Glynnis (Empire of Oz series, #1)

Glynnis by Ellie Bernard - Chapter Nine

The very next day as Glynnis and Jon-Jon ate their Hobo Breakfast - slices of grilled bread, centers removed, filled with fried egg, seasoned with pepper, for Glynnis; while Jon-Jon ate the centers, from the grilled bread, spread with jam - Allis announced she was going to donate all of her currently unfinished dolls to a Russian orphanage.

"I should be able to complete all five hundred of them, by the middle of next month," she happily declared, "and really, it was all Jon-Jon's doing! After you two left last night, I finally got around to reading that edition if Doll Activists Gathered. Wouldn't you know, a drop-off place is scheduled right outside of Jericho, getting there might be a trick...hmm...I'll just check the bus routes..."

Allis fairly ran towards her bedroom, Jon-Jon pushed away from the table, hopped off his chair to follow, curiosity getting the better of her, Glynnis did likewise.

"He's after my computer," Allis laughed, pulling a rolling work-station from her closet with Jon-Jon holding a wad of cables and plugs.

"Kum-pew-der?" Glynnis replied.

"Well, it's so old...hardly worth calling it that," Allis insisted, "but it still works, once it's hooked up to the internet."

"Inner-net?" Glynnis replied.

In what seemed like mere minutes, Allis was deftly pecking away at the lettered buttons, scrolling with a hand-held device, she affectionately called 'them-ouse'.

"Phooey," Allis sighed, after several tries of tapping, clicking, muttering to herself, "the connection is bad...could be worse, I guess, what with two major buildings struck right in the heart of downtown...oh well...I'll check back later...yes, you may play for a bit," she said, in response to Jon-Jon tugging on her sleeve.

Glynnis watched in rapt fascination, Jon-Jon tapping, clicking just like Allis, while before their eyes, colors wiggled alongside shapes, Jon-Jon deftly arranging them.

"I only let him play once in awhile," Allis explained, seemingly unaware, Glynnis was, once again, utterly bewildered by the contraptions of modern life.

"We'll stitch out here," Allis continued, "instead of in the sewing room, there is only handwork to be done, and we'll need the extra space as the dolls get built."

Hands and arms, legs and feet, necks and heads were all joined together with a doubled strand of sturdy thread ("they must be able to withstand years of play!"), all sturdy stitching was covered with bands of ribbon ("we don't want our work to show!"), each band of ribbon was gloriously festooned with a glossy button and a velvet bow ("color, pattern, texture, shine!"), and within six hours, and within six hours, they'd finished fifty dolls.

Looking away from his matching game, Jon-Jon clapped his hands when he saw the pile of dolls upon the couch. He slid off his chair, ran to the couch, wrapped his wee arms around the pile, and promptly squeezed all the dolls.

"He's blessing them," Allis smiled. "I used to always have a few dolls which simply wouldn't sell, but ever since Jon-Jon was born - and his nannies found a way into my apartment - I've sold every one!"

"How much do you charge for each doll?" Glynnis asked, remembering quite a lot about not having enough money, from Dorothy's Auntie Em and Uncle Henry.

"Three hundred for one, five hundred for two," Allis confidently replied. "They're getting a bargain," she insisted, "what with my talent and a blessing from Jon-Jon!"

Being from Oz, Glynnis had no concept of actual dollars - what she did know, she learned from Augustine, which was, there was never enough - or what it meant to live on "a trust", but she could still appreciate the numbers involved, and by doing a little math in her head, she suddenly understood how much Allis was donating.