All Dolled Up!

Charlotte’s POV

I monitored Charlie’s bruise very closely the following days, oftentimes multiple times a day, which greatly annoyed him.

“Look, I know how a bruise heals, okay, and it’ll take some more time for me,” he said. “You don’t have to look at it every single hour.”

“I just want to make sure it’s not getting worse,” I told him. “Anyway, it’s your fault it happened in the first place!”

“Yes, thanks for reminding me of that for the ten thousandth time,” he said.

“Well, on a happier note, Happy New Year! Well, not yet, but in a few hours I guess,” I said. “Do they still have a fair at this time?”

Charlie scratched his chin. “I think they do kind of have something by the lake.”

“If you don’t mind,” I asked him. “Could you take me there?”

“You mean like with a camera-”

“-no, take me there like an actual doll,” I said. He stared at me, obviously wondering if I was serious or not. “I want to see it with my own eyes for once.”

“You weren’t allowed to go there?” Charlie asked.

“Well, the last time was when I was nine and I don’t remember anything really from so long ago. After that, something or the other popped up,” I said. “And I couldn’t go there without someone with me, of course. Before - well, before I became sick, I hadn’t been there in several years. Anyway, I’d like to see how things have changed since then.”

“Are you sure you want to go… like that though?” he asked.

I had been vehemently opposed to doing something like that up till now, with few exceptions like when I had insisted he take me with him for treatment. And it was true, I only had freedom for a chance few hours depending on how long the night was, and to give them up as well seemed like madness. But, in the future, there might come a time when I would need to do this forever.

“I want to sort of get used to it, I guess,” I said. “We might need to do something like this in the future. I wouldn’t want you to have to do everything outside like this without me.”

He chuckled. “Ah, I can imagine that. Sitting in a café in broad daylight with you, unmoving, sitting in front of me. And then there’s me telling everyone that I’m on a date. I would look like a complete nutcase for sure if I did that, and would probably freak out Suzy too.”

I tilted my head. “Well, if it’s like that, you don’t have to take me if it’ll embarrass you, I’m not really into seeing it that much I was just mildly curious is all-”

“What? No, if you want to go, I say that we go! That was just me rambling about something else earlier. Who cares what other people think?” he asked. “Heck, if you want to go to a café, we can even do that.”

“No, that sounds boring,” I said. “I just wanted to see what the fair is like after so many decades.”

“Got it,” he said, and then gently picked me up. The treatment, or the disease, or perhaps a combination of the two had weakened him considerably as this seemed to take some effort from him, though he did his best not to let it show. I braced myself for when he carried me over the threshold of the house.

As that happened, I felt the life in my limbs evaporate as I could no longer move. Hear and see, yes, but I couldn’t so much as turn my head even a fraction of an inch.

To Charlie’s credit, he attempted to be as gentle with me as he could, but he had lost much of his strength and smacked my head against the roof of his automobile while trying to put me in. It still hurt, even in this condition, and I could hear him breathe a string of apologies, but there was little I could do even if I wanted. As it was, I would not have blamed him even if I could move, because I knew he was doing the best he could for me.

He buckled me up in the backseat. I would’ve preferred to be riding with him, but I guess that that would’ve led to more questions than he’d be comfortable with. Even this was fine though.

What surprised me was just how fast the automobile could move- I had seen them move, of course, from my vantage points like the windows, but to feel it move was an entirely different experience. I wished that Charlie had opened up the windows so that some of the cool air could rush in and I could feel it on me, but I could no longer open my mouth to tell him that.

The ‘fair’ wasn’t really that extravagant- as it was the population of Pine Grove had declined since I’d been alive, with most of the economic opportunities now in the nearby cities instead where most of its former inhabitants had flocked to.

Still, there were several things that I could see that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. There was a small Ferris Wheel set up, though nothing like the huge ones I’d seen on television. There seemed to be something of a carnival set up with games as well.

From what I could tell, this place was not exactly popular, but it was nice to see it nonetheless. Charlie got out of the car for a moment and came back with two caramel apples.

“They say these are great, or so I’ve heard,” he said. “We can eat them when we go back home - I’ll even microwave them for you.”

Charlie drove near the attractions from afar, and even turned my head at points so I could see them better. He was not perfect while doing this however, and there were times where I got a better look at the interior of the car rather than what was going on outside. But that was just one of the drawbacks of this setup.

The main thing that we stayed for were the fireworks, which started around midnight.

“Happy New Year!” Charlie said to me as the first ones began to burst across the sky. They lasted around ten minutes, after which nearly everyone seemed to want to either go home or, from the looks of things, they were drinking the rest of the night away.

Throughout it all, I had stayed in the car, which was regrettable but understandable. The ground was still slippery in places, and Charlie could not lift and carry me around safely without risking me falling to the ground. And I was sure that while that would hurt both of us, it might even prove life-threatening for him.

We rode back home, and Charlie carried me into the house. The moment I went inside, I was finally mobile again.

“You can let me go, Charlie,” I said, and he gently let me down.

“Let me get our apples,” he said and ran to the car.

We heated them up and enjoyed them before I remembered that I had said something - but I needed to say it again. “Happy New Year’s, Charlie. Do you have a resolution for this new year?”

He shrugged. “I can only think of one thing to aspire to - to turn you back into a real girl. So that one day, maybe even next year, we can go to that festival together, and you can walk with me around the lake.”

“Yes,” I said. “We could walk around it, arms locked with each other.”

“Yeah,” he said. “What about you? Any resolutions?”

“To stand by you always,” I said. “And to impress your family.”

“You don’t have to impress them,” he said for the hundredth time.

“I know, but I still want to. I want to grow into the perfect wife for you, Charlie.”

“You already are.”