The subtle hint of leather lingered in the air as Timothy ran his round brush across her bottom lip in a maroon sweep. A tremble shook through her little body so Timothy eased up his pressure. Teak may be the strongest of all wood but when it is not balanced well, teak will falter just like any other timber.
After one more swipe, she was that much closer to being finished. Stepping back, he wiped his hand across his perspired forehead to admire his work.
She was indeed one of his very finest creations. The deep brown marbles–surrounded by what used to be the remnants of his old fan brushes that he had dyed black–reflected the dancing flames of the wooden candle chandelier. Small and perfect, her little wooden body was donned in a blue lace gown. The teak was firm, shape-able and obtained the desired golden glow which radiated from her cheeks.
It was his first time creating a doll with that kind of wood. Teak wasn’t the easiest timber to come by or afford, least of all for this purpose since carpenters usually got the first bid. Luck is what got him this particular stock.
“Daddy!”
The call of Timothy’s young daughter snapped him out of gazing at his new creation. Her arms clasped around his knees, nearly knocking him flat. He could distinctly feel a small wooden body bounce against his calf, one he was sure he had made specifically for her.
“Can I see her yet?”
Timothy scooped up his little angel into his arms. “You know we’re not keeping this one, right Stella?”
Before Stella could respond to her father, she caught a good look at the doll he had just finished. The doll in her arms nearly fell to the ground reminding Timothy of his reasons for making wooden dolls rather than porcelain. He lithely caught the doll, whom he recognized as one of his older creations, and placed it on his work table. Stella squealed with delight.
“Daddy, she’s so pretty!”
She eagerly reached out for the wooden doll, but Timothy held her back. He knew that if she took his new creation into her arms, he wouldn’t get the commission because, odds were, she’d never let the doll go. That had happened with one too many dolls already and their family needed the money.
“Sorry, sweetie. She’s still drying,” Timothy said putting his daughter down. She ran to his work table, her eyes barely able to see above it. As she hopped to keep the pretty doll in her sights, Stella accidentally trod on her father’s toes. “This one’s not for you.”
“But I just wanna see her,” Stella said all-too-innocently. Timothy chuckled at her before grabbing her hand.
“Let’s go,” he ushered her out of his workshop. “Your mother’s probably waiting for us to have dinner.”
Bouncing on her toes, Stella responded, “Yeah! Mama made ham!”
As soon as their footsteps disappeared into their cottage, a slap of wood echoed through the workshop.
The doll Stella had been holding, the one she affectionately called Penny, lifted herself upright with help from the tools on Timothy’s work table. She turned to look at the newest addition to their collection. A sneer formed on her fading painted lips as she turned to look at the perfect, newly created doll.
* * *
This is the first part of a story I started writing a few months back… Let me know if you want me to continue and I can put more up. 😉