***
"Come on, Elsa!" Moana urged, her voice bouncing off each wall that surrounded us. Using her paddle as a pole vault, she flung herself off the bottom-most stair and into stride with Steve, who was only ahead of her because of his character's super serum.
Me? I was not even halfway down the staircase, which seemed like miles from them.
"It's not my fault you're going so fast!" I shouted back. I assured myself it was more queenlike and elegant to lift one's cape and take the steps one at a time anyways. But it was still only an excuse.
"That's because we're not going fast. You're just kali," when there was a pause, Moana added, "It means slow." But she still tapped Steve's arm to get his attention and stood waiting. hands on her hips, until the toes of my Norwegian slippers were on flat ground. Steve took my hand and helped me down (even though I didn't need it), where he said, "Now let's go find those cubes."
Had it not been for our human She, we would never have known such a thing existed... Rory's Story Cubes, that is. Steve had finished his series on the blog, and Moana had only become a more frequent in her postings, so now I was a part of two communities in the Room She Lives In, the All Elsas Club and the Doll Writers Club. (And, if it still counted for something, the Norway Club with Loki and Olaf.) It was just the three of us for now, but since Olaf was free for the day, he decided to join us on our quest to find the well-known bag of inspirational dice.
Moana raised her oar in the air as soon as Olaf had finished cartwheeling down the stairs, his soft pillowy body not bothered by what would have been bruises.
"Auê! To the basement!"
Olaf waddled to keep up with our leader. "Is the basement scary, Moana?"
The islander shook her head. "No, not at all. Not unless a certain key-chain decides to steal an heirloom and keep it hostage down there."
"Yeah, Magneto would do that," Olaf agreed mindlessly. "But is it hot in the basement?"
Before Moana had a chance to form her lips into a "no", Olaf turned behind him and met eyes with me.
"Elsa, could you make my snow flurry extra-powerful today? So I won't melt at all?"
"Sure thing, Olaf." I replied, trying to disguise the secret in my voice as I waved the hand not holding Steve's in the air, willing it to glow blue so Olaf wouldn't suspect anything. Once he was satisfied with the invisible cloud over his head, he went right back to conversing with Moana.
"When do you think he'll find out he's not a real snowman?" Steve leans to whisper in my ear.
"I don't know. I've never told him myself. And he's always been this way. So... maybe never?"
Steve looked amused. "Never say never, Elsa."
"Well then, what should I say? He's basically oblivious to anything we mention about being dolls. The Code, batteries and plastic, resin and plush..." I squeezed his hand. "He just doesn't understand."
"Somebody's gotta tell him."
"Don't you dare!"
"I'm gonna do it." Steve's eyebrows wiggled mischievously from under his mask.
The line had stopped suddenly, and I saw Moana point the end of her oar down another flight of stairs which descended into darkness.
"This is the entrance to the basement," she said, then glanced around at us, confused as to what we were standing around for. "Let's go! It's not Lalotai, don't worry. I've been down here before and it's all perfectly fine." And with that, she was done talking. Empowered by either action or a chance to show off, Moana grabbed both ends of her paddle and used the railing to slide all the way down instead of taking the stairs, where she immediately went right to search for the Rory's Story Cubes bag.
But Olaf's knees were trembling at the border between the kitchen tile and the carpeted stairs.
"Ooh, but it does look scary," he said. "Elsa, can I hold your hand?"
"Of course." I said, taking Olaf on my other side and leading the two most important males in my life down the stairs.
We agreed with Moana once we were down there that splitting up would be the best option. Since she was best at climbing, Moana grabbed a nearby shoelace as a cord and took to the shelves, reaching where the rest of us on the ground couldn't. Steve would help her by catching whatever she dropped, and he would also search the floor and the lower shelves for the bag. As for Olaf and I, we would go left at the stairs instead, to the place no doll had gone before- but it at least it appeared smaller than the place Steve and Moana were looking.
"She calls this the craft room," I told Olaf as I pushed open the door, which squeaked from neglect. "Wonder what could be inside? Markers? Scissors? Papers?"
I've always been a fan of crafting supplies, though I could never seem to finish a project the whole way through unless it was a blog post.
The fearful snowman was still fiercely holding onto me as I leaped onto a box to reach the light switch. It took a while to reach, but once I did, a faraway lamp clicked on, solving the craft room's mystery.
I was right. There were plenty of markers, scissors, and papers... all over the place. We could hardly walk a few inches away from the yellow-painted walls without coming across a stray, paint-dried brush or some discarded artwork.
"What a mess!" I exclaimed, guiding us through the trash towards a white table, beautifully stained with greens and golds. "Does She ever clean this place?"
"Not for a while." A voice sighed.
Olaf screamed. He began tugging on my skirts to get attention. "Elsa! There's someone else down here!"
"Yeah, Steve and Moana," I giggled. "It's nothing to be afraid of. Now come on. I think there should be more up on that table."
"Okay, but you go first."
I rolled my eyes and agreed. We stacked various boxes and notepads to build a path up to the table, and I kept Olaf's frantic mind busy with small talk about what Rory's Story Cubes could do.
"When you roll a die, whatever side it lands on is a different picture. There's nine die, so each one should show something else. For example, if I roll a key and a thundercloud on two different die, I have to write a story including those two things. It's just a way for writers to get their creative ideas flowing."
"Is that what Doll Writer's Club is about?"
"Sometimes," I laughed. "But mostly it's just Steve, Moana and I stealing snacks from the kitchen and sitting around proofreading stuff on the blog. That's all."
"That sounds fun. Too bad I can't read."
"I could teach you," I suggested. "But first let's find that bag!"
I scaled our wobbling tower without trouble, until the very last box. The lid slid off from under me, and I lost my footing, only a single hand holding my body dangling from a two-foot drop. Not like it would hurt, but it would be annoying to have to get up the tower again if I were to fall.
Luckily, a familiar soft brown hand grabbed a hold of my slipping fingers and began to pull me upwards. I kicked upwards the whole way, trying in vain to help, but eventually I found myself kicking up against a hard surface. I was up on the table!
