Ashley Harding had her 6th birthday today.
She had her friends from school, her mom made a cake, and they all played the standard party games, but when it came time to finally unwrap her presents, there was one among them she couldn't have expected. Oh sure, she was given the usual type of gifts one would expect at a 6 year old girls party; easy to read chapter books, dolls, those sorts of things. Even some cute clothing from her aunt. But when her parents gave her what they called 'the big one', she couldn't in a million years have expected what was inside, and only when she'd finally opened the box and only once had the squealing subsided, did she pull out the Beatrice doll. It was soft, it was floppy, and it looked exactly like the Beatrice she'd seen on TV every morning for the past year. Ashley Harding squeezed it to her chest for the rest of the day, swearing to never let it come to harm. The same couldn't be said, unfortunately, for the real Beatrice. *** "Go home, you're sick," Liam said, standing in the bathroom at the office as Beatrice threw up in a stall. "I'm not sick, I have food poisoning, also this is the ladies room," she said from inside the stall. "We have to go look at the prototypes today, are you sure this isn't just an excuse to get out of your responsibility?" he asked. "Right, because I'm an enormous shirker," Beatrice responded, making him chuckle as she added, "I deliberately went out and got food poisoning in order to avoid seeing these dolls they're making." After a moment or two, she finally flushed the toilet and exited the stall. Beatrice stood there, looking at Liam. His hair was greying, thinning a bit. He was wearing a turtleneck, slacks and he was letting his facial hair come in again. He looked nice. Beatrice smiled at him, as she walked to the counter, turned on the faucets and began washing her hands. "I'm...not pleased about it either, for what it's worth," he finally said, "but...they aren't wrong. We need to make money outside of general content delivery, and advertising, as Stephanie said to me, 'is like a wedding ring for the product'." Beatrice turned the faucet off and stared at Liam for a moment, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What the FUCK does that mean?" she asked. "I can honestly say I have no idea, but she said it with such deep conviction that I can't argue with her," Liam replied, "either way, you won't be alone, alright? I'll be there, Michelle and Eliza are gonna come by and see it afterwards, then we'll all have a little roundtable discussion with Leslie and Steph and see how it shakes out, okay? But the worst thing you can do is simply not engage. This isn't like last time, Bea," Liam said, approaching her and putting his hand on her shoulder, "I promise, this isn't like before. I'm doing this for you. Not for me." Beatrice smiled, still wary, but knew Liam really was on her side. She sighed and nodded. "Alright, let's go...watch products get married, I guess?" she asked, making him laugh. *** Eliza was chewing her nails nervously. Lately she'd been having the same recurring dream, one that bothered her, but perhaps not for the reasons one would expect it to. Standing in the hallway of the toy firm, waiting for the others, she couldn't help but remember it. How it woke her up each time, her chest tight with terror, but also...joy? It was difficult to explain, not that she was interested in even attempting to explain it. "Heya," Michelle said, coming down the hall and breaking Eliza's concentration. Eliza turned and, without hesitation, flung her arms around Michelle, who laughed and happily hugged her back, adding, "it's good to see you too! You're here early." "I had nothing else to do," Eliza said, shrugging, brushing her bangs from her eyes, "what's that?" she asked, pointing at a device attached to Michelle's arm. "Oh, uh, it's my mobile BiPAP," she said, smiling as she glanced at the machine strapped to her arm. "What the heck is that?" "It's a type of ventilator, you know, to help me breath," Michelle said, "Just in case I need it. My doctor said I should keep it on my person just on the offchance I suddenly need to use it. I've been straining to breath properly lately for some reason, so, it's just a precationary thing." "That sounds scary," Eliza said, making Michelle shrug. "I don't know, when you live with something long enough you almost forget it's even a thing anymore," she said, "It becomes second nature. I'm not saying that that makes it okay or normal or whatever, I'm just saying that I'm used to it, I guess. It's not weird to me anymore, like it was when I was a kid." The two women turned and started heading down the hall, to the toy development lab. "I think I know what you mean," Eliza said, "after I had my accident when I was a kid, on the playground, I always felt different, but now as an adult, I guess different is my normal. I guess I understand what you're saying in that sense then. ...do you know when they're supposed to get here? I don't think we're supposed to see this first." Michelle shrugged and looked behind them down the hall. Eliza had a point. This was Beatrice's toy, modeled off Beatrice herself. She really should be the first one through the door. And yet she wasn't here, and neither one knew when she might be. Michelle sighed and shook her head. "Come on, let's just go inside the room," she said, taking Eliza by the hand and leading her in, "We'll wait for her there. She'll show up. She always does." Michelle opened the door and let Eliza go first, then followed her inside, only to be surprised by the man and woman sitting together on one end of the table, and a group of two men and one woman sitting together on the other end. The group of three were clearly workers, they were in suits, so that didn't phase Michelle, but it was the other couple that threw her off. Who were these two? Why were they here? Michelle pulled out a chair for Eliza, who thanked her and sat down, before seating herself. "Where is-" the woman in the suit started, but just then the door opened once more and Beatrice and Liam entered. "Sorry, I've been throwing up all morning," Bea said. "She's getting quite good at it," Liam