Patrick and Welma were less than happy when their father told them that they were moving away from the hustle and bustle of the city into a country house. He had tried to explain to them how the merchants with half his value in gold were splurging on such extravagances and he couldn’t be left behind.
When his children had only pouted in return, he had tried to first soften the blow by showing them sketches of the sixteenth century house he had bought for their comfort but when that didn’t work, sternly told Madam Tully to get their suitcases ready as they had to leave in less than a week.
Well since Patrick and Welma were little over five and seven respectively, they didn’t really have much of a choice when it came to where they would live. So come next week, Madam Tully had organized the entire household into a military regiment for there was no way she could have pulled this off otherwise.
She had even managed to get the children excited – promising them a dog, a horse and a few rabbits for all their troubles. She wasn’t worried about Mr. Ungbad’s reaction. Since his wife had died, the poor man had barely been able to hold the house together and had piled all the wifely duties onto Madam Tully. Not that Madam Tully minded – the household definitely needed a stern hand to function since Mrs. Ungbad’s natural flair and charm weren’t at hand.
The day of departure came and the children, mindful of the opportunity and the promises Madam Tully had made, promptly let their lower lip tremble and conjured up a few tears as well to guilt their father into getting them what they wanted.
They knew the foundation was laid solid when Mr. Ungbad sighed deeply and turned to Madam Tully to confer on ways to perk up the children. Now looking forward to their new home, Patrick and Welma were having a hard time keeping up the melancholic façade.
The house was extraordinary, the gardens and stables so big the children could get lost in them happily, and the horses so gentle, Patrick and Welma soon forgot they had ever been disinclined to come here.
*
The trouble started a week after the Ungbads had moved into their new home. The clouds and winds were out in full force, the man of the house away on business so Madam Tully had deemed fit that the children channel their considerable imaginativeness to explore the house for a change. The children didn’t disapprove of the idea and were soon in the attic filled with dust, cobwebs and treasures long forgotten.
It was afternoon time and both were well fed, if only a little dusty. Patrick had found a box with a puzzle and he had, for the first time in his five-year life cleaned a surface in order to work out his puzzle. Welma did not share his enthusiasm or his concentration and soon got bored. She went about her own explorations and inside a wardrobe, found something that was every little girl’s dream – a tiara and a feathered sash. Jumping with glee she snatched the tiara and the sash when something fell on her head with a soft thud.
Screaming, she jumped so violently that she almost locked herself inside the wardrobe. Patrick came running to his sister’s aid and when he saw the sorry looking doll, laughed, pointing at his sister and slapping his thigh like he couldn’t contain his mirth.
Shooing him back to his puzzle, Welma picked up the doll. She was surprised at its weight – it almost felt as heavy as Patrick when he had been that small. Curiosity finally piqued, forgetting all about the tiara and sash, Welma cleared her own space and sat down to look at the doll.
She smoothed the half-torn button and smiled, making up her mind to get Madam Tully to sew it back on. A shiver went up her spine when the doll smiled back. “Say Patrick,” she said when she heard Madam Tully calling out to them.
“What?” he yelled back.
“Madam Tully needs us.”
Patrick, waiting for his sister at the top of the stairs, looked disdainfully at the tightly clutched doll in Welma’s hand. “You going to play with a doll now? Aren’t you too old for that?”
Welma crossed her arms and gave him a cold stare. She hadn’t been sure of keeping her, seeing as she may or may not have smiled back and Welma didn’t need any spooking thank you very much, but Patrick’s condescension sealed the deal for her. She would keep the doll.
*
Soon Welma and Doll became inseparable. Even when she went to her studies, she carried Doll with her. In the beginning Mr. Ungbad, Madam Tully and her tutor had allowed the girl her whim – she was in a new place, growing up and adjusting was hard. If the doll gave her comfort, they wouldn’t take her away from her.
They only started to be concerned when they realized she spoke to no one but the doll and insisted on seating it at the table, feeding her food from her own plate.
It was Patrick who finally roused the adults out of their stupor by saying how she had started to call Doll Patrick. She had stopped talking to him, he had complained, feeling suddenly lonely as her affections had been withdrawn from him and showered on Patrick-Doll.
When confronted, Welma had screeched, called Patrick evil, said he was the doll and pointing at the doll in her hand declared, “I am trying to protect Patrick, don’t you see?”
*
Two months later
Sister goes mad, tries to stab brother to save doll
In a shocking turn of events, The Daily Tribune is sad to report the institutionalization of Welma Ungbad after she tried to reportedly stab her brother. No one is sure why Ms. Ungbad would behave thusly. The doctor on scene said, “Clearly Ms. Ungbad is suffering from a delusion where she thinks the doll is actually her brother and her brother Patrick is really the doll.”
When probed further, the doctor reported, “The doll has warm skin, a half-heartbeat and functional hands and feet. The brother though, when touched, is icy cold.” The good doctor did not, or rather could not speculate if some demonic activity was at play though he did mention something about a warning the Ungbads had received while Mr. Ungbad had been finalizing the house. More report to follow.
This is 4 of 26 Myths and Legends. To know more, click here.
tales of Suchita 
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