Elsa's Story: Chapter 2 (Disney Frozen Birthday Party Elsa by Mattel)

 

(Be sure to read Chapter 1 first.)

 

As the weeks passed, I saw a lot of Christian and Sven.  One day they were playing a game they made up with a small, plastic ball. The game was sort of a combination of catch and volleyball, with Christian tossing the ball to Sven who would then hit it back with his nose or antlers. Another day they had found a piece of string and were playing tug a war. I couldn't join in that time, since two against one is hardly fair. Christian also introduced me to Ryan and to Raymond James. They were two little boy dolls who sometimes played with Christian and Sven. I could see what Christian meant about them being a little afraid of Sven. I think they might have been a little intimidated by Christian too, since he's bigger than they are.

 

It didn't take long before Christian had me wrapped around his little finger. After about a month and a half I decided I wanted to make things a little more permanent. I went to see Treesa, privately, and told her I wanted to adopt Christian. Treesa looked startled at first. "Are you sure you're not rushing into things?" she asked. "Parenthood is a big commitment, and it's even tougher being a single parent. Just ask Harriet."

 

"I understand that," I said. "Believe me I've thought about this a lot. Every time I have to tell that sweet little boy 'goodbye' and 'I'll see him tomorrow' I have to force myself to walk away! It breaks my heart leaving him behind!"

 

Treesa didn't say anything for a while. Finally she said, "So, he got to you too. I told you he'd steal your heart if you let him. Why do you think I bought him from that yard sale in the first place? I've never even seen Frozen!"

 

At first I was stunned. I'd seen enough Frozen merchandise when I was still at the store to know the movie was popular. And Treesa had enough Disney dolls in her collection that I'd assumed she was a Disney fan. The stunned feeling was quickly replaced by skepticism. If Treesa had never seen Frozen, then why would she have bought TWO Frozen dolls? I was a Frozen doll myself, and Treesa knew that when she bought me. It was on my box. I couldn't believe that Treesa would've bought Christian AND me without ever seeing the movie. She must've been exaggerating to make a point. "If you've never seen Frozen then why did you get me?" I asked in a slightly sarcastic tone that let Treesa know I didn't believe her.

 

"That's different," Treesa said. "You're a Frozen Fever doll. I've seen that." Treesa continued. "It's not like I don't know what happens in Frozen. I've read enough about it online to get the basic plot points." Realizing that we'd gotten off topic, Treesa said, "But that's not the point. You said you want to adopt Christian, and it's my job to make sure you've thought this through and won't change your mind later. You realize Christian's a package deal, right. If you want Christian, you get Sven too. Those two are inseparable."

 

"I know," I said. Treesa kept going. "And I don't want you to feel obligated to take care of him just because you're both Frozen dolls," Treesa said.

 

"I don't feel 'obligated'," I said, getting emotional again. "I want to adopt Christian because I love that little boy! I don't care what doll line he's from!"

 

Treesa's expression softened. Finally she said, "as long as Christian's ok with it I won't try to stop you." Treesa had seemed so dead set against the adoption when I first brought it up that her sudden change of heart threw me. "Do you really mean that?" I asked. I wanted to be sure Treesa wouldn't change her mind again later.

 

"I want you to be happy Elsa," Treesa said gently. "I want you to have friendship and love. That's all I ever wanted."

 

I went to find Christian right away. He was with Sven, of course. They were looking out the window, trying to pick out shapes in the clouds. It was difficult, since there were more clouds than clear sky. "Hi Elsa," Christian said when he saw me.

 

"Hello Christian," I said, nervousness creeping into my stomach. What if Christian didn't want me to be his mother? I gathered my nerve and said, "Christian, there's something I'd like to talk to you about." The seriousness of my tone must have worried Christian, because his happy smile disappeared. I tried to look reassuring and said, "I wanted to ask you, if you would like me to be your mommy."

 

Christian's reaction startled me. His chin started to quiver, as if he was about to cry. Then the words just burst out of him. "But you can't be my mommy Elsa, you just can't! I don't want you to be my mommy!"

