The streets of Barcelona were plastered with sludge and the rooftops were being bleached by the purity of the white snow as it falls gently, caressing the slates that have been fractured by the intense heat of the Spanish summer which, had long since passed. There were very few people scattered around the city, as the bitterness of the wind was far too cold for someone acclimatised to the normal heat of Barcelona. With the quaint sound of footsteps pattering down the street ‘Alma’ found herself at the foot of an enormous wall.
Engraved on the wall was an array of many names, carved with a stone or chalk these names were those of other children like Alma. Alma’s first thought was to pick up the nearest stone so she could do as others had before her. Rummaging around, through the thick snow she finally found a suitably sized stone. She reached as high as possible and slowly scribed her name as neat as she could. After admiring what she had added to the wall she began to continue walking, just at that moment something caught her eye. It was a doll in the shop window of what appeared to be an old toy shop which had once thrived but was now deprived of a decent upkeep.
On taking a closer look Alma noticed the doll had a coat just like hers. Looking down at her coat and back up again she noticed something else. Its facial features were almost identical to those of Alma’s. Intrigued, she shuffled towards the door attempting to push it open but it was locked, out of sheer distress due to the fact that the door wouldn’t open Alma kicked it and carried on walking. The door eerily creaked open. Alma smiled, turned around and entered the shop. Upon entrance the first thing Alma noticed was the array of Dolls all lined up along the shelves. Why would they be in a shop that isn’t used anymore?
Alma then noticed the doll which interested her had moved. It was now perched on a table in the centre of the room. Tottering carefully towards it Alma tripped on a doll of a young boy on a tricycle, upon contact with it the wheels began spinning. Alma stood it up and immediately it headed towards the door, like it had a mind of its own. The doll sped out the door and into the empty street, almost as if it was making an escape. Alma looked back to where the doll was expecting to see it there waiting for here but no, it was gone.
She scanned the outer shelves of the walls seeing every type of doll as she looked. There it was, on the highest shelf as if it was there the whole time. Alma made her way towards the doll and conveniently placed was a sofa at the foot of the wall, directly underneath where the doll was. Reaching up Alma was so close to touching it, with one big stretch she managed to reach it and at that exact moment… Alma disappeared but if you think she is gone forever, you’re wrong.
Alma had become the doll it had sucked her in and with the only movement she could achieve being looking around, Alma was trapped forever. The grinding of what sounded like a rusty piece of metal screeched and with that another doll appeared in the window, for the shop of tienda’s next victim.
