Beyond The Century (by rynchan)

[DollSpace]

There is a legend.

        Her eyes snapped open. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness of the room. She didn't know why she was awake so late. Slowly, she got up, bracing herself against the wall when she got unsteady. She looked down at Elaine. She and Hannah, and everyone else in her family, had given her so much: shelter, clothes, friendship, life, love.
        Before she had too much time to reflect, she felt an unseen force, motivating her to open the door into the hall. She felt a chill as the cooler air circulated around her bare feet, and her nightgown moved around her legs. The hall was dark, but she could see a light, one that seemed rather bright but not blinding. She quietly made her way down the hall, careful not to wake anyone else in the house.
        When she got to the end of the hall, her eyes grew wide as she realized that the sitting room had been transformed into what looked like a forest glen. Low branches from unseen trees overhung plants closer to the ground of a rich green with flowers in all sorts of colours. In one corner of the room was a gentle waterfall that poured into a stream. The water was so pure, it was almost like liquid light, and as best she could tell was also the only source of light in the room.
        "Pass through the waterfall." a faceless voice spoke.
        "I can't go into the water," the girl replied, softly.
        "It will not harm you," the voice spoke again.
        "My gears will rust," the girl spoke, a bit more firmly.
        "It will not harm you," the voice spoke, a bit firmer as well.
        As scared as she was, the girl slowly moved through the glen to the waterfall. Hesitantly, she started to reach her hand out, and then quickly drew it back.
        "There is nothing to fear. All will be how it should be," the voice spoke authoritatively.
        Filled with an impulsive courage, she boldly walked into the waterfall. As the liquid light cascaded over her now unclothed body, she saw reality shimmer and wave, and then there was only blackness.

        She opened her eyes slowly, and she was in some sort of stone cavern, with the only light provided by a few kerosene lamps placed on workbenches. She felt someone's presence behind her, as her dress was buttoned up, and then movement out of the corner of her eye as the person came into view.
        He was an old man, grandfather-like, and his clothes that probably once looked dapper and well to do were frayed and worn. His thick, white hair was untamed, and his moustache and short beard looked ungroomed. He had a pair of thin-rimmed spectacles on his jolly face, and his eyes twinkled with kindness.
        "Ah, my creation!" he said with pride, "So beautiful." He stared in wonderment at her for a few moments, her eyes darting back and forth confused. Then, with a start, his eyebrows arched and he said, "Oh, forgive me! You probably want to look at yourself!" He busied himself in a corner, moving odds and ends out of the way, and finally produced a dusty mirror, which he then brought over to her. "Behold," he said, and placed the mirror in front of her.
        She stared at herself, scrutinizing every part of her body. Her skin was alabaster, pale porcelain, but with her flawless complexion looked quite human. Her light brown hair fell in ringlets around her small face, and she looked past her small, pert nose into her eyes, also a light brown. She was wearing a maroon dress of crushed velvet, adorned with lace in the upper front part. Hesitantly, she brought her arm up and, with delicate fingers, felt the soft material. She also realized she had on a few petticoats underneath, as well as a pair of white stockings and boot-like shoes.
        "I'm sorry I had to dress you," the man said, cheeks reddening, "but obviously there was no other alternative. I should have given you more privacy."
        "I'm not ashamed," she said, hearing her soft, melodic voice for the first time. "I can talk?" she asked, surprised, to no one in particular.
        "Of course you can, my dear! You can do almost anything a real girl can do!" the man said.
        "Aren't I a real girl?" she asked, confused.
        "No, no, but as close as one can get without being the genuine article! You see, you, my dear, are a clockwork girl," he said.
        "A what?" She asked, confused again.
        "Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning. You see, my name is Collodi. Carlo Collodi. A long time ago, I had to children, back when my wife Renee was alive. I had a beautiful girl, and a beautiful boy, eight years younger. My wife died during childbirth, and the state took my son away from me. During my struggle to get him back, my wife's mother would watch my little girl. But when she was ten she fell from a second- story porch and broke her neck. I was devastated, and spent several years in isolation, abandoning my struggle to reclaim my son. Some people say I went a bit mad, but I assure you I'm as sane as they come," he said.
        Her eyes still focused on her own reflection, identifying slowly with the girl in the mirror, and she said, softly, "I'm not sure I understand."
        "Well, I swore I would have my daughter back. I would make her myself if I could have the real thing. I had previously made a living as a clockmaker, so I figured I could make a clockwork girl. Easy, right? Not so! It has taken me fifty years, but I have finally done it! You are my finest achievement," he proclaimed.
        "You.*made* me?" she asked nervously.
        "I finished you on March fifteenth, but I was only ready to wind you up now. So yes, I made you, but you're still as real as anyone else. You're just.different. Now, stand up, for we have much to do," he said, and helped her to her feet.
        Unsteady at first, she gradually learned to walk gracefully up and down the length of the small room. She marveled at the fine craftsmanship that was her body, with nearly invisible seams at the joints, deep and lifelike eyes, pale but flawless skin, and most of all, her mind. She was like a newborn child, taking in all she could and learning; learning to walk, learning to speak, learning to read. She learned it all with lightning speed.
        "And now, we go upstairs," Collodi said.
        "Up.stairs?" she asked.
        "You didn't think this room was the entire world, did you? It's still mid-afternoon, and you can see the outside," he replied.
        "Out.side?" she asked, again confused.
        "Come with me, and you'll see," he said as he led her to one corner of the room and depressed one of the cinderblocks. An entire portion of the wall pushed back, revealing a recessed staircase. He nudged her ahead of him as she tentatively tried the steps, willing her mechanical legs to learn these new movements as fast as she could. She reached the top of the staircase and steadied herself against the wall. It was a very small entry room, with a narrow bookcase at the other end. Collodi went to the bookcase and pulled out a book, which she could see was a copy of "Alice In Wonderland". To her surprise, the bookcase slid to one side, revealing a room on the other side. He helped her through the opening, and they emerged into a sitting room.
        She looked around, in awe. All around her were books and clocks and assorted toys, assuredly clockwork like herself. But when she went up to one and instinctively turned its key, and all it did was move its eyes back and forth and nod its head, she realized how different and special she actually was. "It's just a toy.it doesn't even know we're here, does it, Mr. Coll.Collodi?" she asked.
        "No, my dear, it does not, and that's what makes you unique. You know who and what you are, and you can learn. This toy, unfortunately, cannot," Collodi replied.
        After playing with the toys for a moment, studying them, she saw a glimmer of light from the next room over. She made a move to investigate, but then stopped, and looked hopefully at her creator. He nodded, and she smiled, running off into the next room as fast as she could.
        She entered the main hall of the house, and stared open-mouthed through the large picture window next to the door. "It's so bright!" she exclaimed.
        "That, my dear, is the outside. It can be both awe-inspiring and dangerous at the same time. You must be careful, but I have learned the hard way that you must also enjoy yourself as well. Shall we take a look?" he asked his creation.
        "Yes, please!" she said excitedly, and he opened the door.

        It was a brilliant late spring day, with bright sunlight and a gentle breeze. She looked up at the sky, and was greeted by puffy white clouds, hanging lazily in the sky. The sunlight felt warm on her skin, and the breeze felt cool as it played with her hair. She started to go eagerly from flower to flower, pointing at various animals and natural formations, asking "what's this?" and "what does that do?" over and over, much to the delight, she saw, of her creator.
        After she picked up a ladybug, and let it crawl upon the back of her hand, tickling her skin with it's miniature legs, she looked up at Collodi with a huge grin on her face. "Just like Alice In Wonderland," he remarked.
        Paying more attention to the erratic flight of the ladybug, she misheard, "Who's Alyssa Wonderland?"
        Collodi laughed and said, "No, not Alyssa Wonderland. "Alice In Wonderland". It's a novel by Lewis Carroll."
        "Oh, that book that you took off the shelf to make the door open!" she exclaimed.
        "Yes, that very one. It was a favorite of mine when it first came out, and I used to read it to my daughter as well. Her name was Alice," he explained.
        She smiled, and then a puzzled look came over her face as she thought for a moment. "What's.what's my name?"
        Collodi thought for a moment too, and then said, "Well, I originally was planning on naming you Alice, after my daughter. But.but somehow that just doesn't seem right now. How about Alyssa, then?"
        "Alyssa." she said dreamily.
        "And Ally for short? A pet name?" he asked.
        "Ally." she said, letting the name form in her mouth. Seemingly satisfied, she looked up and grinned at him, and then ran to him and gave him a large hug. "Oh, thank you Mr. Collodi!"
        "You're very welcome, Ally my dear, but somehow, Mr. Collodi sounds so formal and stiff. How about you call me, oh, Grandpa?" he suggested.
        "Oh, thank you grandpa! I'm so happy," Ally smiled as she hugged him tighter.
        A small teardrop formed at the corner of his eye as he choked up. "Me too, Ally. Me too."
        Ally broke the embrace reluctantly as something else caught her eye. She ran to it, but noticed that her responses and reaction time were slowing more noticeably now. She had picked up on it about thirty minutes prior, but had thought nothing of it. But as she kept up the chase of a beautiful orange and black butterfly, she was having a hard time keeping up.
        Collodi noticed, too, and was soon by her side. "Wh-wh-what's happening to me?" she asked, nervously. Coherent thoughts were becoming harder to form.
        "Ally, my dear, it is the only true difference between you and me, and between you and "real" girls. I rely on food and sleep to power my body; you rely on windings," he explained.
        "Windings, grandpa?" Ally asked slowly, forcing her mind to work through the molasses. "Of course! I'm a clockwork girl! I must be wound just like that toy in the house. But wound with what?" she thought.
        Collodi reached in back of her and took off a ribbon that was hanging around her neck that she had hardly noticed. Attached to the ribbon was a brass key. "This, Ally, is your key. Guard it closely, for without it you will wind down, and I may not be able to fashion a new one." Collodi walked in back of her and unbuttoned the back of her dress. "Do not fret, for all I see is your back, no more. I respect your body and your privacy."
        "Now, I shall wind you. I'm sure you noticed the slowing down earlier, but did not know what it meant. You need to be wound more or less depending on your level of activity. Today was a busy day, and your winding did not last as long. When you notice it, come find me and tell me, and I shall wind you up again," he explained, and inserted the key into her back.
        She felt a chill go up her back and stood straight up. With each turn of the key, she felt her thoughts flow easier, her joints becoming looser, and the fog began to lift. It was a fantastic rush of energy rushing through the very core of her being. Finally, with one last turn, Collodi removed the key and re-buttoned her dress. He gave back her key, which she once again put around her neck.
        "It's getting late, my dear. Let us adjourn back to the house, and you can explore in there," he said.
        Disappointed at the end of the outdoor adventure, but anticipating getting to know her new home, she followed him back to the house. On her way back, she saw a stray daisy, seemingly grown right through the thickest patch of grass. She picked one of the flowers, and tucked it smoothly behind her ear.
        At the door, she turned and looked once more at the outside. "I'll be back soon, and until then, I have a piece of you to remember you by," she said wistfully.
        Collodi put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him. "Thank you. Thank you so much," she said, and hugged him tight once again. With his arm around her shoulder, they walked across the threshold together, shutting the door behind them.

        The next few months were heavenly at the Collodi house. A modest, wooden house on a modest piece of land, Collodi had lived comfortably on his income as a clockmaker. His work was prized in the nearby town, especially his rudimentary clockwork toys for the children that somehow took on a life of their own and were often handed down from generation to generation. Now retired, and no longer needing to work on finishing his finest creation, Collodi focused his energies on educating his new charge.
        Up early, he would teach Ally all about arithmetic, history, language, science and the ways of the world during the morning. Sometimes a midday winding was needed, especially if Ally planned to do more outside exploring, though always with the strict order never to stray beyond the view of the house. After Collodi ate, with Ally at the table watching and usually engaging him in conversations about things she was curious about, she would be off to discover new things about the house, or to spend lazy afternoons reading in the library.
        She would often times sit in the window, letting the sun warm her porcelain-like skin as it fell in dappled patterns upon her hair and whichever one of the three dresses she was wearing that day. She would read any book that caught her eye, and her grandpa had amassed quite a collection over his lifetime. She proved to be a fast reader, and she would finish several novels a week, depending on their size. She would read about all the subjects Collodi had taught her about, and some that he had not. The one that caught her eye more than most were the few books he had collected about ballet.
        One of them, in particular, had synopses of famous ballets at the time. Two of them stood out to her, and she longed to hear the music from them, and to watch the dancers move in time and act out the story. "The Nutcracker", a story that spoke about something called Christmas and a girl named Clara's fantastic adventure, and "Coppelia", about a doll-maker who astounds the village with his realistic creations and his assistant Franz who is enamored with his latest doll. She had even approached Collodi at one point to ask for a ballet costume, but he had said finances were tight enough as it was, and he could not afford one at the moment. But still, she dreamed.
        She tried to emulate the moves displayed in some of the books, but her joints weren't limber enough to correctly imitate them. She tried doing stretches, but on more than one occasion broke a spring or joint, which Collodi had to replace, all the while grumbling good-naturedly about "I give her life and do almost anything she wants, and she wants to do one of the few things she'll probably never be able to do."
        That didn't discourage Ally, though, for she kept at it. And though she wasn't really a dancer by any means, the exercises and stretches did help her movement, and she became more graceful by the day.
        Throughout the summer, Ally's relationship with grandpa got stronger and stronger. Initially unwound and put in the secret room at night for security reasons, Ally eventually asked to stay in the main house at all times. He reluctantly agreed, and often found Ally unwound in the library in the morning, a book clutched in her hands. Believing that she should be as much like a real girl as possible, Collodi made a bold decision. He entered the small room that used to be his daughters' and gave it a good dusting and cleaning, and washed the bed linens. On an early August day, he led her upstairs with her eyes closed to his surprise. When she realized she had a room of her own, she cried out with joy and hugged her grandpa tightly.
        To repay him for his kindness, Ally decided she should learn to cook. She could never eat the food she prepared, but she wanted to anything that was possible to help her grandpa. Collodi wasn't that great of a cook, but he taught her how to make some old and traditional Italian dishes, and a few that he had come to enjoy in the new world. Ally was an eager pupil and soon, afternoons brought cooking lessons as well as reading.
        One day, as the summer drew to a close, and Ally was sitting peaceably at the window staring at the fat raindrops as they splattered against the glass, Collodi mentioned something he had been thinking about for sometime. Before he could speak, however, Ally questioned him, "Often, while I'm sitting here reading, I daydream about what's in these books. What it would be like to run through the puddles in the rain and not have to worry about my gears rusting solid. What it would be like to spend a day playing in the woods and not have to worry about getting home for a winding before I wind down. Sleeping and getting up when I want to, and not when someone winds me. Dreaming.for real."
        Collodi turned away, brought to tears by her impassioned speech. He turned back to her and said, "I think you're ready to come to town with me, Ally my dear, and we shall show them what a wonder you are."
        "You mean, you want to show them I'm a clockwork girl?" Ally asked.
        "No, I mean, yes, I mean. I'm a prideful old man, Ally. People said I was crazy to think I could bring my daughter back. Well, maybe I was, but I certainly made something just as amazing, Ally. I made you. And I want to show that to people," he said, hesitantly.
        Ally thought about this, and reluctantly nodded her head. "If you want to, I will. I would do anything to repay what you have given me."

