Ted's Dolls Interlude 6: Winter Break, Part 1

If you haven't read any of the Ted's Dolls stories before, you should start with Ted's Dolls 1: Jane before reading this one. This interlude grew so large it has been divided into two parts.

“How long will it be?” Richard said. He had been waiting outside an office for a while. He couldn’t remember how he got here or why he was here. He just knew he had to meet with someone about a doll.

He owned a doll. Didn’t care much about it. Never even gave it a name. He had just met a woman during finals and he was head over heels in love. He was planning to take her to dinner later but this meeting was stretching into late afternoon. Finals were finally over and he wouldn’t have a good excuse if he were late.

“Oh, you’re Mr. Bonaduce. That’s convenient. I was just about to call your name. Mr. Perry is ready for you right now.” the receptionist said.

“Thanks.” She stood up and opened the office door for him. The office was well-appointed, subdued given the wealth of Mr. Perry. His doll was standing next to the desk. He wasn’t sure how it got there. Didn’t matter. It was just a doll. He hadn’t used it in a week or two. Mr. Perry walked out from behind the desk to shake his hand.

“Can I call you Richard?”

“Sure, Mr. Perry.”

“I don’t have a lot of time. As you know, my people found out you had a doll that was perfect for a project of mine. Ten thousand dollars for you, a doll for me, and we can be finished in just a few minutes.”

“Mr. M told me you want to buy the doll. And the price seems fair. What do I have to do?”

“I’ve had my lawyers write up a sales document. You just have to sign here and here and I’ll hand you this check.”

“Great. I don’t want to be late to meet my girlfriend later.” He picked up the pen and signed the paperwork.

“Girlfriend? What’s her name? My researcher said you weren’t seeing anyone.”

“Don’t be hard on them. I only met Jemma last week. For all I know it might even be premature to call her my girlfriend. Tonight is our second date.”

“Well, I hope you and Jemma find you have great chemistry, Richard.”

“Thank you, Mr. Perry.”

“You’ll have to tell the doll about the change of ownership.”

“Of course.”

“Doll, look at me.”

Doll moved for the first time in a couple weeks. Doll looked at Owner flatly. Doll longed for Owner’s touch. Owner seemed distant.

“Doll, I am no longer your owner.”

Doll was shocked. Why didn’t Owner want Doll any more?

“This man, Stockton Perry is your owner. Do you understand?”

Doll did not understand. “Doll understands.” Doll no longer acknowledged Richard’s presence. “Do you have any commands, Owner?” Doll said to Stockton.

“In a minute, Doll. Just stand there until I address you again.”

“Yes, Owner.” Doll froze in place. Doll thought this was wrong. No one asked Doll its opinion. Doll was a possession and Old Owner was gone. New Owner was Owner.

“A pleasure doing business with you. Silvia will show you the way out.”

“Thank you. Mr. Perry.”

Silvia, the receptionist, escorted Richard out of the building. At the front door she said, “Mr. Perry wanted you to have this.” It was a jewelry box.

“What is it?”

“A necklace. Simple. Tasteful. Give it to your girlfriend and help her put it on. She will see you as the kind of person she can rely on. You have to put it on her, though. Don’t forget that.”

“Okay.” Richard said, a bit confused. He went to his car that he did not remember driving here. Wherever here was. As he started the car, the GPS was already set to the restaurant where he was meeting Jemma. He opened the jewelry box. A simple heart-shaped pendant, probably 14-karat gold, was displayed on velvet lined interior. He shrugged and drove away.

Later that night, he was very happy. Jemma seemed willing to do anything he wanted her to do and she did it all with a smile. She was such a doll.

* * *

Ted was waiting on line at a franchise shipping store. He had a package he needed to have delivered overnight to a friend when his phone rang with a number he did not know.

“Ted Ionescu?” The voice on the phone said.

“Yes. Who’s this?”

“You have a very serious problem.”

“I do?”

“Where is Jane Panabaker? Emily Scarborough?”

“How are their whereabouts my problem?”

“Don’t insult my intelligence, Mr. Ionescu. May I call you Ted?”

“Since I have no clue who you are, stick with Mr. Ionescu.”

“You have an enemy, Mr. Ionescu. And you don’t even know it.”

“Who?”

“Stockton Perry.”

“How is Stockton Perry my enemy?”

“The answer to the first question I posed is: ‘They were kidnapped by Stockton Perry.’”

“Why would a billionaire kidnap those people?”

“He didn’t do it himself, of course. His top dog did. Nasty fellow. Mind control powers. Hate that shit. You knew Mr. Perry had a mentalist on his pay roll.”

“No, I didn’t. I’m not surprised. But I didn’t know.” Ted said. “Assuming those women are being held by Mr. Perry, what am I supposed to do about it?”

“Stockton Perry is your enemy. He is also my enemy.”

