Moana Makes Easter

Aloha, makamaka, it's Moana again! It feels like forever since I've written a blog post. What with the weddings and all, it felt like we dolls didn't have time for anything else. But with spring's arrival came the month of April, and with April came Easter. This is the story of how I- with the help of some friends- was able to make this Easter special for a certain someone.

***

My feet ran across the kitchen floor, increasing steadily in their speed. If I didn't think about it, I could almost pretend it felt like a heartbeat, but only humans have those. A heartbeat is something a doll could never feel. But then again, a human could never run through a jungle gym that was only about two feet high and made of building blocks.
In a blink, I'd reached the gym and touched the first object. From out of the corner of my eye, Pocahontas pressed the green button on the stopwatch and nodded.
Let's do this.
Up, over, through. My arms took me around every obstacle without me having to think about it. My body was totally in sync with the makeshift parkour gym; I'd only done it a dozen times! When I finished the ladder Pocahontas and I had built, I was at the top of an unstable tower, with a tightrope bridge leading over to another tower. I crossed it in two jumps, making sure not to fall over this time. The second platform had another rope which you had to pull instead of cross. A 3-pound slab of wood was connected to the rope and functioned like a guillotine. Five good tugs on the rope gave me enough room between the wood and the floor to squeeze through. From there, several swinging ropes across a gully, and then a slide onto solid ground again.
"I did it!" I called, pumping my arms and shaking back my hair. "What's the time?"
Pocahontas smiled. "Twenty-one seconds. That's your new record. At this rate, the Avengers will ask you to join their team any day now."
I laughed in between gulps of air. "No, no, they wouldn't. We're not like them."
"Neither is Jocasta."
"Sure, but Jocasta is different. She's special. Did you see what she can do with her soul? I've never seen any other doll do that before."
Pocahontas tilted her head. "Just because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it can't be real. Maybe every doll can swap souls with another. We just haven't tried."

I sighed, gathered my hair in my hands and let it fall again. "I wouldn't even know where to begin," I looked towards the tower we built. It would be so much more fun and challenging if I was in a human's body and we were going to a real gymnasium. No. I shouldn't be thinking about those things. Be happy where you are, Moana. I decided to change the subject. "Now you try, Poca!"
Pocahontas shook her head. "You know I'm worn out already. I'll do it again later."
"When is later?"
"Hm. The 20th? After the humans leave for work and school?"
"That's Saturday. The humans will be home."
Pocahontas's heart-shaped lips formed a flat, displeased line. "Okay, Sunday, then?"
I laughed. "Sunday will be just the same."
Pocahontas pouted. "What? Why?"
"It's Easter Sunday," I said, getting up. Cool-down time was over, and we should start taking apart the tower. "It's a big holiday the humans celebrate."
"Like Christmas?" Pocahontas asked. She set down the iPod and started working on tearing down the ropes, which were only shoelaces.
"Yes, actually. It's about Jesus, too, but humans do this thing called an Easter egg hunt. It's where they hide eggs for other humans to find, and sometimes they are filled with candy."
Pocahontas was taken aback. "Who ever heard of a egg filled with candy?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. The humans always have plenty each year. But I've never seen a bird lay them."
"How odd," Pocahontas muttered. "What about the 19th, then?"
"Tomorrow? Perfect." I agreed.
We finished deconstructing the rest of the tower in silence. We knew it well by now, after a full week of building it up, taking it down, and running through it again and again. Pocahontas gathered all the materials in a grocery bag, and I helped her carry it, two-by-two, up the stairs to the Room She Lives In.

We had not even been inside for a full second before Magneto was calling my name and waving me over. It looked like he had something important to say, or at least he was in an impatient mood.
"Moana! You'll never believe what She found."
"Umm..." I looked over at Pocahontas nervously, who quickly shoved the bag under She's bed. None of the humans had any idea why all their crafting supplies and building blocks were going missing.
"No, it isn't that. She knows about that."
"Oh." Of course She did.
Magneto paused longer than what was normal. He grinned mischievously from behind his mask and pulled the surprise out from behind his back. It was a small, oval-shaped object, colored pale orange and red. Something told me I should remember what it was, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"Umm... what is it?"
Magneto was incredulous. "Your Easter egg! Don't tell me you forgot about that Easter egg hunt I did for you in 2017!"
I felt Pocahontas's hand on my shoulder. "You set up an Easter egg hunt for Moana? How kind."
Magneto puffed out his chest slightly. "I thought it was, too. So I was thinking... we could do it all over again. I've been around all parts of the house for the past couple of days and there's some really good hiding places for these," Magneto summoned Sven with a whistle, and the reindeer bounded over with a wicker basket swinging from his mouth. Inside the basket were more miniature clay Easter eggs, one of every color and size. "I was thinking the 19th would be a good day." Magneto concluded.
My memories returned like a slap to the face, as did reality. Pocahontas turned to me and winced. I knew I'd have to honor my first agreement.
I bit my lip and scratched Sven head; anything to distract from the bad news I was about to give.
"Sorry, Magneto, but Pocahontas and I were going to set up the gym again that day."
Magneto sighed. He knew that the 20th and 21st weren't good days for dolls to be out and about, and after Easter Sunday, nobody cared about doing an Easter egg hunt anymore.