I breathed a sigh of relief and dusted myself off, looking up at my rescuer. "Thanks, Olaf! How did you manage to get up there so quickly?" I asked, hugging the smiling snowman in front of me.
"Um... Elsa? I'm down here." Came a voice from below. Olaf's voice. I peered over the edge of the table, and there he was... again.
"Then... who is this up here?"
"Hi there," said Table Olaf. "I'm Olaf Number Three."
"Huh?" The real Olaf and I gasped in unison.
"But my real name's Gad. Get it? Like Josh Gad?" Table Olaf thought this was hilarious, and he let out a rumbling, bubbly, laugh.
"Who's Josh Gad? Wait, no. Who's up there? Can I see?"
"Yeah... I'd think you'd better." I muttered, reaching over the side of the table and grabbing real Olaf and lifting him up.
"Wow! What a realistic mirror!" He exclaimed upon seeing his doppelganger.
"Um, no. That's... well..." I looked to the other Olaf for support. "Care to explain yourself?"
Gad, that was his name, straightened himself up. "Right. Okay. Hi, my name is Gad, I was Olaf Number Three at Disneyworld, or at least the only Olaf Number Three that I know..."
"Wait, there's only one Olaf Number Three I know, too!" Real Olaf shouted.
"...And I was found by a small human there and brought to this house a very long time ago."
"Well, very nice to meet you, Gad," I said, leaning forward over Olaf to shake his hand. "I had no idea there were other dolls in this room."
"There really shouldn't be," said Gad. "I only came here because of the gummy bears."
"Huh?" We said again, repeating ourselves from earlier.
"Um... whatever. I'm sure we have a lot of questions for you, but first, let's call our other friends in, okay? I'm sure they'd like to meet you, too."
I basically took a running leap off the table, a little freaked out by double Olafs, and tore open the door.
"Hey, you guys got a second?" I whispered.
Steve saw me in the doorway right before Moana threw part of "rope" down on top of him. He was already holding her oar and necklace.
"Oops, sorry!" She called from the highest shelf. "Yeah, we're not finding anything yet. Might be nice to have a break." She took her time coming down and followed Steve and I into the craft room.
"So what's going on?" Steve asked.
"They're in the craft room."
"They?"
"You'll see." I pushed the door open again.
"Wow, I've never been in here before." Moana commented.
"Neither have we. But someone else has."
As soon as we entered, we saw both Olafs waving from the table. "Hey, guys! Did you know this is one of my brothers? He knows Tom from the Disney store! Remember him?"
"There are a lot of people named Tom," said Steve quietly. "But go on. What does he know?"
"Turns out we're both from Downtown Disney. That's the place I'm from, but I didn't know what it was called. There was six of us, including me, and I guess him too! There was Olaf Number One, Olaf Number Two, Olaf Number Three, Olaf Number Four, me, and Tom. And now I found the same Olaf Number Three! But his name is Gad now."
"What a coincidence," said Moana, and, without the aid of any boxes at all, somehow got up onto the table. She must have been taking gymnastics lessons from Loki. "Hi, Gad. I am Moana of Motunui."
Gad tilted his head at her and Moana's outstretched hand. "You look unfamiliar."
"I'm the new Disney princess. I'm way after your time. I think. At least three years after Frozen came out."
"Frozen, yeah. My favorite movie! But that's obvious."
Olaf's twig eyebrows scrunched down. "Movie?"
"Yeah, Frozen. It's a movie. That's why were we in that Disney Store. As merchandise," Gad brought out a shiny wrapper. "Anybody want a gummy bear? They smell delicious."
"I'll take one," said Moana, perfectly trusting of a doll she had never seen before. "Mm. Pineapple."
"Merchandise?" Olaf's voice was getting higher and higher.
"Uh oh," Steve mumbled my way. "Looks like I don't have to tell him after all."
"Most of the time I wander all over the basement when and where I feel like it. The humans don't come down here very often. Did you know there are four rooms? There's the one you guys came from, then one with blue walls and a bunch of heavy black things, then a back hallway, and then a gray room with food all over the shelves. I came in here because of the gummy bears. She keeps some packs down here for snacking when she paints. But I like these better since they are doll-sized."
"Doll-sized?" Olaf shrieked.
I patted his back and made little shush-ing noises like a mother would. Gad couldn't have been more oblivious to Olaf's... obliviousness.
"Calm, down, Olaf," I looked up. "Gad, what are you trying to say?"
Gad blinked. "Ohhhhhhhhhh. Right. Okay. You always were one step behind, weren't you, Number Five? That's alright. I can bring you up to speed." Gad took his brother by the arm, dragging him away from me to have a private conversation, which might have worked had his voice not been as loud as his character's usually is.
"Right. Okay. So you remember Tom?"
Olaf nodded.
"He was our leader. And he knew everything, didn't he?"
Another nod.
"That's because he was in that store the longest. The rest of us were delivered and placed in that bin a little while later. Tom was the most experienced, so he lead us around the store after hours and tried to get us to escape."
"Yeah, I remember. But why?"
"Because he had some twisted ideas about humans. He thought we were imprisoned there. By The Code of Dolls. It means we can't move or talk in the presence of a human. Tom didn't like The Code of Dolls, so he thought that leaving the store would lead to a better life away from humans. But he forgot the second part of The Code of Dolls, which is called A Doll's Purpose. It means in order to be happy, we have to be found by a human and make sure they are happy in turn. Right. Okay. Got that?"
"Sure... but what does that have to do with me?" Olaf asked, now calmed and rocking back and forth.
"Because you're a doll, Olaf," I spoke out, trying to relieve some of the unbearable feelings in my heart. I should have told him this years ago, but I didn't. Out of fear, because of his fear. Why did it have to take a person from the past to bring past mistakes forward? "We all are. Steve, Moana, me, you, Gad. And everyone in the Room She Lives In. And Dorothy, and Bell, and Benny, and Napoleon. They're not real people, or fairies, or soldiers. And you're not a real snowman."
