Ted's Dolls 48: Freddy

Ted's Dolls was meant to be an anthology series of doll transformations. But the continuity has become very important. Please read them in the suggested order as found in this gallery on deviantArt or as listed on my Patreon.

Freddy, Mary, Candace, and Edwin first appeared in Ted’s Dolls 10. The other three have had POV episodes. This is Freddy’s turn.

For the first couple weeks of the spring semester, rumors about Jane’s and Emily’s kidnappings were all people talked about on campus. The fact that Ted had suspended his doll making business did nothing to quell those rumors.

Candace and Edwin were face to face on his bed, talking about stuff in the way lovers do. Candace had just stolen a kiss from Edwin as the door to the room opened.

“I’m sorry,” Mary said from the door. “I thought we were getting together tonight.

Candace laughed and got up. “Come in,” she said and gave her friend a hug. “We were just chatting.”

“I’m not interrupting?”

“No, no, Mary,” Edwin said, reaching for some books.

“I wasn’t sure we’d be meeting, too,” Freddy said, just arriving. “Hey, this’ll be the first time in a long time we’re all studying together as people.”

“Well, Ted’s app says rentals are on indefinite hiatus. Anyone asking him about dolls gets a polite, ‘No,’” Edwin said.

“Two of his friends were kidnapped as dolls,” Candace said. “I wonder if that was exciting. I mean, until it wasn’t.”

“Who was kidnapped?” Edwin said.

“Jane and Emily from the third floor.”

“They were? I saw Emily the other day. She did look a bit off.”

“She was found, I don’t know how, just before the semester started.”

“God, that sucks for them.”

“I considered asking Ted to leave me as a doll over winter break,” Mary said.

“Really?” Candace said, her eyes lit up like that was something she should have thought of. “How about over the Summer, Edwin?”

“As much as I enjoy you as a doll, I don’t think I could handle a whole summer without hearing your voice.”

“Aw,” she smooched him.

“Smooth,” Freddy said. “I hear Ted can put voice boxes in the dolls so you squeeze their hand and they speak.”

“So, he could hear my voice?”

“He could.”

“Can’t be turned into a doll any more,” Edwin said.

“I’m sure Ted will start that up again eventually,” Mary said.

“Neither of you are helping.”

“Yes, we are,” Freddy said.

“We’re helping Candace,” Mary said.

Freddy held his hand up and Mary, after an eye roll, slapped his hand in high-five solidarity.

* * *

Freddy was walking back to his room after the study group broke up for the night. As he left the stairwell onto the third floor, he saw Emily standing in front of her room. She seemed upset.

“This is probably the wrong thing to say,” he said to her. “But, are you all right?”

“Why do people keep asking me that?”

“I’m sure you meant that rhetorically. But, I was only asking in reference to you staring at the door to your room. I can mind my own business if you prefer it.”

“I… Sorry. Everyone tiptoes past me like I’m going explode or just drop and curl into a ball crying.”

“You aren’t going to do that? I wouldn’t mind seeing an explosion. Though now I’m a bit too close. Can I back away first?”

“Too late.”

“I’m fucked. Seriously, though, you look like you need help with a door or something.”

“Oh, I need help. But, not with any old door. This one. I can’t go in.”

“This is your roo--… Jane.”

“Got it in one.”

“I say you curl into a ball. Not just because I’d rather not be caught in an explosion. But, because crying helps.”

She gave a half laugh. “You can help.”

“Okay.”

She handed him her university id card. “Open the door for me.”

He took the card. “Sure. Is this some kind of exercise you were told to do for therapy.”

“You can tell.”

“My brother has seen a lot of shrinks. He’s living in a facility now. He has extreme schizophrenia among other conditions. I could always tell when the doctor had given him exercises to do. You have that look.”

“It’s very encouraging to hear doing the exercises didn’t help your brother.”

“I never said he did the exercises.” Freddy unlocked the door and walked in. He turned on the lights and walked over to her desk. He put her id card on it.

