It was a Wednesday. One of the hottest days I had ever dealt with. Waking up with sweat dripping from my hair is always a bad way to start my day. To cheer myself up I always turn to my friend Daisy. So I picked up the phone and dialed her number. We had been friends for 10 years or so. We met in Cosmetology School and hit it off immediately. She moved out to the middle of nowhere about 3 years ago. So, we don't really see other anymore, although, we talk daily.
"Hello!" i hear a little voice say.
"Hey Becky, is your mom there?" I asked politely. Now Becky is Daisy s daughter, her older of her 2 children.
"Hello?" Daisy asks with a bit of confusion in her voice.
"What are you doing, dude?" I ask in my jerkiest tone.
"ALICE!!! I was just thinking about you. Why don't you and the kids come out today. We can stay cool in my air conditioned house and get ice cream. Mmmmm...ice cream."
So, I decided I would take her up on the offer. I packed up my kids, I have 3. Phoebe is my oldest at 5, Bryce is my only son at 20 months and Ellen is my youngest at 8 months. The drive took about an hour, but seemed like 5. We finally arrived at Daisy's. Now I haven't seen Daisy in about 3 years, since she had moved. When they moved Becky was almost 3 years old and James was not even a year old. I am so bad with time that I still claim James is only 13 months old, its our ongoing joke. Phoebe was so excited that she wouldn't stop talking about who we were going to see. She just thought the world of Daisy and Becky.
Once the kids were all out of the car we started to head to the door. Daisy must have been waiting she opened the door before we had even gotten to the drive-way. She apologized for the toys everywhere as we walked in. Messes never seemed to bother me these days, kids are like little tornadoes, every room they enter ends up destroyed. My eyes immediately were directed to pictures hanging on the wall. The first one my eyes came to was one of Daisy and her husband Nick on their wedding day, next my eyes moved to one of Becky and James.
"Daisy, they are so big now!"
"I know, they are 6 and 3 now. Time goes quickly." She responded.
Daisy then looked down at Phoebe and Bryce, "Becky and James are in Beckys room playing, why don't you go join them?"
Both my kids run off to play. I take Ellen out of her carrier and hand her to Daisy.We sit down and start talking, almost immediately Phoebe comes into the living room asking Daisy where Becky is.
"She is in her room with her brother playing." Daisy tells Phoebe.
"I was in her room and couldn't find her." Phoebe responds.
"I will go help Phoebe find her, Daisy." I get from my seat and walk towards the hallway where the kids rooms are. I see Bryce playing with a boy doll, made out of what looks to me like a table cloth. I see a girl doll, bigger in size, made out of a dress and socks. I continued into Becky's room and couldn't either of Daisy's kids. I then went to check in James' room. Nothing there either.
"Daisy, I don't know where your kids are." I yell towards the living room in a panic.
"They should be there, they know better then to leave the house. They are probably hiding." Daisy replies.
I can hear Daisy get up and walk towards the hallway where I am still waiting in a panic. As Daisy turns the corner, she says, "Oh, silly, there they are!" while pointing to the two dolls I had seen earlier. I look back at her with confusion, thinking that she forgot to put her contacts in.
"Daisy, those are dolls!" I say frantically.
"No Alice, those are my kids. Has it really been that long since you have seen them last?" She asked.
My head started spinning. I saw the picture of them, REAL kids on the wall. I heard Becky's voice on the phone. Then I hear Becky's voice again, "Mom, why is Phoebe ignoring me?" I turn and start looking around. It's then I realized that Daisy was talking in a kids voice! It all hit me, something happened to her family, and she has lost her mind. I had to find a way out before she tried to do anything to my kids.
"Daisy, I am so sorry, I totally forgot, Bryce and Ellen have a doctors appointment today. I have got to get going." I lie.
"Oh, man, that sucks! I was really excited about getting all the kids together and getting to spend some time with you."
A part of me felt bad for her, yet I still was in fear for my children. I grabbed Ellen and put her in her carrier faster then I had ever done it before. I called for Phoebe and Bryce and we were out the door in seconds. As I walked quickly to my car, I noticed that there was another doll outside in the driveway near Daisy's car. It was made out of jean. It was significantly bigger then the others in the house. As I was getting the kids packed in the car, I could hear Daisy, "Nick, you're home early!"
The whole way home I was trying to figure out what happened to her real family. Why was she stuck living in this house with these dolls she thought were her kids. I know for a fact she once had children, I had met them, held them. I knew she had a living husband, I was there when they met! What has happened? I was so confused, how could I think I know this person so well, yet know nothing about her?
I decided to call mom, Lizzie.
"Lizzie, it's Alice. I was just over at Daisy's house. Are you aware of what is going on there?" I asked.
"Yes Alice, I am. Do you know why she has become this way?"
"No Lizzie, I don't." I said, now feeling guilty for running out on Daisy so quickly.
"Nick left Daisy. He took the kids because she was starting to act crazy, like talking to her clothes and shoes. That day we think she made those kids and the doll of Nick. She is in therapy and taking medication. We are in the process of trying to find a way to get her out of that house."