Olaf sat there a minute, blinking, and we expected the worst to happen, but it didn't. "That explains why I can bounce down the stairs without getting hurt."
"It explains a lot more than that, trust me!" Gad exclaimed. "Gummy bear?"
Olaf was happy to take a red bear, and handed one to Steve and I. Gad was right, these did smell delicious.
"Being a doll... wow. I never imagined it. That's why we can't show ourselves to the humans. That's why we can't eat. That's why we never age. That's why Elsa and Anna and Moana can't go in the water." Olaf realized.
Moana sighed. "Don't remind me."
"But what about you?" Olaf stared, puppy-eyed, at his long-lost and new-found brother. "You said you were found by a small human."
"She's little sister." I noticed.
"Right. Okay. Yeah, She's little sister. Her sister never cared much for Frozen, too bad. We were purchased by their uncle, remember, and given as gifts for their first day in Disneyworld, which was..." Gad waited Olaf to continue.
"Downtown Disney!"
"You ended up with She, and I with her sister. She probably put you upstairs, where it's warm..." Gad looked wistful for a moment. "I can't help loving warm things. It's part of my character."
"That's okay, Elsa can just make a snow flurry for you and you can go any warm place you like!" Olaf's eyes dropped to me. "Though that must not be real either if neither of us can melt anyways."
I clenched my teeth. Guilty. "You're right, I never once made you a real snow flurry. But think of it this way, you never needed one because you can never melt."
"I guess that's good. But this doll thing will take some getting used to."
"But I was placed down here, where all the unwanted toys go," said Gad, still caught up in his own story. "It's been years down here and no one has ever noticed me, so I thought it would be safe to move around. And that's how I've been keeping myself happy without any humans. But my real dream is to be somewhere else... anywhere else. Up where it's warm... and real... and bright. That would be nice."
"How come you never left the basement?" Moana wondered.
"I didn't think I could without someone seeing me. Tom taught me well. I wanted to stay far away from the humans. So I've been down here ever since She's sister forgot about me. I know the basement is the last place dolls end up before they're given away."
I can sense something change in Steve, as he is suddenly revived beside me, back into the present. "I knew a doll like you before," Steve locks eyes with me. "Zayn."
"Zayn." He was not someone I knew very well, but I could imagine he and Steve had somewhat of a kinship after both being in the attic a year.
"His name was Zayn Malik. He's not from Disney like we are, but he lived three years down here before being placed in the attic for a few years. A little less than two years ago, I helped him escape, where he was then donated to a local charity store. I'm sure he's a loving home right now, nice and warm with his Derek. They both looked so happy..." Steve's voice trailed off and he blinked rapidly.
"Oh, I wish that would happen to me!" Gad said, jumping up and down, Olaf following in suit excitedly a few seconds later. "Not that She isn't a good human. I'm sure She is. You guys look like you've been taken care of."
"She gave us the idea to make Moana's flower crown." Steve pointed out, as Moana handed over her headband for Gad to see.
"She gave me my snowflakes the first day at home to make me look more like the 'real Elsa'." I said, touching the silver earrings in my braid.
"And this bracelet," Olaf added, showing off a colorful thread tied around his left wrist, something he always wore, and thank goodness for it, or else we might not have been able to tell him and Gad apart.
"I want that." said Gad quietly.
"Well, I guess I could give you my bracelet, but I really like it..."
"No, I don't mean your bracelet. I mean I want to be taken care of. I want to be loved by a human. Is that too much to ask?"
"No, it isn't," Steve piped up. "You deserve that, like every doll does. We'll find you a better home, I guarantee it."
"But... you're leaving already? I just found out I'm a doll and you want to leave?" Olaf whined.
Gad looked thoughtful. "No. Not yet. Maybe I can stay a bit longer to finally see the upstairs and meet the other dolls you mentioned earlier. But if I stay another year in this same basement in this same house I'm going to go crazy!"
"You already are. You're an Olaf, remember?" he said, smiling. "Now let's go upstairs. We have lots to show you before you go!"
Moana lead the way, and Steve and I brought up the end again with the snowman brothers sandwiched in the middle of our line, chatting it up like a few years apart was nothing at all. It was a nice sight to see.
When we reached the top of the stairs and into the kitchen, I was worried Gad might faint. He had suddenly gone all wide-eyed and open-mouthed. I realized that the back door, which was completely made of glass, was right across from the basement staircase. He suddenly ran towards it, hands up like he was trying to give the outside world a hug.
"Are you okay, Gad?" said Olaf, joining him.
"It's beautiful," Gad whispered. "I remember what those are called. Trees. And that's grass. And the sun. The sun is warm."
"Could we go outside for a minute?" Steve asked.
"You don't need my permission!" I shouted. "Open the door!"
Moana was able to get up there and undo the lock and it took a team effort to slide it open. The taste of July, all fresh air and chlorine and green leaves and heat, beckoned us further out onto the back deck. I slipped off my shoes, savoring the feeling of peeling wood, giving way to sultry grass, damp from the humidity this morning.
"When's the last time we were outside?" Smiling, I locked elbows with Steve.
He only shook his head. "Far too long ago."
The Olaf delighted themselves with chasing a butterfly down to the garden, and Moana picked up her lifelong search, in vain, for a large body of water to sail upon, though I doubted such a thing existed in She's backyard unless Moana found a birdbath suitable.
She got bored of this, though, and volunteered to go around the house and bring all the other dolls outside to meet Gad. She must have dressed the announcement up to be something great, because then everyone came out as quickly as they could to see Olaf's twin brother. Olaf was also extremely happy to introduce the fact he had now realized he was a doll, which warranted a thankful kiss on the nose from Idina.
