Moana Search and Rescue

Part 2 of Moana Moves In.

***

"She's going to freeze out there," She whimpered. Her face was frozen in shock, but her legs were moving. She went over and opened a door by the entryway of the new house and pulled out a puffy coat. "I'm gonna go get her."

"She, no. You shouldn't. I'll go. I was the one that pushed her too far." Said Helen.

"No, I'll go. I'm the one who could have stopped it but I didn't." I said, feeling guilty and defeated.

"I don't care if she ever comes back. She hurt Meiling." Carol spat. Both her and Valkyrie had wrapped themselves around their daughter, trying to calm her worried cries.

Elsa stepped forward, fulfilling her duty as the doll family's matriarch. "Maybe she just needs some time alone. It does wonders for people and dolls alike."

"Fine, she can have it, but not out there. It's January. It's nighttime. The sun's not even out." She was franticly moving about the house, trying to remember what was in the boxes she packed. She started ripping the tape off of them and throwing different items around the room. She grabbed a flashlight and started pressing the button, but it had no batteries. She swore quietly.

Steve came forward as the voice of reason. "She, be serious. You've got work tomorrow and you're hardly settled in yourself. You don't have the time or energy to handle something like this. It's up to us dolls."

"Ve'll understand her plight," Idina chirped. "A human might be ze last thing she wants to rescue her."

"With a sword like that, she hardly needs rescued!" Magneto laughed. "Let her freeze. It'll teach her a lesson."

A smacked him on the head with my oar and gave him a look that said, "be nice, lolo."

She turned her head towards the analog clock on the wall. I couldn't tell time, but by the way She sucked her teeth, it had to be late.

"I hate to say it, but you guys are right. It's late and I have to still clean the kitchen. But this isn't the sort of stuff that can wait until morning."

"You have plenty of volunteers to go," said Meg. "Me, I'd rather clean the kitchen if I'm honest."

"I'll go," said Steve bravely. "When I first came into the family, I felt like I had to run away, too. I know what Raya is going through."

"I'm with him," said Helen. "I know Raya's story. I'm sure our lack of knowledge is part of what's bothering her."

"Me too," I said, raising my oar. "It's all my fault that Raya did this. I'll bring her back."

Magneto tapped my foot as if to tell me to take him along.

"Not this time, lolo."

"You don't have to redeem yourself, you know. You're not responsible for another person's feelings."

I nodded at him, but I didn't really agree.

"So we have a team then." Elsa gave a queenly smile to Helen and I, but her face fell at Steve. She pulled him in close for a hug, and their daughter Thalia latched onto his legs. The room became white noise as my thoughts became louder and louder. She rustled around for flashlight batteries. Meg, Cinderella, and Snow White went to wash the dishes. Helen found Gene and convinced him to cough up her sword. Olaf offered Meiling a piece of muffin to distract her from her pain. Anelle loaned me one of her capes, but I was only reminded of how cold and lost and lonely Raya must be.

"Hey," Magneto tapped my foot again. "I'll keep your necklace safe for you."

"I know you will," I scooped him up in my arms for a hug. His arms weren't even long enough to wrap around my shoulders. "Be good while I'm gone."

"You know I can't promise that."

I rolled my eyes at him. As devious as Magneto was, he could always put a smile on my face.

"Ready to go?" Helen's gentle hand touched my shoulder.

"Mhm."

"She gave Steve a flashlight, and he has his shield. She told me that if we don't bring Raya back by morning, She'll drive around before work to look for us."

I thought it was a good plan. She wished us luck and made us swear we'd come home if we ran into any danger. Steve lead the way out the back door with the flashlight and shut it behind us. Into the cold we went.

The light from inside the house came through the glass door and cast a bright yellow square onto the grass. Already it was crisp with ice, and patches of snow rested under the shrubs that marked the end of She's yard. It was the first time I wished a Moana doll came with shoes.

"Where should we start?" Asked Steve. "Normally I'd say to split up, but with racoons and the cold, I don't want to risk losing either one of you as well."

"Let's try the trees," said Helen. "Raya has that retractable sword. It would be smart of her to use it to get off the ground."

I was already following their suggestions. I threw my oar to the ground and started scaling the tree, wrapping my arms and legs around the trunk and shimmying upwards. The bark was slick with ice. I guess it had rained recently, and the falling temperatures weren't making it any easier. I made my way over to the first branch and kept my body close to it as I went from trunk to end.