It's not like I was trying on purpose to avoid him. Pocahontas and Magneto were different, obviously, and I liked them in different ways. Pocahontas, with her longer legs, could run and keep up with me. And Magneto was someone I could relax with. We talked, we had coffee, we played darts in the basement. Both of them were equally important, but I was afraid that Magneto doubted that recently.
Pocahontas tugged on my shoulder this time. "Yeah, sorry, Magneto. Maybe some other time."
Pocahontas pulled me into the hallway and shut the door to the Room She Lives In behind us.
"We have to do something for him." She said.
"I know, I feel terrible. But what can we do?"
Pocahontas smiled. "We host the Easter egg hunt this time. For him."
Immediately I thought it was a great idea, and only a few obstacles stood in our way. "But there's no way we can get those eggs back from Magneto without him realizing what we're trying to do."
Pocahontas shrugged. "Then we get eggs of our own."
"How?"
"We have a human, don't we?" Pocahontas replied with a smile. She slipped through the crack in the door and darted into the hallway, headed for downstairs. I followed her, getting excited. It was nearly a year since She had found out about the Code of Dolls, and the both of us had not yet asked She for anything. Other dolls did, though. Idina requested blue ribbon for Elsa's wedding gown. Bob Ross requested miniature canvases for his weekly painting tutorials. And every once and a while I'd thought about requesting something myself, but then I thought we could do without. Now we were finally going to follow through.
We found She at the kitchen table, her nose buried in a textbook. Apparently next week was a thing called "college final exams" which none of us understood. And based on She's attitude around the event, none of us wanted to find out, either.
I jumped up onto the table and began shaking She's arm. "Hey She, Poca and I need to ask something from you."

She didn't sound like She wanted to be bothered. "Like what?"
I beckoned her to lean in closer so that I could whisper in her ear. I was aware that we weren't the only dolls in the room. Dorothy was working in the kitchen, steeping tea in a stainless steel teakettle that She had recently bought for her. "Um... miniature Easter eggs."
"If you want it, put it on the Request Sheet." She sighed, flipping the page.
Oh, right. I'd forgotten about that. The Request Sheet was a piece of notebook paper that was thumbtacked to the right side of She's bulletin board- that way we dolls could easily reach it and write on it if we were standing on the bed.
"Your tea is ready." Dorothy called.
"Thanks, Dorothy. You're a doll," She replied with a tired wink. She got up from the table and poured herself a cup. "Spearmint?"
"It is," said Dorothy. "Bell said it would help promote focus."
"Exactly what I needed. Thank you," She held the mug close to her face and took a sip. "Anyways, if you guys want Easter eggs, I can't exactly go out and find some right now. Your best bet is to write it on the Request Sheet. I have the exam later today, and I'll take the list with me so I can go shopping after. Okay?"
I frowned slightly. So much for keeping this a secret. Luckily Dorothy didn't look too invested in what we were saying; she was busy cleaning up after teatime.
"Okay, we will." Pocahontas said with a nod. We went upstairs again, avoiding Magneto and Sven as best we could, and pulled Elsa aside to have her write on the Request Sheet. We both trusted Elsa, and besides, she had no reason to tell Magneto what we would be doing for him.
"I'm glad you're doing this for Magneto. He misses you, Moana." Elsa said.
"I know he does. I miss him too. It's strange to say that, though, since we both live in the same house."
"It's a large house, with a large group of people. Separation is understandable. But it doesn't have to be that way forever." Elsa went to touch her engagement bracelet, probably thinking about Steve's year in the attic, whether she realized she was doing so or not.

