Four rose pink painted walls joined together to create a room in the back of the house on Mabel Street. A stick figure family portrait hung on the third wall next to a white closet door. There was a man, a girl and a woman all smiling brightly and holding hands.
A large rose painting hung on the second wall, each petal stained a different shade of red. Below the canvas, sat a twin sized bed with a little girl laying across it. In her hands was a journal she had found in her father’s hidden room. Her eyes focused on the pages while her right hand, holding her favorite pen, swept across the piece of paper, her left lightly tapping against the page opposite her pen.
Dear Diary,
Daddy works a lot more now, ever since Mommy died. It’s okay since he has a really important job. When families are sad, he helps them by making the dead person pretty again so they can go to heaven. There was this one time when a lady came in who had really pretty dark hair, it reminded me of Mommy. I told Daddy I really liked her hair and he smiled at me and they went into his office to talk about business.
The little girl turned off the faucet and dried her hands on the towel hung on the wall. Wiping the last bit of water onto the skirt of her dress, she skipped over to her room in the back of the house on Mabel Street. Flopping onto her bed, she pulls out her journal and her favorite pen and began to write.
Dear Diary,
Today Daddy took me out to a little cafe for lunch. It was a really pretty cafe and he even let me get a pastry! I was very excited and I hope we go there again. We met a really nice woman there who had pretty green eyes. Daddy seemed to notice me looking at her and asked me if I liked something about her. When I told him I thought she had pretty eyes, he smiled and went to go talk to her. I hope we can go there again.
A tall figure of a man walks through the front door of the house on Mabel Street. He holds the door for his daughter who skips into the house, her hair bouncing as she drags along a woman behind her, a smile illuminating her face. “Oh, you have such pretty hands!” The little girl exclaims, leading the woman to the room in the back of the house on Mabel Street.
“What a beautiful room you have here!” The woman smiles down at the little girl and walks towards her window. “Yes, I think white curtains will do wonderfully.” She looks at the little girl again, then shifts her gaze to the man waiting at the doorway. Noticing her gaze, he asks, “Would you like to stay for a little while? I can make some coffee.”
Dear Diary,
I met a pretty woman at the store today who had beautiful hands with long fingers. I asked her to come over and she helped me pick out a color for the curtains in my bedroom. She stayed and played with me before leaving with Daddy just a little while ago. I’ve got to help Daddy with work later and I think I’ll see her again there.
“Do you see something you like darling?” The man asks his daughter with a smile on his face. “She’s really got a beautiful nose doesn’t she Daddy.” The girl says admiring the figure in front of her lying down. The man puts his arm gently around the girl, looking at the figure, “Yes, I think she really does.”
Dear Diary,
Today I helped Daddy at work. It was really fun, he let me meet a bunch of new people and see a pretty lady that he dressed up for work. He said that I am old enough now to come with him to work more often. I can’t wait to come back again.
“Can you hand me that bottle over there darling?” The man asks his daughter, pointing to his supplies located right behind him. “Sure, Daddy.” She responds, twirling around and retrieving the necessary bottle. “She sure does have a nice leg doesn’t she Daddy.” The little girl remarks, handing her father another tool. “You think so?” He says with a smile on his face.
Dear Diary,
I went to work with Daddy again today. I got to do more than just meet people today, I got to help him make a lady pretty so she can go to heaven. I really like going to work with Daddy, I can’t wait to go again tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll get to see another pretty lady.
The little girl trailed behind her father, through the house on Mabel Street. They entered a dimly lit hallway through a door behind her father’s large dresser, padding along the concrete floors. A door presented itself at the end of the hallway which, once opened, revealed at the center, a mannequin. An emerald green eye was neatly placed at the top of the face on the mannequin, a button nose in the center, and dark hair flowed past the chin, towards the elbows. The mannequin wore only one hand, which held slim long fingers, and only one supporting leg had flesh. Other parts of the frame were covered with only a few pieces missing.
The little girl gazed at the eerie figure with a dazed smile upon her face and looked up at her father proudly. “She’s almost ready.” She says, looking back at him. “Yes, yes she is my darling.” He replies with a smile on his face.
Dear Diary,
Daddy and I worked hard today, and when we finished we went to his hidden room so I could see how our project is going so far. I am very happy it is almost done. Soon she’ll be finished and our work will be over. We’re almost done making my new Mommy.