        And so it came to be that on a warm Hallows Eve, Collodi and a freshly wound Ally walked the short distance from the house into the local town. Ally was astounded by all the hustle and bustle, and all the shops and sights and sounds. Her grandpa slowly edged her onward when she got distracted staring at various things she had never seen before. People seemed surprised to see Collodi, but tipped their hats and nodded greetings, which Collodi returned likewise. Eventually, they made it to what appeared to be the central building in town, and one that had quite a crowd inside.
        Someone was speaking authoritatively at the podium when they entered, so no one seemed aware of their presence. Everyone, and soon Collodi as well, was entranced by the speaker, who was talking about increasing property taxes to fund the local school or something like that. After he finished, the crowd gave him a healthy round of applause. Certain things were voted on, and then the moderator moved to close this meeting. That was when Collodi spoke.
        "Excuse me," he said. Everyone turned around to look at him. "I have something I would like to show everyone."
        "What could you have to show us, Collodi? And since when are you interested in coming town meetings, or even leaving your house? And have you brought a girl to our meeting? I think we all just want to go home," the moderator said. A murmuring from the audience indicated agreement.
        "Let me speak, Judge Parker. Come, Ally, and we will show them," he said, and both of them made their way up the center aisle. "As most of you know, I am Carlo Collodi," he started when he arrived at the podium. "Many of you think I am a harmless old coot who stays mostly to himself at the edge of town. Well, you'd be right, mostly. But I am not crazy, and I have come to prove this to you tonight!"
        "This is Ally," he said, introducing her. She waved hesitantly to the audience, who murmured uncomfortably. After the introductions, he asked Ally a large series of questions on all sorts of subjects he had schooled her on. He even had her demonstrate some of the ballet stretches she had learned on her own and some of the poems she had memorized. The crowd, though, soon got more restless.
        "Just a moment more of your time, I beg," Collodi said. "Turn around, Ally." Ally dutifully obeyed. He began to slowly unbutton the back of her dress.
        A man in the audience stood up and loudly objected. "What is the meaning of this, Collodi? You bring a girl into our government meeting, have her recite school facts and then plan on undressing her in front of us?"
        "Patience, patience. It is not how it looks, none of it is," Collodi said as he finished unbuttoning her dress. He parted the fabric whilst blocking the crowds' view, and lifted the key from around Ally's neck. "Behold," he said as he stepped away, revealing a small hole in the middle of Ally's back. With the key, he inserted it, and began to wind. The audience watched in stunned silence as Collodi wound his creation fully, re- buttoned her dress, and gave the key back to Ally, who turned around and hung it around her neck. "My finest creation."
        The man who had spoke earlier was still standing, and, as the shock wore off on what he had just seen, blurted out, "It's witchcraft! He has performed an act of the devil. We must destroy the abomination and cast him out!"
        Suddenly, the whole crowd was in an uproar and everyone was on their feet. "Get them!" they shouted, and began to storm the stage. Ally and Collodi looked at each other, and she saw a new emotion in his eyes: fear. "Follow me!" he said, and they ran.

        Ally followed her grandpa out a back door with the crowd close behind. Once outside, Collodi appeared directionless in the dark, not sure where to go and still baffled by the crowd's reaction to his crowning achievement. Ally took the lead, striking out in the direction she felt they had come in, and assumed her grandpa was behind her.
        After about ten minutes of what seemed like aimless wandering to her, and trying her best to avoid the torch lights of their pursuers, she stopped for a moment in a small clearing. "What do we do now, Grandpa?" she said, turning to face the direction she assumed he'd be in. She was stunned when she realized she was now alone. "Grandpa? Grandpa?" she called softly, hoping he was not too far behind. When he did not come, she assumed they had gotten separated, and set off trying to retrace her steps. Before long, she spotted the torches of the crowd again, and took refuge under a large growth of ferns.
        "Where is she, old man? It won't be long till we find her, and perhaps if you're helpful we won't exile you!" one roustabout was saying.
        "Look at what you're doing! This is the twentieth century, for Pete's sake. She is a crowning technological achievement. We're not in medieval times!" Collodi said forcefully.
        "She is an abomination in the eyes of our Lord!" the man from the meeting said. "No one can make a clockwork girl. She must be the work of the devil!"
        "There are no demons involved in her creation. She is the fruit of over fifty years of labor. And she is alive," Collodi replied, eyes darting back and forth between his captors.
        "She is a collection of metal and rubber animated by sorcery, you fool," said a third man.
        "She's happy, she learns, she feels, she wishes, and she loves. And she's more alive than you'll ever be," Collodi said, while Ally felt a tremendous weight in her chest. She wasn't sure what she was feeling, if she could really even feel.
        "Fine, old man. Don't help us. But we will find her with or without your help, and when we do, we will dismantle her while you watch. And then, we'll either cast you out of town or have you hanged. Take him away," said the man from the meeting, and in the small commotion, Ally stole away.
        Not sure where to go, now that her grandpa had been captured, she wandered around without direction, finally, thankfully, coming upon the house where she was created. Letting herself in, as the door was unlocked, she quickly made a small collection of all that was valuable to her and hid it in the small secret workshop underneath the house. She locked the doors and windows and waited, not sure at all what to do.
        She didn't have to wait very long, for within the hour a rather large crowd showed up at the house. Frightened and alarmed, she made her way to the secret workshop and listened as windows and doors were broken in and the house was stormed by the teeming crowd. She could hear the angry shouts as Collodi's collection of clockwork toys were angrily smashed, and the house ransacked. Petrified they would hear the slightest sound, Ally stood perfectly still.
        "She's not here. She must still be wandering out in the woods. Maybe she wound down all the way," someone said.
        "Fine. Let's set the house alight and canvas the woods again," said another man, and soon Ally could hear flames licking at the wood above the stone ceiling. Then the crowd angrily stomped out, and the house was silent, save for the crackling flames.
        Ally played back what the man had said, over and over in her mind. "Maybe she's all wound down." With no way to wind herself, soon, she'd be completely wound down and helpless, just a complicated doll. With the flames destroying her home, she resigned herself to her fate. She moved a chair into the corner, already feeling her strength ebb, and sat down, her back straight and proud, and slowly wound down. Her last conscious thought was, "I hope the stone is enough to keep the flames at bay."

[DollSpace]

And then, there was light. She looked down at the floor for a moment to let her eyes get used to the shadowed sunlight coming from somewhere up above. There were two girls in front of her. One was a bit tall, with long dark brown hair and glasses, and the other was shorter, with wavy lighter brown hair and a wide smile, and who was also holding her key.
        "Wow." the shorter one said. "What do you think it is?"
        "It's a wind-up girl, stupid," the taller one said. "I wonder what it does."
        "I know it's a wind-up girl, Louise. But what's it doing here?" replied the shorter one.
        Ally's eyes moved back and forth between the two, who appeared to be sisters, and then slowly got up, once again bracing herself against the wall. "May I have my key back, please?" she said, softly.
        Distracted by their debate, the two sisters jumped. The shorter one turned to run, but Louise held her back. "Wait a minute, Dawn. You were the one who convinced me we should wind her up, so you're going to help me figure out what to do with her. And give her back her key."
        Dawn reluctantly turned around and handed her back her key. "Thank you," Ally said. "Now, where am I?"
        "You're where we found you, that's where. At the very back of our property there was the burned out shell of a house. No one ever really cleaned it up-they all said it was haunted. But with the war going on we've got nothing to do, and Dawn here said we should check it out," Louise explained. "Oh, and I'm Louise," she said, pointing to herself, "and this is my younger sister Dawn," as she pointed to Dawn.
        "Wait a moment. War? What war?" Ally asked, bewildered.
        "We're fighting the Axis. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and we said we were at war with them, and then Germany and Italy said they were at war with us, and then we said we were at war with them and-"
        "I think she gets it, Dawn. The war's been going on for awhile now, and it looks like the tide is slowly turning our way. Our dad's a soldier! He's off in Europe now, fighting the Nazi's-that's the Germans," Louise explained.
        "Oh. That sounds awful," Ally said while looking down at the floor, a bit uncomfortable.
        "We miss him a lot, but my mum says he's coming home real soon!" Dawn says.
        "Yes, we hope he's called home soon. The war may not last much longer," Louise said. "So, what's your name?"
        "I'm Alyssa.though you can call me Ally," she answered.
        "Hi Ally! Nice to meet you! We can be the best of friends!" Dawn said and hugged Ally tightly. She returned the hug, and looked up at Louise, who had a soft smile on her face. Ally felt love once again.

        "So, how do you work?" Dawn asked, as they were inside the house she shared with her sister and her mother, who was working at the factory riveting sheet metal for the fighter planes.
        Ally shook her head. "All I know is that I have some sort of clockwork mechanism inside of me that needs to be wound at various times depending on how active I am. I really don't know how I work, but I was originally made to replace this clockmaker's daughter, but I ended up being more like a granddaughter to him." Ally looked away for a moment, remembering the sad ending to her previous life. Even if he had survived that day, he'd surely be dead by now. According to her new friends, she had been asleep for forty years!
        Quickly changing the subject, Louise said, "Here, let me show you around the house." Following her and Dawn, Ally was introduced to a number of modern conveniences she had never seen before. She heard people talking on the radio, saw an electric oven, was startled when the phone rang (and said hi to her friends' mother, after she had been introduced as a new friend), and was particularly interested in the phonograph.
        "You mean, you can listen to any music whenever you want?" Ally said, amazed.
        "Well, if we have it on record. Most of our records are swing albums from Glen Miller and Benny Goodman, but we have a few classical selections, too," Dawn said. "We don't listen to it that much, but dad would listen to it all the time when he was here."
        As Dawn was explaining, Ally looked through the small collection. She froze when she came to the last record in the stack. It was selections from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker. "Can we play this one? Please?" Ally asked.
        "I don't see why not. After all, it's gotten a bit cold for spring after we found you," Louise said. "We can listen to it while we prepare dinner. You can help, if you want, Ally."
        "I'd be glad to, but, I don't eat," she said, embarrassed.
        "You don't-oh, of course! How silly of me," Louise said and blushed. "But you can still help, umm, if you want to."
        "Oh yes, I do. I used to cook for my grandpa all the time. He was Italian, so I would make him all sorts of pasta dishes, and chicken, and."she trailed off as she remembered, but was soon distracted by the "March Of The Toy Soldiers", coming from the mouthpiece of the phonograph.

