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—Hold on, oi!

She acts on the first word she hears... honestly, what a child.

What's the time, Mr. Wolf? ...3 o'clock!

What's the time, Mr. Wolf? ...Dinnertime!

This is no fun.

Dolly, dolly, I wish you could move. Then you could play with me.

Dolly, when do you think mummy and daddy will finally let me go outside?

I don't want to be ill. I hate being ill.

My arm hurts... my belly hurts too...

Don't scratch. If you scratch, it might get even worse.

(Covers mouth)

(Whisper) Who... who are you!?

(Whisper) How did you come in? The windows are all closed... um, wait, you should get out quick! If my mummy and daddy find you, they'll get mad at us!

Windows like that can't stop me. It's okay, nobody will find us.

Were you playing something just now?

Yeah!

Do you want this doll to move, and play with you?

Of course! But... how does a dolly move?

There's ways. Aren't there all sorts of little creatures in storybooks who can speak? If there are puppets who can be people, and cats who can walk on two legs, then of course there are dollies who can move.

Hm... do you like listening to stories?

I do! Mummy's told me lots of stories before!

Like the child in the chimney, and the one with big scissors, and the garden with a fairy...

And the one about a castle with tea parties!

It's really, really big, and really, really pretty, and only good children can go to it, and inside, there's these really nice fairies, and they give you really nice cakes and stuff, and they have a tea party all day...

And you can grab the clouds out of the sky, and they taste really sweet, too...

I really want to go to the castle, and be in the tea party, so, I've been trying really hard all the time to be a good girl. When will the fairies pick me up to go to the castle?

Perhaps, very soon, you'll have the chance.

You're a good girl. I'm sure you will!

Really? That's super!

When I go to the castle, will my dolly start moving, and play with me?

Mm-hm. You've heard it in stories, haven't you? At the fairies' castle, if you're a good child, they'll keep your most beloved treasures safe, and when the time comes, those treasures will come back to your side once again.

Dollies who live in the castle aren't ordinary dollies. They can move, and sing, and play games with you!

Do you want your dolly to come 'alive?'

I... I really do...

But, do I have to leave my dolly behind?

If I have to, then I don't want to...

Wh... why?

It won't take too much time. My friends... I mean, the fairies are really powerful, and I'm sure they'll let your dolly move in no time!

Just make sure everything's agreed, and your dolly will be back by your side before you know it!

(Shakes head)

My mummy and daddy gave me this dolly for my birthday. I don't want to leave her.

When I got my dolly, I told mummy that I'd protect her forever! I have to protect my own little girl, right?

Why do people all leave their treasure and stuff so the fairies can keep 'em?

But you're—

...But you're...

You're fallen ill...

If one day someone else finds you, they could take you away. If they really do, then you'll have no way to protect your dolly, right...

Um... daddy said the same thing, too.

But, it's okay. I'll stay at home like they told me. Mummy and daddy won't let me get taken away!

My dolly is my little girl, and I'll protect my dolly. Mummy and daddy said I'm their little girl, and mummy and daddy will protect me.

So as long as I listen to them and be a good girl, I won't get taken away!

I can accept that...

Hehee. Thank you for worrying about me.

Oh, um, I still haven't asked your name yet. Are you sure mummy and daddy won't find us? You're not... from our village, right? I've never seen you before.

I'm Dora. What about you?

I'm... Iris.

Iris!

Can you... can you play with me for a bit? Just a tiny bit!

It's too boring by myself, and I can't play outside, so I can only draw stuff at home, and play jigsaws... and I've played them forever and I'm bored...

You can't go outside?

If I say I wanna go outside, then mummy will cry. 'Cause I've got a really bad disease, and if I go outside when I want, then bad people will take me away.

They'll take me away, and then I'll never see mummy and daddy again.

I don't wanna make mummy cry, and I don't want to leave mummy and daddy behind. But...

But I miss Maemae and all my friends, and I wanna go back to school.

Oh, don't feel down... I'll—I'll play with you!

Do you like this one? Or this toy here, see, if you press it, it lights up! Let's play jigsaws for now, and then next time I'll bring you a new ragdoll—

I'm sorry, this is as much as I can do... I don't have any way to let you go outside.

I'm sorry...

Iris, why are you being all weird and apolojettic? You didn't do anything wrong.

Um...

Um, do you think, if I really see a Miss Fairy, I can make a wish to her?

Of course you can! Fairies are enormously powerful!

That's great! Will the Miss Fairies in the castle cure my disease?

That's...

The Miss Fairies can't do everything, either...

I see, then...

B—But!

Even if they don't have a way to cure your disease! If you have any other desires as well, I'm sure they can—

Then, I want mummy to never cry again. Can they do that?

That's—That's not possible, but if you have anything else!

Um... I want to grow up a little faster, too.

That can't be done, either.

It can't...

None of it can be done...

Um...

Then never mind.

Dora, aren't you disappointed?

Don't you feel like... the fairies are so useless, that the fairytales are all liars?

Why?

I'm gonna tell you a secret. You can't tell anyone else! Actually, my best friend Maemae came to play with me this morning, but she couldn't come in, so we talked through the window all secret.

Maemae said, last night, a Miss Fairy invited her to the castle, and Maemae wouldn't lie to me! She said it was like a dream in there, and the cakes and biscuits were all super tasty!

Maemae's a good girl too...

Mm-hm! But, if I meet a Miss Fairy, I won't mention any of the wishes from just now. Iris, you have to keep it a secret, too!

A secret? Why?

Um, because, think about it! If the Miss Fairy knew she couldn't make my wishes come true, then she'd feel really bad. So I can't tell her about them.

Thank you...

You've finally come out. Are you done talking with that girl in there?

How did you know?

Had a chat with her mother and father, and I heard movement from the rooms inside.

What's wrong? Didn't go well?