Needless to say, we spent much of the rest of the day outside. Moana scaled pear trees and plucked white flowers for Anna to catch and craft into flower crowns, Elphaba held Nessa back from talking to Loki too much, Olaf and Gad went romping around in the grass, careful not to stain, and everyone else was context to sit and relax in the shade. We didn't know how long a time had passed, but there was a collective inkling of worry that the humans might come home soon, so we bade each-other goodbye and went back to our places.
"Wait, does this mean you have to go back to the basement?" Olaf asked.
Gad winced. "I really don't want to."
"Then you must come upstairs with us! We have plenty of room."
Steve cleared his throat. "Uh, Olaf, the Code..."
"Right. Okay. Yeah, we can't break the Code of Dolls."
"But... you hate the basement. You'll go crazy down there alone."
Gad smiled sadly and waddled towards the stairs. "Oh, I'm never alone." He leans backward, then bounces all the way down.
"He does that the same way I do." Olaf said quietly, before bursting out into dry tears.
"You should not be sad, Olav," said Idina. "Dis was a brave day for you. You will see your brother again."
"I know, I know. And I knew today wouldn't last forever, but I all I really want is for him to be happy."
We guided our mourning friend upstairs, and I knew something was up when Steve went silent as stone. Later, I found out why when he pulled me aside.
"You talked about Zayn earlier." I started.
"That's right. I was just about to bring him up again. The day he and Derek left, it was by cardboard box on the bench downstairs by the garage door. I think if we ever see that opportunity come up again, we should take it. For Gad's sake."
"That's what I was thinking. Must be our mental synchronization."
Steve smiled. "Something like that, yeah."
"But how are we going to convince Olaf to leave his brother? Heavens, they just reunited after... how many years?"
"About three. But you heard him earlier. Olaf doesn't necessarily want Gad to stay. He wants him to be happy."
"And Gad doesn't like the craft room, so the sooner we get him out of it, the happier he'll be, and Olaf in turn will be happy, too."
"Exactly."
"Well..." I looked wistfully back to the Room She Lives In. The rest of the dolls that belonged on the dresser were inside, and Olaf didn't appear to be crying anymore. "I guess we have to enjoy Gad's company while we can. The humans are trying to clear some old things out before school starts."
"Whatever that is." Steve said flatly.
"Exactly," I squeezed his hands. "Good plan."
The next few days came and went. We all went to visit Gad daily, and brought him outside as often as it was sunny. Olaf had lots of fun with him, catching up from lost time and playing in the garden, but the both of them were constantly looking for ways to get Gad a better home. By now they knew it was feckless to try and see if the humans would keep him. He had ended up in the basement in the first place for a reason.
Finally, the great day arrived. It started with a morning where She was clearing up her room and putting things into a box, and I was praying over and over in my head that it was not me next.
"Pst. Elsa." Olaf nudged my shoulder as soon as She had left for a second to dump the box's contents into a larger one outside.
"Don't worry, Olaf. She's not going to get rid of any of us."
"No, no. I'm not worried. I'm saying that for Gad. This is what he wants!" The snowman was practically jumping up and down.
"Calm down," Loki shushed. "What's all this about?"
"This is Gad's chance to leave the basement and find a new place to live that's not a basement. Hopefully." Olaf told him.
"Does Gad know that's what's happening?" Loki asked, throwing a curveball of logic our way.
"Um...no." Olaf looked Steve's way in desperation.
Steve got the message. "Already on it. One of us can sneak away and grab Gad from the basement, then place him one of the boxes to be sent to the donation center."
"I can go!" Moana said eagerly. "I'm the quietest. And I have this oar as a weapon if things get tough."
"Actually, I was planning on going." Steve said.
"What about me? I'm his brother." Olaf begged.
"So much for being just one of us," I sighed. "But I think we all should go together."
"Good luck getting past She." Said Loki unhelpfully.
"We'll find a way," Moana insisted. "Feel like being brave, Olaf?"
"If it's for Gad, I'll do anything. Let's go!"
Whenever She returned with an empty box and started for the bookshelf, the four of us inched ever so slowly towards the open door, and when we were sure her back was turned and She was distracted with a newfound book, we jumped from the shelf and out into the hallway. We dodged human eyes left and right, slunk down two flights of stairs, and down into the craft room.
"Hey, you guys came back! I keep thinking you're never coming to see me again," He jumped from the table, oblivious to all the hassle on the second floor. "So what are we doing today? Blowing dandelion seeds into the wind? That's my favorite."
"Actually, Gad..." I winced.
Luckily Olaf finished for me. "The humans are making donation boxes today! If you get put into one, you'll be put in a donation store for someone else to find you and take you home!"
Gad blinked in disbelief. "Right. Okay. I wasn't expecting that."
Olaf grabbed his hand. "Come on, we got to go. We'll find you a really nice box!"
Surprisingly, Gad swatted him away. "Uh... I don't know if I'm ready yet."
We were shocked. "To leave?" Moana said.
"Think of it this way, Gad. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in this musty basement?" Steve asked.
"Uh, no, not really."
"There's only four rooms down here for you. And gummy bears. That's all you've ever known. Wouldn't it be great if you explore more of the world in your next house? And maybe get into bigger bags of gummy bears?" Moana said, catching up to Steve.
"Yeah, that sounds nice."
"And be loved by a human instead of forgotten?" I added.
"Okay, okay, I'll go! I'm ready now."
"Great! Here, take this," Olaf unwound something from his wrist, but his regular bracelet still stayed on. He took Gad's wrist and tied a red, green, and blue thread bracelet around it. "Idina made you one that looks like the one She gave me. So you'll have something to remember us by."
"Oh, I don't think I could ever forget."
The two of them both being Olafs, they could not resist sharing a hug.
"Thanks, brother."
Steve was the one who sorted out the complications of the moving. He knew where the boxes where located, on the wooden bench downstairs by the garage door. There was actually a stack of them, right where Steve said they would be. Gad climbed up onto the topmost box and opened the lid to patchwork blankets and assorted stuffed rabbits and teddy bears, who welcomed him in a friendly cloud of dust. I had never even met these dolls, and now they were leaving. But Gad looked pretty happy, which was what we all wanted to begin with.
