Dolls for Company

The old woman had few visitors. She liked to sit surrounded by her ‘things,’ the product of a lifetime collecting and squirreling away. The voiceless, uncritical and coldly delightful porcelain dolls were her mainstay and constant companions. She much preferred them to people. She was shrewd and quick to shed a tear when necessary. People were just a means to an end, after all. The dolls were her true friends.

The old woman lived on like this for years. Her only regret was that people never saw things her way.

The dolls looked on expressionless when they carried her out.