"Are you good up there?" Steve called.

"I'm okay." I breathed. In truth, I had never been so high up off the ground. Outside heights were taller than inside heights. It was difference between falling into a carpet or cozy pillow and falling onto grass, dirt, and mulch. I peered up through the branches of the rest of the tree but could see nothing that would be the shape of Raya. Only stars, barely glowing behind the dark clouds of a winter night. I shut one eye and held my palm upwards, spacing out my fingers between the stars. We definitely weren't going to be travelling far enough to use my wayfinding skills. Or at least I hoped not.

"Anything?"

"Nothing. I'm coming down."

"There's another tree over there." Helen pointed.

This one was shorter and more bare than the last, a sapling. It was obvious that Raya wouldn't be found in it. I didn't bother to climb it. 

"Do you think she would leave the yard?" I asked.

"Of course," said Steve. "She wanted to escape. She doesn't care about coming back. She'd go anywhere. Helen, I'll need your sword."

"Where are we going?"

"Through the bushes." Steve whipped the sword from side-to-side, carving out a hole in the dense shrubbery. Helen covered her face as twigs and berries went flying.

"Into the other neighborhood?" I said, bewildered.

"It's like I said. She wanted to escape."

"Wouldn't she cut a hole in the bushes too? We would be able to see if she crawled through or not."

"Maybe she didn't crawl. Look." Helen pointed at another tree, this time the underside. A small rectangular hole had been pierced into one of the lower branches. It was exact size and shape of the hole on the kitchen of She's ceiling, the hole Raya made when she used her sword to swing onto the ground.

"There's our answer," Steve nodded. "Come on. We're getting closer."

I let Helen and Steve go on ahead of me. They ducked their heads and passed under the archway of leaves that had been created. I looked solemnly behind me, wishing the light that came from She's back door could follow us. I sighed and followed them through.

The next neighborhood looked significantly different from She's. The houses were bigger, the roads were wider. They had streetlights and sidewalks. Everything looked older and more elegant. In front of every house, on the driveway, big gray bins stood straight and still.

"What do you think that is?"

"Tomorrow must be trash day," said Steve. "We'll have to be more careful now. Nocturnal animals like to go through those, and they'll notice us, too. I've had my own experience with mice," he returned Helen's sword and pulled the shield off his back. "Nasty creatures."

I shuddered and pulled my cape closer over my shoulders. This new neighborhood wasn't much warmer. We started down the road, keeping close to curb.

"Don't be afraid," Helen cooed. "I know what's its like to venture into the unknown. Not everything that's different is against you."

"I know, I know. I used to be big on adventure, trust me. It was impossible to get me to be still. I was always running around, or running away. I had things to see and do. But as I'm getting older, I don't ache for it like I used to. I'm happy just being at home, doing small favors. I'd rather build up my community than go into the fray."

"Both are admirable." Helen nodded. 

"Really?"

"Of course. Everyone changes with age. It just takes time to find the things that matter to you, and the things that matter to you will change you. Some people get frustrated because they don't know what they value, or they feel like no one cares about them."

"Like Raya."

"It looks like it, yes. But we can show her that she's wrong. She does matter to us, and she can feel like she belongs in our home."

"What can we do for her?"

"We could watch her movie. All of us. That way, we know what she's like, where she's coming from, how to help her..." Helen's voice trailed off. "It may take a lot of convincing to bring her back."

"Can you do it?"

"I can't do it alone, Moana. We'll all have to pitch in."

"Yeah..." I hung my head with the weight of the things I had to do in the future. "Wait a second. Steve! Stop walking."

Steve stopped and straightened his posture. "What? What is it?"

"Tracks. Look! Doesn't that look like the print of Raya's boots?"

I gestured to the curb, which had parts of it that had been lightly powdered with snow. There was the shape of a rounded triangle with a square right behind it, over and over, repeating itself.

"Looks like it to me," Said Steve. "Let's hurry before we lose the trail."

We hurried our pace. We beat against the earth, veering this way and that. We went out of people's yards just as quickly as we came into them. We crossed the street, then ran back again. And then to the other side.

"What is going on?" I cried.

"I think she was trying to get us off her tail." Steve said.