He crawled in and folded the lid behind him, and we thought that was what we'd all get for a goodbye. We each gave Olaf a solemn pat on the back and started to leave back for the Room She Lives In, but then the lid popped open again, revealing a familiar smiling face.
"Right. Okay. I never liked goodbyes, so I'm just not going to say it. So... so long, everybody! Thanks for everything!"
"Thanks for the gummy bears." Moana said in turn.
"Oh yeah. You can have the rest of those in the basement. I don't really care about them anymore. Nor am I ever going to wander around a basement ever again!"
"Let's hope not." Steve replied, saluting.
"No, I don't think I will. I feel really good about this."
"That's exactly what we wanted to hear. Have a good trip and a good home." I said.
"See ya, Olaf Number Three!" Olaf cried, waving.
"So long, Olaf Number Five." Said Gad, and then the lid closed and he was gone.
Moana, Steve, Olaf, and I were left in odd quiet after that.
Moana was the first to speak. "Um... we should probably start going back."
"Yeah." Said Olaf quietly.
"It was nice to have met him. I'm sure whatever happened to Zayn will happen to him. And Zayn was the happiest he'd been in a long time in leaving the house."
"That's nice."
"Olav?" Said a tiny, French-accented voice. It was Idina, hopping along the floor towards us with something in her hands. "Did your brother leave yet?"
"No. He's in a box now."
"I found dis when I came downstairs. I think it is the bracelet I made him."
"Oh! Oh my goodness!" Olaf ran faster than we'd ever seen him run and jump up onto the bench and feed the bracelet in through the crack in the box lid. "This is yours, Gad."
"Hey, thanks! I was missing that."
With that resolved, Moana and Steve took the lead back upstairs.
"Don't forget us now, okay?" Olaf said, coming back to join us.
"Oh, don't worry, I won't. I never will."
It was no goodbye, but it was good enough. We parted in bittersweetness that day.
In short, we never found those story cubes, but I think out of everything we found a much better story anyways.
"She calls this the craft room," I told Olaf as I pushed open the door, which squeaked from neglect. "Wonder what could be inside? Markers? Scissors? Papers?"
I've always been a fan of crafting supplies, though I could never seem to finish a project the whole way through unless it was a blog post.
The fearful snowman was still fiercely holding onto me as I leaped onto a box to reach the light switch. It took a while to reach, but once I did, a faraway lamp clicked on, solving the craft room's mystery.
I was right. There were plenty of markers, scissors, and papers... all over the place. We could hardly walk a few inches away from the yellow-painted walls without coming across a stray, paint-dried brush or some discarded artwork.
"What a mess!" I exclaimed, guiding us through the trash towards a white table, beautifully stained with greens and golds. "Does She ever clean this place?"
"Not for a while." A voice sighed.
Olaf screamed. He began tugging on my skirts to get attention. "Elsa! There's someone else down here!"
"Yeah, Steve and Moana," I giggled. "It's nothing to be afraid of. Now come on. I think there should be more up on that table."
"Okay, but you go first."
I rolled my eyes and agreed. We stacked various boxes and notepads to build a path up to the table, and I kept Olaf's frantic mind busy with small talk about what Rory's Story Cubes could do.
"When you roll a die, whatever side it lands on is a different picture. There's nine die, so each one should show something else. For example, if I roll a key and a thundercloud on two different die, I have to write a story including those two things. It's just a way for writers to get their creative ideas flowing."
"Is that what Doll Writer's Club is about?"
"Sometimes," I laughed. "But mostly it's just Steve, Moana and I stealing snacks from the kitchen and sitting around proofreading stuff on the blog. That's all."
"That sounds fun. Too bad I can't read."
"I could teach you," I suggested. "But first let's find that bag!"
I scaled our wobbling tower without trouble, until the very last box. The lid slid off from under me, and I lost my footing, only a single hand holding my body dangling from a two-foot drop. Not like it would hurt, but it would be annoying to have to get up the tower again if I were to fall.
Luckily, a familiar soft brown hand grabbed a hold of my slipping fingers and began to pull me upwards. I kicked upwards the whole way, trying in vain to help, but eventually I found myself kicking up against a hard surface. I was up on the table!
I breathed a sigh of relief and dusted myself off, looking up at my rescuer. "Thanks, Olaf! How did you manage to get up there so quickly?" I asked, hugging the smiling snowman in front of me.
"Um... Elsa? I'm down here." Came a voice from below. Olaf's voice. I peered over the edge of the table, and there he was... again.
"Then... who is this up here?"
"Hi there," said Table Olaf. "I'm Olaf Number Three."
"Huh?" The real Olaf and I gasped in unison.
"But my real name's Gad. Get it? Like Josh Gad?" Table Olaf thought this was hilarious, and he let out a rumbling, bubbly, laugh.
"Who's Josh Gad? Wait, no. Who's up there? Can I see?"
"Yeah... I'd think you'd better." I muttered, reaching over the side of the table and grabbing real Olaf and lifting him up.
"Wow! What a realistic mirror!" He exclaimed upon seeing his doppelganger.
"Um, no. That's... well..." I looked to the other Olaf for support. "Care to explain yourself?"
Gad, that was his name, straightened himself up. "Right. Okay. Hi, my name is Gad, I was Olaf Number Three at Disneyworld, or at least the only Olaf Number Three that I know..."
"Wait, there's only one Olaf Number Three I know, too!" Real Olaf shouted.
"...And I was found by a small human there and brought to this house a very long time ago."
"Well, very nice to meet you, Gad," I said, leaning forward over Olaf to shake his hand. "I had no idea there were other dolls in this room."
"There really shouldn't be," said Gad. "I only came here because of the gummy bears."
"Huh?" We said again, repeating ourselves from earlier.
"Um... whatever. I'm sure we have a lot of questions for you, but first, let's call our other friends in, okay? I'm sure they'd like to meet you, too."
