Daniel—Mr. Talky—is staring at my wrists. I try to hide them but it’s too late, he’s already noticed that they’re bruised and hurting. When I arrived he looked all surprised, like he forgot I was coming or something. But then I realized it was my fault because I arrived way too early. I smile and he smiles back.
“What happened to your wrists, Dolly?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t remember?”
“Nope.”
“They look very sore.”
“They hurt.”
“Do you have some cream for them?”
“I’ve got something called arnica. Alexa got it for me.”
Tick-tock—
A minute ago I was curled up like a pussycat on the chair, but now I’m sitting on the floor with my legs crossed. I don’t remember when I got down here.
Sometimes I don’t like Daniel’s chair because it feels all sticky, especially if I’m not wearing trousers or tights. It makes this really weird sucky sound when I move, just like when I drink bubble tea. So I come down onto the floor.
I use my finger to trace the pattern on the rug. Across, across, across. The purple and blue stripes reminding me of the sea.
The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
I scratch my half ear and look up. It’s dark outside. Daniel looks tired and a little bit worried now. I wonder if he’s eaten anything or maybe had a drink. I had a cheese-and-tomato toastie and a glass of milk earlier. Oneiroi made it for me. I didn’t like it very much but I didn’t tell her that because she’d think me ungrateful, especially with so many other children worse off than me and dying in the world, as she is always saying. But the tomato made the bread go all soggy so I just ate around those bits and hid the rest under my napkin.
“Are you comfortable down there?” he asks.
“Yes, thank you. My wrists hurt a bit.”
“You don’t remember anything? How you did it—how someone else did it?”
“No, I’m like Mr. Forgetful today,” I say.
“Seems that way, doesn’t it. Why do you think that is?”
“Because my brain’s not working.”
“Oh, and why’s that?” He smiles.
“Because Mr. Forgetful forgets stuff!” I laugh.
“Do you think Mr. Forgetful forgets stuff because he’s not allowed to remember? Maybe he’ll get into trouble if he does?”
“Not sure.” Across, across, across.
My legs are starting to ache now from sitting on the floor, so I stand up and climb back into the sucky chair.
“Are you okay, Dolly?”
“Feeling sleepy,” I say, not knowing why I feel so tired. We didn’t even go to work today.
Tick-tock—
When I wake up there is a big woolly blanket covering me. Mr. Talky must have put it there. I’d like to drink a glass of water because I am very very hot and very very thirsty and my head hurts. Oneiroi says we should always drink water if our head hurts. I climb out of the blanket and sit up, then stare at my wrists. Those horrible bruises are still there.
“Why won’t they go away? Can you make them go away?”
“I wish I could,” he says.
My tummy feels all trembly and swirly like a washing machine. Just like the times when Baba would dress me up like a little doll. “Smile, Xiǎo Wáwa,” he would say. So I did.
Now I can taste cheese and tomato in my mouth.
“I don’t feel so good.”
I used to feel this way when I first used to come here because Runner told me not to talk. Button it, Dolly! she used to say. Then she’d get real cross.
She thinks we shouldn’t trust Daniel or any man, and gets all upset if I tell him our secrets.
You’re gonna land us in deep, deep trouble, Dolly, she said. Remember our rule, no one from the real world can enter the Nest, ever. If you tell Daniel our secrets he’ll destroy our home, and us.
She also said that we’ll get locked up in prison with no keys and no food, or even worse, a hospital full of crazy people where they put big needles in your arms and only let you watch TV if you’re extra, extra good. Runner doesn’t like me to talk to anyone really, especially about our secrets, even though sometimes I can hear Alexa telling Ella our secrets. They don’t know I can hear them, but I can, I can hear everything. I know what they’re planning. That’s why I came to visit Mr. Talky.