        "One of our great-great grandparents was Italian, too. Unfortunately, there aren't too many tasty Italian dishes we can make now because of rationing," Louise explained.
        "We still have some chicken left over from Sunday dinner. We can fry it up and put some tomato sauce and cheese on it, kind of like Chicken Parmesan without the pasta." Dawn suggested.
        "That's a great idea for once, Dawn," Louise teased her younger sister.
        "Hey, it was my idea to wind up Ally, y'know," Dawn retorted.
        "Ok, ok, fine, you have good ideas now and again," Louise said and giggled.
        Dawn looked pleased with herself. "That's better.wait.what did you say again?" she asked, and Ally and Louise couldn't contain themselves and let their laughter out.
        After a bit, Dawn said, "I didn't know you could laugh, Ally."
        "I can do many things. My grandpa built me well. He always told me the only difference between me and a real girl was that I had to be wound for energy, while real girls need to sleep and eat for theirs," Ally replied.
        "He sounds like a very nice person, and very wise," Louise said.
        "He was."Ally said.
        "Enough standing around! We need to get cooking!" Dawn suddenly said, breaking the silence. So, to the strains of Tchaikovsky's score, the girls busied themselves making a meal for their mother.
        Flour and eggs and a few spices for the batter, canned tomato paste and seasonings for the sauce, and chicken that had been thawed were all slowly coming to resemble a miniature feast. Ally taught Louise and Dawn a few cooking secrets she had learned while cooking for grandpa, and a special seasoning mix that he had always enjoyed.
        Soon the food was done, and almost on cue, Louise and Dawn's mum came through the door. "Mm, something smells awfully nice!" she remarked as she wearily placed her coat on the back of the sofa. "But isn't it too early to listen to Christmas music." she said, as she saw Ally.
        "Hello! You must be Ally. I'm Mrs. O'Neill, Dawn and Louise's mother," she said.
        "Nice to meet you," Ally replied.
        "Likewise. And isn't that the most beautiful dress! Were you out playing in that today?" she asked.
        Ally looked down at her fancy dress and realized it did clash quite a bit with the simple, unadorned look her new friends were in. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.
        "Oh! No, no, she brought it over to play dress-up with us, right?" Dawn said quickly. Ally just nodded dumbly as Louise chimed in, "Yeah, Ally, your clothes are up in my room, right? Come with me and I'll get them."
        Louise rose from her chair and pulled Ally's arm gently to follow her, which she did. She led Ally up the stairs into her small bedroom where she rummaged through her closet. "These fit me a few years ago, and Dawn won't wear them, so you can wear them if you want."
        It was a black and white checkered simple affair with short, puffy sleeves and a skirt that ended just above the knee. She handed it to Ally and dug out a pair of socks and shoes to go along with it. Ally placed it on the bed and slowly undressed, a bit haltingly since she had done it so rarely in the past. She stood in front of Louise, clad only in her underwear and a thin camisole top, with her key around her neck.
        "What are you waiting for?" Louise asked, a bit concerned.
        "Can you.can you wind me, please?" Ally asked hesitantly.
        "Oh! Sure. Dawn wound you up originally, and I confess I've wanted to try," Louise explained.
        "Go right ahead, please," Ally replied, and felt the same feelings she felt when her grandpa would wind her up daily, the same feelings she never got tired of. She wasn't terribly wound down, but by getting wound up now, she'd be able to enjoy the whole evening and into the night without worry. Once wound, Louise replaced the key around Ally's neck again, and Ally got dressed, a bit slowly, since she was still more unsteady in her bare feet with no shoes to offer stability.
        Her legs felt weird with no material on them, as did her lower arms, but it was a strangely exhilarating feeling, something new. She folded up her old clothes neatly, deciding they definitely needed a wash after being underground with her for forty years. Louise led her back downstairs, and they rejoined Mrs. O'Neill and Dawn at the table.
        "Since you helped prepare the food, you should stay and enjoy it with us," Mrs. O'Neill said.
        "Thank you very much, though, honestly, I'm not that hungry. I will stay, though, if that's okay," Ally replied.
        "That's fine, if you're sure you don't want any." Ally nodded. "Well, that settles it then. Now let's eat! I'm starved!"

        After dinner, the family and Ally adjourned to the living room and listened to the war news on the radio, and then Mrs. O'Neill announced it was time for Ally to be getting on home. Ally figured, judging by the shocked looks on Louise and Dawn's faces, that neither them (and her, for that matter) had thought about this eventual occurrence.
        "Oh, mom! We just met today! Can't she stay overnight?" Dawn asked.
        "It's a school night, unfortunately. Monday begins a new week. But you'll see each other at school, won't you?" Mrs. O'Neill asked.
        "Actually, Mrs. O'Neill, I won't, since I just, err, moved here, I'm not enrolled yet, and won't be until next year, if I'm still here," Ally responded.
        "Well, summer is coming soon, and then you'll have all the time in the world to play with each other. And you can see Ally after school," Mrs. O'Neill said.
        "Can I walk Ally home?" Louise asked.
        "I guess it's okay. But come right home, y'hear?" Mrs. O'Neill said.
        Louise nodded and they were almost out the door when Dawn stopped them and handed Ally her dress from earlier. "See you soon, Ally! Good night!" she called, before her mother beckoned from the other room.
        Ally and Louise made their way to the back of the property, to the shelter that had been Ally's safe-haven for the forty years she had been unwound. "I'm.I'm sorry you can't stay with us tonight," Louise said.
        "Don't be sorry," Ally said. "You and Dawn are my first real friends, and the first people I knew who didn't run away screaming when they found out I was only a clockwork girl."
        "But you'll have to stay out in the elements." Louise said, dejectedly.
        "It's okay, really. Once I wind down I don't feel anything anyway," Ally tried to calm her new friend.
        "That's awful.do you want me to wind you up before I go?" she asked.
        "No, it's okay. The morning will come that much quicker if I'm not aware of waiting," Ally said and laughed softly in the pale moonlight.
        "Okay. Well, I'll try to stop by after school to wind you up. Maybe you can help me with my homework," she said, and both of them laughed.
        They fell silent, though, and in the briefest moment, a connection was made, too deep to understand. Feeling a strange closeness, she hugged Louise tightly. "Thank you so much for today. It means more than you'll ever know." Ally said quietly.
        "It meant a lot to me, too. I'll be back tomorrow, I promise," Louise said, as she reluctantly broke the embrace. "Good night!"
        Ally watched as her new friend walked slowly back to her house, looking behind and waving several times until she was out of sight. Ally sighed as she made her way into the nook in the wall, still in the dress she was given today. She thought about her amazing fortune, and replayed images of her new friends over and over until she wound down for the night.

        And so it was that, over that summer, Ally spent a lot of time with Dawn and Louise, doing various activities and just spending time together. They would frequently hold slumber parties, and often Ally would spend many nights at the O'Neill household. Mrs. O'Neill was too stressed out over job and worried about her husband to care too much, and occasionally asked if Ally's mother minded her being over so much. Ally's answer that her mother was fine with the arrangement seem to placate any sense of worry Mrs. O'Neill had, and allowed Ally to spend copious amounts of time in a fairly secure environment.
        The tide of the war was turning, though, after the battle of Normandy in June, the Allies were making steady progress through France. Many times Ally would join the family as they huddled around the radio, anxious for news about the war, and always dreading hearing about casualties.
        Ally was also a welcome addition in the kitchen, where she taught the two girls all that her grandpa had shown her about cooking. Doing the best they could with the rations they were allotted weekly, Ally helped Dawn and Louise make truly delicious dinners. Even Mrs. O'Neill's coworkers where in awe of the delights coming from the kitchen, since she would often take any leftovers to work for lunch the following day.
        Some of the workers from the plant even wanted to meet Ally, but she always politely declined, citing extreme shyness and modesty for a reason. But, although she loved hearing the compliments, Ally was petrified of meeting new people. She always felt for sure that they could see right through her guise and tell what she really was. Even though Mrs. O'Neill never let on she could sense anything different, and Dawn and Louise didn't care, her fear still kept her on the sidelines and away from the action whenever Louise and Dawn were with some of the other girls and boys in the neighbourhood.
        "Mum can't tell, and she's very observant. The other kids would never be suspicious!" Dawn exclaimed.
        "I just can't.not now." Ally repeated. "I like what we have here. I like being your secret friend. I like staying over your house with just your mum and us. I like it that way."
        "But you can't stay hidden forever, Ally. Maybe one day we'll have to explain why you don't age, and why you can't play too long before you get tired. But you'll never know if you can do it if you never try!" Louise wheedled.
        "I'll try later. Can we drop the subject? Please?" Ally pleaded.
        Not wanting to upset her further, they stopped talking about it. But one hot and humid night in late August, they didn't have a choice.
        Ally was enjoying a new pastel purple sundress that Dawn had outgrown in certain places, but it fit Ally wonderfully. She enjoyed spinning in it and making the dress twirl, like the ballet dancers she had read about so long ago. She was also barefoot, which was a rarity for her, but she figured she should get used to it sooner or later, and it was too hot to go about in socks and shoes.
        She was helping Louise and Dawn make a pasta dish for dinner while singing to the swing music coming out of the radio in the next room. The pasta was almost ready, and the sauce was simmering, sending out an enticing aroma throughout the house. It almost made Ally try it herself, though she knew she'd break forever if she did that. She picked a fresh pepper from the garden Dawn tended outside the back door, and was slicing it up to add to the sauce, when she heard the door open.
        Louise went to welcome her mother, and Ally heard her say, "Oh, I didn't know we were having company!"
        Ally looked at Dawn, petrified. "What do I do?" she whispered.
        "You'll just have to stay here! If you leave now, it'll be awkward," Dawn whispered back.
        Louise told them dinner was almost ready, and returned to the kitchen. "I'm sorry, Ally. But please don't leave. I honestly didn't know we were having a guest tonight."
        "I know it's not your fault. But, I'm so scared. What happens if he sees what I am? He'll be able to tell, I know it!" Ally said, frantically.
        "Well, I tell you what. I'll set the table and bring out the food, while Dawn winds you up in the other room. When you don't have to worry about that, there's nothing that he could see that would make him suspicious at all," Louise said.
        Dawn nodded in agreement, and Ally reluctantly acquiesced. After the energy of Dawn's winding her, Ally did feel a bit more confident. Together with Dawn, they went into the dining room to meet Mrs. O'Neill and her guest.
        It turned out that Mrs. O'Neill's guest was a Mr. Dyson, a supervisor at the plant she worked at. His wife had gone to visit her mother for a few days, and Mrs. O'Neill had invited him to dinner, eager to show off her daughter's cooking skills. Mrs. O'Neill also did not know Ally would be over, either, and later apologized, but Ally was visibly relieved when he left and was still in shock he hadn't noticed anything.
        "Your skin is perfect, Ally. Beautiful complexion. What's your secret? I'm sure my wife would love to know," he said.
        "I just eat right, I guess," Ally said, as Louise and Dawn stifled a giggle.
        "Well, she must eat right somewhere else, cause I never see her eat here and she never eats what she helps make us. But she seems completely healthy, if a bit pale, so I figure her mother is making sure she eats enough!" Mrs. O'Neill said.
        "That's a very pretty dress," Mr. Dyson complimented.
        "Dawn let me have it. It doesn't fit her as well anymore. I like it a lot, too." Ally agreed.
        "This food is delicious! You girls should be quite proud of yourselves!" he told them.
        "Thank you," the three girls chorused in unison. "But Ally taught us a lot of what we know," Louise said.
        "Is that so. Well, you're quite a cook, Ally," he said to her.
        She looked to the floor, embarrassed. "Thank you, sir," she mumbled softly.
        Ally had become an expert at pretending to drink, and usually had a glass of water with her at the table so she wasn't too conspicuous. She made successful small talk with Mr. Dyson, and after he left, was obviously more relaxed. She actually sighed with relief, and Mrs. O'Neill hugged her and said, "I'm so sorry, Ally! I know you're very shy, and I didn't realize you would be here tonight. But you handled yourself very well."
        "Th-th-thank you, Mrs. O'Neill. I think I'm going to sit down for a bit in the living room, if you don't mind," she said.
        Mrs. O'Neill nodded in agreement, and Ally slowly made her way to an overstuffed chair in the corner, where Dawn joined her as Louise helped her mum with the dishes.
        "You did it! He didn't suspect anything!" Dawn whispered.
        "Do you think? Really?" Ally said, having picked up more of the current speech patterns.
        "I know so!" Dawn said, and hugged Ally close.
        "Wow." Ally thought to herself. "I really did it. Maybe I could play with the other kids. Maybe they wouldn't know."
        "Dawn?" she asked, hesitantly.
        "Yes, Ally?"
        "Do you think, that, maybe tomorrow, or the next time you two play with some of the neighbourhood kids, I could, umm, come along?"
        "Yes, I know both of us would love that," Dawn answered, and Ally smiled. And though Ally couldn't see her face, she could tell that Dawn was smiling too.

        So it came to be that the weekend before school started, while the boys were playing a pick-up game of baseball, the girls played hopscotch and jumped rope on the nearby playground. Initially, Ally was very shy. Louise and Dawn introduced her to the girls that were hanging around playing hopscotch, and they invited all three to join in.
        Ally watched the other girls, and how they played. Soon it was Ally's turn. She wasn't sure how well she could balance, but decided to have a go. She tossed the stone gently, and it landed on number eight. She hopped up the numbered squares, skipping over number eight and almost tumbling to the ground. Miraculously, though, she kept her balance, and turned around at the top to come back down. Gingerly, she bent to pick up the stone, grabbed it, and continued back to number one. Dawn and Louise clapped. "Good job, Ally!" they said, and Dawn hugged her as Louise took her turn.
        As the afternoon wore on, they played more hopscotch, jumped rope (which Ally proved to be so good at, she found herself messing up on purpose so the other girls wouldn't get suspicious), and finally a game of tag. Ally wasn't as good at that game, since she wasn't that fast, but she was having fun, and the other girls didn't suspect a thing.
        Evening began to fall, and the boys had abandoned their baseball game for some war game somewhere far away, and the girls spread out their game of tag into the field and to the woods behind it as well. Everyone was having a great time when Dawn heard her mum calling for her and Louise.
        "We'll be back soon! It's just dinner," Dawn said.
        "Take me with you!" Ally pleaded.
        "You'll do fine, really you will. Besides, it will look kinda strange if you come with us and then don't eat, even though mum wouldn't mind. And you're having so much fun," Louise said.
        "Don't worry. We'll be back sooner than you know!" Dawn said as they waved and ran down the street back home.
        Ally turned her attention back to the game, and, just as Louise said, she was having lots of fun. Too much fun, as it turned out. So distracted by the game, and keeping up the charade, she didn't notice the signs until it was too late. Too late to run home to Dawn and Louise. She tried to slowly make her way to the edge of the playing field, to chance making it home in time. But she was tagged, and they all were yelling at her to run. And she couldn't. It was getting hard to move, and the other kids were noticing.
        "What's wrong? Do you feel okay?" they asked.
        "I.I.I need to be wound," she heard herself say, startled at her bravery.
        "Wound? What do you mean, wound?" they asked, confused.
        She took her key out from under her dress and showed it to them. "In.my.back. Please. Wind.me!"
        Some of the kids approached her, and stared at the key. Then some girl came up behind her and undid the buttons on her dress. "She's not real!" she exclaimed! "Just a toy! She's not a real girl!"
        "What do you mean," one of them said.
        "Just what I said. She's not even human!" And the last flicker of thought she had before completely winding down was, "What will Dawn and Louise think?"