I basically took a running leap off the table, a little freaked out by double Olafs, and tore open the door.
"Hey, you guys got a second?" I whispered.
Steve saw me in the doorway right before Moana threw part of "rope" down on top of him. He was already holding her oar and necklace.
"Oops, sorry!" She called from the highest shelf. "Yeah, we're not finding anything yet. Might be nice to have a break." She took her time coming down and followed Steve and I into the craft room.
"So what's going on?" Steve asked.
"They're in the craft room."
"They?"
"You'll see." I pushed the door open again.
"Wow, I've never been in here before." Moana commented.
"Neither have we. But someone else has."
As soon as we entered, we saw both Olafs waving from the table. "Hey, guys! Did you know this is one of my brothers? He knows Tom from the Disney store! Remember him?"
"There are a lot of people named Tom," said Steve quietly. "But go on. What does he know?"
"Turns out we're both from Downtown Disney. That's the place I'm from, but I didn't know what it was called. There was six of us, including me, and I guess him too! There was Olaf Number One, Olaf Number Two, Olaf Number Three, Olaf Number Four, me, and Tom. And now I found the same Olaf Number Three! But his name is Gad now."
"What a coincidence," said Moana, and, without the aid of any boxes at all, somehow got up onto the table. She must have been taking gymnastics lessons from Loki. "Hi, Gad. I am Moana of Motunui."
Gad tilted his head at her and Moana's outstretched hand. "You look unfamiliar."
"I'm the new Disney princess. I'm way after your time. I think. At least three years after Frozen came out."
"Frozen, yeah. My favorite movie! But that's obvious."
Olaf's twig eyebrows scrunched down. "Movie?"
"Yeah, Frozen. It's a movie. That's why were we in that Disney Store. As merchandise," Gad brought out a shiny wrapper. "Anybody want a gummy bear? They smell delicious."
"I'll take one," said Moana, perfectly trusting of a doll she had never seen before. "Mm. Pineapple."
"Merchandise?" Olaf's voice was getting higher and higher.
"Uh oh," Steve mumbled my way. "Looks like I don't have to tell him after all."
"Most of the time I wander all over the basement when and where I feel like it. The humans don't come down here very often. Did you know there are four rooms? There's the one you guys came from, then one with blue walls and a bunch of heavy black things, then a back hallway, and then a gray room with food all over the shelves. I came in here because of the gummy bears. She keeps some packs down here for snacking when she paints. But I like these better since they are doll-sized."
"Doll-sized?" Olaf shrieked.
I patted his back and made little shush-ing noises like a mother would. Gad couldn't have been more oblivious to Olaf's... obliviousness.
"Calm, down, Olaf," I looked up. "Gad, what are you trying to say?"
Gad blinked. "Ohhhhhhhhhh. Right. Okay. You always were one step behind, weren't you, Number Five? That's alright. I can bring you up to speed." Gad took his brother by the arm, dragging him away from me to have a private conversation, which might have worked had his voice not been as loud as his character's usually is.
"Right. Okay. So you remember Tom?"
Olaf nodded.
"He was our leader. And he knew everything, didn't he?"
Another nod.
"That's because he was in that store the longest. The rest of us were delivered and placed in that bin a little while later. Tom was the most experienced, so he lead us around the store after hours and tried to get us to escape."
"Yeah, I remember. But why?"
"Because he had some twisted ideas about humans. He thought we were imprisoned there. By The Code of Dolls. It means we can't move or talk in the presence of a human. Tom didn't like The Code of Dolls, so he thought that leaving the store would lead to a better life away from humans. But he forgot the second part of The Code of Dolls, which is called A Doll's Purpose. It means in order to be happy, we have to be found by a human and make sure they are happy in turn. Right. Okay. Got that?"
"Sure... but what does that have to do with me?" Olaf asked, now calmed and rocking back and forth.
"Because you're a doll, Olaf," I spoke out, trying to relieve some of the unbearable feelings in my heart. I should have told him this years ago, but I didn't. Out of fear, because of his fear. Why did it have to take a person from the past to bring past mistakes forward? "We all are. Steve, Moana, me, you, Gad. And everyone in the Room She Lives In. And Dorothy, and Bell, and Benny, and Napoleon. They're not real people, or fairies, or soldiers. And you're not a real snowman."
Olaf sat there a minute, blinking, and we expected the worst to happen, but it didn't. "That explains why I can bounce down the stairs without getting hurt."
"It explains a lot more than that, trust me!" Gad exclaimed. "Gummy bear?"
Olaf was happy to take a red bear, and handed one to Steve and I. Gad was right, these did smell delicious.
"Being a doll... wow. I never imagined it. That's why we can't show ourselves to the humans. That's why we can't eat. That's why we never age. That's why Elsa and Anna and Moana can't go in the water." Olaf realized.
Moana sighed. "Don't remind me."
"But what about you?" Olaf stared, puppy-eyed, at his long-lost and new-found brother. "You said you were found by a small human."
"She's little sister." I noticed.
"Right. Okay. Yeah, She's little sister. Her sister never cared much for Frozen, too bad. We were purchased by their uncle, remember, and given as gifts for their first day in Disneyworld, which was..." Gad waited Olaf to continue.
"Downtown Disney!"
"You ended up with She, and I with her sister. She probably put you upstairs, where it's warm..." Gad looked wistful for a moment. "I can't help loving warm things. It's part of my character."
"That's okay, Elsa can just make a snow flurry for you and you can go any warm place you like!" Olaf's eyes dropped to me. "Though that must not be real either if neither of us can melt anyways."
I clenched my teeth. Guilty. "You're right, I never once made you a real snow flurry. But think of it this way, you never needed one because you can never melt."
"I guess that's good. But this doll thing will take some getting used to."
"But I was placed down here, where all the unwanted toys go," said Gad, still caught up in his own story. "It's been years down here and no one has ever noticed me, so I thought it would be safe to move around. And that's how I've been keeping myself happy without any humans. But my real dream is to be somewhere else... anywhere else. Up where it's warm... and real... and bright. That would be nice."