 

My heart broke, not just because of what Christian had said, but because I'd made him so upset. I was about to try and comfort him, to tell him that I wouldn't have said anything if I'd known it would make him so unhappy, and that I would never mention it again. Then Christian started talking to me again. "Raymond's mommy is no fun. She's always telling him not to do stuff 'cause she says he'll get his clothes dirty. She doesn't like to play hide and seek or catch or anything. I don't want you to be like that Elsa! I want you to stay how you are!"

 

I wasn't sure what to say to that. I had met Raymond James' mother Tiana, and she did seem like a sensible, no nonsense kind of doll. How could I convince Christian that my personality wasn't going to change overnight just because I was his mommy, that we could still play hide and seek or whatever else he and Sven wanted to play? Then Christian came up with a compromise. "You can be my big sister," he said. "Big sisters know how to have fun."

 

I smiled. "Alright," I said. We shook hands on it and that was that.

 

Treesa was right, being a caregiver is a big commitment. But in my case, I think the rewards outweigh the drawbacks. Every morning when we wake up, Christian gives me a hug. And every time he introduces me as his big sister Elsa, I can see just how proud he is to be able to say that. Ryan and Raymond James agree that Christian is lucky to have a big sister like me. And I feel just as lucky and proud to call Christian my little brother. But the most important thing is, we're happy.

 

Love is a powerful thing. It brings people, or dolls, together. The internet can also bring people together, so here's a heartfelt wish for you readers. I wish all of you the same thing that Treesa wished for me, friendship and love. And remember, love is something you have more of the more people you share it with.

 

 

Love From Elsa





Elsa's Story: Chapter 1 (Disney Frozen Birthday Party Elsa by Mattel)

It's amazing how quickly things can change. Two months ago I was sitting in my box at the store, waiting for someone to buy me, and now I'm a big sister. And no, it had nothing to do with Treesa's 'meddling', as some of the other dolls call it. Actually, Treesa was more surprised than anybody. But I'm getting ahead of myself. It's always best to start at the beginning, so here goes.

The day Treesa took me out of my box was probably one of the craziest days of my life. The best way to describe the welcoming process would be 'organized chaos'. Word spread quickly through the collection that there was a new doll in the house and groups of dolls kept coming over to meet me and introduce themselves. As soon as one group left, another would show up to take their place. I barely had time to catch my breath. Not only that, but I ended up hearing and answering a lot of the same questions over and over again. What was my name? What doll line was I from? What did I think of Treesa?

And everyone seemed to have at least one piece of advice, some of it contradictory. For example, several dolls told me that Treesa has a tendency to meddle. Joy's advice was to pick my battles but to otherwise go with the flow. Halle basically told me to take matters into my own hands and to ALWAYS speak up for myself. By the end of the day my head was spinning. I was so grateful to go to sleep that night.

The next day the 'welcoming committee' seemed to have thinned out, much to my relief. I found out later it's customary to give new dolls a little peace and quiet on their second day in the house, to give them time to adjust. The other dolls would say hello when they passed by, but none of them tried to drag me into a lengthy conversation. They were also very understanding if I couldn't remember their names, which happened a lot.

I enjoyed the peace and quiet for a while. But by the time afternoon rolled around I was starting to get a little bored and lonely. I decided to walk around the room a little, hoping to find some company, or at least a distraction. I knew from the other dolls that Treesa knew we were alive, so there was no danger of me giving anything away if I wasn't where she'd left me when she got back to the room. It was a weekend, so I really wasn't sure if Treesa was even in the house or not.

As I started my walk around Treesa's bedroom, I turned my head to look out the window. The sky was clear and the sun was shining, and I stopped for a moment to admire the view. Suddenly, a little boy doll raced across the floor towards the window. He stopped when he saw me. "Excuse me," he said politely, "Did you see a baby reindeer over here?"