"You're right, Elsa. That's why we're having this Easter egg hunt. Tomorrow."
I looked at Pocahontas like she was crazy. "But tomorrow's the day we have the gym."
"I know, but there will be other days," Pocahontas said. "Right now this is more important."
I smiled and squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you agree."
With the request written, all Pocahontas and I could do was wait for She to return from the store. In the meantime we could plan where we wanted all of the eggs to go.
"I'd really like to have the egg hunt outside. I'm starting to miss the fresh air."
"Me too," Pocahontas agreed. "But I already asked Elphaba about that. She says that rain is due for the 19th. And I would have to agree with her. Those incoming clouds do not look pretty."
Oh.
"Okay," I groaned. "I was hoping to have it outside, but inside will work, too, I guess."
"There are plenty more hiding places in the house, I'm sure. Besides, we won't want to lose Magneto. The grass right now is just about as tall as he is!" Pocahontas giggled.
"Oh, but losing him's the fun part. That will give us something to find."
"You are lolo, Moana."
"I am not! And you're saying it wrong."
"I did my best," Pocahontas brought out a miniature notebook with yellow lined paper, perfect for egg-hunt-planning. "So, let's begin. I think the basement would be a good place to hide eggs."
I smiled, remembering 2017, when Magneto had hid my egg in the basement. It was by far the most difficult egg to retrieve, with what it being at the bottom of a glass of water and all. "Good idea."

Pocahontas made some chicken scratches on the notebook. Neither of us could write very well, but she was better at it than me. "Okay, well, that's where the first eggs will be."
I hadn't realized how much time we'd spent planning, but as soon as Pocahontas finished writing down the last location, we heard the garage door open.
"She's home! She's home!" Olaf cried, running with the stampede of dogs to the door. "How's college? How did your final go?"
She chuckled and lifted Olaf onto her shoulder. "Well, I passed the exam, if that's what you mean."
I suddenly noticed she was holding the Request Sheet in one hand and a plastic grocery bag in the other.
"Did you get our... you-know-what?" I asked in a hushed voice.
"I did," She knelt down and let Pocahontas and I search the bag. "I hope these are to your liking."
Inside the bag was a clear carton of eggs, all brightly colored and perfectly sized.
"They're wonderful." Pocahontas gasped.
"Thank you!" I shouted, taking the bag in my hands and rushing away before anyone else could see what She had bought for us.
"Basement first?" Pocahontas asked.
"You know it. Now let's be quiet! We don't want Magneto to come find us!"
Pocahontas nodded. "Right."
I knew that the basement was the traditional place for humans to hide things from the other humans, but in 2017, the same year as my first Easter Egg hunt, the humans got an air hockey table for Christmas, which was the first time to improving their basement. A room that had once been forgotten and avoided was now furnished with a new couch and television, and a dartboard for a different game. Which meant that the humans came and went to and from the basement more often than usual, which unfortunately meant that we had to hide the eggs really well. Fortunately, I was sure that we could.

Two eggs were hidden in the basement: one under the chair and one behind the hockey table's leg. Two more eggs were hidden in the living room: one by the fireplace and one more under some pillows. Two eggs were placed in the "front room" on the windowsill and on the lowest level of the bookshelf. One in the kitchen, three in the Room She Lives In, and finally, two were hidden in the best place of all. Even Pocahontas didn't know about it. Both were outside: the first was a purple egg thrown into the grass, and the second was a green egg buried in the soil of a flowerpot by the back door. Sure, it was close by, but the egg could be right under Magneto's nose and he would never know about it.
"Um, Moana? Are you done? My parents are coming home soon. You should probably head back up to my room."
"Yeah, I'm done," I wiped the dirt off my hands and leaped inside. "Is it okay if we have an Easter egg hunt tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that's fine. Nobody else will be here. I have class, and everyone else has work or school, so the earlier we'll be home is 4:00."
"Easter egg hunts don't take that long." I grinned.
"You might be surprised. When I was younger, it would often take hours to complete an egg hunt," She rolled her eyes and scooped me into her arms so that we could both go upstairs. "Then again, my dad would also hide the eggs at least two feet above my head..."
I laughed. "Don't worry, we're not like that. The egg hunt is for Magneto. So we only hid the eggs at ground level," I bit my lip and started squirming. "Well, except for one."
I don't think She heard what I said, because she never replied and instead dropped me off at the desk in her room, where Pocahontas was already. We shared the desktop space with some other dolls as our bed. The smaller dolls took the shelf, and the taller ones took the dresser. It was only 5-something in the evening, but Jonas, Jocasta, Olaf, and Idina were already asleep.
Hm, it wouldn't hurt to take a long nap. That way I could be ready bright and early for the egg hunt tomorrow. I thanked She for the ride, settled down onto the desk, and cradled Pua in my arms until I fell into a deep and untroubled sleep.

