The dolls house and the builder

The Dolls house

When I was a little girl by dad lovingly built me a dolls house.  Georgian windows and intricate wooden stairs.   The individual rooms were wallpapered and the beds had duvets.  It is a work of art that unfortunately he never finished and has not been played with enough. He never got round to carpeting it, and I often wonder what his vision was when he started it.

This house has stood uncared for, for a long time, and faint rumblings can often be heard from within. I’ve dismissed this as my imagination, but I do wonder sometimes if inanimate objects have feelings.  Does the house sense it is not being played with and are the dolls inside sleeping? Have you ever wondered how something got to where you found it?

The house (the dolls)

Staring out at the landing I know the children are all grown up now.  The grandchildren rarely visit us. The builder of my house has now gone to another place and life has got very lonely.  Years ago, we would get out and go for walks, knowing that a child would soon find us and bring us home.  We lost friends to the family dogs, we tried so hard to hide from them, but we did adore all the children.

I sit here now and just want to explore.  The landing outside is quiet, it’s always quiet, but today its too quiet, as if something is about to happen.  I can hear the clocks ticking loudly.  I look over at Ken, something just was not right.

The builder

We had not seen the builder for a few years now.  We are dolls and we are very sensitive to other worldly going on’s. Many years ago, we saw the builders mum, after she had passed, she was a lovely lady.

The light on the landing started to flicker, as we heard faint voices.  Shadows then appeared on the stairs and then became a group of people led by the builder and the builder’s mum. Who were all these people?  Unaware they were being watched they all gathered on the landing.  A small party excited to be here and excited to listen to the builder.

Gathering my friends in the dolls house we all watched eagerly.  This was the most entertainment we have had in years.

The mission

Having crossed to the other side five years ago, the builder had met close family that he had lost and some he had never met. Descendants from other lifetimes all now sharing time and space. Heaven is a place that we can only philosophise about, what is it really like?  As the dolls watched they could see the builder was happy, unburdened of all life’s worries.  However something was wrong, that’s why they were here.

To let go of someone you love, is the hardest thing of all, to accept they are gone, and you won’t see them again in this life.  Maybe that’s why he was here, to help heal his family who he had left behind. However, there was more.

More because as the builder spoke, the dolls realised that it was not just the builder who has returned, but all over the world others have come back to send a message to earth.

The world

As society is changing and decisions are made, chain reactions are occurring.  From the White House to UK government to people’s homes. Artificial intelligence is on our mobile phones and becoming part of our daily lives.  Those that have gone before us know what is happening and somehow man needs to slow down.  Reliance on AI , cutting the welfare state, future  government proposals, more people homeless and more devastation.

The dolls in the house looked at each other, how was the builder, his family and his friends going to stop the future disaster? Mortals would not be able to see or hear them, it was going to take a careful action campaign to fix this.

Life

When you lose someone, you love, you listen and look for evidence of them around you.  Whether it be a robin crossing your path or another sign, on this day something unexplainable happened.  Everyone was seeing signs, evidence of loved ones visiting. We couldn’t all be imagining things. Messages were being left of a bleak future, government plans needed to be halted and soon before real devastation starts.

As the Prime Minister opened his newspaper, he dropped the spoon he was using to stir his coffee.  The signs were everywhere, he could hear his late grandmother saying stop as he read the startling news reports.

The White House was buzzing as the President was dismissing it as superstitious nonsense, hearing his late mother he thought surely not and dismissed her as he did all his advisors concerns.

As time went on things did change, there was unease in Parliament as the world slowed down.  Change doesn’t happen overnight, but I do believe there was an other worldly phenomena here. I didn’t see my dad, but I certainly sensed him, something unexplained had happened.  We don’t know why but it had happened for the better. Society was happier and more relaxed.  Our jobs are safe for now and we can all focus on our lives.

The dolls house

Watching the group gathered again on the landing I can hear they are happy.  They have achieved what they wanted to.

As the lady of the house appears, I can see she is tired.  She always looks tired, and I’ve heard her tears.  Watching as the builder holds her in his arms, I see a faint smile appear. As if she knows he is there, calmed by his presence.  Some of us never find true love, I look over at Ken.  No true love is what these two have, not me and Ken.

Wondering how often the builder visits I made a mental note to observe more from the house windows. Beats laying on the bed staring at the ceiling or listening to Ken moaning wanting to go out.  We don’t go out; we wouldn’t get home again.  Not sure where the lady would put us, but it might be the dining room table not our home.  Plus, why would we be in a strange place, the children could not be blamed for our movement.

So, life continues, and my dolls house is still here where it has always been, sat on the landing. One day it may be passed to future generations. I do wonder though if the dolls inside could talk what could they tell us? What have they observed and overheard over the last forty years?

Written for Writers Unite, Write the story

For more see, The cold truth behind the shoes on the line