “The whistle lets me know it’s done. You okay?”
Pulling Red closer I cuddled the two. Red started sobbing. “After the darkness grew to take over the woods and took me I heard that sound.”
“Do you remember anything else in the darkness?”
“I think just the bad lady. She hurt me when she yanked my basket of pretty flowers away. I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. Honest, I didn’t.”
Still shivering, Red said, “She yelled, ‘those are mine, you thief!’ loud like.”
“Anything else?”
“I wasn’t in the woods when I heard that — her kettle whistle.”
I pushed some Crayolas and coloring books over to Charlie who was playing with her spoon and cup.