I was awakened by the squeaking sound of the window's blinds rolling upwards. 

"Rise and shine, everyone," Magneto called in a dull voice. "It's two days 'till Easter."

Pocahontas grabbed my wrist, and it looked like she hadn't slept a wink at all. "It's the 19th."

"It is," I replied. "Let's get to it." I released Pua from my arms and let him chase HeiHei to the bed.

"Your jungle gym?" Magneto asked.

"Yes," Pocahontas said, although she sounded uncertain. "And we wanted you to come see it. Moana and I are rather proud of our work."

Magneto crossed his arms, unamused. "But didn't you two just wake up?"

"Yes! We put it together the night before." I added, recovering for Pocahontas.

"Funny, I didn't notice any of that going on," Magneto muttered. "But sure. Take me to your gym."

I hooked Magneto's key-chain clasp through my pointer finger and carried him like a lantern all the way downstairs, with Pocahontas and I both trying to hold back sporadic giggling. We turned the corner to the living room, where the gym was usually set up, but every corner of the room looked the same.

"Is this some sort of prank?" Magneto asked.

"In a way, yes," I said giddily, and set Magneto down. "Pocahontas and I have prepared an Easter egg hunt for you! Surprise!"

Magneto scoffed. "You're kidding."

"No, we're serious. You did one for Moana two years ago, so we're doing one for you today." 

"Better get searching." I said.

Magneto flexed his fists. "I don't think you two realize that I am two inches tall."

"Relax! We made the hiding spots easy for you. Start here. We hid two eggs in the living room. Pink and yellow."

"Fine." Magneto grumbled, although I could tell he was trying to hide a smile. This is what he had really wanted all along. Not an egg hunt necessarily, but just to spend time with his best friend. I could get that. I trailed along behind Magneto, carrying the carton to put all the eggs in, and he quickly found one egg after the other.

Next came the great indoors. I have to say, it felt amazing to feel the grass under my feet and to hear the birds singing in the trees. The humans don't like spring much for their pollen allergies, but I had a feeling that Pocahontas and I would be spending a lot more time outside before the rains came. Which, according to Elphaba, would be any minute now. Magneto would have to find his last two Easter eggs faster than the previous ten, and even that seemed impossible.
He was getting more and more frustrated by the second as he had to "swim" through the grass in the humans' yard. The eldest male human had even cut the grass yesterday, and it was still hard to see Magneto at times. I was certain his arms were getting tired from having to push everything out of his sight.
"This is absolute nonsense!"
I laughed behind my hand. "Having that much of a hard time, are you?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Magneto cried. "Did one of you hide an egg in a tree? You know I can't climb."
I shook my head. "No, no climbing involved."
Pocahontas nudged my shoulder and whispered in my ear. "Um... do you think we should tell him...?"
I noticed the purple egg I had thrown was directly behind Magneto, and he was going the wrong way.
"Nah," I decided. "This is fun."
"This is the opposite of fun!"
"Oh, but remember two years ago when I felt the same way? It was fun in the end."
Magneto continued griping but we eventually saw that he turned around and found the purple egg. Feeling victorious, Magneto brought the egg up onto the deck and put it in the carton, sighing.
"I could have sworn that was the last one."

"Nope! You have one more," I made some not-so-subtle gestures towards the flowerpot by the door. "It might be in there. But I don't know."
"Oh, please don't tell me you're having me dig through the dirt!"
"You don't have to!" I ran towards the flowerpot and knocked on it with my knuckles. "It's iron." I flashed him a pointed look, and luckily, he caught it.
Magneto turned away from me. I couldn't understand why.
"Iron is magnetic." I reminded him.
"I can't."
"Can't what?" Pocahontas asked, her head titled in confusion and curiosity. Surely she was allowed to know about Magneto's powers, right?
Magneto's tone changed from bashful to angry. "I can't. Not in front of her."
I stepped forward. "But Magneto, it doesn't have to be a secret anymore! Pocahontas and I are good friends. I'm sure she would say the same about you." I looked frantically at Pocahontas and nodded, and she echoed that.
"It was never a secret, Moana. In the beginning, when She was starting her collection, I told every doll I knew then about my powers."
"Then why couldn't you show them? It's not a big deal!"
"It is a big deal!" Magneto yelled, then realized what he had done. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper. I will explain it to you later, Moana."
Magneto's cheeks were red with shame behind his helmet. "Please dig out my Easter egg for me."
I did, despite how I was feeling in the moment. So much for Magneto showing off his powers. Pocahontas would have loved them. At least I could tell her about my water-based powers later. She would love that, too. I just didn't know why Magneto was getting so defensive about everything. I guess he was always a little wary about using them around other dolls. Only could be with Magneto when he was manipulating magnets. I would have to ask him why later.