        She opened her eyes to darkness. "I am so sorry," Louise said, her eyes red from crying.
        "I'm sorry we left you," Dawn said, her eyes also puffy and wet.
        "They.they said I wasn't real.they laughed at me.they were scared of me," Ally said, the closest she'd ever been to crying; not that she could, literally, but her body shook with the emotion.
        "We found.we found you standing stock still in the middle of the field. You didn't have your key around your neck. We looked for it in the dark as best we could, and we finally found it embedded in the dirt on the base path. It's all dirty." Dawn said, gulping back tears.
        "It's ok.it's ok, really.please don't cry for me. I'm not worth it," Ally said, trying to control her own broken emotions.
        They all huddled together, as close as they could get in the late evening moonlight. "We are crying for you, because you are worth it. But, but there is something else that we found out today," Louise said, as Dawn began to cry again.
        "Our father.was killed in action yesterday. We.we have to leave, unfortunately. This house was given to us by the Army to live in while our dad was away. Now that he's.he's been killed"-Dawn sobbed-"we have to move back to where we came from, and we'll bury him at the cemetery near us." Louise said in a hushed tone.
        "I'm.I'm sorry." Ally said quietly as Louise draped her key around her neck. "I remember how I felt when I lost my grandpa. I.I don't know what to say."
        "It's ok, I know you care. But, but we can't take you with us. Mum doesn't know what you are, and I don't think I could tell her now, not now. We snuck out while mum was on the phone with the Army chaplain at the local base. We couldn't just disappear on you without a trace. But we really can't take you with us. I'm so sorry," Dawn said between sobs.
        "I.I understand," Ally said as she looked down. She did understand, but at the same time, wondered if it would always be this way, with everyone she loved leaving her.
        "But, we do have all your clothes in a nice bag for you, and there is a place in our basement where we can put you where you'll be sheltered from the elements. We can't just leave you outside again. It's out of the way next to the old coal stove that doesn't work anymore. Dawn cleaned it out while I consoled mum. As soon as we get a chance, we're coming back for you, okay?" Louise said.
        Ally nodded as they slowly walked toward the house. Once she wound down, she'd know nothing until someone else wound her up again, hopefully Dawn or Louise. But who knew? Why would they come back, anyway? Sure, they said they loved her, but would they be able to come all the way back just for her?
        The snuck Ally in through the back door, and grabbed one of the dining room chairs for her to sit in. It was dark and dusty in the basement, but the small nook near the wall where the coal bin had probably been at one time was cleaned almost spotless.
        "If it's not too much trouble, could you two stay with me until I wind down?" Ally asked hesitantly.
        "We'll stay as long as we can, Ally," Dawn said, and stay they did.
        Mostly they just sat in a stilled silence in the dark, but occasionally one of them would start to cry softly, and the others would hold them tighter.
        "Dawn? Louise? Did I hear you go down there? Come upstairs, we need to pack," said Mrs. O'Neill in a shaky voice.
        "I'm sorry, Ally, but we have to go now." said Louise dejectedly.
        "Before you go, can you release my winding mechanism? I'll wind down instantly that way," she asked.
        "I.I can't." Dawn said.
        "I'll be strong.I'll do it, if that's what you really want," Louise said.
        Ally nodded.
        "Well, this goodbye won't be forever. We'll see each other someday," Louise said.
        "Thank you for being our friend," Dawn said. "I'll never forget you."
        "Nor will I," Louise and Ally said in unison.
        "I love you," they said, almost at once, and Dawn turned away while Louise released the mechanism. Ally's eyes seemed to dim a bit, and there was an uneasy silence. To Ally, there was nothing.

[DollSpace]

"So, how do you feel?" said a melodic, yet slightly rough voice to her right.
        "Sheesh, Allison, she just woke up! Why don't you give her some time to acclimate to her new surroundings," said a sweeter and quieter voice to her left.
        Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the bright light shining through the open window. It was a bright day, and sometime in the summer by the feel of the air blowing into the house. The air smelled like it did the first time she went outside. She would have taken a deep, full breath of it, if she could.
        She looked around and saw the house layout was pretty much the same as she remembered it, so she assumed she was still in the same place. She looked down at her clothes, however, and realized they had changed. She was now in a simple plaid jumper with a white t-shirt, and white kneesocks and patent leather shoes. It was fairly similar to what the two girls in front of her were wearing.
        "Hi! I'm Allison. Nice to meetcha!" she said, and stuck out her hand.
        "And I'm Erin, but you can call me Rin," the other girl said shyly.
        Ally shook Allison's hand, and then said, "I'm Alyssa, but you can call me Ally for short."
        "Wow! I used to be called Ally too, since, well, y'know, my name's Allison and all that. But I guess I wanted to appear older or something, so I made everyone start calling me Allison," she said and laughed.
        "She's younger than me but always wants to act older! I'm perfectly happy the age I am, thank you!" Rin said.
        "You know, you're quite heavy! Once I discovered you it took both of us to carry you out of that awful, stuffy coal bin! And we changed your clothes. I hope you don't mind. It was a very pretty dress, but the style looked like it came from the 1940s!" Allison said.
        "Well, umm," Ally was confused. "What year is it now?"
        "1974," Rin replied.
        "Is the war still going on?" Ally asked hesitantly.
        "Which one? Vietnam?" Allison asked.
        "No, the one where we fought the Axis. you know, Germany, Italy, Japan?" she asked.
        "Oh! World War II!" Allison said. "That's been over for ages. Ended before we were born! Now we're fighting the communists in Vietnam!"
        "Why?" asked Ally.
        "Because if the communists win, all of Southeast Asia will become communist and it will be a domino effect. At least that's what we learn in history in school," Allison said.
        "I'm not sure how much of it is true, though. After the Watergate affair I'm not sure who we can trust anymore," Rin said dejectedly.
        "Watergate?" Ally said, more confused than ever.
        "Well, Ally, I tell ya what. I'll loan you my history book. You can read all about what's been happening recently in it. Since you don't know much recent current events, I guess you've been down there for quite some time," Allison said.
        "Since 1944, actually," Ally told them.
        "Wow! You're positively ancient!" Allison said, and then, "Ow!" as Rin whacked her gently on the back of the head.
        "You look pretty good for someone who's at least forty years old," Rin said and giggled.
        "Actually, I was created in 1904," Ally said quietly.
        The two sisters stared at each other in shock. "1904!" they mouthed.
        "I was created to replace this man's daughter who had died, but he realized he had created someone completely new, and he thought of me as his granddaughter. I called him grandpa," she explained.
        "But when he showed me to the townspeople they accused him of witchcraft, and called me an abomination. We escaped the angry crowd but got separated. I wound up back at the house in the secret room he made me in, but they burned down the house. Thankfully, it missed me. Then, forty years later, two girls who lived in this very house found me and wound me up! The foundation of the house where I lived was at the very back of this property!" Ally said.
        The two girls stared at her, engrossed in the story. "What happened then?"
        "They became my friends, and I was part of their family for awhile. Their mother worked at the local riveting plant during the war, and their dad was fighting in Europe. It was perfect, for awhile. But then,, I was playing with the neighbourhood kids and they got called home. They convinced me to stay but I wound down. They realized." she got a bit overcome at this point, "they realized I wasn't a real girl, and they laughed at me. And when the two girls came back to get me, they told me their father had been.had been killed in action.and they had to leave. They said they'd come back, but they'd be in their thirties or forties by now and have probably forgotten all about me," she concluded.
        The two girls were still in awe of this girl before them. Even more so, Ally figured, since she was a clockwork girl. She was still amazed they were even talking to her as more than just a wind-up toy.
        As she was thinking that, Ally realized she was not feeling the reassuring weight of her key around her neck. "Do either of you still have my key?" she asked, hesitantly.
        They both jumped, startled a bit from the trance the story had seemed to put them in, and Rin plucked the key from her pocket and handed it over to Ally, and she placed it back around her neck. She stood up slowly, regaining her bearings. She stretched gingerly, reawakening stiff motors, dusty after years of non-use.
        "Are those ballet stretches?" Rin asked.
        Surprised, Ally nodded slowly. "I never got to see them done properly, but they were all described in a book my grandpa had. They looked so graceful, so pretty in their costumes. I always wanted one, but money was tight back then."
        "I have an old ballet costume you can have if you'd like. It's a bit small on me, but I think it'd fit you perfectly!" Rin said.
        Now it was Ally's turn to stare at Rin in shock. "You.you'd let me have it? For real?"
        "Yes, Ally, for real. It doesn't fit me, and I'd like you to have it," Rin said.
        "Can you show it to me?" she asked.
        "Sure-"Rin started to say, but was interrupted by the front door opening, and a tall young man walked in.
        "Hey girls. Who's your new friend?" he asked.
        "Her name's Ally, and she's a clockwork girl!" Allison blurted out.
        Rin whacked the back of her head again-"Oww!"-while he said, "What?" with an awfully confused look on her face.
        "She's a wind-up girl. She's just like Allison and me, but instead of sleep, you have to wind her up," Rin explained calmly.
        "No kidding! That's amazing!" he said.
        "Now, wait a minute, John. You can't go around telling everyone like Allison here just did. I don't know how most people, including mum, would take to that news," Run said.
        "What about your dad?" Ally asked.
        "He left us when Allison was born. We don't know where he is now. I've been helping out with the bills while mum let's me live here. So, you're really a windup girl? Seriously?" John said.
        Ally nodded reluctantly, and turned around. Rin unzipped her dress, showing John where Ally was wound.
        "That is amazing! Where did you find her?" he asked.
        "In the basement near that old coal stove that doesn't work is. Mum asked us to clean it out cause we're getting rid of it," Allison said.
        "And she's been there since 1944!" Rin said.
        "And I was made in 1904," Ally added. "But I was originally made in the house that I assume is still on the edge of your property."
        "That is really far out" John said. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone!"
        "You better not!" Allison said in a slightly threatening tone.
        "Chill out, Lyssie. I swear I won't, ok?" John said.
        "And don't call me Lyssie!" Allison said.
        "Fine, fine." John said as Rin gently led Ally to her bedroom.
        With Ally standing in the doorway, Rin rummaged through her closet until she finally found what she was searching for. It was a snow-white leotard with a short skirt below it that flared out. A small pair of gossamer wings were attached to the back and embroidered pink roses adorned parts of the outfit. Add to that the wreath of small white blossoms Rin had just produced after a slightly more exhaustive search of the closet, and the whole effect was something of a flower fairy. It looked heavenly.
        "C-c-can I try it on?" she asked.
        "It's yours, sweetie. These are some old tights and shoes I wore with it, too. I was never a big fan of taking ballet, but I loved to watch the dancers on stage. So graceful and lithe," Rin said. "When I quit, I made an agreement to take piano instead. Much better."
        "Where should I change?" Ally asked.
        "The bathroom is right across the hall," Rin pointed.
        In an instant, she was in and out of the bathroom, now clothed in the beautifully put together costume. "Oh, Allison is gonna need to see this. You look so beautiful! Here, look in the mirror," Rin said.
        She drew Ally close to the full-length mirror on the back of her door. Ally gasped as best she could. Her porcelain complexion and small build made her look almost exactly like the dancers she had so idolized long ago. She felt such a debt of gratitude she could not begin to express. "Oh, Rin.it's beautiful.how can I ever thank you?"
        "You don't have to thank me! It's my pleasure. Besides, you sound like you've had quite a hard road. It's time you got something back for your troubles," Rin replied. "Now let's show Allison and John!"