“That doesn’t make us friends, nameless person.”

“Touché. No, it doesn’t. But we have a partially shared goal.”

“You want to rescue my friends as much as you presume I want to rescue them?”

“No. I don’t care at all about your friends, Mr. Ionescu. You do. That’s what’s important. Helping you rescue them harms Stockton Perry. That helps me.”

“How?”

“Part of rescuing them would have to involve removing the top dog or else he will just reacquire them.”

“I see. And you think I could remove this mentalist.”

“You are the second most likely wizard on the planet that could take him out short of a really long range sniper.”

“Who’s the first most likely?”

“Emily Scarborough.”

* * *

Rob and Beverly sat at Rhana and Earl’s dining table about to eat a quiet Christmas Eve dinner. Rob raised a wine glass. “To old friends.”

They all joined in the toast, “To friends as family.”

“And other friends who could not be here because they still have to go visit family on a day like today,” Earl said.

“Let’s eat,” Rhana said. “Everything looks amazing, Dear.”

“Did anyone hear from Emily?” Beverly said. “I didn’t see her after the poker game two weeks ago.”

“She wasn’t around much. Probably exams craziness,” Rhana said.

“Probably,” Earl said.

“Or she and Richard are dolls trapped in one of their dorm rooms. Stuck until classes resume in February,” Rob said.

“If they are, she probably planned for it to happen,” Earl said.

“Yeah, she loves being a doll,” Rhana said. “She told me she would have Richard place her under his desk and rub his feet on her bare doll breasts. And that was before she could turn herself into a doll.”

“That does sound nice,” Beverly said.

“After the first poker game next semester, I will give you the most wonderful breast rubbing,” Rob said.

“Me too.”

“Of course,” Earl said to Rhana.

“No, I want Rob to do it. He has bigger feet than you do.”

Rob laughed. “You’ll have to convince her.”

“Maybe we could do a swap sometime, Rhana.”

“Now you’re talking my language.”

“Let’s get through December and January first,” Earl said. “I’m sure wherever Emily is, she’s a doll and she’s being properly fucked.”

* * *

It was Christmas day.

Jane stood five feet away. She was standing as she had been standing in her dorm room a few weeks ago.

Doll realized Jane probably enjoyed being looked at and had not a care in the world. Doll cared. But Doll also was standing as she had been the weekend before finals, a smile frozen on Doll’s face. When Old Owner returned to the room, he had told her to go back to her room, speak to no one unless it couldn’t be helped, stay in her room except to take her exams, take her exams, and wait for further instructions.

When Doll finished her exams, Old Owner was outside the classroom. He told her to follow him. And they got into a car and ended up here.

They were in a room with lots of knickknacks, works of art, and oddities. Jane was standing on a pedestal with label: Jane Panabaker. Highest paid mannequin model. Doll was also standing on a pedestal. Doll did not know what its label read. New Owner had told Doll to do nothing but realize Doll and Jane were stuck here forever.

Doll hadn’t needed that instruction. It had already figured that out. Any time Doll thought about escape, Doll realized Doll was stuck here forever. Any time Doll thought about casting a spell, Doll realized Doll was stuck here forever.

Doll did not know its name.

* * *

“Doll. You are never to cast a spell unless I tell you to. Do you understand?”

“Doll does.”

“Doll, cast the spell that will make you human again.”

“Yes, Owner.”

The doll stood there for a few moments as the spell turned the polyvinyl doll into a flesh and blood human.

The woman hit the floor in severe pain. She was dehydrated and starving. She couldn’t see or think. A cold open water bottle was touched to her lips and she tried to drink all down at once.

“Small sips, my dear. You’ll just vomit it up if you drink too fast.”

The hand holding the bottle only allowed her to take small gulps of water at a time.

“You will also choke if you don’t get control of yourself.”

A few moments later she was no longer irrationally desperate.

“What happened?” she croaked out.

“You spent two weeks as an animated doll. Fuel for that has to come from somewhere. You are paying the piper now.”

“Wasn’t my idea.”

“No, it wasn’t. If you had spoken to Ted. He would have warned you not to spend more than a few days like that.”

“Wanted to talk to Ted.”

“And my employee didn’t let you. Did he?”

“Who?”

A familiar voice said, “Surely you haven’t forgotten me so soon, whore.”

She recoiled in fear. “Stay away.”

“Be nice. Mr. M.”

“I’m very nice.. She isn’t turning two dollar tricks in a slum.”

Mr. Perry ignored his wizard and said to her, “You are looking better now. See if you can eat this cracker without getting sick.”

She devoured the single cracker smaller than her palm. “God, Doll is hungry.”

“You’ll feel better eventually. Do you know who I am?”

She looked at him. “No.”

“Do you know why you’re here?”

“Jane.”

“Yes. Very good. You’ve had a cracker. I might give you another. But before you feel fully fed, you will transform Jane into a mannequin.”