added, making everyone chuckle uncomfortably as they walked past the table to sit down. Beatrice patted Michelle on the shoulder and then kissed Eliza on the top of the head before taking her seat, Liam beside her. "So," Beatrice said, "...what am I looking at?" "Beatrice, this is Bryan and Lindsay Harding. Their daughter Ashley had her sixth birthday this past week, and she was given one of the prototypes as a gift," the woman in the suit said, "We selected a few folks to be given prototypes to see the childs reaction, and I think you're better off hearing those results from the people who endured it first hand, honestly." Beatrice looked across the table, from the woman in the suit to Bryan and Lindsay, and shrugged. "Um, our daughter loves your show, and loves you," Bryan said, leaning forward, cupping his hands on the table, "so we were given the doll and we wrapped it and everything, and I gotta tell ya, the look on her face and the scream she made when she opened it...I'm surprised our windows didn't shatter, honestly. She has taken it with her everywhere since getting it, and she won't not sleep without it and it just...god it brings her so much comfort." "That's all very nice, that's what Beatrice is meant to do," Bea said, "my issue, more than anything, is just how much merchandising can take away from her specialness. If every kid in the country has a Beatrice doll, then she isn't special to anyone, is she? She's special to everyone. That takes away that unique bond one can form that feels personal." "Um, if I may," Lindsay said, pushing her hair back behind her ears and sniffling, "...uh...our daughter has been in and out of the hospital for the last few months, first enduring a battery of tests, then enduring treatment, and no childhood should be like that. We couldn't be there all the time, we both have to work, and she was scared. But now she's not scared. Now she has you." Michelle felt her heart break. Now she could identify with this situation personally. She glanced down at Bea, who was nodding solemnly. "I don't...I'm not trying to guilt trip you, or anything, please don't think that, I'm just saying that I think a child can still have that special bond even if she's everywhere. I don't disagree that merchandising cheapens art. I'm an art major. I went to art school. I'm a painter, I get it. When you start seeing something everywhere you get tired of seeing it anywhere. But we're talking about something that helps children. That brightens up their lives. That brings them...god...the biggest comfort they could need in the worst possible times. Isn't that worth a bit of cheapening?" Beatrice leaned back and folded her arms, sighing. She looked at Liam, and grimaced. Liam shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He knew what Beatrice meant to her, more than anyone else, and he knew how hard this must be to hear. "On one hand, you're right," Bea said, "you are, I won't deny that. She is special for everyone. She should be for everyone. On the other hand...she's mine. She's me. It feels like prostituting myself, to put it bluntly, if that makes sense." "If I can ask," Eliza asked, surprisingly everyone with her sudden self inclusion, "would it make you feel better if I made the doll and the toy company merely distributed it?" The room went quiet. Bea looked at Eliza, one eyebrow raised, clearly waiting for more explanation. "Well," Eliza said, adjusting her glasses, "um, I make all the puppets for the show, so why wouldn't I be able to make a doll, you know? And this way it'd be closer to you, in terms of who's producing it. Would that make a difference at all?" Bea looked away, glancing across the table again at the couple, then sighed and lowered her head. "That might be okay, yes," she said softly, before standing up and, touching Michelle's shoulder again, whispered, "let's go get some coffee." *** "She was just trying to help," Michelle said as she and Bea sat at a table by a window in a small cafe downtown. Michelle was chewing on a bear claw while Bea sipped from her coffee cup. Bea set her cup down and, tapping her nails on it, looked out the window, exhaling. "I know, I'm not mad at her," Bea said, "...but everyone thinks I'm being difficult. I'm not being difficult. I'm being particular. There's a difference. You know what it's like to have an attachment to Beatrice, you were that little girl one time. That's why I wanted to talk to you about it before anyone else." Michelle felt honored. She'd become so close to Bea that she was now being outright asked for her input. "Well," Michelle said, chewing her pastry and swallowing, then leaning back in her chair, "I...I guess I understand where her folks are coming from, but even though we both lived in the hospital for some time in our childhoods, our lives are still drastically different. My parents weren't there for me. This kid seems to have a dedicated support base. All I had was you. I don't mean that in the way it sounds-" "I know," Bea said, chuckling, "I understand." "-it's just that...because you were all I had, I'm far more attached than any other kid might be, but I recognize my situation was specific," Michelle said, "and, if it hadn't been for my weird attachment, then maybe we wouldn't even be sitting here right now, and she wouldn't have that same kind of attachment that's helping her. Weird how interconnected everything in the world is. One little thing creates all these ripples that effect things so much later down the line." Bea leaned back in her chair and folded her arms, sighing. She looked back out the window and watched a family waiting to cross the street, two adults and two little boys. She finally exhaled, then looked back at Michelle, who was taking another bite of her bear claw and chewing. "I wanted the world to love her as I did," Bea sad softly, "I wanted the world to appreciate her as I was able to. Her companionship should be experienced by everyone. That's the thing. At first I...I just wanted to put on a one woman show in small local theatres around the city, using it as a way to discharge my grief and my pain, but why shouldn't others be able to use her in ways that benefit them too? You were able