As Lizzie was speaking, my heart was sinking deeper and deeper. This all made so much sense thinking back to our conversations.That day, my world changed.
"Hello!" i hear a little voice say.
"Hey Becky, is your mom there?" I asked politely. Now Becky is Daisy s daughter, her older of her 2 children.
"Hello?" Daisy asks with a bit of confusion in her voice.
"What are you doing, dude?" I ask in my jerkiest tone.
"ALICE!!! I was just thinking about you. Why don't you and the kids come out today. We can stay cool in my air conditioned house and get ice cream. Mmmmm...ice cream."
So, I decided I would take her up on the offer. I packed up my kids, I have 3. Phoebe is my oldest at 5, Bryce is my only son at 20 months and Ellen is my youngest at 8 months. The drive took about an hour, but seemed like 5. We finally arrived at Daisy's. Now I haven't seen Daisy in about 3 years, since she had moved. When they moved Becky was almost 3 years old and James was not even a year old. I am so bad with time that I still claim James is only 13 months old, its our ongoing joke. Phoebe was so excited that she wouldn't stop talking about who we were going to see. She just thought the world of Daisy and Becky.
Once the kids were all out of the car we started to head to the door. Daisy must have been waiting she opened the door before we had even gotten to the drive-way. She apologized for the toys everywhere as we walked in. Messes never seemed to bother me these days, kids are like little tornadoes, every room they enter ends up destroyed. My eyes immediately were directed to pictures hanging on the wall. The first one my eyes came to was one of Daisy and her husband Nick on their wedding day, next my eyes moved to one of Becky and James.
"Daisy, they are so big now!"
"I know, they are 6 and 3 now. Time goes quickly." She responded.
Daisy then looked down at Phoebe and Bryce, "Becky and James are in Beckys room playing, why don't you go join them?"
Both my kids run off to play. I take Ellen out of her carrier and hand her to Daisy.We sit down and start talking, almost immediately Phoebe comes into the living room asking Daisy where Becky is.
"She is in her room with her brother playing." Daisy tells Phoebe.
"I was in her room and couldn't find her." Phoebe responds.
"I will go help Phoebe find her, Daisy." I get from my seat and walk towards the hallway where the kids rooms are. I see Bryce playing with a boy doll, made out of what looks to me like a table cloth. I see a girl doll, bigger in size, made out of a dress and socks. I continued into Becky's room and couldn't either of Daisy's kids. I then went to check in James' room. Nothing there either.
"Daisy, I don't know where your kids are." I yell towards the living room in a panic.
"They should be there, they know better then to leave the house. They are probably hiding." Daisy replies.
I can hear Daisy get up and walk towards the hallway where I am still waiting in a panic. As Daisy turns the corner, she says, "Oh, silly, there they are!" while pointing to the two dolls I had seen earlier. I look back at her with confusion, thinking that she forgot to put her contacts in.
"Daisy, those are dolls!" I say frantically.
"No Alice, those are my kids. Has it really been that long since you have seen them last?" She asked.
My head started spinning. I saw the picture of them, REAL kids on the wall. I heard Becky's voice on the phone. Then I hear Becky's voice again, "Mom, why is Phoebe ignoring me?" I turn and start looking around. It's then I realized that Daisy was talking in a kids voice! It all hit me, something happened to her family, and she has lost her mind. I had to find a way out before she tried to do anything to my kids.
"Daisy, I am so sorry, I totally forgot, Bryce and Ellen have a doctors appointment today. I have got to get going." I lie.
"Oh, man, that sucks! I was really excited about getting all the kids together and getting to spend some time with you."
A part of me felt bad for her, yet I still was in fear for my children. I grabbed Ellen and put her in her carrier faster then I had ever done it before. I called for Phoebe and Bryce and we were out the door in seconds. As I walked quickly to my car, I noticed that there was another doll outside in the driveway near Daisy's car. It was made out of jean. It was significantly bigger then the others in the house. As I was getting the kids packed in the car, I could hear Daisy, "Nick, you're home early!"
The whole way home I was trying to figure out what happened to her real family. Why was she stuck living in this house with these dolls she thought were her kids. I know for a fact she once had children, I had met them, held them. I knew she had a living husband, I was there when they met! What has happened? I was so confused, how could I think I know this person so well, yet know nothing about her?
I decided to call mom, Lizzie.
"Lizzie, it's Alice. I was just over at Daisy's house. Are you aware of what is going on there?" I asked.
"Yes Alice, I am. Do you know why she has become this way?"
"No Lizzie, I don't." I said, now feeling guilty for running out on Daisy so quickly.
"Nick left Daisy. He took the kids because she was starting to act crazy, like talking to her clothes and shoes. That day we think she made those kids and the doll of Nick. She is in therapy and taking medication. We are in the process of trying to find a way to get her out of that house."
As Lizzie was speaking, my heart was sinking deeper and deeper. This all made so much sense thinking back to our conversations.That day, my world changed.