Are you ready for Halloween? Yes? So are we! Come and gather around the bonfire, for the story we are about to tell, may give you chills, but it may most probably make your heart smile!
Chapter One
The morning was unusually warm for October, giving Anne the urge to go on a pre-Halloween walk in a it-still-feels-like-summer mindset.
The redwoods, tall and imposing, announced the entrance to what felt like a magical realm, adorned with dragonflies, late fall berries, and a lush carpet of sheltered moss.
Gifted with the freedom of thought that children possess, such a panorama of natural exuberance became a blank canvas for exploration and creation.
Chapter Two
The verdant path led Anne to what seemed to be, at first, a garden with statuary… or was it a shrouded cemetery?
By a gathering of statues, a raven haired girl hummed a sunset song. Anne did her best to stay hidden and to listen to that almost silent melody, a song of a past yet to be remembered. But, almost as if she was being expected, the incessantly humming girl directed her gaze towards Anne and called: “Viktor!”.
That’s how Anne met Agnes and her twin brother Viktor both dressed as if they were from another time, from an unvisited corner of the imagination.
The twins - in unison - invited Anne to their home and before Anne could express an intrigued affirmative response...
...the trio disappeared, leaving behind Anne’s straw hat and her Halloween pumpkin bucket.
Chapter Three
A room, lushly dark.
Anne walked, her hands creating a little cave for her sighs to find shelter.
Movement and sound combined to create a figure, tall as the redwoods. “Greetings, Miss!” - he uttered.
Sensei Ozu was his name and he along with Madame Martine were the twins’ language and philosophy instructors.
Anne was both confused and captivated by their elegant somberness.
“Soon their practice exercises will conclude and you may meet them for playtime.” - Madame Martine explained.
Chapter Four
Agnes and Viktor, immersed in the magic of make-believe, animated their bears, Memen and Tomori, by speaking on their behalf. "I feel a presence..." - Memen grunted. "There's a new shadow behind us!" - Tomori purred.
“Anne - Agnes whispered when she saw Anne walk in - would you like to feel how Tomori's heart mumbles? Here she is!”
Tomori’s velvety feel reminded Anne of her grandmother’s scarf, the one that Anne would wear while dancing in her nana’s parlor. Anne was enveloped by serene familiarity and smiled.
Chapter Five
A voice - sweetly blue - floated from amongst the shadows calling Agnes and Viktor, who again, as if by magic, had disappeared.
The voice’s fragrance reached Anne: “Salutations, Miss! I’m Señora Sara, and you?”
“My name is Anne Fitzgerald, glad to meet you!” - Anne responded, her own voice redolent of violets. Señora Sara was the governess and very much in charge of elegance at the twins’ manor.
She led Anne to the greenhouse where the twins were posing to have their portraits taken. Anne was enchanted by the seemingly unending chronology of diversion taking place in this dusky realm.
Chapter Six
“Let’s all climb atop the lion statues and be still!” - Viktor thought out loud. The twins projected their internal chiaroscuro to the silver-plated copper plate while Anne simply emanated the joy of having new friends.
Once the image was fixed...
...Agnes took Anne by the hand and in secret eye language invited her to imagine herself as another member of their house. And off they went!
Chapter Seven
The dark corners and reflective surfaces of the twins’ playroom were perfect for the evening’s reveal.
Agnes carried Sap Oh to its glass terrarium, while Viktor took M. Arrow to her seat, hurried by the breeze of a distant violin.
“Bonsoir! ¡Buenas noches! Konbanwa! - laughed a girl with brown braids in a black chiffon dress adorned with a white collar and cuffs. C’est moi, Anne!”
Agnes and Viktor gathered around her hoping to imbibe from the fountain her humor.
To celebrate their new friend’s metamorphosis, the trio gamboled buzzing the melodies of that remote violin while the audience of amphibious and inanimate playmates chanted:
“Happy Halloween to all!”
B o o !
Contributor credits and resources for readers:
Anne Fitzpatrick doll by Virtual Doll Convention on loan from the generous Joseph Coloff
Anne's dress by Sew Sweet Designs by Janice Mundy
All jewelry by Exsyntrik
Agnes and Viktor Dreary with glass eyes by Jim Ash
Burlap garden dress by Connie of Sweet Creations
White shirt with tie and pants with suspenders for Viktor by The Doll Workshop by Andrea Jacques.
All hats by Peggy Feltrope
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