"How come you never left the basement?" Moana wondered.
"I didn't think I could without someone seeing me. Tom taught me well. I wanted to stay far away from the humans. So I've been down here ever since She's sister forgot about me. I know the basement is the last place dolls end up before they're given away."
I can sense something change in Steve, as he is suddenly revived beside me, back into the present. "I knew a doll like you before," Steve locks eyes with me. "Zayn."
"Zayn." He was not someone I knew very well, but I could imagine he and Steve had somewhat of a kinship after both being in the attic a year.
"His name was Zayn Malik. He's not from Disney like we are, but he lived three years down here before being placed in the attic for a few years. A little less than two years ago, I helped him escape, where he was then donated to a local charity store. I'm sure he's a loving home right now, nice and warm with his Derek. They both looked so happy..." Steve's voice trailed off and he blinked rapidly.
"Oh, I wish that would happen to me!" Gad said, jumping up and down, Olaf following in suit excitedly a few seconds later. "Not that She isn't a good human. I'm sure She is. You guys look like you've been taken care of."
"She gave us the idea to make Moana's flower crown." Steve pointed out, as Moana handed over her headband for Gad to see.
"She gave me my snowflakes the first day at home to make me look more like the 'real Elsa'." I said, touching the silver earrings in my braid.
"And this bracelet," Olaf added, showing off a colorful thread tied around his left wrist, something he always wore, and thank goodness for it, or else we might not have been able to tell him and Gad apart.
"I want that." said Gad quietly.
"Well, I guess I could give you my bracelet, but I really like it..."
"No, I don't mean your bracelet. I mean I want to be taken care of. I want to be loved by a human. Is that too much to ask?"
"No, it isn't," Steve piped up. "You deserve that, like every doll does. We'll find you a better home, I guarantee it."
"But... you're leaving already? I just found out I'm a doll and you want to leave?" Olaf whined.
Gad looked thoughtful. "No. Not yet. Maybe I can stay a bit longer to finally see the upstairs and meet the other dolls you mentioned earlier. But if I stay another year in this same basement in this same house I'm going to go crazy!"
"You already are. You're an Olaf, remember?" he said, smiling. "Now let's go upstairs. We have lots to show you before you go!"
Moana lead the way, and Steve and I brought up the end again with the snowman brothers sandwiched in the middle of our line, chatting it up like a few years apart was nothing at all. It was a nice sight to see.
When we reached the top of the stairs and into the kitchen, I was worried Gad might faint. He had suddenly gone all wide-eyed and open-mouthed. I realized that the back door, which was completely made of glass, was right across from the basement staircase. He suddenly ran towards it, hands up like he was trying to give the outside world a hug.
"Are you okay, Gad?" said Olaf, joining him.
"It's beautiful," Gad whispered. "I remember what those are called. Trees. And that's grass. And the sun. The sun is warm."
"Could we go outside for a minute?" Steve asked.
"You don't need my permission!" I shouted. "Open the door!"
Moana was able to get up there and undo the lock and it took a team effort to slide it open. The taste of July, all fresh air and chlorine and green leaves and heat, beckoned us further out onto the back deck. I slipped off my shoes, savoring the feeling of peeling wood, giving way to sultry grass, damp from the humidity this morning.
"When's the last time we were outside?" Smiling, I locked elbows with Steve.
He only shook his head. "Far too long ago."
The Olaf delighted themselves with chasing a butterfly down to the garden, and Moana picked up her lifelong search, in vain, for a large body of water to sail upon, though I doubted such a thing existed in She's backyard unless Moana found a birdbath suitable.
She got bored of this, though, and volunteered to go around the house and bring all the other dolls outside to meet Gad. She must have dressed the announcement up to be something great, because then everyone came out as quickly as they could to see Olaf's twin brother. Olaf was also extremely happy to introduce the fact he had now realized he was a doll, which warranted a thankful kiss on the nose from Idina.
Needless to say, we spent much of the rest of the day outside. Moana scaled pear trees and plucked white flowers for Anna to catch and craft into flower crowns, Elphaba held Nessa back from talking to Loki too much, Olaf and Gad went romping around in the grass, careful not to stain, and everyone else was context to sit and relax in the shade. We didn't know how long a time had passed, but there was a collective inkling of worry that the humans might come home soon, so we bade each-other goodbye and went back to our places.
"Wait, does this mean you have to go back to the basement?" Olaf asked.
Gad winced. "I really don't want to."
"Then you must come upstairs with us! We have plenty of room."
Steve cleared his throat. "Uh, Olaf, the Code..."
"Right. Okay. Yeah, we can't break the Code of Dolls."
"But... you hate the basement. You'll go crazy down there alone."
Gad smiled sadly and waddled towards the stairs. "Oh, I'm never alone." He leans backward, then bounces all the way down.
"He does that the same way I do." Olaf said quietly, before bursting out into dry tears.
"You should not be sad, Olav," said Idina. "Dis was a brave day for you. You will see your brother again."
"I know, I know. And I knew today wouldn't last forever, but I all I really want is for him to be happy."
We guided our mourning friend upstairs, and I knew something was up when Steve went silent as stone. Later, I found out why when he pulled me aside.
"You talked about Zayn earlier." I started.
"That's right. I was just about to bring him up again. The day he and Derek left, it was by cardboard box on the bench downstairs by the garage door. I think if we ever see that opportunity come up again, we should take it. For Gad's sake."
"That's what I was thinking. Must be our mental synchronization."
Steve smiled. "Something like that, yeah."
"But how are we going to convince Olaf to leave his brother? Heavens, they just reunited after... how many years?"
"About three. But you heard him earlier. Olaf doesn't necessarily want Gad to stay. He wants him to be happy."
"And Gad doesn't like the craft room, so the sooner we get him out of it, the happier he'll be, and Olaf in turn will be happy, too."
"Exactly."