I looked at him, surprised. A baby reindeer was probably the last thing I expected to see roaming around Treesa's bedroom. "No, I haven't," I said. That's when we both heard a soft snorting sound. It seemed to be coming from behind a stack of books that were left piled under the window. The little boy doll raced over and peeked the stack. "I FOUND YOU!" he shouted. Then he walked back over to me, followed by a plastic animal that did look like it could be a baby reindeer.

"Thank you for helping," the little boy doll said to me. I smiled. I couldn't help it. It was impossible not to be charmed by this little fellow, with his adorable, freckled face and his wonderful manners.

"You're welcome," I said. The little boy doll seemed to be studying me. His eyes were looking up, focused intently on my face. Though he was a little larger than one-sixth scale, I was still taller than him. "You're pretty," he said at last. "What's your name?"

"Elsa," I said. The little boy doll smiled. "My name's Christian," he said, "and this is Sven." Just then Treesa rushed into the room. She headed over to the window, and started rummaging through the stack of books. I guessed she was looking for something. Then she noticed the three of us standing by the window, two dolls and a plastic reindeer. "Christian," she said, "you're not bothering Elsa, are you? She's new here."

"He's no bother," I said quickly. I didn't want Christian to get in trouble. I also wanted to reassure him that he hadn't done anything wrong. Treesa looked a little surprised at first, but then her expression changed and she said, "It's nice to see you're making friends already Elsa. Watch out though, Christian will steal your heart if you let him." Then Treesa picked up the book she'd come in for and headed for the door.

After Treesa left, Christian smiled up at me. "You're really nice," he said. "Do you want to play hide and seek with me and Sven? It's Sven's turn to seek." Christian looked so hopeful that I didn't see how I could say no. "All right," I said with a laugh. Christian cheered and said, "I'll show you a great hiding place." Then he ran off, and I followed close behind him.

I'll admit, I didn't expect to have so much fun playing hide and seek. But it was impossible not to get caught up in Christian's enthusiasm. After a few rounds of hiding and seeking I was acting more like a kid myself than an adult. I had a number of the other dolls ask me curiously what I was doing, but after I sheepishly explained that I was playing hide and seek with Christian and Sven they just smiled a little and nodded. I got the feeling I wasn't the only doll who'd been won over by Christian and his reindeer friend.

The next day I was taking a stroll when I met up with Christian and Sven again. They were playing with a Barbie-sized frisbee, and they asked me to join them. "The other kids don't play with us much," Christian explained. "They're all smaller than me, and I think they're scared of Sven." The look on Christian's face broke my heart, and I agreed right away to stay and play frisbee. We talked as we tossed the frisbee back and forth.

"How long have you and Sven been friends?" I asked. Christian smiled. "Since always," he said. "We came in the same box. There was me and Sven and Annie and Elsie and Olaf." Christian's smile faded and he said, "We had lots of fun, 'til the humans cleaned the room up. They threw lots of stuff in a big, brown box. Elsie was hiding under the bed 'cause our human lost her dress, and Annie was with her 'cause they're sisters. Me and Sven and Olaf got put in the box. So did Elsie's dress, so now she can never come out."

Christian sniffled. His expression tugged at my heartstrings. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," I said. Christian didn't say anything, but Sven must have known that something was wrong because he came over and nudged Christian with his nose. Christian patted Sven lightly. It was easy to see how close the two of them were.

Christian and Sven

Christian still looked unhappy though, and I tried to think of something to say that would help. "You know," I said gently, "before Treesa bought me I didn't have any friends. I was all alone in my box, and I was really lonely. But I'm not lonely anymore." Then I smiled at Christian and said , "How could I be lonely when I have friends like you and Sven?" This seemed to cheer Christian up, and we got back to the frisbee game.

(Stay tuned for Chapter 2.)

Alice's Story: Part 4 (Mattel The Twilight Saga Eclipse Alice)

 

Christmas means a lot of things to a lot of people, but 'peace on earth' seems like one of the more popular phrases around Christmas time. And I figured out pretty quick that I wasn't going to feel 'at peace' until I told Jasper the truth. So I did. But I decided to wait until after Christmas. I didn't want to risk ruining the holiday for Jasper.