        Over the course of a few weeks, Ally slowly segued into life with Rin, Allison and, occasionally, John. Their mother worked hard to support her family, and often spent long hours at her job as an office assistant. Consequently, Ally staying overnight was almost never a problem, and when her mother mentioned it in passing, she just spent a night or two back near the coal bin, as the project of getting rid of it had already been forgotten in the stress of everyday life.
        Rin was usually the one chosen to prepare meals, and Ally became quite close to her by sharing her expertise. And as is often the case during summer vacations, the girls stayed up late into the night, talking and playing silly slumber party games, or watching television when John wasn't watching his sports programmes.
        Having John aware of Ally's clockwork origins was an advantage on more than one occasion. On one particularly hot day, the girls were on the front porch watching John and a few of his friends wash their cars, have fun with the hose, and generally act like guys were supposed to act with a trio of cute girls watching them. One, in particular, seemed to have eyes for Ally, though there was an appreciable age difference. Roger, as he was called, took the opportunity to hang around Ally whenever he got the chance, making everyone uncomfortable. On that day, however, he was being foolish with the hose, and decided to spray the trio as they sipped (or pretended to sip, as the case may be) their lemonade. It was only by pure luck that Ally had jumped down onto the ground that she was able to avoid getting a large amount of water sprayed on her.
        Both girls immediately asked Ally if she was ok, and she nodded slowly, a bit shaken up, and also a bit wet, but nothing problematic, she assured her friends. John made his way over to apologize for his friend, and Allison took him aside and explained to him the actual severity of the situation. John nodded gravely and went back to his friends. He took the hose from a thin guy named Larry who was cleaning the soap off his huge sedan, and proceeded to turn the water on Roger at full blast. The girls all giggled as Roger slipped and slid on the slick and soaped-up driveway.
        Later on, Allison had gone over to a friends' house and Rin had taken a walk to the corner store. It was late in the evening and the girls had been active all day long, exploring some of the neighbourhood and showing Ally different landmarks, like the school and their friends' houses. Ally could see some of them looked familiar, but others had changed so much. There were streets where there weren't before, and parks where there had been houses. Ally was feeling quite tired, and she knew she needed to be wound. In the past, it had always been Rin or Allison, but neither of them was there. Sure, she could wait until Rin got home, but she wasn't sure how long she'd be gone.
        After about ten minutes of indecision, and her strength getting lower, she made her way out to the TV room and hesitantly asked John if he could wind her up. A little startled, John agreed. They moved into the hallway where they wouldn't be seen if someone walked up to the door and Ally removed her key and handed it to John. He gently lifted her shirt up and inserted the key. The familiar feelings spread through her body yet again as he turned the key, first slowly, perhaps out of fear of hurting her, and then faster, when it became apparent to him she enjoyed this very much. Afterwards, she thanked him profusely, and John told her it was no trouble, though she sensed something was on his mind.

        A week or so later, the three girls were relaxing in front of the television when suddenly John burst out of his room. "I've got it!" he exclaimed.
        "Got what?" Rin asked lazily.
        "Ally, listen. Besides eating, what's the only thing that makes you any different from "real" girls?" John asked.
        "Umm," Ally thought for a moment. "Being wound?"
        "Exactly. And you need to rely on other people for that, yes?"
        "Yes," she replied slowly. "What are you driving at?"
        "What if you could wind yourself?" John asked.
        Ally stared at him, speechless. "How could I do that? I can't put the key in my back. My arms don't bend that way!"
        "Ahh, but what if you didn't have to put it in your back?" John countered.
        "But where would I put it? That's the only place I can wind myself," Ally said.
        "At the moment, yes, but if we could change that?" he asked.
        "What are you getting at, John?" Allison asked, a bit annoyed her TV watching was being interrupted.
        "You remember when we first met Ally? And she told us she was made in the house that's at the edge of our property? Well, the remains of it, anyway?" he asked. When the girls nodded, he continued. "Well, about a week ago, I was the only one home with Ally and she asked me to wind her. After I wound her, I got to thinking about how she'd never be totally independent, always relying on someone to wind her. I mean, sure, she's got us now, but she spent thirty years in that coal bin she wound down and couldn't wind herself up!"
        "I know, and it's terrible, but what can you do about it?" Allison asked.
        "Well, I went out, aiming to explore what remained of where Ally was made. And in the burned out, grown over cellar, I discovered something amazing, hidden in a hollowed out brick that had started to decompose," John said proudly.
        "What?" all three girls shouted at once, tired of being strung along.
        "Ally's schematics. Her diagrams. Her plans. What makes her tick. Well, sort of. Most of it's illegible. But the most important piece is not. The general location of her gears and winding mechanism. And I discovered a way to insert another opening for her to wind herself up!" John crowed.
        "Where?" Ally asked.
        "Your belly button!" he said, and chuckled.
        "You could really do that? I could wind up myself?" Ally asked, incredulous.
        "I bet I could. I took some engineering classes in college for a while, but I always assumed you were out of my league, Ally. But it turns out that most of you is pretty simple. Oh, sure, there are parts of you that are so wildly complex that I couldn't even begin to fathom how they work. But, from what I see, inserting another key hole into your belly button should be no problem at all," he explained.
        "Are you sure you can do that, John? We all love Ally very much, and she has us to wind her now. Why should she chance getting operated on by you?" Allison asked.
        "Well, Lyssie, it's a crazy, mixed-up world out there. She's already been left nearly lifeless twice now, and it would be terrible if that happened again. Plus, if she's here alone, she doesn't have to rely on any of us to wind her up," John said.
        While Allison once again shouted at her brother, Rin took Ally's hand and looked deep into her eyes. "Do you feel comfortable enough with us here to wind you, or would you like John to try and put a separate place to wind yourself into your belly button?"
        "I-I-I don't know. I never thought that would ever be a possibility. I think I'm still coming to grips with it. It's quite a step into independence. I wouldn't even really need anyone, just myself. But I couldn't imagine my life alone." Ally replied.
        "Well, you don't need to decide now, you can take your time," Rin said softly.
        "No, I do need to decide now. I thought I had all the time in the world back in the forties. I guess I didn't. And maybe, if I can wind myself, I can even go to school with you in the fall," Ally thought out loud.
        "You'd actually want to go to school?" Rin asked.
        "Well, maybe not, but I want to grow up as much as I can. And I guess growing up means gaining independence and not needing to rely on others. So I guess I'll do it!"
        Allison and John stopped arguing and stared at her. "You'll really do it?" John asked her. Ally nodded. "Well, I can do it now, if you want. I have a small workshop downstairs." Ally slowly nodded again, and all four made their way to the basement.
        "I'll have to unwind you totally to do this," John said. "Is that okay?"
        Ally nodded, and took off her dress, leaving her clad once again in only underwear and her camisole top. "Umm." John said, his face getting red. "I'll need you take off your top, too."
        Ally looked at the ground. "Umm, how about we take it off after we unwind you?" Allison suggested. Ally nodded mutely, and sat on a stool near the bright light of the workbench. Rin reached over and undid the catch beneath her key slot, and suddenly, there was darkness.

        "You'll feel a bit groggy, since we didn't wind you much," John said.
        "We wanted to make sure we didn't break anything," Allison said, and Rin gave her another whack on the back of the head. "Oww."
        "Does everything feel okay? Can you move everything okay?" Rin asked, concerned.
        Ally gave her joints a slow once-over, since she had little strength. "Everything s-s-seems okay." she said softly.
        "Okay, then. Here's the key. The slot is right inside your belly button. You can barely see it, but your key should slide in nicely and lock with a click. Then you can turn it," John explained.
        Still sitting, Ally took her key gingerly, and gently inserted it into her belly button. Almost immediately she felt a shock and a tingly feeling, causing her to almost drop the key! But she pushed it in a bit more and felt it click. Slowly she turned it. Turn, turn, turn. It was amazing. The intense feelings she had always felt when someone turned her key were now under her control. She could decide when she was to be wound, as long as she was still cognizant at the time. She could do it quickly, in private, if she needed to. No more seeking out someone she trusted. No more terrible nightmare scenarios like what happened on the playground that day.
        Once finished, she removed the key and draped it around her neck. Only in underwear and her camisole top, which they had apparently put back on in respect to her modesty, she got up slowly and hugged each member of her new family. "Thank you all. So much. I don't know how to repay you," she whispered.
        "You don't have to. It was our pleasure," Rin said.
        "That is so sweet. But I do have one more, teeny request," she said.
        "What's that?" Allison asked.
        "Can I put my clothes back on?" Ally said.
        "Sure," Allison said, and handed Ally back her dress as everyone laughed together.

        "And today's draft numbers are ten, twenty-one, nineteen-fifty-one," the news announcer said. "Tune in tonight for News at 11."
        Ally immediately sensed something was wrong. The whole room was quiet. She looked Rin and Allison. They were all looking at John.
        The colour gone from his face, he simply said quietly, "I guess.I guess my number's up."

        "What does it mean? What number?" Ally was confused as Rin tried to comfort Allison, who was crying.
        "You see, because this war was rather unpopular with a large segment of the population, we don't have as large of an armed force as we need. So the president reinstituted the draft. They pick random numbers every weekday, and if your birthday number comes up, you have to go enlist to go fight. Some people are sent over to Vietnam right after basic training. Others get jobs in the states or in different support places over the world," Run explained.
        "So, he's going to fight?" Ally said, now worried herself.
        "Maybe, maybe not. By the time he finishes basic training, the war may be over. They've been clamoring to get out of Vietnam for a while now, and it looks like we make some progress. But he still has to enlist," Rin said.
        Ally went up to Allison and put her arms around her. "He'll be ok. He has to be," she said. "He has to be."

        John reported for duty on August 25th of that year, and only a weak earlier had Ally registered for school. She didn't need much of anything, since she told the registrar that all her records were burnt to a crisp when her house burned down over the summer, and she was now staying with Allison and Rin, who were friends of the family. She was told it wasn't a problem, and there was a lot of kids moving around these days with people being drafted and such.
        The house was strangely quiet without John around, and even Allison was more subdued. John's friends occasionally still stopped by, especially Roger, but they didn't stay long. There wasn't much to do there anyway, with the summer winding down on a somber note.
        Rin and Ally had started taking long walks together, while Allison withdrew for a while into the fantasy books she had read over and over as a child. The summer was ending with beautiful weather that seemed to be at odds with the current situation, but it nevertheless was excellent for walking.
        They often talked about serious topics, like growing up and what the future held. Sometimes they would reminisce about the wild summer they'd had, or Ally would ask question after question about school and how she should act. School would be a new experience for her, but it was one she was eagerly looking forward to undertaking. Occasionally, John's friend Roger would drive by, and try to ask Rin or Ally on a date. They always declined; Roger definitely wasn't Rin's type and Ally hadn't even begun to think of dating, let alone whether she could be physically attracted to anybody.
        On the Saturday night of the weekend before school was to start, Rin ate something that didn't quite agree with her. When it came time for their nightly walk, Rin told Ally to go on alone, or take Allison. When Allison declined her invitation, Ally decided to take the walk on her own.

