There once was a woman, a strange woman to the rest of society, but still a woman nonetheless. Fortunately enough, this woman had no interaction with society, for she lived in the depths of a forest -- a forest with a name and location that is unknown. She lived in a small, wooden but rotting cabin, all by her lonesome. Some wonder, "Has she no family to check on her?" No.
This woman goes by the name of Helen. Helen's family might as well be considered strangers because her Husband left her and took their three children with him many years ago. Helen was left with no family, no love, no children, and no husband -- understandably she was also left bit unstable.
She would sit and wail all day. Finally, the home in the city she was living in burned down because of her mental instability. This is when she moved into the forest -- all she had left were her daughters' dolls.
Helen had no social interaction -- none. Except of course, she made friends with the dolls. Helen would pretend that the dolls were real, perhaps as a substitute for her three daughters. She would go as far as having tea parties for them, making them breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and even tucking them in at night in beds made of leaves.
Surely, some would think, Helen must be somewhat content with her life. No. Helen was still very much emotionally scarred. How do I know you ask?
One day, Helen took the dolls for a picnic in the forest. She set out a nice checkered blanket, brought a basket filled with delicate finger sandwiches, fresh salad, and lemonade made with real lemons. She sat the dolls down, but the wouldn't sit up. This confused Helen. "Girls, sit up please," she said. But, they're dolls, they have no spine. They cannot sit up voluntarily. She repeated herself, "Girls, PLEASE, sit up!" she said frantically. They remained still. Helen lost it. She let out a vicious scream and started kicking and throwing everything. The salad was now a part of the earth and the lemonade was on the ground. She took the dolls and threw them against tree trunks and took them apart.
She took them apart limb by limb, one at a time. Some could even go as far as to say she enjoyed this, taking the dolls apart. She would pop off the head, then the right arm, then the right leg, right arm, and the left leg until she was left with a body. Then she would move on the next doll.
After Helen calmed down, she would realize what she had done and rush to pop their body parts back on and apologize to them.
One normal day, a normal day for Helen at least, there was a knock on the door. "Knock, knock knock." Helen froze. Seconds passed and there was a, "Knock, knock, knock," a little harder this time. Helen remained motionless. Helen had not seen, heard, or thought about a human being in years. "Helen!?" a voice yelled. Helen pinched herself, but no, it was no dream. She stood, trembling. She inched her way towards the door. When she got to the door, again, she stood. She stared at the door, knowing this was the only thing separating her from this stranger. She brought her unsteady hand to the door knob and turned it.
There stood a woman. She looked between the ages of 25 - 30. Both women stood. Helen's skin was pale, and her eyes were wide. Her lips were open as if she wanted to speak, but no sound came out. A few moments passed and the woman spoke. "Helen, I don't know if you remember me. I am your daughter, Christina." A hopeful smile emerged on Christina's face as she must've anticipated a positive reaction from Helen.
She received the opposite. Helen's eyes got even wider, her face turned bright red, and she screamed. "YOU'RE NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU'RE NOT MY DAUGHTER!!!!" She screamed over and over again. She slammed the door shut and ran to get her dolls. She returned a moment later, creepily calm and explained to Christina, "THESE, are my daughters."
Christina stood, confused and disappointed with tears in her eyes. She stared at her mother. This wasn't the woman she knew 15 years ago. She felt sorry for her mother and knew she had to take care of it.
Christina told Helen that she was taking her back into the city. Helen went into a rage. Helen screamed at Christina for wanting to take her away from her "daughters". Christina stopped. She understood what was happening. This poor lady is reliving exactly what she experienced 15 years before -- having to be separated from the people (or things) you love without any say so. Christina felt for her and told her she could take the dolls.
Helen's mood changed immediately. She was cooperative and even happy. She left everything but took her dolls with her. Christina and her mother drove into the city. Helen looked like a child who had never seen a building or a person before. Her face was glued to the window. Christina pulled up to an assisted living home for the mentally unstable. Helen didn't know where she was but all was well because she had her dolls.
Christina had her mother admitted as a patient and Helen was okay with this because again, her dolls were in her arms.
Since then, Helen started to make the transition into a normal person with social interaction. After being isolated for 15 years, the doctors explained that her progress was almost unheard of. Christina came to visit often, however, the other two daughters and Helen's ex-husband were no where to be found.