“What if Doll can’t?”

“You probably shouldn’t dwell on that. I told you before not to cast any spells. Are you going to cast any spells?”

“Doll can’t.”

“I give you permission to cast a spell only if you know it will transform Jane into a mannequin or is a step on the path to do that. If the spell would affect anyone other than Jane, you cannot cast it. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“But be warned, spells drain your energy. And while you are depleted like this, the effect of casting a spell will be devastating. So don’t guess. Know that the next spell you cast will work. Or you might kill yourself casting the spell.”

“If Owner wants Jane to be a mannequin so badly, why would Owner risk Doll dying?”

“There are other people who can turn her into a mannequin.”

“Ted.”

“And his sister.” He let that sink in before continuing. “What is your name?”

“Doll. Doll? Doll! Not again.”

“I can fix this identity problem for you, too. After Jane is a mannequin. And you do something else for me.”

“Doll will do anything.”

“I thought you’d say that.”

* * *

Libby unwrapped the box. It was doll clothes. She loved when she received new doll clothes. “These are from your girlfriend? But, she isn’t here. How do I thank her?”

“You can thank her when you see her on the sixth?”

“She coming on the sixth?” Patricia said.

“Something like that.”

“What did you get me, Teddy? Is it in all those boxes.” She pointed to a dozen different sized boxes all wrapped in the same wrapping paper and numbered one through twelve.”

“No, your present is in this box”

“Oh, it says it’s from you. Should I open it now?”

“If you want.”

She tore the wrapping paper off and found a plain white box inside. She shook the box. A pair of things rattled inside.

“Are they what I think they are?”

“Probably.”

It was a plain white box with a pair of things rattling around inside. She opened it and found a pair of dolls. “Who are they?”

“You have to give them back when I go back to school February. That one in your hand is Marcia. Don’t tell anyone but she was a professor at my school.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. She wanted to be a doll all Winter break.”

“What about her husband or wife?”

Ted chuckled. “Funny you should ask. This is Carly. She’s Marcia’s husband in real life. But she’s Marcia’s wife like this.”

“Why isn’t her husband a man?”

“Because Marcia asked me to turn him into a woman doll.”

“As a joke?”

“I guess so. I’m sure they know each other well enough to play games like this.”

“I’ll be sure to play games with them.”

“Of course, Libby.”

“So what about the twelve boxes?”

“Those are my presents from Paris. She asked me to open one box per day like the song: twelve days of Christmas. Hand me number one.” As she did, he handed her the card and said, “You can read the card aloud.”

Ted unwrapped box one as she read, “’It’s your girlfriend, it starts with her knees.’ What does that mean?”

Ted opened the plain cube shaped box inside and laughed. He pulled out a pair of life sized knees cut center thigh to upper part of the calf.

“What is that?” Patricia said.

“The last day we were on campus, Paris told me to visit her in her sorority room a few hours before it was time to leave,” Ted began.

* * *

Ted entered his girlfriend’s room and found her in just her underwear. She had her hands behind her back and a playful smile on her face. He stepped close to her and they kissed, When he stopped, she waved a piece of paper in front of him.

“I wish I didn’t have to ask you to do this. But I need you to help me with your Christmas present.”

“That’s okay. You know I don’t like surprises. What do you need?” Ted said. He took the paper. It was a photo of herself with red lines drawn cutting across her body and limbs in red marker.

“I want you to turn me into a mannequin like doll that can be taken apart and put back together in this manner,” she said.

“That’s a lot of cuts.”

“I know. When you’re done, go back to your room. Don’t go home until Whitney brings you a stack of Christmas presents.”

“You’re giving the gift of yourself to me.”

“Don’t ruin the surprise.”

“I would never.” They kissed.

“Go out into the hall and close the door. I don’t want you to see how I’m posed.”

“So, some surprise.” He stepped out and closed the door. Whitney and Trish were waiting in the hallway as he said, “3… 2… 1…”

“How long until we can take her apart?”

“Fifteen minutes or so.”

“Okay, get lost. It should be about two hours by the time we have her packed and ready to go.”

“Whitney, it should be you being given to Burke like this. He’d be completely surprised.”

“Probably, but Paris is your crazy girlfriend. And no one has seen Emily for days, if she can even make a doll you can take apart.”

“Don’t remind me she’s missing,” Ted said.

“Way to kill the mood,” Trish said.

“I’m leaving.”

Whitney touched his arm. “I need to make a few calls. But Paris assumed you would need to be there to do the reverse transformation.”

“I can’t do all the cuts she asked for and have you restore automatically. But I could shrink you down to a little doll, wrap you, and even mail you to Burke. Restoration would happen automatically Christmas Day around noon.”

“You aren’t seriously considering this?” Trish said.

“Maybe.”

“See you later,” Ted said.