Somehow I didn't believe him. There were the smallest pile of sticks found at each side of the road where Raya's footprints went. It's like she was running with a large bundle of sticks in her arms and kept dropping them as she went from side to side to gather more. I wondered what that meant.

Helen skidded to a stop right before leaving the concrete. Tall, unkempt grasses were blanketed thick with snow, protected from melting by the nearby trees. The trees looked old and brittle, they were not ones I would have normally climbed. 

"At least we know the general direction she went," Steve panted. "There's more bushes up ahead. Maybe she went back to the house."

I couldn't wait for Steve to cut through them again. I scaled the tallest tree and made my way out to the furthest branch, slipping the entire way. I didn't bother to hug myself close to it like last time. This tree hadn't shed its leaves for the winter, and it was impossible to see the stars whenever you looked up.

"Moana! What do you see?" Steve shouted.

"I see..." I leaned closer forward. These were clearly a different line of shrubs, because I didn't see the path of light that had come from She's back door. We were lost lost. Below me, the line of bushes made a circle, bordering something that wasn't grass and wasn't snow. It looked slick, but not smooth. It was silver, but not reflective. "I think it's a pond!"

"Is Raya there?"

"I can't tell," I leaned closer still, hanging onto a springy twig for balance. I squinted, almost shutting my eyes entirely before I made out something small and dark moving on the surface of the pond. "Wait, no! I think it's her!"

There was the whacking sound of Helen slicing her sword through the bushes. But this small dark thing was moving fast. They wouldn't be able to make it to Raya in time before she ran away again. 

"Stay there, Moana!" Steve ordered.

"I can't! You're going to lose her!"

"You're going to fall!"

I bit my lip and backed up, pressed my body close to the tree's trunk. Holding out my oar in front of me, I ran forward and dug the point of the oar into the branch, preparing to pole vault onto the surface of the pond. 

The branch gave way.

A cracking sound erupted in my ears.

I felt the air leave my body as I toppled over and fell, higher than I'd ever fallen before.

My body slammed into the scraggly shrubs below.

I heard Helen scream from the pond.

Ioihi makamaka,

Moana of Motunui

Moana Moves In (Recipe Included!)

The day was January 15th. It felt like forever since She had packed us away into her ottoman and took us to our new home. I could only imagine what was going on as it was happening- most of the other dolls drifted in and out of sleep- what else was there to do? I, Moana, was laying on the top of the pile, wide awake and listening in on the rumblings of moving furniture or the voices of She's roommates. Then, on that day, the 15th, She received her first package at the new house. It was late at night, so I didn't expect her to open it, but She did... and She needed my help.

***

"So, what is it?" I asked. Helen, the other other doll who was awake, stood quietly at my side.

She gingerly tossed the package around in both hands, feeling around for any easy place to open it. "A new friend. Someone I thought would be good at organizing things and uniting people. Something we definitely need." She looked around at the piles of boxes that surrounded the ottoman and winced. 

"So it's a doll!" I exclaimed. She had expressed the desire to become more minimalist in this new year of 2022, but I knew I shouldn't have believed her. There was always so much joy in growing the doll family.

"It is. And you're the only dolls awake to help me greet them," She nodded in our direction. "Do you think you can do that?"

I thought about it. Elsa was usually the one to do these things. But I had been in She's life for about five years now. Many dolls had come and gone in those years. And I had Helen to help me. Peaceful, compassionate Helen. She was special somehow. If the new doll was like her, she could understand them. But if they were like me... I was ready!

She fumbled with the doll box for a while, being careful to keep it out of our sight until the big reveal.

"These are always the worst part," She grumbled, tossing twisty ties to the ground. "Alright. She's ready."

I clasped my hands tightly together and She turned the doll around. Straight black hair swept under a wide-brimmed hat that cast shadows on her small brown eyes. She wore a practical outfit in all the colors of the rainforest. I didn't recognize her.

"It's... Raya?" Helen whispered, reading off of the box She had set aside. It was clear Helen didn't know her, either.

Hearing the name "Raya" triggered the doll to wake. She blinked once, and blinked ahead, and swiveled her head around. Once she realized she was being held by a human, she pushed away and stood tall.

"The Code is already broken, isn't it?"

"Has been for some time," Helen giggled. She stuck out her hand for a shake. "I'm Helen. Welcome."

