The Dollmage

That night, Manal and Annakey danced together every dance. They laughed and talked at the surface of things and at the bottom of things. Though Manal had been Annakey’s special friend since childhood, Annakey of late had begun to look at him with the yearning eyes of one who looks upon her treasure. As she danced, she touched his shoulders and arms as one who outlines her world with her hands.

I told you that Renoa had her eye upon Manal. Now I will tell you that Areth had his eye upon Annakey. He did not love her, as Manal did, because of the art of her hands, or, as Manal did, because she always smiled even with a frowning promise doll. He did not love her, as Manal did, because of the way she breathed and moved and dreamed. Areth loved her because she was beautiful, but more than that Areth loved her because Manal loved her. Also, because he thought she was easy to boss.

My Renoa was not entirely spoiled. When she saw that Manal wanted Annakey, she turned her attentions to Areth. When she saw that Areth wanted Annakey too, she became filled with hate. How can I blame her? Annakey was stealing everything that made Renoa smile. Renoa told herself that Annakey was draining the smiles from her promise doll as she had with her own mother.

Why is it that everything that was bad in her life made Renoa miserable, whereas when bad things happened to Annakey, she remained happy? Annakey had promised herself she would be happy. What had Renoa promised herself? That she would have what she wanted. There is the difference. Of course, that may be the moral of the story, but I will not punish you by explaining it.The bad egg and the gristly stew and the woody potatoes all together do not add up to such abuse. As I told you, I am selfish and weak, not evil.

The dance music became louder and wilder and the common fire burned hotter and brighter. Steal from us what you will, the dancers seemed to say to any robber people that might be watching, you cannot steal from us this night our joy in being alive, and in our bodies that can do this and this and this.

Annakey and Manal became separated in the dancing. Annakey saw Manal dancing with Renoa, and then Areth was with her. While they danced, Areth placed his hands on Annakey’s body where they should not be. The elders were all too riotous to notice.

“I am a man, now, Annakey,” Areth said into her ear. “Do not stop me.”

“If you are a man, stop yourself,” Annakey said, moving away.

Areth was surprised. He had thought Annakey was easy to boss. Of course, Annakey was the hardest to boss. She was the only one I could not boss, though many a night I wept in my pillow for it. Annakey would not allow her promise to her mother to go unfulfilled. She would be happy, and that was that.

Areth found himself looking into the face of Manal. As I have said, Manal was like Mount Crownantler, full of weather. The weather at that moment was a black storm. Areth too was like a mountain, and though it was the smaller Southslope Mountain, still he was high and proud. He met Manal’s glare. At that moment Renoa began weeping loudly, and all her friends gathered around to comfort her.

“What is it?” they asked, but Renoa appeared unable to be consoled.

“What is it?” a few of the elders nearby asked.

Annakey went to Renoa. “What is it?” she asked.

“You!” Renoa said to her, in the hearing of all around them. “It is you. How could you play such a trick on me?”

“I? What?” Annakey asked.

Renoa held up the pretty cake that Annakey had made her.“Yes, you.You gave me this cake thinking to apologize for the hurts you have caused me, but when I went to bite into it, I smelled this.” Renoa held the cake up to Annakey’s nose, and Annakey recoiled from the strong scent of chicken manure. Renoa held up the cake to her other friends, who each exclaimed in turn at the stench of the cake.

“You rolled the cake in chicken manure,” one of the friends said to Annakey.

“No,” Annakey said. “I didn’t. I wouldn’t.”

“She would not do that,” Manal said. “Perhaps Renoa dropped the cake and in the dark did not notice into what it had fallen.”

“I did not drop the cake,” Renoa said sharply, and then she began to weep again, and fell on Manal’s chest. Manal stepped away from her as if she had the pox. Renoa’s tears stopped as suddenly as they had begun. Annakey had seen that expression before. Renoa was angry, and Annakey knew she would be the brunt of that anger. Renoa was angrier than she had ever been before.

“Shameful,” said one of the elders who had been listening. It was Oda Weedbridge.

“A disgusting prank,” said one of Oda’s cronies.