        She followed the normal path, going past the old ball field where she had so many bad memories, past row after row of tract houses Rin told her were all built after we won the last world war, and then onto the home stretch that bordered the small patch of forest near the house. It was right before she reached the rows of tract houses that she became aware of a car behind her moving slowly. She looked back and found with dismay that it was Roger in his convertible.
        He always thought he was so cool with that car, Ally thought. But really, he's just super-annoying. Why can't he take a hint?
        "Hey, Ally," Roger said as he drove up along side her.
        "Hey, Roger," Ally said listlessly as she tried to turn her attention back to the route ahead of her.
        "Nice evening for a walk, yeah?" he said, still driving slowly along side her.
        "It's a beautiful evening, yes," she replied simply.
        "Where's Rin tonight?" he asked.
        "She wasn't feeling well so she stayed home," Ally told him.
        "Allison wouldn't walk with you either?" he pressed.
        He was beginning to annoy her, so she said, "No, she was too busy reading, I guess. Listen, Roger, is there anything specific you want?"
        "Just you, babe," he said, trying to be all suave.
        Choking back a laugh, she said, "Aww. I'm flattered, Roger, really I am. But I'm not interested in dating anyone right now." Just like Rin told me, she thought.
        "Playing hard to get, are you? I know you want me. Always hanging around when I was over with John. Always watching us play touch football on the lawn, or washing our cars in the driveway," he told her.
        "Well, maybe Allison or Rin have a crush on you or something, cause I was only there cause everyone else was," Ally explained.
        "You can't fool me, sweetie, I know you have feelings for me. Let's say I take you home and we can have some fun before school starts for you next Tuesday," he offered.
        Now beginning to feel rather uneasy, especially with the small segment of forest coming up, Ally decided to be as blunt as she could risk. "Listen, Roger," she said, looking ahead of her, "you're a nice enough guy and all, and I'm sure there's a nice girl out there for you"-she gritted her teeth-"somewhere. But it's not me. I'm sorry. I'm all nervous about starting school this Tuesday, and I'm in a new town with new people and everything. Even if I did fee something for you, I'm too busy now."
        Suddenly, two hands grabbed her from behind and pulled her backwards. A cheek with a scratchy five-o'clock shadow pressed against her own smooth, porcelain cheek, and said menacingly, "Too busy for me now, bitch?"
        Startled, Ally screamed out, but he covered her mouth with his hand while growling menacingly next to her ear, "One more scream and you'll get hurt. I mean it!"
        Now positively petrified, with a sex-hungry man who was obviously liquored up standing behind her, and clearly ready to take her by force, she kicked him with her heel as hard as she could, screamed as loud as she could and ran as fast as she could. But Ally was not very fast, and even after hopping up and down and nursing his shin for a few minutes, caught up to her easily and dragged her down.
        "You'll pay for that, you little cunt. Now I've got a knife in my back pocket. Don't make me use it!" Roger said evenly.
        Ally's eyes darted back and forth manically, searching for anyone who could save her from this madman. Seeing none, she frantically searched her mind for something to use, but no one, especially not her grandpa, had ever anticipated something like this.
        While she did her best to think of some sort of escape plan, Roger dragged her into the forest to a point where he couldn't be seen from the road. "Now you know you want me, and I'm gonna do you a favor and let you give yourself to me like you know you want to," he said in a superior tone.
        "Mmmph!" Ally tried to get out, but Roger's grip was too tight.
        "Shut up! Or I will use my knife!" he said as he roughly shoved her up against a tree. He ripped off her tight-fitting t-shirt, exposing her first bra. He ripped that off too, exposing her breasts to male unwillingly but consciously for the first time. Her eyes tried vainly to cry tears, but they stayed dry.
        "Stop shaking," he ordered, as he forced her to the ground and undid the zipper of her denim shorts.
        She began to shake even more violently, knowing what was to come, and how much she dreaded it.
        He forced off her denim shorts roughly, taking off her shoes when the shorts wouldn't come off over them. She was lying on a bed of sharp pine needles, naked save for her pair of underwear and her white ankle socks. And then, off came the underwear.
        "What the hell is this?" he shouted angrily. "What in God's name?" he said, not sure what this recent development meant.
        Ally knew what he was confused about. Her creator, her grandpa, Carlo Collodi, had not seen it necessary to make her complete. She was not totally anatomically correct. She was missing one key piece of female anatomy. And why should she have one? She wasn't going to eat, and he certainly didn't anticipate her having sex, so what purpose would one have? And even if he did give her one, it would have been a poor substitute and would have looked worse than not having one at all.
        "You're not even a real girl! How could you do that to me, parading around all sexy like that. You wanted me to make love to you when you couldn't even pleasure me! How could you! You deserve to die, bitch," he shouted, livid.
        He reached for his knife, but his pocket was empty. "What did you do with my knife?" he asked, infuriated.
        "It's over here, you bastard," said a voice to his right. Ally looked, and Rin was standing over him with the knife. It came down too fast for him to stop it, and hit him hard in the temple. He was knocked out cold.
        "Oh my God, Ally.are you okay? No, of course you aren't ok.oh my God.I am so sorry." Rin kept repeating over and over.
        "It's not.not.not y-y-your f-f-f-fault. D-D-D-Don't be s-s-s-orry," Ally said, beginning to shake uncontrollably.
        "Oh my God.no.how could he do something like that to you.and all those times he came over with John..the pig!" she said, and kicked him in the crotch for good measure. He barely stirred. "Drunken ass."
        "H-h-h-hold me. P-p-please," she said.
        Rin bent down again and helped Ally put her clothes on, and then held her for what seemed like an eternity. After the sun was almost below the horizon, Rin asked her softly, "Do you think you can make it home?"
        Ally nodded as best she could, and Rin helped her up. Miraculously, it seemed her ordeal hadn't left her with any permanent physical damage, but Ally could only guess at how this would effect her in the future. They passed Roger's car on the side of the road, engine still running. They ignored it. Gradually they made their way home.
        On the way, Rin told Ally how she came upon her in the woods. Apparently, Rin had gotten mad with Allison over some little thing, and because she was under the weather, blew the situation way out of proportion, and decided she needed time to cool off. So she went looking for Ally. When she saw Roger's car on the side of the road, still running, she sensed something was wrong. Then she heard a commotion in the woods, and gradually came up behind them just in time to see Roger rip off her underwear. In a mad dash of impulsivity, she snatched the knife from Roger's back pocket, and just in time, it seemed.
        "Thank you.thank you so much." Ally stammered out.
        "Thank you? If I had gone with you, it would have been two against one. He would have never done what he did to you," Rin said.
        "He was.he was drunk. He could have done it to you, too," Ally said.
        "Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know, I guess.I'm just glad he didn't hurt you any more than he did," Rin said.
        "I'm not sure I am," Ally said.
        "Why?"
        "He's gonna tell everyone. I'm finished. I can't show my face around anymore," Ally said dejectedly.
        "No one will believe him.he may not even believe he did it himself, if he was that drunk," Rin said.
        "But I was raped! I can't get help anywhere, they'll want to probe me and make me press charges. They can't examine me, and technically, there couldn't have been a rape since I don't even have.don't even have." she tried to say it, but the dry sobs took over, and they stopped for a moment while they passed.
        "Oh, Ally.I don't know what to do.but you know Allison and I are always there for you, right? Oh, forget it. I wasn't even there for you tonight," Rin said and looked at the pavement.
        "Stop it! Just stop it! There was no way you could have known what was going to happen. It's all my fault anyway. I shouldn't have thought I could live as a real girl. I'm just a toy. Just something for someone's desire. A replacement daughter, or a sex toy. That's all I'll ever be," Ally shook her head.
        "No, you're my sister, and Allison's sister. No one could replace you, just as you didn't replace anyone else," Rin said as they arrived home. "Don't you ever forget that."
        Ally looked at Rin. "I'll try. I promise I will."

        It all happened so fast. Roger kept coming over to the house, always leering at me, and now sneering angrily at Rin whenever no one was around. Rin tried to explain to her mother what happened, but she wouldn't hear of it, claiming Roger was "such a nice boy" and would "never hurt a single soul". John had been deployed to somewhere in the Pacific and couldn't be any help. Ally couldn't take it, seeing Roger almost every day. Sometimes he'd even follow her home from school, so she had taken to coming home with Rin everyday.
        Roger knew that Ally couldn't tell anyone without revealing her own secret, so he held it over her constantly, belittling her when he found her alone in the house or when no one could hear. The pressure that resulted in the house was intense, especially considering that Allison and Rin's mother wasn't even supposed to know Ally was living there.
        Once she realized Ally had been staying at the house, she was livid, believing Ally the source of what she believed were vicious lies against Roger. Kicked out of the only home she had known since she was wound up in the `70s, Ally retreated back to the burnt out shell of her former home.
        She couldn't let herself wind down, since she needed to be at school most mornings at eight o'clock. She'd spend the nights pacing back and forth, trying to stay as warm as she could after doing her homework the best she could. Surprisingly, she kept a respectable average under all the stress, but her motors were being overworked, and she knew she needed a place to stay.
        Rin started making trips out to the ruins to wind Ally up in the mornings to allow her to wind down at night, but Rin was busy with her own schoolwork and problems from Roger. Allison, meanwhile, was still depressed about her brother's deployment and, while she was spared most of Roger's wrath, the now destabilized family situation preyed on her mental health as well.
        Ally thought this terrible turn of events was all her fault, and knew it was only a matter of time before she experienced a critical system failure. Her world spiraling out of control, Ally believed she had only one option: to wind down for one last time.
        On Halloween night, she took her key and hid it in a place she believed no one would ever find it. She wrote a short note expressing sorrow for what she had done to this sweet family, especially Rin and Allison, and that she wished it would all be better now that she was gone. She cleaned out the area she had spent her first forty years asleep, and undid her spring mechanism. Her arms went limp, her eyes dimmed, and there was nothing.

[DollSpace]

She opened her eyes to bright sun, and blinked them several times, trying hard to adjust to the sudden burst of light. She looked around her, seeing what appeared to be the attic of a house. The air was very stuffy and sticky, and it seemed like summer yet again. And then she saw two girls sitting Indian style in front of her, staring wide-eyed with interest.
        "Who are you?" the taller one with dark brown hair and glasses asked.
        "I'm Ally. Where am I? How did you find me? And who are you?" Ally asked, so many questions racing in her mind.
        "I'm Hannah, and this is my sister Elaine," the girl said, motioning to the younger girl next to her with wavy lighter brown hair. "And, umm, you're in the attic of our house. How did you get here? And what exactly are you?"
        Knowing the drill, she said, "My name is Alyssa, but you can call me Ally. I'm a wind-up girl, clockwork, if you will. I was made a long time ago, by a nice old man who wanted to create a substitute for his daughter who had died many years ago, but he created me instead. A curse to all I come in contact with. Do me a favor and just unwind me again, please? I hurt everyone I meet. Even when I don't hurt them directly, they have to leave at some time, and then that hurts them too."
        "What do you mean you hurt everyone you meet? A lot of people think they're bad luck, but it's just chance. Luck is only good or bad depending on how you look at it," Elaine said.
        Ally just shook her head and told them her story, all of it. By the end, Hannah was shaking and Elaine just looked disbelieving at the floor. "I'm so sorry, Ally. No person should have to go through what you went through," Hannah said.
        "No, they shouldn't. But I'm not a person, I'm just a toy. An abomination, they said. Now, as you see, I really do hurt everyone I come in contact with. Now just unwind me and let me go back to my blissful state of nothingness," Ally pleaded. "And how did you wind me up, anyway? I don't have a key!"
        "You mean this key?" Elaine said, as she held up a slightly rusted key that amazingly still shined, hung on a dirty ribbon.
        "Yes, that one. Where did you find it? I hid that a long time ago!" Ally said, incredulous.
        "You hid it? Why?" Hannah asked.
        "Because.because I didn't want anyone to be able to wind me," she said, shaking a bit. "Everyone starts out loving me, but then something happens, and they get hurt, or worse! And then that hurts me. I shouldn't even be here."
        "I found this key in the way back of the coal stove in the basement of our house. We had to clean it out a long time ago when we got rid of it," Elaine said. "It looked really nice, and I found it strange that there would be such a beautiful key in a coal stove."
        "If you really never wanted to be wound up again, why didn't you destroy it?" Hannah asked, simply.
        "I.I don't know," Ally said, and hung her head.
        "It just proves you didn't want to stay wound down forever," Elaine said.
        "But, I didn't wind down here. How did I get up in this attic? And since you found the key in this house, it means this is the same house I've been in twice before." Ally said, trailing off.
        "Cleaning the attic," Hannah said simply. "Elaine got stuck with the chore, while I got cleaning the basement.again. But when she found you, and read the note that she found with you, she realized the key she had belonged to you. So she called me up and we tried it. And it worked!"
        "Note? What note?" Ally asked, confused.
        Elaine handed her a small piece of paper, along with her key. Ally put it around her neck, and read the note.
        "Dear Ally: Even though we don't fully understand your reasons, we realize that you must have been in an unimaginable amount of pain to do what you did. Both of us are sorry we weren't able to help you enough, and we are truly shocked by our mother's deplorable behaviour. Once Allison found you unwound, we searched everywhere around you and even the all over the field for your key, but we were not able to locate it. We brought you inside to the attic so you wouldn't be exposed to the elements again, and if we find your key, we do plan on returning to wind you up. We also informed the school that you had moved back to your original district suddenly, so there's no problem there. However, as you may have guessed, I am about to go off to college, and as John is still in the army, Allison and mum are moving to a small apartment where she would be unable to hide you. We would take you if we could, but neither John, Allison nor I have space to keep you hidden, since you look far more realistic than an expensive doll. Mother tells me she has already sold the house, so we have sealed the attic door to prevent your accidental location. Mother never knew we had an attic in the first place anyway. I pray you'll be safe, and perhaps one day we shall meet again.
        Love,
        Rin
        (And Allison and John)"

        Ally blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to blink back tears that would never flow. After all that she had put them through, they still loved her. "If.if they sealed up the attic door, how did you get up here?" she asked, confused.
        "The ceiling entrance is in my room," Elaine said. I discovered it accidentally earlier this week, so mum gave me the lucky job of cleaning it up so we can move stuff from the basement up here."
        "Oh. I see. That is one extraordinary set of chances that led to you finding me." Ally said in wonderment.
        "Yeah, I suppose so. You know, if I saw you on the street or at the mall, I'd swear you were a real girl. You're just like one," Hannah said.
        "It's true. You're indistinguishable," Elaine said.
        "That's the way my grandpa designed me, I guess. He must have been far ahead of his time, to design me that way so far back in time. Speaking of which," Ally mused as she took stock of her new friends' outfits, "umm, when is it?"
        "When is it? Oh! You mean, what year is it? Well, it's the end of August, 2003," Hannah said.
        Ally's eyes grew wide. "It's a new century? Are there flying cars? Can we teleport places? Space travel to other planets?"
        Hannah and Elaine giggled. "No, no flying cars, we still can't teleport to places, and interplanetary travel for humans is not yet a reality," Elaine answered.
        "Aww, shucks. What other new technology do you have?" Ally asked.
        "Oh, plenty, like DVD players, computers, the internet, CD players, plenty of stuff," Hannah said.
        "What are all those things?" Ally asked. "I haven't heard of any of them."
        "Well, what are we waiting for, come on downstairs and we'll show you!" Elaine said exuberantly.
        Ally nodded hesitantly, and then tried to stand up, stumbling a bit in the process and steadying herself against a beam. "Guess I'm a bit rusty," she said, and they all giggled.