"Moana." I said. I told her to "feel at home" in the native language of Motunui, wondering if she knew it.

Raya frowned. Okay, maybe not.

"Make yourself at home." I said, this time in English.

"This is home?" Raya asked.

"Well, it didn't used to be," She sighed. "Call me She. The dolls and I used to live with my parents in a different house, in a different town. This is the first time I've gotten a chance alone."

"And this is the first time we've been out and about," said Helen. "We should do something to celebrate. Make all of us feel more at ease with this new place."

"I wouldn't know what to do." She said.

"What about baking?" I suggested. "You used to bake all the time. Remember how many recipes went on the blog just within the past few months?"

She shrugged. "It's become a sort of a passion."

"Well let's go then!" I insisted. I took up my oar and used it to pole vault onto the stove. I only had to press a few buttons to preheat the oven.

"I do have a recipe I'd like to try..." She let Helen and Raya step into her hands like a little elevator and carried them over to the kitchen. "Brown sugar spice muffins. Sound good?"

As She was mixing the ingredients, Helen and I decided to get to know our new friend.

"Tell us about yourself, Raya."

"I don't normally bake," she confessed. "Actually, I'm a terrible cook. I can cure my own jerky, but I wouldn't say it's edible."

Helen and I laughed. Raya didn't, and I was worried we had hurt her feelings, but she just continued on with her story.

"But my Ba made the best soup. He's the chief of Kumandra, which is where I'm from. Originally it was called Heart, before the dragons were restored, and it's like a rainforest biome."

Already I was reeling. 

"Then there was the snowy forests of Spine, the floating markets of Talon, the desert villages of Tail, and Fang. They used to be Heart's enemies, or at least Namaari was my enemy. She was the daughter of Chief Virana," Raya smiled coyly, the first smile she'd made since being out of her box. "Yeah. We used to be enemies. It took a lot of trust and bonding to get us into a better place."

I felt bad for not paying attention as much as Helen was. She stood gracefully by the stove's dials, nodding and acknowledging all of Raya's lore. I myself was handing She ingredients, fixing the ratios of the spices (She never made things flavorful enough for us dolls to smell) and judging her quietly for using a casserole dish for the dough instead of a mixing bowl.

"It's all we have," She said quietly, casting me a hopeless look. "I haven't even unpacked half of my boxes."

She also didn't have a muffin tin or cupcake liners. Instead, we had to substitute for a nonstick mini loaf tin. It looked brand new. She poured the mixture into each hole and wiped the sides clean with a paper towel. Into the oven they went.

"You told me something earlier. What was that about?" Raya asked me, as we peered into the oven.

"Oh, that was Tagalog. It's the language of my people. From Motunui."

"I haven't heard of it."

"I'm afraid we haven't heard of you, either." Helen stated.

"That's what I thought. My movie came out in 2021. You all seem... older. No offense."

"Yeah, we are," I admitted. "But there's nothing wrong with that. She is expecting a lot of you so that you'd be able to help us get organized. To make us feel more at home."

"That's a lot to expect," said Raya. "You're lucky I'm used to it."

The three of us went quiet. She pretended to busy herself with reading the recipe. 

"You won't be alone," said Helen. "And no one is expecting you to be perfect. This is your first day, after all. You need to settle in, too."

"I know," said Raya. "I've told you about me. What about you?"

For the time the muffins (loaves) baked, Helen and I shared the stories of our movies. That's the cool thing about being a Disney doll. You knew all of it, start to finish, even the things a regular human watching might not notice. I knew exactly what kinds of fruits Moana took on her journey to find Maui, and Helen knew the exact names of all of the Northuldra people Anna met in the forest. The minutes dragged on, and I was beginning to feel like this was more of a show-and-tell session than making a new friend.

"Food's done!" She exclaimed, right on time. We were running out of things to say. "This is going to be a great recipe to share." She ran back into the living room, opened her laptop, and starting typing away at what I figured must be the blog.

“Welcome Home” Muffin Loaves

For new places and new faces alike.