to, and as you said, look at where we are now." "Letting Eliza make the doll might be the best move," Michelle said. "I don't disagree with that, it definitely is more comfortable for me having her do it," Bea said, "...I guess we'll move ahead and see what works and what doesn't. We need to make more money than just whatever subscriptions to the service bring in in order to cover the cost of production after all, and merchandise is like a wedding ring for the product." After a small moment, Michelle furrowed her brow. "The hell does that mean?" she asked. "I don't know, it's something Stephanie told Liam," Bea said, shrugging. "God that's stupid." "Well at least we're all on the same page in regards to that," Bea added. *** Keagan was standing at the stove, stirring a soup in a big pot while Lexi sat the kitchen table, flipping slowly through a magazine. She sighed and looked up, glancing out the window at the driveway. She then looked back at Keagan and tapped her nails on the table absentmindedly. "What would you think about getting a better apartment?" she finally asked. "I dunno, I've gotten kinda used to this place," Keagan said, "It's not much but it's ours, you know?" "Sure, sure," Lexi said, "but we could get something not much different but just somewhat nicer. A bit more room, maybe. I don't know, I'm just throwing out ideas. We make pretty good money, Michelle makes more than both of us considering she works directly with Bea. We could really afford to live in a higher class bracket." "I don't really care either way, so long as we're together," Keagan said, making Lexi blush. Michelle entered the kitchen and sighed, looking at both of them before sitting down at the table and running her hands through her hair. "How were things today?" Keagan asked. "...weird," Michelle replied. "How about your breathing? You doing okay?" Lexi asked, "We could get you better equipment if you'd like." "Naw, for as little as I have to use this thing, I think I'll stick with it," Michelle said, smiling warmly, "but thanks for the offer." Lexi shrugged, then stood up and, taking her magazine with her, exited the kitchen and headed for the living room. Michelle looked at Keagan, who tapped her stirring wooden spoon on the edge of the pot and placed it on the counter. She then walked over to the table and sat down across from Michelle. "What's eating her?" Michelle asked. "Ah, she's being weird about money, don't mind her," Keagan said, waving it off, "so," she continued, "what happened? Was she interested in doing the doll, or?" There was a long pause, and then Michelle nodded. "...I don't necessarily like what your silence insinuates," Keagan said. "It comes with some caveats, but I think it'll work itself out," Michelle said, yawning, "I think I need to go to sleep." "You don't want any soup? I'm making soup." "Save me some, I'll have it when I wake up," Michelle said, leaning in and hugging Keagan before getting up and heading to her bedroom down the hall. In a way, she completely understood and stood by Beatrice's arguments. Beatrice was special to both of them for very different reasons, and she felt like giving that specialness to others would hurt her own attachments to it. But...but maybe it's what the world really needed. Little girls shouldn't have to be scared and alone. They should have the comfort that even just a stuffed dog can bring them. Lying down on her bed after getting into her pajamas, attaching her cannula's into her nostrils and shutting her eyes, all she could think about was how scared she herself had been as a child, and how comforting Beatrice had been for her. Why shouldn't someone else be granted that some sort of comfort? Michelle shut her eyes and exhaled slowly, thinking about Eliza, and about what she might make the doll look like. Maybe tomorrow she'd stop by The Hole and check it out. She was curious about the doll, but she also just liked spending time with her, and if anyone else had a curious attachment to Beatrice, it was Eliza. She of all people would be the only other one capable of understanding. Michelle was grateful to have people who understood. *** Ashley Harding snuggled up in bed with her Beatrice doll as her mother read her a bedtime story and her father watched from the hallway, leaning against the doorframe, smiling at the sight. He had expected Beatrice to be weird - hell the toy people had outright warned him of it - but he hadn't expected her to be as weird about the situation as she had been, and yet in a way he couldn't help but admire her willingness to defend her artistic integrity. That took guts, and wasn't something many people had these days. The ability, the gall if you will, to put their works worth over the worth of money. After Ashley was asleep, Lindsay came out and joined Bryan in the hallway. The two stood there together in the silence for a moment, until she finally looked at her feet and shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. Bryan reached out and touched her shoulder, massaging it gently. "...what if she doesn't get better?" Lindsay asked quietly, her voice shaking, and Bryan shook his head. "We don't think about that. I know it's an actuality we may have to inevitably face, but right now we don't think about that," he whispered, "right now all that matters is that she feels loved and comfortable and that she has something to make her happy, like the doll." "She loves it so much," Lindsay said, glancing back into the room at the bed Ashley was cuddled up in with the Bea doll. "Of course she does," Bryan chuckled, "haven't you read the reviews? Everyone loves Beatrice Beagle." She smirked, and, hand in hand, they headed down the hallway and into their own bedroom. Tomorrow was another day they had to face. But tonight? Tonight they had a watch dog.
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Beatrice Beagle follows a young woman obsessed with a defunct pizzeria and kids show featuring a dog mascot. As she uncovers more about its mysterious past, she becomes sucked into the life of the woman who played the mascot, they both discover just how much they need eachother. Archives
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