On their return home the dolls were in for another shock. They heard subdued sobbing in the corridor and when they rushed up to the kitchen they found Giselda and Akshi. Giselda sat in a corner on the floor and was crying. Seeing the tiny wingling who usually saw life as sunshine and roses in every situation sobbing in such a state was gut-wrenching.

"Giselda!" Nareen yelped. "What happened?"
"I... I just went to the garden for a minute and when I... when I came back..." Giselda couldn't speak further.
Eternia was steaming. "Our kitchen is gone! How did she manage to steal that too without being seen?!"

"Maybe it was someone else, after all?" The necromancer was unsure. In her shock she hadn't even noticed the missing things. "Nobody saw her today, after all."

"I swear... I didn't see anyone." Giselda said, still snivelling. "It was just a minute to take the trash outside..."
Nareen sat down besides her. "Don't cry, Giselda. It's not your fault."
"But I'm so afraid! What if... if the rest vanishes too? How shall I cook for everyone then?!"

"We still have ourselves. Get some sleep now, we'll guard the kitchen for a while."

Giselda put her head on Nareen's lap and Akshi cuddled to both. Eternia folded her arms, still fuming. "You get some sleep too, Nareen. I'll keep the first watch. And I'll guard this kitchen with my life."
"Don't be so dramatic, Eternia."
"When I behead a thief, that will be dramatic."
"You shouldn't speak of thieves that loudly, you know."
"Shut. up."

And so the dolls spent a cold and uncomfortable night on the kitchen floor.

"Alright, Giselda. You guard this kitchen at all costs! It's bad enough we had to eat breakfast on the floor, we can't afford to lose the rest."
"Aye, aye, madam!" Giselda salutated. The wingling was still sad but she managed a smile.
Eternia went to the door. "Nareen and I will go out and search for more clues. If we can't find any before the sun goes down, we'll grab anything from the livingroom to make ourselves more comfortable for the night."
"Okay. Good luck!"

Filou showed up and ran towards Nareen through the fresh snow. Tamara followed.
"Hey guys! What are you doing outside in this cold weather?"
"Searching for the one who stole our dining table and bench."

"Oh my! You mean even more stuff vanished? That's horrible! Where am I supposed to hang out now?!"
"Thanks for your sympathy." Eternia said through gritted teeth.
"Don't snap at me. I even looked around my neighbourhood yesterday, but nobody has any new things that look like yours."
"Oh, you did that for us? Thank you very much." Nareen said.
Filou decided that jumping up on Eternia was more fun.

It's too bad the dog isn't posable. It has batteries which make his head and tail wobble, but otherwise it can't be posed at all.

"I'm sorry that I can't do more. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you guys!" Tamara said and waved goodbye.
"Keep your eyes open, will ya!" Eternia called after her.
"Of course I will. I appreciate the cookies at your place. And your floor is too cold to sit on. See ya!"

Dolltopia Archive 22 <-- # --> Dolltopia Archive 24