Three dolls and a pony

My room was small, but very cozy. It was located in an old costume closet, so it was narrow and not very spacious. I didn't have much space, but I didn't have many personal objects either, so it wasn't such a big loss. The walls were made of wooden benches, but the person who made the structure had to be in a hurry. Wind and rain was getting through the holes and loose pieces of wood. This is why I was moving to pawpaw's room every rain season. 

 The circus is located in Makkhad, a small town in the middle of nowhere. The climate is typical for a plain on the northern side of Quaponya - it's hot and sunny for nine months, and then windy and cold for the remaining three months. During these cold months, which were called the rain season, I was living in pawpaw's room. It wasn't much bigger from mine, but it was more sturdy and was built out of bricks, which made it waterproof and significantly warmer. 

 Valentina managed to calm herself enough to speak normally. Her eyes were still red, but she was no longer crying. She even managed to stick a slight smile to her face. I could tell that she was smiling for me, not because she was happy. We sat on my bed, and she asked me to take out my dolls.  I had only three dolls, which might not be a lot, but is more than enough to play family. I chose to play as the female doll, so Valentina got the role of the male doll, and the baby. I also had a figurine made out of glass, which resembled a pony. All these toys were gifts from my pawpaw, so I treasured them greatly.

   I enjoyed playing with Valentina, despite her being terribly uncreative. I was always the one in charge of creating the plot, as well as thinking of the dolls' names and personalities. But it was still fun. She treated me like her younger sister, so she tried her best to keep up with my creativity. 

  After a few hours of playing, I asked her "Why did you choose to play with me over performing? You were scheduled to perform right after grandpa."  

She didn't look me in the eyes, she was staring at the doll which she was holding in her hand "The show got cancelled for today."  

"Oh. I see." I nodded "It's sweet that everybody got so worried about pawpaw's health, that they decided to cancel the show." 

 "Yes, everyone is very worried. But there is no need to worry. It's just a..." she hesitated "...a surprise doctor appointment."

  I realised that there was no point in asking any further. Working in the circus taught me to take things patiently, so I thought that the best solution would be to wait for grandpa's arrival, so that he can tell me about everything himself. 

 Hours were passing, and we soon got bored of playing with dolls. The sun started to set, and my bedtime was getting closer and closer. I informed Valentina about my wish to stay awake until grandpa comes back, and she agreed after lots of begging and crying. I also asked her to keep me company, and she once again agreed. We were sitting together, side by side, on my bed. First, I showed her all of my pillows, then I asked to read me a bedtime story. We had only five children books present in the entire circus, and I obviously knew all of them word to word, but it was still some form of entertainment. Valentina chose her favorite book out of the available ones, and started reading it out loud.  I couldn't focus on the book at all. I was still thinking about pawpaw, and it felt weird not to hug him before going to bed. Why was this appointment taking him so long? I didn't want to ask any more questions, because patience is the key. I was just hoping that everything will turn out soon.

  "And that's the end." she smiled, as she closed the book, and put it back on the shelf "What do you wish to do now?"

  "I want to pray to God Idris. Can we do that?" Normally I wasn't a fan of praying, as I found it rather boring. But today, praying to the god of medicine seemed pretty fitting. "We can also pray to God Bernard."  

 "Of course. I am sure that both of them will gladly listen to our prayers" she stood up, and started the speech. And then we both started to form our wishes inside our heads. I asked God Idris for good health for my grandpa, that he will come back to me very soon, and he will be very healthy. God of medicine is working in many hospitals, so maybe he was one of the doctors examing my pawpaw's health? If yes, then I asked him to do his best and look after his patient. As for the God of help, God Bernard, I asked him to help my grandpa, so that he isn't scared. Doctors can be very scary, especially when they take out their syringes, or give you bitter pills to swallow.

   After the short prayers, we sat on the bed again. I asked Valentina to brush my hair, and give me a nice pair of braids. My hair turned out to be too short for braids, so she just put my hair in two low pigtails. She was singing me a lullaby, which was driving more and more distant... until I closed my eyes and stopped hearing the melody completely.  

Author's note:

Quaponya is one of the five decisive countries. It's climate can be divided into two parts. On the northern side, which is located on the Voracious Ocean, the weather is extremaly harsh. From March to November, the weather is hot, sunny and unfriendly. December, January and February are the colder months, when it rains almost every day. This part of the country is covered in deserts, huge plains and rock sites. It's impossible to create fields here, as the soil is hard and infertile. With a few exceptions, this land is uninhabited. One of the exceptions is the small town called Makkhad, which is located next to a small oasis.The southern part of Quaponya is the one where 75% of people reside. The climate is significantly cooler, but it's also mild and continental. Forests and farm fields are located here, as well as many lakes and rivers. There is no vivid distinction between the seasons, as the weather is the same for most of the time.The capital city, Ajabra, is located on the middle of the country. It is said to make the line between the northern and southern side, though it's not like that in practice. It's impossible to cut the land in two parts with a straight line, so that border works only on paper.

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