“I didn’t tell you to…”

“No, I took initiative,” Freddy said. He leaned against the closet door next to the entrance to the room. “I’ll leave whenever you say.”

“I need my card back.”

“It’s right there.”

“You know what I could do to you.”

“I’ve heard rumors about you. Still. You don’t want to end up living in a care facility. Pretend I’m not here and do your exercise.”

“You’re doing this because you didn’t help your brother?”

“He was eighteen. I was eight. I’m paying it forward, technically.”

It was just a room. She knew that. It looked innocent. It lied. Jane had stood by the window. And then she was gone. A week later, Emily had stood in that same spot. Trapped in her own mind. Helpless as Richa-- as he met someone new. Helpless as he told her to follow him out for the last time.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be.”

“I think I’m in that place.” His eyes looked at her shoes. He could see her lifting her foot and putting it right back down. “Take tiny steps.”

And she did. She inched forward a little.

“See. You’ve got this.”

She gave him a look that somehow was murderous and imploring and sorrowful all at once. After a few more baby steps, she took a whole step and passed the threshold of the entrance. She looked at Freddy who managed to look back with an expression of mild disinterest.

“There. I’m in the room.”

“Close the door.”

“You don’t know what the exercise is.”

“Then you should be able to close the door.”

“Fine.” She turned around and closed the door. She remained facing the door as she said. “Now can you leave me alone?”

“Not until you go stand by the window.”

She turned around, her face a mask of fury. Her body shifted form and a small dragon floated in the air where she had stood. “Do not trifle with me!” The dragon’s guttural voice screamed at Freddy.

“FUCK!” He banged his head against the door to the closet. He did nothing to hide his fear. “Okay. Fine. I’ll leave because you asked so nicely.”

The heat found in a furnace blew across his face as she opened her mouth wide. As quickly, the Dragon shifted, grew larger, and turned back into Emily. “I…” She collapsed against him sobbing.

His urge to run was defeated by his need to comfort her. Though he feared the state of his underwear. “It’s… It’s okay. Just cry.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean… I…”

“It’s fine, Emily. No singe, no foul.”

She laughed through her blubbering. “You could have died.”

“I’m extremely aware of that. But, look. Here we are standing in your dorm room.”

She looked around confused. They were no longer standing by the closet. They were between the two beds not quite by the window. “You!”

“Now, just stand over there.”

“How big are your balls?”

“Turn me to a cinder and you’ll never know.”

She laughed and then turned dead serious. “I will make it up to you. Wizard’s oath. I need to atone for frightening you with painful, fiery death.” She felt the universe acknowledge her oath.

“If that means, you owe me a favor, stand by the window and we’re even.”

“No. That won’t work. I’ll stand by the window without yielding my promise to you. I’ve come this far.” She turned and took one normal step toward the window. Then another. She reached out and touched it.

“Great.”

“No. I have to look down, too.”

“You aren’t looking down? No, I guess you aren’t. Why?” He stood behind her. “What will you see? If I name things I see, will that make you upset?”

“Probably.”

“Should I?”

“You aren’t dead yet.”

“The night is young. The walkway?”

“Close, but no.”

“Not the trees or the buildings in the distance.”

“No.”

“The lamp post?”

“Also close.”

“The bench? What happened on the bench?”

She held back tears he couldn’t see as she was facing the window. She looked down. There it was: the bench. His new girlfriend sat there. Richard looked back at Emily and waved. He spoke to the woman. She responded favorably. They chatted for a while before walking away together.

Her body trembled and Freddy heard her sob. He held her from behind.

As he touched her, she broke free of the memory. She was in her dorm room with Freddy. She turned and sobbed, her head against his chest. He spoke but she didn’t register it.

Minutes later, all cried out, she looked up at him. “Thank you.”

“I’m just hoping the tears will save me from the flames.”

She chuckled. “I doubt it.”

“Have you burnt stuff with those flames?”

“The first time I tried to cook a squirrel it was no longer meat when I was done.”

