Nicole kept walking and walking and walking and walking, and walking. She was getting very, very tired.
"I wasn't made for this kind of exertion" she said as she walked. She wanted to stop and sit down for a while, because she still had not come across anybody, but didn't want to stop unless there was a tree or some shade she could sit under. Unfortunately, her neighborhood didn't have many trees in it. There were a few over by the library, though. The library wasn't a super far walk from her house normally, but, at only six inches tall, it was like walking to another city.
Fearing stopping, she continued on in that direction anyways. She only had to cross the road twice to keep moving - and while the first time was frightening, the second time was much easier.
Finally, she could see the little library. It opposite the corner of a couple of houses and near the community center. It was still so far away though, and, after crossing the crosswalk in her way, Nicole decided she needed a rest. Her tiny body just couldn't keep going. Nicole had, thankfully, packed a thermos of water before leaving her house for the day, so she wasn't at risk of getting dehydrated, but her legs ached. "At least they'll be toned after all of this walking" she thought to herself. She trudged over towards the tree nearest the corner and fell face-first into the grass, her arms laying at her sides. She found herself sleeping in short order, exhausted from the ordeal. She was, as she had planned, in the shade, and the grass was cool enough to be comfortable. She would try to get help in a few hours.
About ten minutes later, Bridget Kagen, the community's librarian, walked towards the library. It always opened late on Saturdays, but fewer and fewer people were using it these days. She would probably spend her morning doing clerical work and taking care of her other duties, and then be bored for the rest of the day until she went home. She usually spent her afternoons dreaming up ways to try to get more people in the community back into the library, or reading a book. She spent her free time at home, usually meticulously caring for her things or decorating her house. She collected old and rare books personally, and had a growing collection of unique spoons and stamps from different countries.
She noticed something colorful in the grass - a bright patch of blue. She hoped it was not a bird, fallen from a tree. She jogged over to it and saw nothing but a doll.
"Oh," she said, picking it up. "A pretty little doll. Someone must have dropped you last night on their way out of the library." There were sometimes kids who brought toys with them, and they tend to lose things. "I guess you can come with me for now. Maybe someone will come back looking for you," she said. She couldn't tell what brand the doll was - it was too small to be a Barbie doll, and too realistically proportioned to be one of the other dolls on the market. "Must be a collector's item or something. Who would spend so much money on a nice doll like this for a careless kid?" she thought to herself.
She stroked the doll's hair, smoothing it, and then walked on in to the library. Going to the information desk in the center, she set the doll down in one of the shelves, next to her cell phone and other belongings. Bridget decided that she'd keep the doll here for a few days to see if anybody claimed it.
Bridget went about putting away some of the returned books (of which there were very few) and then returned to the desk to work on some spreadsheets she had to finish for the end of the month, deciding on which books to purchase and which to donate. She hated doing this part, and, seeing as how she could put it off for a little while, reached down for her cell phone. Her hand hovered for a moment, and then instead grabbed the doll again.
"I'm surprised nobody has come back looking for you," she said, toying with the doll in her hands. Bridget liked the way that the doll's legs bent at the knee, and how there didn't seem to be any visible joints. "You certainly are unique..." she said. She began to covet the doll - she'd never collected them before, but this doll would be a great center piece for a collection. She could get her a stand and everything. "And you are pretty. Although, I think I would apply a layer of makeup or paint to really doll you up," she said, running a finger across the doll's face. Glancing at the clock, she decided to return to her work, but kept the doll placed upon her lap, resting in her purple skirt. The more she looked at it, the more she decided she would love to start collecting dolls - especially this one.
Time went by quickly for the rest of the day. It was already 2:00 pm - and she got to leave work at 3:00 pm that day. Nobody had come in yet, so she kept touching and playing with the doll when she got bored.
Soon...
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