 

The day I came clean I found Jasper over by the window, staring out at the sky. I wasn't sure if he knew I was there at first. But then he said, "Hello Alice," just like he did when we first met. He turned to me and smiled, just a little. It was like he wanted me to know he was happy to see me, but he didn't want to risk making me uncomfortable by showing me with a full on smile just HOW happy he was to see me.

 

"Jasper," I said, plunging right in, "there's something we need to talk about." Jasper's smile disappeared and his expression turned more serious. I kept going. "Listen, you've probably noticed I'm a little uncomfortable around you," I said.  Jasper nodded.

 

"The thing is," I told him, "I already knew a Jasper doll before, at my old house. We were part of a collection, all Twilight dolls. It was like having a big family. Jasper loved me like a little sister but me...I just loved him." I was sort of stumbling over my words, but I knew I had to keep going. "We all got donated to the thrift store but Treesa didn't buy Jasper,"

 

"Because she already had me," Jasper said, putting the pieces together. His facial expression didn't change but I saw so much feeling in his eyes. He looked...crushed. I'd expected him to be disappointed when I told him but this, this went beyond just being disappointed.

 

Jasper turned away, hunching his shoulders like there was a heavy weight pushing down on him. Then he said, "I'm so sorry Alice." The words came out sort of hoarse, and I realized then the feeling that was weighing him down so much was guilt. He felt like it was his fault that I was unhappy, and that I wasn't with the doll I loved. He must've thought if he hadn't been here first, Treesa would've bought my Jasper.

 

"It's not your fault Jasper," I said, and I meant it. "You didn't know. That's why I'm telling you."

 

Jasper's posture didn't change. I wondered if he'd even heard what I said. What Jasper said next made me realize just how deep his feelings went. "I never meant to hurt you Alice," Jasper said. "You have to believe that." It took a minute before I got the full meaning of what he was saying. The real reason Jasper was hurting so much was because he thought that he was hurting me, and that was the last thing he ever wanted to do. Jasper thought that, just by being here, he was constantly reminding me of what I'd lost.

 

I'd thought that telling Jasper the truth would make me feel better. Instead, I just felt horrible. Because of me, Jasper was blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault. All I could think was how badly I'd screwed things up, and how much I wanted to fix them. But how could I convince Jasper that none of this was his fault. An idea popped into my head and I acted on it without thinking. First I touched Jasper's arm, to get his attention. It worked. Jasper turned back to look at me. "We're dolls Jasper," I said. "We can't control what our humans do. And as far as I know neither one of us can see the future. There's no way you could've known that me and the doll I was in love with would get donated at the same time, and that Treesa would only buy me because the other doll looked just like you. And even if you had known all that there's nothing you could've done about it. Besides, even if Treesa had bought the other Jasper doll, that doesn't mean he ever would've loved me THAT way. I told you he just treated me like a little sister."

 

I stopped talking for a minute, trying to think of something else to say. Then Jasper looked me in the eye. He didn't say anything at first. It was like he was trying to figure out if I really believed what I was saying. Anyway, Jasper must've made up his mind that I was being honest, and that I really didn't blame him for anything. "Thank you Alice," he said. He said it like he really meant it, like I had taken the weight of the world off his shoulders. Then I felt the crisp fabric of Jasper's shirt sleeve under my fingers and realized I was still touching his arm. That's when I started to feel uncomfortable, and embarrassed. I pulled my hand away.

 

"No problem," I said. "What are friends for?" I felt like I was babbling. Since when were me and Jasper friends?

 

"I'd like to be your friend Alice," Jasper said quietly. "And I'm sure Joy would too. But if it makes you too uncomfortable, I understand." I can't remember what I said after that. I'm not sure I want to. It was probably something stupid, or something that hurt Jasper's feelings. All I know is I've been thinking about Jasper a lot lately. I mean, I was thinking about him a lot before, trying to figure out how to tell him about Jazzy Jazz, my Jasper. The thing is, I don't really think of him as my Jasper anymore. It's like telling this Jasper the truth helped me finally let go.

