Otto stared at the clock, watching the hands spin themselves along its radius. Their movements were slow and disjointed, unlike the smooth, cool glass trapping them beneath.
"Otto? What are you doing!?" his mother asked in the Frightened Voice. She usually saved it for when she found Otto talking to himself with his dolls.
Mama thought it was very unnatural for a boy like Otto to keep such dolls at all. Otto just thought little Maria, next door, must also be unnatural too.
She was always playing with her dolls. Otto knew so, because he played with her.
"I asked, what are you doing, Otto?!" Mama watched, as Otto climbed back down from the table by the clock. Otto did not know what he was doing. He only knew that Mama was staring at him. But not in the way that Otto stared at the clock. Otto didn't feel like answering Mama. Maybe if she spoke warmly, like Maria's mama did, he would.
"Go to your room! And don't come out until your papa comes home!" Mama shooed him away like an annoying midge. Otto liked that idea. Papa was much nicer to talk to, than Mama. But not as nice as Otto's dolls, of course! They knew everything there was to know about Otto; even the reason why Otto's little sister was never born.
But they were really good at keeping secrets, so they never told Otto the details.
Otto's best theory was that an evil witch put a curse on Mama's tummy. Whenever Mama got nervous, or angry, she would put one hand on her tummy. Otto knew that this must be because the evil witch was giving her a tummy-ache.
ČTEŠ
Hands on the Clock
PovídkyOtto is a young German child who likes dolls. But dolls are for girls. And Otto is a boy who's best friends are Karl, Ann and Yvonne. Karl is a doll. Ann is a doll. Yvonne is a doll. And only Maria is not.