        For the remainder of the day, chores forgotten, the two girls showed their new friend all around their house, explaining the wonders of DVD players, CD players, computers, the internet (ClockworkGirl0315 on AIM), and anything else Ally questioned. She still had not lost her inherent curiosity, her new friends were more than happy to comply. Ally had almost forgotten her troubles and her past when, in the late afternoon, Elaine suggested they walk around the neighbourhood and show Ally the sights.
        "Out-out side?" Ally asked hesitantly.
        "Of course, silly. Do you think we all stay indoors all the time in this century?" Elaine asked.
        "Well, no, but.what if someone sees me? You say you wouldn't know, but what about other people?" Ally asked, scared.
        "The only thing people would notice about you if we went out now would be your dress. It looks like it came from the `70s, which, I guess it has. We need to get you some new clothes. I think I have some things I've grown out of you can wear." Hannah said and dashed into her room.
        She emerged a few moments later with a pair of denim shorts, white socks and a tight blue and white striped collared t-shirt. "These should fit you, hopefully. If not, I'm sure I can find something else.
        Ally's mind flashed back to the last time she had on denim shorts. Memories ran by in quick succession, making her start to shake and reach out impulsively to the wall to keep her steady.
        "Are you all right? Ally?" Hannah questioned, concerned.
        "Y-y-yes, I'll be fine. Where.where should I change?" she asked.
        "Change in my room, if you want. We'll wait out here," Hannah said.
        Ally nodded and went into the room to change. She pulled the dress over her head and the patent leather shoes and knee socks off her feet. She put on the shorts and socks, but before putting on the shirt, took her key and inserted it into her belly button. Shocks went through her body as she stood up as straight as she could. She gradually turned the key, enjoying the sensations as they played through her gears. As she was charging, she realized that being with Elaine and Hannah often made her forget about the past, the pain. And Rin and Allison (and even John!) had still loved her, even after she put them through all that pain-Ally shook at the memory.
        "I guess that's what a family is all about," she mused. "Loving unconditionally, even through times of pain. Even if you aren't born into the family, it's the people who love you for who you are that are your family. Grandpa wouldn't let them hurt me, even when my life was at stake. Louise and Dawn came back to find me even after they learned their father had been killed in action. Rin and Allison put me in the attic so I would be sheltered, even after I pretty much deactivated myself, and caused them all that grief. And even after I told them how I thought I hurt all these people I came in contact with, Hannah and Elaine still want to be my friends.maybe I owe it to all of them to try."
        "Hey, Ally! Are you coming? Are you all right in there?" Hannah's voice broke her inner monologue.
        "I'm coming!" Ally said, and hurriedly pulled on the shirt. She stole a glance in the mirror, and barely recognized the girl that stood before her. Gone was the crushed velvet dress with the white stockings, and in its place was a short, tight modern outfit. Her hair had lost some of its ringlets over the generation, and now fell around her shoulders in a loose wave. She shook it, and some dust sprinkled onto the dresser. "Gotta remember to wash my hair soon!" she said as she left the room, closing the door behind her.
        "Who's your new friend?" a strange voice asked.
        Ally looked around, nervously, wondering who the voice belonged to.
        "Oh, that's Ally," said Elaine, pointing to her. "We found her in the attic. She's a clockwork girl!"
        A tallish woman of about forty or so came out of the room carrying a drink. When she saw Ally, she dropped her glass, shattering it on the floor. "Ally? Is that you? I don't believe it."
        The woman before her looked quite familiar, but she couldn't place the face. It evaded her memory, but she knew she had seen this woman before.
        "Ally! I don't believe it's you! But how.how did they wind you up?" the woman asked.
        "I found a key in the coal stove a while back. I liked it so I kept it," Elaine said.
        "And you didn't tell me?" the woman asked.
        "I didn't know you'd be interested. And what do you mean, you don't believe it's her. Have you met before?" Elaine asked, persistent.
        "Ally, don't you recognize me? It's me, Rin!" the woman said.
        Ally looked at the woman, totally shocked, and realized that it did look like Rin, just older, of course. "Rin? It's really you?" Ally said, disbelieving And then she didn't have time to react before Rin was wrapping her arms around her tightly.
        "Oh my God.oh my God.You don't know how long I've waited for this day." Rin said.
        "Rin.I've missed you so much.even in the short time since I've been wound, you and Allison and John have never been far from my mind," Ally said.
        "Wait, that John and Allison in the note are Aunt Allison and Uncle Johnny?" Elaine said, disbelieving.
        "They certainly are," Rin said.
        "But your name's Erin!" Elaine said.
        "We're so stupid," Hannah said. "Rin was mum's old nickname in high school and college!"
        "Yes it was! And, to be honest, Elaine, I never thought you would do that good of a job cleaning the attic to find her!" Rin said and laughed. "Besides, at that time, I didn't know we had her key back. Oh, Ally.I'm so glad to have you back."
        "And I'm so glad to have been blessed with this second chance," Ally said. "What about Allison, and John?"
        "Well, John is still in the Army, never married. He's stationed at a fort in North Carolina. Allison is also still unmarried, and she lives in an apartment not far from here," Rin said. "She'll be overjoyed to see you, and so will John, of course, but he won't be able to see you until Christmas."
        "Christmas?" Ally asked hesitantly.
        "Of course, silly, you'll be around at Christmas, won't you?" Rin asked, hopeful.
        "If.if you w-w-want me to be," Ally said, wary of what her answer would be.
        "Why wouldn't we? You're family, you know, and I wouldn't have it any other way," Rin told her.
        "Oh, Rin.and Hannah, and Elaine.thank you so much.I just can't say it enough.thank you so much." Ally said, and drew Hannah and Elaine close to her and Rin, enveloping them all in a tight embrace.

        Rin registered Ally for school, claiming she was the daughter of a long-lost relation that had died recently. With a little help from John, being in the government (and in a particularly high-ranking position in said Armed Forces), necessary papers and documentation was procured for Ally, which would at least be accurate for now.
        The first day of school was hard for Ally, who was still nervous about being in such close contact with real girls and boys again, and wary of what it had brought her in the past. She was excused from taking physical education classes, but aside from that, her schedule was identical to the other students. The day passed without incident, and Ally gradually loosened up. She even made a few friends, a first for her outside her family.
        The days passed without incident, and summer faded into fall. Soon, the days got colder and the nights got longer. The initial elation had given way to a pleasantly mild buzz, and Ally became an integral member of the family. She was often helping cook meals and keeping the house neat, and would many times help Elaine and Hannah with their schoolwork- especially Hannah, as it seemed as the nights had gotten longer, she was getting worn out quicker. Blaming it on the pressure of school, and the recent diagnosis of stress-induced asthma, it was natural for everyone to try and make the situation a bit easier for her.
        The girls' father had unfortunately passed away about a year after Elaine was born, dying in a successful attempt to save a young boy who had been carried far from shore on a rip tide. He brought the boy back to the beach, and then went into cardiac arrest. Hannah was barely old enough to remember him, and Elaine had no real memories of him either, but they saw their grandmother (and occasionally their great aunt) regularly. They eagerly were looking forward to Christmas, when they would not only see Uncle Johnny, but their relatives on their father's side too. They didn't have any aunts or uncles, though, for he was an only child.
        School and home life continued well, and before they knew it, the end of October had snuck up on them. The girls went out around the neighbourhood trick-or-treating, even though Hannah and Elaine both thought they were too old. They knew Ally had never experienced a real Halloween, so they decided to surprise her with her ballerina costume (Rin had given them the idea) that they had found in the crawl space in the attic where she was hidden.
        They canvassed the neighbourhood and were planning on attending the Halloween dance afterward, but Hannah had begun coughing badly and they had to return home. Hannah apologized over and over, but Ally told her it had been one of the best nights of her life. Ally spent another hour handing out candy at the door to the little kids dressed up in their cute costumes, and then they stayed up late watching scary movies, since it was a Friday night.
        Over the weekend, Hannah's coughing got worse, and Rin made an appointment on Tuesday with her physician. When Elaine and Ally got home from school that Tuesday, they found a note from Rin that said it appeared that Hannah had some fluid in her lungs, and they thought she may have walking pneumonia that may have been exacerbated by her asthma, so they were having more scans taken.
        Elaine and Ally did their homework and then flipped on the TV for awhile, waiting for Hannah and Rin to return. Elaine heated up a frozen pizza for her dinner, and nibbled on it while they watched the evening news. Eventually, Rin showed up around seven o'clock. They had found a large mass on Hannah's scans, and had immediately decided to perform a biopsy. They had also admitted Hannah into the hospital.
        Ally was shaken by the news. "I told you! Everyone that comes in contact with me gets hurt!"
        "Ally, Ally.this isn't your fault. You didn't give Hannah pneumonia, or cause anything else. She just probably has a big cyst or something. I know my mum had that when she was younger, too. She'll get it taken out and be home by next weekend," Rin said, trying to calm Ally down.
        "I.I guess so. But.I don't know. It never fails.something always happens. I can't explain it.," Ally countered weakly.
        "Listen, it's ok. It's going to be fine. We'll all go in to visit her tomorrow, and bring her a nice big box of those chocolates she loves so much, okay?" Rin said.
        Elaine and Ally mutely nodded, but remained vaguely unsettled.

        The next morning, the three drove into town and picked up a large box of chocolates for Hannah and traveled the thirty or so miles to the hospital where Hannah had been admitted.
        "Oh! You guys didn't have to bring me chocolates," Hannah said with a smile as they came into her room.
        "We felt bad that you were stuck without your Halloween candy, so we thought we'd bring it to you," Ally said as she made her way over to the bed and gave Hannah a hug. Elaine followed suit.
        "So is the food really as bad as they say?" Rin asked.
        "It's terrible! I've been so spoiled on Ally's cooking that I forgot what crappy food tastes like," Hannah confirmed, and they all laughed.
        They were distracted by a knock on the door as the doctor entered. He was a tall, well-built man of about fifty or so, and his name badge identified him as Dr. Lawson. "Mrs. Dearston? I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. The lab has completed its analysis on the biopsy. I'm afraid Hannah has Hodgkins' Disease. We're going to operate immediately to remove the tumour and start radiation treatments."
        Rin kept it together, and adjourned to the hall with the doctor to talk about further treatment options. Elaine stood there, grasping Hannah's hand, as Ally embraced Hannah as best she could, crying a tearless cry. "I'm so sorry, Hannah.I'm so sorry."

        "Hurry up, Ally, we have to go!" Rin yelled from the TV room.
        Ally gave her key one last turn before zipping up her black dress with a flared skirt trimmed with lace. She grabbed her pocketbook and coat and joined Elaine and Rin as they ventured into the cold, December evening.
        Despite the radiation treatment, the cancer was still growing in Hannah's body. The doctors had decided on an aggressive, strong chemotherapy treatment for the next few weeks to see if they could illicit any improvement. Ally frequently had terrible attacks of conscience, certain that it was her inclusion in the family that had brought on this terrible event. But Elaine held her close, assuring her it was not her fault, it was genetics, or a fluke of nature. It certainly didn't help that Hannah wasn't showing any signs of getting better, but was actually showing signs of getting worse.
        Allison had decided Rin, Ally and Elaine needed a night out, so she had bought them all tickets to "The Nutcracker". Ally had, for all her interest in ballet, never actually been to a show. She was all excited, even more so after Hannah had told her that she deserved to have a fun time, and to have a good enough time for the both of them.
        They arrived at the theatre to a large crowd and waited in line for thirty minutes to get to their seats, which happened to be fairly close to the stage. Then the lights dimmed, and the curtain went up.
        The moment the music started, Ally was taken back to the first time she had heard the music in Dawn and Louise's kitchen, the first day they had met. She watched the dancers' graceful movements across the stage, at some points almost flying like birds, and at others strong and resolute. She remembered the moves that she had first seen in the book in her grandpa's library, thrilled to see them brought to life so beautifully.
        She left the theatre walking on air, still amazed at the performance. She hardly even noticed the forty-minute ride home, or getting into her nightgown and collapsing into bed. As her key slowly wound down, she replayed scenes from the magical night over and over in her head, performing the ballet herself in her imagination.

