Dear friends,
‘The Baby-doll’ is a story
from my e-book titled ‘You Compromise, I Won’t!’
I recently received the ‘Writers’ Award Certificate’ from www.penfactor.com
for this story. This story can be perused at this website, for free. Just look
up page number 2, under the category – Paranormal Fiction/Magic Realism.
https://www.penfactor.com/competitions/pub/1465972312939
THE BABY-DOLL
This story is about a family
whose children fail to bear progeny. It's like a jinx. Things change overnight
when the patriarch of the family purchases a singing Baby-doll. It proves lucky
and breaks the jinx. As each of his children become parents, the fame of the
doll spreads and the childless vie for its temporary possession. One such lucky
benefactor however, has to bear her husband's wrath after he discovers that she
has been infidel. So was the Baby-doll really lucky or were its recipients
engaged in extra-marital affairs? Was it a coincidence that the childless bore
children after getting the doll, were they really blessed by the doll, or was
there more to it than what meets the eye? The readers can come to their own
conclusions.
PARANORMAL
FICTION / MAGIC REALISM
PRIYA
SWAMINATHAN (INDIA)
EXCERPT
One
day when Mr. Gonzalves was passing by a huge toy-store, a pretty, plump doll in
the display window caught his fancy. Well, what the heck? he thought.
If I can’t have a grand-child,
I’ll make do with this doll! He
impulsively rushed into the shop and purchased it. When he emerged, he was beaming with his
precious possession. The doll in its
beautifully wrapped box!
The owner of the store had asked him whether
he was buying it for his grand-daughter and whether he’d have liked it gift-wrapped. Mr. Gonzalves had just said simply “Gift-wrap
it please!”
When Mrs. Gonzalves opened the package and saw
the doll, her eyes brimmed with tears.
She clasped it against her bosom.
Then she wiped her tears and smiled the most beautiful smile that her
husband had ever seen. She looked so
beautiful. Their son and daughter-in-law
had gone for a movie. Mr. and Mrs.
Gonzalves played the songs recorded in the doll, over and over again and
childishly sang along and danced to its tunes.
They also had an impromptu birthday party for their ‘Baby-doll’. They couldn’t recollect when they had been so
happy in their lifetime.
Ronnie and Margaret too loved the doll at
first sight. Somehow that ‘Baby-doll’ as
Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalves had christened it, cheered all of them up. The ‘Baby-doll’ kept singing all her songs
again and again, day in and day out. But none of them tired of the
routine. And then a miracle happened.
Exactly after three months, Margaret
conceived. That good news was celebrated
privately by all of them. They were
superstitious, hence didn’t want to reveal the good news to their
neighbors. They decided that they’d keep
the news a secret for as long as they could.
All of them felt that ‘Baby-doll’ had brought them luck and hence the
stork had visited them.
By
the time Margaret delivered, there was a waiting list for Baby-doll. Of course,
the highest on that list were Margaret’s three sisters-in-law. Accordingly,
Baby-doll was passed on to the eldest one in Mangalore, then to the next one in
Raipur and then to the youngest one in Mumbai. After all the three of them had
given birth to bonny babies, the Gonzalves family decided to dedicate Baby-doll
to the service of the community and spread hope and good cheer among the
childless couples.
END OF EXCERPT
****************
Intrigued? Immediately purchase this e-book
for just $0.99 and start reading…. A Kindle Countdown Deal is on at www.amazon.com. Remember that I am eagerly looking forward to your feedback.
Thanks.
Priya
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