"Well..." I looked wistfully back to the Room She Lives In. The rest of the dolls that belonged on the dresser were inside, and Olaf didn't appear to be crying anymore. "I guess we have to enjoy Gad's company while we can. The humans are trying to clear some old things out before school starts."
"Whatever that is." Steve said flatly.
"Exactly," I squeezed his hands. "Good plan."
The next few days came and went. We all went to visit Gad daily, and brought him outside as often as it was sunny. Olaf had lots of fun with him, catching up from lost time and playing in the garden, but the both of them were constantly looking for ways to get Gad a better home. By now they knew it was feckless to try and see if the humans would keep him. He had ended up in the basement in the first place for a reason.
Finally, the great day arrived. It started with a morning where She was clearing up her room and putting things into a box, and I was praying over and over in my head that it was not me next.
"Pst. Elsa." Olaf nudged my shoulder as soon as She had left for a second to dump the box's contents into a larger one outside.
"Don't worry, Olaf. She's not going to get rid of any of us."
"No, no. I'm not worried. I'm saying that for Gad. This is what he wants!" The snowman was practically jumping up and down.
"Calm down," Loki shushed. "What's all this about?"
"This is Gad's chance to leave the basement and find a new place to live that's not a basement. Hopefully." Olaf told him.
"Does Gad know that's what's happening?" Loki asked, throwing a curveball of logic our way.
"Um...no." Olaf looked Steve's way in desperation.
Steve got the message. "Already on it. One of us can sneak away and grab Gad from the basement, then place him one of the boxes to be sent to the donation center."
"I can go!" Moana said eagerly. "I'm the quietest. And I have this oar as a weapon if things get tough."
"Actually, I was planning on going." Steve said.
"What about me? I'm his brother." Olaf begged.
"So much for being just one of us," I sighed. "But I think we all should go together."
"Good luck getting past She." Said Loki unhelpfully.
"We'll find a way," Moana insisted. "Feel like being brave, Olaf?"
"If it's for Gad, I'll do anything. Let's go!"
Whenever She returned with an empty box and started for the bookshelf, the four of us inched ever so slowly towards the open door, and when we were sure her back was turned and She was distracted with a newfound book, we jumped from the shelf and out into the hallway. We dodged human eyes left and right, slunk down two flights of stairs, and down into the craft room.
"Hey, you guys came back! I keep thinking you're never coming to see me again," He jumped from the table, oblivious to all the hassle on the second floor. "So what are we doing today? Blowing dandelion seeds into the wind? That's my favorite."
"Actually, Gad..." I winced.
Luckily Olaf finished for me. "The humans are making donation boxes today! If you get put into one, you'll be put in a donation store for someone else to find you and take you home!"
Gad blinked in disbelief. "Right. Okay. I wasn't expecting that."
Olaf grabbed his hand. "Come on, we got to go. We'll find you a really nice box!"
Surprisingly, Gad swatted him away. "Uh... I don't know if I'm ready yet."
We were shocked. "To leave?" Moana said.
"Think of it this way, Gad. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in this musty basement?" Steve asked.
"Uh, no, not really."
"There's only four rooms down here for you. And gummy bears. That's all you've ever known. Wouldn't it be great if you explore more of the world in your next house? And maybe get into bigger bags of gummy bears?" Moana said, catching up to Steve.
"Yeah, that sounds nice."
"And be loved by a human instead of forgotten?" I added.
"Okay, okay, I'll go! I'm ready now."
"Great! Here, take this," Olaf unwound something from his wrist, but his regular bracelet still stayed on. He took Gad's wrist and tied a red, green, and blue thread bracelet around it. "Idina made you one that looks like the one She gave me. So you'll have something to remember us by."
"Oh, I don't think I could ever forget."
The two of them both being Olafs, they could not resist sharing a hug.
"Thanks, brother."
Steve was the one who sorted out the complications of the moving. He knew where the boxes where located, on the wooden bench downstairs by the garage door. There was actually a stack of them, right where Steve said they would be. Gad climbed up onto the topmost box and opened the lid to patchwork blankets and assorted stuffed rabbits and teddy bears, who welcomed him in a friendly cloud of dust. I had never even met these dolls, and now they were leaving. But Gad looked pretty happy, which was what we all wanted to begin with.
"Right. Okay. I never liked goodbyes, so I'm just not going to say it. So... so long, everybody! Thanks for everything!"
"Thanks for the gummy bears." Moana said in turn.
"Oh yeah. You can have the rest of those in the basement. I don't really care about them anymore. Nor am I ever going to wander around a basement ever again!"
"Let's hope not." Steve replied, saluting.
"No, I don't think I will. I feel really good about this."
"That's exactly what we wanted to hear. Have a good trip and a good home." I said.
"See ya, Olaf Number Three!" Olaf cried, waving.
"So long, Olaf Number Five." Said Gad, and then the lid closed and he was gone.
Moana, Steve, Olaf, and I were left in odd quiet after that.
Moana was the first to speak. "Um... we should probably start going back."
"Yeah." Said Olaf quietly.
"It was nice to have met him. I'm sure whatever happened to Zayn will happen to him. And Zayn was the happiest he'd been in a long time in leaving the house."
"That's nice."
"Olav?" Said a tiny, French-accented voice. It was Idina, hopping along the floor towards us with something in her hands. "Did your brother leave yet?"
"No. He's in a box now."
"I found dis when I came downstairs. I think it is the bracelet I made him."
"Oh! Oh my goodness!" Olaf ran faster than we'd ever seen him run and jump up onto the bench and feed the bracelet in through the crack in the box lid. "This is yours, Gad."
"Hey, thanks! I was missing that."
With that resolved, Moana and Steve took the lead back upstairs.
"Don't forget us now, okay?" Olaf said, coming back to join us.
"Oh, don't worry, I won't. I never will."
It was no goodbye, but it was good enough. We parted in bittersweetness that day.
In short, we never found those story cubes, but I think out of everything we found a much better story anyways.
Saying goodbye to Gad,
Queen Elsa
