The Black-Eyed Doll. A fable

There once was a doll on a stick at a carnival stall. She lived with her sisters in a bucket until they were bought, one by one, for delighted children and only she remained, for she had been painted badly and had one black eye.

“Look mummy at that ugly doll!” mocked one little girl.
“How funny!” giggled another.

New sisters arrived and the black-eyed doll’s feathered head band grew smooth and started to droop, her spangled dress lost its stiffness and the tinsel wore away.

At last the stall-vendor decided to toss her out.

“May I have a dolly mummy?” asked the little girl being led towards the stall.
“Of course my darling.”

The girl reached towards the bucket. She gently felt the dolls’ dresses, she touched their feathered headbands.

“This is the loveliest doll of all!” She said lifting up the Black-Eyed Doll “For her dress is the softest and her feathers the most smooth”

And so they bought the Black-Eyed Doll who finally found love in the heart of a little blind girl.

fin

This 175 word fable for Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers was inspired by the photo prompt courtesy of Pixabay.com. I don’t know why, but I find carnivals slightly sad. Perhaps it is fading childhood memories or the odd tacky glamour of the places and the reality of what you have bought the day after. Anyway, we did once see a black-eyed Kewpie doll on a stick exactly like in the story. Her fluffy, worn feathers and faded charms led us to speculate on her fate and this story was the result.

If you have never seen a kewpie doll on a stick then this is what I am talking about. You see them at most Australian Carnivals still. The photo is from Flickr.