Dolls

[Doctor Amos]

"What" Hoffman began "Can you tell me about dolls?"

The guard captain, a Mr. Neely, thought about this statement a moment, then replied dryly "In this town, they're never cute."

Hoffman did his best to look steely and irritated. However, staring down a man who had looked into the eyes of undead and neverliving monsters was a bit beyond his ability. "Care to elaborate?" Hoffman enunciated the last word deliberately.

"Yeah, sure. The dolls in this city, they got the same notion ta get up and kill sumpthin same as the dead. I've lost four men in three months giant stuffed bears. Two more to little blighters with knives. I petitioned the G.G. to ban all such dolls from the city, but Lucious has turned me down flat twice. 'Can't mess with kids, bad for morale.' So's losing good men each month!"

"So, it is a Ressurrectionist action?" Hoffman asked calmly, attempting to cut through the captain's rant.

"Nah, ressers use dead bodies. S'why they're ressers. Those things what was never alive, they're the tools a the neverborn. Makes sense, ya know."

"Why do the neverborne not simply use corpses? They have access to the same texts as our Ressurectionists. Corpses are in no short supply, especially when those monsters stalk about."

"I have a theory, but I can't back it none."

"I am not interested in a formal report; your oppinions are welcome."

"Well, these neverborn, they seem to hate the dead. Hate the living, too, but the dead seem to really rile 'em up. I'v worked with the Marshals, and been to some places where the 'borne beat us to our quarry. Makes what they do to the Guild look tame. I think, and this is really spitballing, that whatever the magic is that makes the dead walk, the 'borne can't have. Or don't want. Or both. So, they use dolls instead."

"Hm." Hoffman replied curtly. "And what of Voodoo?"

"The vuldun? Got nothin' ta do with nothin'. Now, the Hoodoo, the real messy stuff messing with the loas, that's sumpthin' else. Them hoodoo dolls are meant to be a link to a person's spirit. To give them vision what drive them mad. Why do you ask?"

"This was on my desk this morning." Hoffman produced a small figurine, no larger than a foot tall. It was a cloth doll, with metal bits and barbs covering it that were not unlike his mechanical arms and leg brace. It also had a metal faceplate, over which was drawn a leather face.

"I'll have a look at it. Give it to Criid, maybe, or have it shipped to Latigo."

Hoffman nodded in assertion, and gave the doll to the captain. He then turned and limped away, standing for so long had locked up his leg.

__________________________________

The next day, Hoffman entered the guard dispatch office deliberately and walked, or hobbled, over the the front desk. He had suffered from wretched nightmares all evening and awoke numerous times in a cold sweat. Most of the dreams involved the odd, metal-bound doll in some way. He had resolved to retrieve the object and hold onto it, perhaps delivering it to Criid or Latiago himself if ever the mood struck him.

"I need to speak with Captain Neely. He has something of mine."

"I'm very sorry sir," the secretary stated cautiously "But the captain was grievously injured in a fight with seditionists. He died in the hospital over two weeks ago."

"I'm sorry." Hoffman replied. He was. "...send some flowers to the widow." He placed a small handful of guildscript on the desk, turned, and departed sullenly.

Edited December 8, 2010 by Doctor Amos
clarity

[Chucklemonkey]

Another very nice and concise story.

I got a bit confused right at the end, in relation to the timescale between the main story and the ending, but other than that pretty spot on.

[karn987]

Unless the captain was a Doll all along O.o

[Chucklemonkey]

Indeed it actually says the next day so any confusion was a result of my inability to read properly.

I now have no criticism of the story.

[vegel]

Unless the captain was a Doll all along O.o

That's what I think/felt, but from the minis I've seen here the dolls are more makeshift style rather than modelling it into life like, and for spirit it doesn't have physical form? so was it all a dream (but then that didn't sits well with the nightmare reference)

perhaps it's just me and my bad reading skill... I like the character references and the mood to it.

[Dumb Luck]

More Hoffman fiction! Excellent!