 

There's this quote from Lewis Carroll that says, 'It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.' When Treesa first got me, I sometimes wished that I'd at least told Jazzy Jazz I was in love with him. But now, if I could somehow go back in time and do it, I don't think I'd want to anymore. Jazzy Jazz might only have loved me like a sister, but if he'd known I loved him he still would've worried about me after we got separated. He would've worried about whether or not I'd be able to move on. Since I never told him he should have a much easier time adjusting to wherever he is now.

 

As for me, I'm still trying to figure out what to do next. I've sort of been keeping to myself since Wedding Bells and Wedward left, so I'm not really close to any of the other dolls yet. Treesa was obviously hoping that Jasper could mend my broken heart or she wouldn't have introduced me to Joy. So what happens next? I guess I'll just have to 'go with the flow,' as Joy would say.

 

Alice



Second Update from Shade (rebodied blue-haired Mattel fairy)

 

I said I'd let you know if there were any 'further developments', and boy were there ever! I got a chance to really talk to Celeste, and I think I know what her deal is now. Did you know her first owner kept her on a shelf for a while? On a SHELF, with NOBODY to talk to, I would've gone completely loony toons! Either that, or I would've broken my neck trying to get down.

 

Me and Celeste kinda got off to a rough start though. I was watching Carlos from across the room. I'm not a stalker, honest. I was just trying to get up the nerve to talk to him. Anyway I must've zoned out or something 'cause the next thing I knew I heard a voice real close by saying, "He might notice you more quickly if you went over and said hello."

 

Have you ever watched the news around Halloween and seen some local news reporter going through a haunted house, trying to tell the people watching that they should come out there while monsters keep jumping out from doorways and around corners? I must've done a pretty good impression of the reporter when the zombie jumps out of the shadows at him. It always seems to be the guy reporters who get sent to the haunted house. I guess 'cause guys like to act all strong and tough, so it's more fun to see guys screaming and acting like scaredy cats.

 

Anyway, when I turned around and saw Celeste standing behind me I was really embarrassed. Celeste apologized for scaring the pants off me. She thought I knew she was there. But I was kinda ticked off by then and wasn't in the mood for an apology. "This a hobby of yours, sneaking up on people?" I asked. Celeste tried to apologize again. She said she was only trying to help. When she said that well, it's kinda hard to explain but I felt sort of...guilty. Why? I think it was 'cause Celeste was new here and barely knew anybody, but she was still going out of her way to try and help me. Maybe she could've done a better job of it but it's the thought that counts, right? Besides, this was the same doll my big brother had a crush on. I should at least TRY to be nice to her, for Orlando's sake if nothing else. "It's ok," I said. "I guess I could sort of use the help. It's just, whenever I see Carlos I get so nervous I don't know what to say."

 

"Have you tried talking to him?" Celeste asked. I kinda shook my head and told her I didn't want to sound like an idiot. Then she asked me how I knew what would happen if I never tried, or something like that. I kinda looked at her like she was crazy. Why? Well, whenever I thought about talking to Carlos I always tried to come up with a game plan, something to say that would impress him, make him notice me, in a good way. I couldn't just walk up to him, start talking, and hope for the best. But the more I thought about what Celeste said the more it made sense. All the planning in the world wouldn't do me any good if I never followed through.

 

"I guess you're right," I said. After a minute it hit me again how Celeste was going out of her way for somebody she didn't really know and I said, "Thanks Celeste, for caring and all that."

 

"You're welcome," Celeste said. Then there was this awkward silence. I wanted to keep talking to her, to try and find out what her deal was and if she liked my brother. But I didn't want to say anything about Orlando straight out, in case Celeste didn't know Orlando liked her. So I asked her how she liked it here so far.

 

"To be honest it's a little overwhelming," Celeste said. I agreed that things could get a little crazy, but I told her she'd get used to it. "I hope so," Celeste said. "I don't know how I'll ever remember everyone's names."