“First time?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Reverse Scheherazade me. The longer you tell the story, the better. Then I know I’ll live another day.”

“But I won’t have to finish the story.”

“I expect you prefer that.” He looked around. “We can go to my room if you want to leave.”

“Yes, please.”

“The exercise didn’t have a minimum time, did it?”

“Actually, my doctor will be amazed. I don’t think she thought I’d reach the window on the first entrance.”

“How long have you been trying to enter this room?”

“Basically every day since I got back three weeks ago.” They stood at the threshold to the room. “Can you get the door? I don’t want to seem like I’m eager to leave.”

* * *

Emily opened up to Freddy about her torture at the hands of the mentalist, about her being sold to a billionaire, and even about how she left Jane curled up in a ball in a rather unmannequinly manner.

Freddy restrained himself from asking a lot questions, letting her pause or rush through parts of the story. He hoped he hadn’t been showing her a look horror throughout. He was amazed she hadn’t gone completely mad.

By the time she got to her escape, she was far more comfortable talking than she realized. It was also morning. Like the fable, she had talked until dawn. They were lying in his bed, shoes off for comfort. He held her hand so she could squeeze it during the more harrowing parts.

“I just remembered I was thinking about Earl when I first turned into a dragon. I have to remember to thank him when I tell him the story.”

Freddy said, “I’m curious. Can Ted turn into a dragon?”

“No, his magic is limited to inanimate humanoids.”

“Does that mean you know more spells than he does?”

“No. It’s weird. Wizards are usually limited to one thing. For example, Stockton Perry had that fucking mentalist working for him. But, that asshole couldn’t transform himself or others physically at all. That’s why he needed me. Or Ted.”

“I’m still confused.”

“Magic is genetic, I’m told. I couldn’t teach you to do magic unless you were part of an existing magic lineage.”

“Ted knows other doll makers?”

“His sister and his father that I know of can do it, though they aren’t as skilled as Ted is. Doing magic is like exercise. It makes you stronger at magic.”

“So, your family can do all that you can do?”

“Well, I’m only supposed to be able to change myself. I’m an anomaly I guess. I can do things only Ted’s family can do.”

“So, you couldn’t change me into a dragon.”

“I wouldn’t try that. Too big a change. But, I wonder if I could do a small change.”

“I didn’t volunteer.”

“Yes, you did. You have something in mind. I can see it in your eyes.”

He became quiet. “Nobody but Ted knows. But, I used to be one of his dolls frequently.”

“I thought he had trouble getting male dolls.”

“He does. And I didn’t help that because…”

“He would turn you into a female doll?”

“Yes. I don’t find guys attractive at all. But… it sure feels great getting… um…”

“Fucked? C’mon, Freddy. Look at these walls covered in sexy posters. Do you just like looking at them or do you wish you were them?”

“I bought them for the first reason. Later, after I was a doll, the second reason became a pipe dream.”

“You have a reputation to uphold. You should own this.”

“I’ve never told anyone that. Not even Edwin or the girls.”

“There’s no shame to liking what you like.”

“In my heart, I’m with you one hundred percent. In my head, I guess I’m a wimp. I can give it but can’t take it.”

“I thought taking it was the part you liked.”

“Funny. Who’s supposed to helping whom here?”

“We all need somebody to lean on.”

“I love that song.”

“I’m tired.”

“It is morning. I’m tired too. You can sleep here if you don’t want to walk all the way to the sorority house.”

“I could just go to my room down the hall.”

“Could you?”

“No. Of course not. I don’t think I could sleep there, yet.”

“We’ll work on that. I’m going to fall asleep now. As I said, you’re welcome to stay. No funny business will happen.”

“Okay.”

They both fell asleep.

Emily woke first. She didn’t want to disturb Freddy so she slipped out of bed slowly. Looking down at him, she thought about what he’d said last night. She knew she shouldn’t do it. And she knew she’d gotten herself into a lot of trouble doing magic on a whim. She was out the door as the spell was transforming Freddy.