A Misunderstanding

A few months passed. Before I knew it, Duke was bringing me another round of birthday gifts.

"Happy Birthday, Lipa! I see you've made it back safely. Though it came at a cost, didn't it?"

"Yeah… and not a small one." I looked at my new left arm, "And thank you! …How's Mamă? She must've been worried sick after I left."

"Oh ho, believe me, she was more than worried. The tirade she threw when I saw her after that day, ha ha! It was quite the sight."

I giggled. "I'm sure it was."

"Well, I'll let you enjoy your day. Take care!"

The cake was more luxurious than ever. It must've taken Mamă a whole day to make it… I carefully opened the envelope that accompanied it.

My dearest Lipa,

I cannot express how relieved I was when Lord Heisenberg told me you were all right. I

prayed every night that you would be spared from a cruel end. While it pains me that I cannot see you

in person, I want you to know that I never stop thinking about you. May we get an opportunity to

see each other soon (hopefully under calmer circumstances).

Love Always,

Mamă

I still couldn't understand the need for us to be separated. But given Heisenberg's answer when I confronted him about it before, I wasn't about to ask again. But I understand now. Actually… I'm grateful he kept us apart. If it weren't for him… who knows what could've happened.

Ah, I'm getting ahead of myself. Needless to say, the cake was the sweetest it'd ever been. I even offered Heisenberg a slice.

"Well, well. You trying to butter me up?" he smirked.

"No. I just… I wanna repay you. It's not much, but…"

"A bit's more than nothing."

The next day, I was sent out for errands.

"Which way was it again?" I asked.

"Straight ahead from the bridge."

"Got it."

"You're not thinking of running off on me, are you?"

I rolled my eyes before speaking into the radio. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good. Oh, and uh, steer clear of any flowers you see. Wouldn't want you having a… reaction."

Reaction? I was covered from my neck to my feet, so I wasn't in danger of being exposed to anything poisonous. And I didn't think I was allergic to any flowers… Then again, living at a factory for two years might have weakened my tolerance.

It was a long way to go for some thread. What did Heisenberg need with it anyway? He didn't strike me as someone who cared to patch up his clothes when they tore.

The gates Heisenberg described led to another one of the four places villagers were warned not to go. So, this time he was willingly sending me to another lord's territory? Bold move. I guess he didn't have to worry about me getting too close given my experience with Lady Dimitrescu. But I couldn't help being curious about what kind of powers the other two lords had; not enough to risk my life though.

A foggy stretch of woods taunted me when I entered the threshold. Things seemed normal for a few steps… until I looked up. Heisenberg failed to mention that there would be dolls hanging from the tree branches. Thankfully, my goal was only a few meters in. The trees reached out to me like corpses rising from the dead. It was like they were whispering to me, beckoning for me to come closer. I had to be close to what I needed, right? Where was the damn thread? Each doll looked the same. Each of their necks were tied by a rope, dangling, swaying… Their eyes seemed to follow my every move. Had I been that way already? They were giggling at me, mouths twisting to crooked smiles. My heart jumped to my throat as my pace hastened. Where the hell was the thread?!

My right foot landed on an unfamiliar surface. I took a step back and found a stray doll lying on the path. A needle was sticking out of her side. The thread had been pulled through the needle's eye. But… where was the spool? My eyes tracked the thread. It went under the doll's dress and into its stomach. I swallowed as I slowly picked it up.

I'm never doing anything for you again, Heisenberg. I swore under my breath as I opened the doll's chest cavity. The glove covering my metal arm hindered my fingers, so I pulled it off and let it fall to the ground. I pulled the needle from the doll and stashed it away into my satchel along with the spool. Relief washed over me as I took a shaky breath. I closed the doll back up before gently putting it back on the ground face up. My foot turned back the way I came. Hopefully, this time I wouldn't get−

"Lipa!"

That voice… No, it couldn't be… I hadn't heard it in−

"Lipa, help me!"

"..Tată?" I muttered. Nothing. And then−

"Lipa, help me!"

"Tată?!" I yelled into the woods. Only my echo answered.

"Tată, where are you?!" I tried again.

"Lipa, please! I need your help!"

"I'm coming, Tată!"

I knew it was impossible. He'd been dead for so long. And yet, it sounded so real… how could it not be him? What if… he hadn't died? What if, by some miracle, he could still be saved? I had to try. I ran as fast as I could. I wouldn't lose him again!

A grave appeared before me, surrounded by flowers. Flowers… To hell with Heisenberg's instructions.

"Tată?! Are you here?!" I called.

"Tată's not here. But that's OK, right? You don't need him anymore." A shrill voice cackled in the mist.

"Who's… who's there?"

"Yoohoo! Down here!"

A small hand ruffled my skirt. I shrieked and almost kicked whatever it was. There, at my feet was… a doll. A moving, porcelain doll covered in a wedding dress. It waved at me, snickering.

"Ooooo what a pretty thing you are! Someone must really miss you."

I just gaped at it, unsure what to say or do. Why did everything about the village keep getting weirder? Heisenberg was more than enough.

"Aw, what's wrong? Are you lost?"

"I'm… yes, I… I'm looking for my father."