 

"Yeah, that part's tough," I said. "It's easier if you get to know a few dolls at a time and work your way out from there." Then I told her my name, and stuck out my hand for her to shake. Celeste shook my hand and said, "It's nice to meet you, Shade."

 

"So," I said, "you really think I've got a shot with Carlos?"

 

"You'll never know if you don't try," Celeste said. "It's not the things we do that we regret the most. It's the things we didn't do." Then Celeste got this look in her eyes, like her mind was somewhere else. She'd been getting that look a lot since she came here. "Celeste, you ok?" I asked. She told me she was fine but I wasn't so sure. "If you want to talk about it..." I said. I told her I knew it was tough sometimes, that Treesa was my second owner too. Anyway, Celeste took me up on the offer and started talking. She told me about her first owner, about living on a shelf, until she suddenly wasn't anymore. She told me how hard it was for her to talk to other dolls after she got taken off the shelf. She told me how worried she was that she would never make any friends, that she was 'already repeating her past mistakes'. By the time she was done talking she was actually shaking. I'd never seen Celeste like that before. She'd seemed so quiet and distant before, I hadn't realized there was so much going on on the inside. I didn't know what to do, so I did what felt right. I gave her a hug.

 

"Things will be better here," I promised. Then I told Celeste she could hang out with me and my friends. I think we've been a good influence on her. She's learning how to actually talk to other dolls, how to really be part of a group. I still don't know if she likes my brother, or if she knows he likes her. But now that Celeste is hanging out with me and Dandelion and Rampion at least they'll have the chance to sort of get to know each other.

 

But that wasn't the only 'development'. Thanks to Celeste's advice I finally worked up the nerve to talk to Carlos. Like Celeste said, it's not the things we do that we regret the most, it's the things we didn't do. And I didn't want to spend the rest of my plastic life wondering 'what if'. Besides, what better time to take the chance than Christmas? Why? Well it's supposed to be the season for miracles.

 

It was Christmas Eve. Treesa had already left for a party at her uncle's house. I'd made up my mind that tonight was the night. Tonight, I was going to talk to Carlos. I spotted him over by the bookcase. Before I could second guess myself I took a deep breath, walked over and said, "Merry Christmas Carlos."

 

He sort of smiled a little and said, "Merry Christmas, though technically it's Christmas Eve." Then he looked at me, right at me, for a few seconds and said, "It's Shade isn't it? You're Orlando's younger sister?"

 

I nodded. Even though I'd kinda hoped Carlos would think of me as something besides Orlando's little sister, I'd take what I could get. Carlos kinda tilted his head a little and said, "In that case, Merry Christmas Eve Shade."

 

"Thanks," I said. I wasn't sure what else to say, so I said the first thing that popped into my head. "Are you hoping for anything special for Christmas?" I asked. I kinda wished I HADN'T asked him as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Why? 'Cause it sounded too flirty. Some dolls can pull off flirting, but some dolls can't. The dolls that can't just come off as pushy or desperate.

 

Carlos didn't seem to mind my question though. He just looked kinda thoughtful and said, "I think I already have everything I need, more than I need really. I have an owner who knows I'm alive and takes my feelings into consideration, or at least tries to. Most dolls aren't as lucky as that. I also have friends who accept me for who I am. So no, there's nothing special I'm hoping for." Carlos looked right at me again and said, "What about you, did you ask Santa for anything?"

 

For a split second, I thought how much I wanted Carlos to be my boyfriend for Christmas. Then I got really embarrassed. My face would've turned beet red if I was human. "Not really," I said quickly. "I mean, I wished my brother and my friends'll get whatever they want for Christmas, but I don't think that counts." My confidence kinda fell apart after that and I said, "I should go. I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas." I got out of there in a hurry. But as soon as I was out of Carlos' sight my embarrassed feelings started to go away and I started feeling really good about myself. I did it. I talked to Carlos. I couldn't wait to tell Celeste.

 

Well, I guess that's about it. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, or a Happy Holiday.

 

See Ya, Shade