The Enchanted Doll by Paul Gallico. Part 3.
Watch on KineScope.
She took me to a smaller room at the back and started to open the door.
‘Mary, it’s the doctor!’ she shouted.
Then she pushed the door open wider to let me in.
‘Don’t be surprised when you see her, doctor,’ she said loudly. ‘Her left leg is twisted!’
The girl, Mary, was sitting in a chair by the window. She heard the woman’s words. A look of unhappiness crossed her pale face, and there was pain in her large dark eyes.
I was angry at the red-haired woman. The words were unnecessary. She wanted to hurt the girl.
Mary was not more than twenty-five years old. But I could see immediately that she was very ill. I looked again into those dark eyes.
‘Something inside her is dying,’ I thought.
Her face was sweet, but sad, her body was poor and thin and her hair was dry and unhealthy. But something filled me with happiness.
Around her were three small tables – and on them were all the necessary things to make the dolls! Brightly-coloured paints, and pieces of cloth of many different colours and shapes.
I soon understood that her twisted leg was not the reason for her illness. I noticed the way that she sat. If I was right, I could make that leg straight. I was almost sure that I was right.
‘Can you walk, Mary?’ I asked after a minute.
She looked at me, then looked away. ‘Yes,’ she answered, quietly.
Please walk to me,’ I said, gently
‘Oh, don’t,’ she said. ‘Don’t ask me that.’
I didn’t want her to suffer. But I had to be sure that I was right.
‘I’m sorry, Mary,’ I said. ‘Please try and walk. It’s important.’
She got up from her chair very carefully and moved slowly towards me. I looked closely at her left leg. Yes, I was right!
“That’s good,’ I said. I smiled at her. I wanted to show her that I was pleased.
I held out my hands to help her. She looked up. Again, I saw the pain and hopelessness in her face. She seemed to be crying out silently to me for help. She lifted her hands towards mine – and then they fell back to her sides.
‘How long have you been like this, Mary?’ I asked.
Rose Callamit answered for the girl. ‘Oh, Mary’s had that twisted leg for nearly ten years now,’ she said. ‘But I asked you to come for a different reason. She’s ill. I want to know what’s wrong with her.’
‘Oh, yes, she’s ill,’ I thought. ‘Perhaps she’s dying. I knew that immediately.’
I wanted Rose Callamit to leave the room, but she didn’t. She laughed and said, ‘I’m staying here, Doctor Amony. You look at Mary. Then you can tell me what the problem is.’
When I finished my examination of Mary, I went with Rose into the front room.
‘It’s possible to make her leg straight,’ I said. ‘Did you know that? With help, she could walk in-‘
‘Stop!’ she shouted loudly. I jumped. ‘That’s enough! You must never say anything about that to her. The best doctors cannot help her. No stupid young man is going to give her hope. If you ever do, you won’t come here again. I want to know what’s wrong with her. She can’t eat or sleep and she isn’t really working. Now, tell me. What did you learn from your examination of her?’
‘I don’t know what’s wrong with her yet,’ I replied. ‘But something is slowly destroying her, I know that. I shall want to see her again, soon. I’m going to give her some medicine – it will make her feel stronger. Then I’ll call again in a few days.’
‘Don’t say anything about making her leg straight,’ she said. ‘Do you understand? If you do, I’ll get another doctor.’
‘All right,’ I said. I wanted to be able to visit Mary again, and I thought to myself, ‘Perhaps, when Mary’s feeling better, I can talk to her about her leg.’
I was ready to leave. I picked up my bag.
‘These dolls,’ I said.
‘Yes?’ she said.
‘I thought that you made them,’ I said.
‘I do,’ she said, in her unpleasant way. ‘I draw them. Mary makes them. It stops her thinking about her leg. I don’t want her to think about the fact that she’ll never marry. She’ll never have children.’
I walked out into the bright October sunshine. I knew that Rose Callamit was lying. I now knew the sweet person who made those special dolls.
I was happy about this, but I was also worried about Mary. I had to discover what was wrong with her. I had to know before she died.