        Christmas morning came swiftly in the Dearston household, with plenty of presents for all. Ally got many clothes of her own, as well as plenty of hair accessories. She also received a stereo and CDs of some of her favourite artists and groups. It was a joyous morning for her, but not as exciting as it could have been. Later that morning, they planned to visit Hannah in the hospital, bringing some of her presents, which included a new portable CD player and multiple CDs and books to pass the time in the hospital.
        Later that day, Elaine and Hannah's grandmother and great-aunt would be visiting, along with Uncle Johnny. Ally was greatly looking forward to seeing John again, but was worried about how she would act around the relatives of Rin's husband. She'd never met them, and wasn't sure how they would suddenly take to their new family member. Meeting new people still scared her, after all this time. Rin had told them they had a new family member, but at Ally's request, had only told them the same line that they had told the school. Rin's mother-in-law had offered her sympathy, but she assured them she hardly knew the woman, even though she had ended up being Ally's only family.
        The trip to the hospital seemed to last forever, as Hannah unwrapped the presents they had brought for her. She smiled and laughed with Rin, Elaine and Ally for awhile, but her energy reserves depleted quickly, and meekly requested some time to sleep, with the promise that they return soon with her uncle, grandmother and great-aunt. She needed to save up her energy. She had gotten bone marrow aspirated from her hip the other day, but it appeared that it was unusable in her planned bone marrow transplant. They had to find another donor, but no one in the family matched her blood type. Soon after Christmas they would be scanning the database for a suitable donor, but until then, all they could do is wait. The three ate a small lunch in the hospital cafeteria and drove back home.
        Not long after they got back to the house, John arrived with Allison. Elaine ran up to them and gave them each a big hug, but Ally stayed back, unsure of how to greet him.
        "It's nice to see you again, too, Elaine! Now, where's Ally? I know she's around here somewhere." he said in a booming voice.
        Ally poked her head around the corner, and saw a tall, well-built man that still looked like the big brother that had so long ago given her the gift of independence. Forgetting her shyness, she ran up to him and gave him a big hug as well.
        "I missed you so much!" Ally said. "I'm so glad to see you again!"
        "I am too! Ever since Rin called to tell me that she had found you, it's all I've been able to do to keep from going AWOL and surprising you. I've wanted to see you so much," he said with a big grin on his face.
        "I wish you had, John," Ally said and giggled. "You've kept me waiting long enough!"
        John laughed heartily at that, as did Elaine and Ally. "Well, you know you should call me Uncle Johnny now, but if you still want to call me John, I won't mind."
        "Oh, Uncle Johnny is fine. I'm just happy to finally get to see you again," Ally said.
        While Elaine and Rin put the finishing touches on Christmas dinner that they had all helped do preparation for last night, Ally sat next to John with her head on his shoulder, watching one of the many Christmas movies on the television. After a bit, Elaine came in and joined them, sitting on John's other side, already exhausted from the day.
        After John had arrived, they had all done their share in preparing the house for the arrival of the two still missing family members. Since both John and Elaine's father's relatives would travel long distances to be here for Christmas, they would all be staying at the house for a week or so. Hannah was at the hospital, so it was decreed that the two women would be staying there, and Uncle Johnny would sleep on the sofa bed in the den with Allison.
        With ten minutes left to bake on the turkey, the doorbell rang. Rin answered it, and two women entered, hugging Rin and offering their sympathy for Hannah's illness, and saying they eagerly looked forward to seeing her in the coming days. John went forward with Elaine and he shook hands while Elaine gave each woman a big hug.
        Ally watched all this from the shelter of the kitchen, trying to think why the two women looked familiar. She figured it was her mind playing tricks on her. It was almost a hundred years old, and was under a great deal of stress lately. She gathered up her courage and walked into the living room. Unsure of what to call them, she began, "Hi! My name's Ally. It's nice to meet-"
        "ALLY! OH MY GOD! LOUISE, IT'S ALLY!!!" said the younger woman.
        Surprised, Ally took another look at the woman. "Dawn? Louise? Is it really you?"
        "Yes, it's us! A little older than you remember, eh?" Dawn said while Louise held Ally tight.
        "Just a little." Ally said as best she could with her face buried in Louise's overcoat.
        "You three know each other?" John and Rin said, incredulously.
        "Do you remember when I told you my story? About the two girls who wound me up back in the 1940s? Their names were Louise and Dawn.and they are them!" Ally explained.
        "How can that.be? So, the man I grew up to marry.his mother and sister were the two girls who found you originally?" Rin asked.
        Ally nodded as she hugged Dawn. "I don't believe it. I just don't believe it," she said.
        The amazing reunion was later told to Hannah by everyone involved on the day after Christmas, when they all visited the hospital. Hannah was getting weaker, the treatments having sapped her strength. She was waiting on the results of the database search for a donor, but it didn't look promising. She apparently had a very rare blood type, and since the bone marrow had already been damaged by the cancer and the treatments, it wouldn't be suitable for re-transplantation. Most of the doctors were hoping to see some response from the latest round of chemotherapy if her chances for beating this thing were to be good.
        The entire family visited Hannah each day of the Christmas vacation, hoping both the amazing joy of the reunion and the family being there for her would raise her spirits and help her recovery. But it didn't seem that her condition was getting any better, and towards the end of the week, the family got the bad news that there didn't seem to be any donors in the national databank that matched Hannah's rare blood type.
        New Year's Eve dawned gray and cold, and the weather matched the family's mood. Elaine stayed in her bed most of the morning, and it wasn't until close to noon that Rin got around to winding up Ally. But Ally didn't feel much like doing anything, and told Rin to rewind her at dinner so she could help with the cooking.
        Rin wound Ally up around four in the afternoon, and they quietly prepared a soup with the Christmas turkey leftovers while John, Dawn and Louise watched a random TV programme in the TV room and Elaine stayed in bed. Ally went and roused Elaine when dinner was ready, and she reluctantly came to the table, where the family ate a rather silent and forced meal. Afterwards, Elaine and Ally cleaned up and then retired to their room, where Elaine fell back asleep quickly.
        Ally changed into her nightgown and fell into bed. She stared at the ceiling, trying to count the little bumps that were randomly scattered upon it, pondering whether this would be a day she should unwind her mechanism herself, instead of waiting for her to wind down naturally. Normally it would be an easy decision, but tonight was New Year's Eve, and she had never experienced a countdown to a New Year before. When she heard the rest of the house bed down for the night at ten, however, she decided that it was time for her to do the same, and unwound her springs. Her arms once again fell limply by her side, her eyes dimmed and there was nothing but silence.

        Her eyes snapped open. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness of the room. She didn't know why she was awake so late. Slowly, she got up, bracing herself against the wall when she got unsteady. She looked down at Elaine. She and Hannah, and everyone else in her family, had given her so much: shelter, clothes, friendship, life, love.
        Before she had too much time to reflect, she felt an unseen force, motivating her to open the door into the hall. She felt a chill as the cooler air circulated around her bare feet, and her nightgown moved around her legs. The hall was dark, but she could see a light, one that seemed rather bright but not blinding. She quietly made her way down the hall, careful not to wake anyone else in the house.
        When she got to the end of the hall, her eyes grew wide as she realized that the sitting room had been transformed into what looked like a forest glen. Low branches from unseen trees overhung plants closer to the ground of a rich green with flowers in all sorts of colours. In one corner of the room was a gentle waterfall that poured into a stream. The water was so pure, it was almost like liquid light, and as best she could tell was also the only source of light in the room.
        "Pass through the waterfall." a faceless voice spoke.
        "I can't go into the water," the girl replied, softly.
        "It will not harm you," the voice spoke again.
        "My gears will rust," the girl spoke, a bit more firmly.
        "It will not harm you," the voice spoke, a bit firmer as well.
        As scared as she was, the girl slowly moved through the glen to the waterfall. Hesitantly, she started to reach her hand out, and then quickly drew it back.
        "There is nothing to fear. All will be how it should be," the voice spoke authoritatively.
        Filled with an impulsive courage, she boldly walked into the waterfall. As the liquid light cascaded over her now unclothed body, she saw reality shimmer and wave, and then there was only blackness.

        Gradually the light returned, and she was conscious again. She was standing under the waterfall, only instead of emptying into a small stream, it now emptied into a large lake full of this amazing liquid light. It dripped off of her skin and ran down her body in shining rivulets.
        "There is a legend. This legend says that anything that is truly loved for one hundred years will gain a life of its own. You have been loved for one hundred years, and now, my daughter, you shall have life."
        The voice echoed into silence, and Ally looked around, unsure of what was to happen next. The lake shone brighter and the water level rose higher, and she was completely submerged in the illuminated lake. She let herself be carried by the water, no longer seeing the surface and never seeing the bottom.
        After what seemed an eternity, the motion stopped and gradually the water receded, and she was left, still wet, upon the floor of the forest glen. The scenery around her shimmered, gradually being replaced by the carpet of the TV room floor, and the pale blue of the walls. And she was dry now, clad once again in her nightgown.
        Once she felt she was clearly back in the TV room again, she hesitantly made her way to her feet. She didn't need to steady herself against the wall. She didn't feel all that different, but she knew something was. Something had changed. And then she knew. She looked down at her belly button. The slot for her key was gone.
        Hoping against hope, she went to the kitchen. She found the sharpest knife she could and made a small cut in her skin, high on her arm where no one could see. She drew back the knife, and on the very tip of the blade was a drop of liquid that glimmered red in the moonlight. She was real.
        "I'm a real girl," she said softly. "I'm a real.girl."
        "I'm a REAL GIRL!" she shouted. "A REAL GIRL!" The clock in the TV room started its twelve o'clock chime, and while the bells rang, Ally kept repeating, "I'm a real girl! A real girl!" She even lifted up her nightgown to check. "I'm real! This must be a dream.but I don't dream, so this must be real.oh I'm real."
        Tears streamed down her face as one by one, the family members stumbled into the kitchen, eyes bleary with sleep.
        "What is it, Ally? Happy New Year?" Rin asked, a little discombobulated.
        "Happy New Year." Elaine said apathetically.
        "No, no! I'm a girl! A girl!" Ally said excitedly.
        "We know that, Ally, and we're happy to have you in our family," John said tiredly.
        "No, you don't understand! I'm REAL! Look at this!" she said as she showed them the little cut she made on her arm. The scab had already begun to form, but even the small amount of blood was obvious.
        Elaine gasped. "You're real.you're real.how.what in the."
        Ally rushed to Elaine and hugged her. "I'm real I'm real I'm real!" she crowed and the two twirled about.
        "She's real?" John asked, confused.
        "You're real?" Rin asked.
        "She's real!" Elaine said. "As real as you and me, mum.as real as Hannah, and every other girl in the world!"
        "Oh my God, she's real..!" Rin said in awe.
        "No gears, no winding, I'm a complete girl. A complete girl, Rin!" Ally crowed as she ran to Rin and hugged her close.
        Then she moved on to Allison. "I'm real, Allison. Real!"
        "I know, I know.I'm so happy for you.I can't believe it." Allison said, still in shock as Ally hugged her.
        She moved on to Dawn, and Louise, who had finally joined the crowd in the kitchen. They couldn't believe it, either.they just kept staring in wonderment at Ally, marveling at the transformation.
        Knowing they couldn't fall asleep after something that magical, the whole family remained up, helping Ally do as many of the things she'd never been able to do before. They helped her make a wonderful meal; a huge breakfast with all the trimmings that the entire family ate at two in the morning, but Ally didn't care. She savored every bite, enjoying all the tastes and flavors that had been denied her until now.
        After everyone was finally finished eating, and it took Ally quite awhile, she decided to take her first real shower. Until then, Ally had only gently cleaned herself with damp sponges and facecloths, washing her hair carefully with the faucet. Now she took a long, luxurious soak in the bathtub, playing with the bubbles of the bubble bath she poured in. Then she turned on the shower and let the hot water flow across her body, reveling in the relaxation and warmth. She cleansed her hair and let the conditioner infuse it with moisture and silky smoothness.
        After her long shower, she styled her hair as best she could from learning to style Elaine and Hannah's hair, and Rin and Allison before that. It came out rather well for her first time, and she got many compliments on it from everyone present. Many said they barely recognized her with her hair styled differently, and that she had this new glow about her that she hadn't had before.
        "I'm so glad you're real now, Ally," Elaine said to her. "We can do even more things together now! And when Hannah gets out of the hospital." she trailed off.
        In all the excitement, everyone was focused on Ally and her amazing news. Mentioning Hannah brought them all back to reality. But then, Ally had an idea. "Rin-err, mum-you know how everyone's blood was tested, to see if they were a match for Hannah? Well, I didn't get tested, cause, until now, I had no blood-"she giggled uneasily-"but I can get tested now! I know it's a long shot, but maybe, just maybe, we'll be a match!"
        The family could barely wait until visiting hours started for the day. As early as they could leave, they raced towards the hospital, confident this was supposed to happen this way. They arrived a little early, but when they saw how excited the family was, they decided it would do no harm to let visiting hours begin a little early.
        Ally rushed up to Hannah, who was still a bit groggy. "Hannah! I'm real! I'm a real girl!" she whispered as soft as she could
        "What do you mean a "real girl"?" Hannah said, thinking her medications were palying with her sanity.
        "I mean it, a real girl!" Ally said and showed Hannah her scab proudly. "And didn't you notice my new hairstyle?"
        Hannah looked at Ally's hair. "It is different.," she said, and then her eyes fell onto the small scab. "Is that.blood?"
        Ally nodded vigorously.
        Hannah's face was puzzled for a second, and then she broke into a huge smile and drew Ally close in a strong hug, while tears glistened in her eyes. "Oh Ally.I'm so happy for you.but how is this possible? How did this happen?"
        "I.I'm still not sure. All I know is there is a legend.something about if something is loved for 100 years it gains a life of its own. It's been 100 years for me, Hannah. I'm real now! All real!" Ally said breathlessly.
        One of the nurses came in at the moment to check Hannah's vital signs. "What's all the commotion in here?" the nurse said jovially and smiled.
        "Well," Rin said, "Ally came to stay with us earlier this year, and we thought we knew her blood type, so we never had her tested when it came time to see if any of the family was a match. But it's just come to our attention that her records may have been in error, so we'd like to get her tested as soon as possible to see if she is a match for Hannah."
        "Most certainly!" the nurse said, still with a smile. "It will have to wait until tomorrow when the doctors are back from the holiday, but we'll be more than happy to do that for you. And hopefully, you'll match!" the nurse said while grinning at Ally. Ally grinned back happily.

        The doctors were surprised when Ally was a perfect match for Hannah, and they performed the bone marrow transplant within the next week. By March, Ally's birthday, Hannah was well enough to come home from the hospital. Though she was still too weak to return to school, and on powerful anti-cancer drugs, the doctors were confident that soon she would make a full recovery.
        Ally continued attending school, keeping an honors average while balancing schoolwork with beginners' ballet classes, which she had begun attending soon after the New Year. She was the oldest in the class, but that didn't matter to Ally. She was finally doing what she always wanted to do, because she finally got her wish.
        On the day of her birthday, they invited Allison over and ordered in Chinese food, so Hannah could celebrate with them. Ally's fortune read: "This is a year to try many new things." Towards the end of the day, she received something in the mail. She eagerly tore open the envelope to find her new birth certificate. It read: Alyssa Renee Dearston; Sex: female. Ally smiled as she filed it next to her sisters'. "I'm real."