Whitney and Trish disassembled the sorority president’s body and packed her into a dozen prepared boxes. Wrapping the boxes took up most of the time.

“Thank god, Gianna already left campus. If she walked in on this, we’d have to kill her to shut her up,” Trish said.

“What is with her? She wasn’t so annoying after Zoey put her in her place. But a week later she was back to throwing barbs at Paris.”

“I wish I understood either of them,” Trish said. She was putting a bra on Paris’ torso. “On second thought, I’m good not understanding them.” She rubbed the boobs. “Enjoying this, Paris?”

A few hours later, Whitney drove over to Ted’s dorm and helped him load the boxes into his car. When they were done, Ted said, “Happy holidays, Whit.”

“You, too, Ted. About that idea you had…”

* * *

“Paris had me turn her into doll parts. She had her friends wrap her in these boxes. And I’ll get to reassemble her on the sixth. She’ll be spending Winter break with us after Christmas is over.”

“That’s so cute. It’s too bad Cat won’t really get to see it,” Patricia said.

Ted took another look at the tree. He could see the face and her figure in the trunk. Somehow that fulfilled the requirement that the transformation be a humanoid figure. “How are you doing, Cat?”

She could not answer. She was the Christmas tree.

“I can’t believe she did that,” Nana said.

“I can’t believe Mom and Dad let her do that.”

“I heard you. It’s only for another twelve days,” Patricia said.

“Are we also going to carry her out to the curb on the seventh?”

“No, Ted.”

Ted placed Paris’ knees on the remaining eleven boxes and took a photo on his phone. Later, Ted was alone with his grandmother. He told her about the mysterious phone call.

“Who is Stockton Perry?”

“Billionaire investment banker. Not surprised you never heard of him. He is known to employ wizards.”

“And one of them is this mentalist who kidnapped your friends?”

“If a random voice on the phone is to be believed. And it’s more to go on than I’ve had since they disappeared.”

“Didn’t Emily have a boyfriend?”

“The mentalist totally wiped her from his mind. He’s dating someone else whom I think the mentalist forced to like him. I’ll worry about getting him corrected once Jane and Emily are safe. As long as I don’t try to fix him, hopefully Perry’s goon leaves him alone.”

“I’ve never fought a mentalist, Teddy. I don’t know if I can help.”

“I was hoping you might know someone who could help.”

“How would we know they weren’t working for this Mr. Perry?”

“Well, I was hoping anyone you might want me to talk to would be someone you thought was at least a little safe. Perry’s goon is a nasty person. I doubt he fools anyone into thinking otherwise without gross use of his magic.”

“I’ll ask around.”

* * *

Human Doll was left alone with Jane. Doll was starving. Doll tried to meditate on its magic. Doll was sure Doll could not transform Jane into a mannequin directly. Jane would have to be human first. Doll was sure of it. Doll hoped Jane would immediately escape if Doll turned her into a human. Doll knew Owner would not believe Doll only cast the spell to do as she was told. Doll did not care. Doll could not leave Jane here with Owner forever. Doll cast the spell.

Jane moved for the first time in weeks. She saw her friend laying on the floor. She grabbed a water bottle nearby and tried to revive her friend.

“Run, Jane.”

“Friend, why do you torture yourself?”

Doll looked at Jane. Jane was looking at Doll. Jane also kept glancing at the wall. Doll had to save her.

“No. You have to escape or Doll will turn you into a mannequin and you be trapped here forever.”

“Silly, silly Friend,” Jane said. She was only looking at the wall.

As she spoke, Doll looked at the wall. There were a couple signs on the wall. They read, “Jane, read these signs. When you reach the bottom, return to the top and read them again.

“When you are able to speak to your friend, do not say her name. Call her Friend.”

Jane had been reading those signs for weeks. Doll did not know the significance of the signs.

Jane recited the words written on the other sign on the wall, saying the words as if she believed them wholeheartedly.

“Friend, you know I’ve wanted to be turned into a mannequin permanently ever since the first time Ted transformed me. Please, Friend, I beg you. Will you turn me into a mannequin as Owner commanded you?”

Doll reluctantly nodded. “But, first, squeeze your right hand.”

Jane looked at her hand awkwardly before putting it in her left hand and squeezed. “Hi, my name is Jane.” She squeezed again. “I am a fashion model.”

“You are a fashion model. Not a mannequin.”

“He’ll kill you if you don’t turn me into a mannequin.”

“If casting a spell doesn’t do it first,” Doll said. “Mannequin is the French word for model. Turn into a model. Stand with your arms by your side and your chin against your chest, eyes closed. Do not move or transform for anyone until I tell you my name.”

Jane posed and said, “Okay. Say the numbers. I like the numbers.”

Doll was starving. Casting a spell was not a good idea. Doll could not deny Jane any longer.

“3... 2..... 1.......”