"Looking for this?" I asked, brushing the dirt off the green hand and presenting it to Magneto. I was trying to keep the mood light after our outbursts. I didn't want to make Pocahontas feel any more uncomfortable than she probably already was.
"Yes, thank you." Magneto took the green egg and placed it in the carton.
From behind us, the back door opened and Anelle poked her head out. Kristoff stood behind her, holding her chair forward. "Um, Moana, Pocahontas? Could one of you help us out? Toto found his way to the top of the bookshelf and you're the only dolls we know that can climb that high."
"What is he, a cat?" Magneto chortled. His true personality had clearly returned.
Anelle shrugged. "I'll take care of him." Pocahontas volunteered, and followed Anelle and Kristoff inside. Finally, Magneto and I were alone.
"Lolo?" I asked, and that was enough. Magneto knew.
"I can't use my powers around Pocahontas because... well... it's hard to explain."
"I'm listening."
"Well, no, that's a lie. It's not exactly hard to explain. It's just a hard truth."
"Okay."
"For you."
I touched my necklace nervously. "Me? Your powers shouldn't have anything to do with me."
"But they do!" Magneto insisted. "Remember when Idina and Olaf started dating, or Elsa and Steve? They always said that their significant other was their 'magnet mate' or 'magnet match'. This goes by the old legend dolls have always carried that everyone has a magnet inside of them, and another doll will carry the opposite. Like, for example, if Elsa has a north pole magnet inside of her, Steve would have a south pole, both from the same magnet. This is the human equivalent of a soul mate. Some humans believe that the person they love has the other half of their soul."
"Because being with the person you love makes you feel complete." I agreed, taking Magneto in my hand.
"Not exactly. For dolls it's a little different. Humans have souls, but not magnets. Dolls have both."
"So it's not a legend? Every doll has a magnet, and a magnet match?"

Magneto nodded gravely. "Well... not every doll."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't have a magnet. I can't have a magnet. Otherwise, when I use my powers, I would be manipulating the magnet inside of me. I would be thwarting my own actions."
"Okay... this doesn't have anything to do with me."
"But it does, Moana. You don't have a magnet inside of you, either. I know this for sure. You see, I can detect magnet fields, and I'm doing it constantly. You're the only other doll I've ever met who does not contain a magnet. That's why I wanted to become friends with you so quickly. You were different. Like me."
The grip on my necklace tightened. I didn't have a magnet. I would never have a magnet match. The thought made me sad at first, but when I started to think about it, I realized that I never really wanted one. I was never jealous of Jocasta when Jonas curled up close to her side when they slept. I never saw myself getting married someday in the the future whenever I attended Olaf and Idina's or Steve and Elsa's wedding. I didn't need a magnet match. I needed my freedom more. Besides, I had some wonderful friends here. Knowing that I didn't have a magnet, and that I would never fall in love, came as a sort of relief. For a long time, I thought that something was wrong with me, but I'd never mentioned it before. I guess I was scared.
"Moana, are you okay?" Magneto asked carefully.
"I am, actually, yes," I exhaled. "I'm relieved. I knew there must have been a reason for everything I've experienced- or haven't experienced- thus far in my life."
"So you understand why I couldn't show my powers near Pocahontas?"
"Because she has a magnet?"
"Exactly. If I were to do so, something might have gone terribly wrong."
The back door opened again. This time it was She. "There you are! You know whenever someone gets stuck on top of the bookshelf, you can just ask me to help out, right? Humans have stepstools for a reason."
I stood up, taking Magneto with me. "That's okay, Pocahontas was going to get him."
"Oh really?" Said She, opening her palm and showing us the small brown dog, who barked at us in recognition. "So are you going to stay out a little longer?"
"No, we're coming in."
"Cool. So can I use these now?" She was picking up the miniature carton of Easter eggs.
"Yep, go ahead."
"Did I ever tell you guys these eggs are made of bubble gum?" She said, popping the nearest green egg into her mouth.
I gasped, but then shut my mouth quickly. That green egg was the very same egg that had been buried in the soil of the flowerpot! Magneto based on the gagging noise he made, knew it, too.
She was already chomping away. "What's the problem?"
"Nothing, nothing!" I insisted, hurrying inside and as far away from She as possible, up to the Room She Lives In, before any suspicious flavor could be detected.
Oops.

A hui hou,

Moana of Motunui