"But I already told you: He's. Not. Here."

"You're lying… you're lying, you have to be! I heard his voice, just now!"

"Did you? Or was it your imagination?"

It was toying with me. Shouldn't it have been the other way around? "I'm not crazy, if that's what you're implying. I know I heard him!"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm reaaaally good at impressions!" It cackled. "Wanna play charades?"

"What? I don't have time for−"

"Oh, oh! How about house? House is always fun, especially for new guests!"

Could this thing really have imitated Tată's voice? How did it even know what he sounded like? My head was pounding.

"I'm sorry, miss… Um…"

"Angie."

"Miss Angie. I'm really sorry, but I can't play games. I have to get back home."

"But then why are you out here? You must've come here for some reason."

Touché. "I…"

"Oooo what's that? It looks shiny!"

My hand… Shit. I'd completely forgotten about my glove.

"Oh, it's just… uh…" I hid my arm behind my back.

"Oh, don't be shy! You don't have to hide from us."

Us? I swallowed as my lungs constricted. I glanced around until I saw… a woman dressed all in black, standing just beside the grave. Her ghostly hands were folded in front of her, her face veiled with a black cloth.

"Please, won't you show us?" Angie pleaded.

"Oh… right, of course."

Looking between Angie and Donna Beneviento, a small flame relit in my soul. It was like I was a kid again, without a care in the world. A kid who could feel pure, innocent joy by the simplest of things. Seeing others smile, making them happy, was the greatest euphoria I achieved. There, in that moment, I could reclaim that bliss.

So, I removed my coat, unveiling my whole arm.

"Ooo hu hu hu! So, you're one of Heisenberg's toys?"

"Toy? No, I… I just work for him."

"I bet that's not how he sees it."

"…You think so?"

"He must be such a bore! He might be fun to play with every once in a while, but then he becomes all serious and ruins it."

"Ha ha, yeah, that does sound like him." I smiled.

"Why don't you stay with us? We'll be much better playmates than Heisenberg."

"OK… OK, sure!"

What was happening to me? It was like I was in a daze. Never in my right mind would I have accepted something like that. But in that strange place, I couldn't pass up such an opportunity. Fun was much more important than safety, right?

"Yay! Oh, but the house isn't ready yet. Don't worry; I'll come up with all kinds of games for us to play!"

"Here." Donna reached her hand out. The doll resting there looked a lot like one I owned as a child.

"Thank you."

"Come back tomorrow, OK? We're gonna have soooo much fun!" Angie giggled as she floated up into Donna's hands.

Tomorrow? But… "I'm sorry, I can't come back tomorrow. Heisenberg has me on a… strict schedule."

"Ugh, of course he does… It's just like I told you; he's no fun! But that's OK! How about next week then?"

"Yes! Yes, that would be fine."

I waved to Angie and Donna before turning back the way I came.

The path to the gate was so clear now. I found myself humming as I hugged the doll to my chest. Did I really have to go back to Heisenberg? I would have rather just gone back to the house with Angie and Donna, but I didn't want to be rude and rush them if they had to prepare. That meant I would have to bear with Heisenberg's annoying routine until the next week.

"Hello? Earth to Lipa?"

The radio. The sound of it touched a nerve. I reluctantly hit the side button.

"I'm here."

He sighed. "What the fuck took you so long?"

"Sorry, I… I got lost." That wasn't a total lie.

"Well did you at least get it?"

"Yes."

"Good. Hurry up and get back here."

"Right away." I rolled my eyes as I stowed the radio away. "What a nag," I muttered to the doll, "But he won't spoil our mood, right?"

Wait… what was I doing? I hadn't spoken to a doll since I was small (well, a nonliving doll). I must've been going mad. But it was relieving at the same time. Being able to relive experiences from my childhood made me feel safe. Being an adult didn't have to be all doom and gloom.

The gates of the factory swallowed me back in. Thunder roared behind the mountains as I walked back to the building.

"Sorry, you'll have to hide here. Don't want Heisenberg taking you away," I told the doll as I stored it away in my bag.

"Have fun out there?"

I suppressed a wince when I heard Heisenberg's voice. "What?"

"You took your sweet old time."

"I told you; I got lost."

"Right… Sniff any flowers while you were daydreaming?"

I swallowed. "Of course not. You told me not to go near them."

He just stared at me. "Good."

"Here's the thread you asked for." I reached it out to him.

He examined the spool before grabbing it. He gave another long stare as he turned back to his office. And that was that. He just… walked away.

There was no way he bought my story. Either he didn't think it was that big of a deal or he just didn't care. It was my mistake after all.

Wait… what was I saying? A mistake? Never! I finally had a reason to leave that godforsaken rusted hellhole. The tricky part would be giving Heisenberg the slip on my next trip. Maybe if I just asked him to let me roam free, he would give me some leeway. Pah! As if. You know what? To hell with it, I thought. He wouldn't know the difference if I was gone for an hour or a day. He hardly paid attention to me anyway.

What did he care if I was conversing with another one of his siblings? Who I spoke to was none of his business. She was a lot nicer than him and wanted to talk to me. He could be angry all he wanted. I wouldn't hear it.

This was my life, not his.