Ingredients:

Loaves

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• sprinkle of ground ginger
• hearty sprinkle ground allspice
• 1 stick of cold butter
• 1 cup unsweetened original flavor almond milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

• 1 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Be aware this recipe works best using a nonstick mini loaf tin. A nonstick baking pan will not require any parchment paper or cooking spray.
• Combine the dry ingredients together in a bowl. This includes the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together with a fork. This includes the milk, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until bubbles are formed in the mixture.
• Cut the stick of butter into small pieces and toss them into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix using your hands, squeezing the butter in with the flour mixture until it feels even.
• Pour your wet ingredients in with your dry ingredients and stir well. If it’s a little lumpy, that’s okay. It will change with baking.
• Bake the muffin loaves for about 15-17 minutes.
• As soon as the loaves are out of the oven, spread the melted butter evenly over each one.
• Stir the cinnamon and sugar in a bowl or shot glass and sprinkle over the loaves. They should set and create a crisp and sweet topping.

She immediately grabbed a loaf from the pan and shoved it into her mouth. "Who wants to cut into it?"

"Let me." Said Raya. She unsheathed an elaborate sword she'd been hiding behind her back and began to divide a loaf into three equal pieces.

"A retractable sword!" Helen exclaimed. "That's amazing. Mine's made of ice."

"And it doesn't melt?" Raya marveled.

"Oh no, we have Elsa to take care of that. I would show you but it's in Gene's mouth right now, and he's sleeping."

"I can't wait for Raya to meet them. I'm sure she's gonna get along great with Jasmine," She said through a mouthful of muffin. "They have the same curly-toed shoes."

"Gene? Elsa? Jasmine? Who are these people?" Raya's voice was becoming more and more energized.

"The family," Helen beamed. "All of She's dolls, starting at the very beginning. Come on, we'll show you."

"It's about time they wake up anyways," said She, taking Helen back on her hand. "They'd better stretch their legs before my roommates get suspicious. I only have the living room to myself for so long."

Raya barely waited for me to catch my breath before grabbing me tightly and swinging us down from the stovetop, the tip of her sword stuck into the ceiling. She's landlords weren't going to be happy about that, but we were too excited for introductions to care.

"This is the ottoman," said Helen. "It's where we've been for days now, waiting to be welcomed into our new home."

"Tonight's the night to do that," I agreed. "Raya, meet your doll family!"

I jumped up and knocked the lid away. Inside were my friends and family, and they were now moving and muttering, probably waking up because of the wonderful smell of baked muffins. I grabbed my oar and started knocking it on the side.

"Wake up, everyone! A new doll is here!"

"A new doll, a new doll?" They repeated, one after another, down the line of dolls all the way to the bottom of the storage chamber where they lay. They began to yawn and stretch and form a parade out of the ottoman to greet Raya. 

Everyone was thrilled to see her, or maybe just thrilled to be out of the ottoman, but they shook hands and introduced themselves and tried to hug- or at least Olaf did. And Raya wasn't a fan of hugs. 

After the first few dolls, it became the same pattern. "Nice to meet you, my name's this-and-this. I'm from the movie that-and-that. What's your name? Raya? Oh, I haven't heard of that one. Are you new? Yeah? What's your movie? No, I haven't heard of that, either." Raya may have been grinning broadly, but it all looked fake. Her eyes kept darting this way and that, looking for an escape route.

"I think it's getting to be too much," said Helen to me, sadly. "We should intervene."

"How? She's in charge now." I replied.

Our human sat crouched on the ground, forcing Raya in to each introduction, pointing out little things that each of them had in common. They all felt silly and forced. "And this is Pocahontas! She lived in a forest too! Maybe not a rainforest, or a bamboo forest... but she does have a love for small creatures. Don't you, Raya? Yeah, I guess Tuk-Tuk isn't small anymore."

She was the only one out of 30 plus dolls who knew Raya's movie, or anything about her. It was kind of embarrassing.

"Well if you're not going in, I will." Said Helen. It was hard to believe someone so demure could be so stubborn. 

"Wait!" I said, grabbing her wrist. 

I wish I hadn't stopped her.

"I can't take it anymore!" Raya cried out. The circle of dolls that surrounded her bowed away in fear and surprise. Their eyes followed the path of her sword, which was raised high in the air. "This is too much. This is just too much. I need to go. I have to go." The princess raised her legs and stepped over the dolls that had once been vying for her attention. Her speed began to increase and we watched with horror as we realized she was running towards the back door. 

"Ryan, no!" A small voice cried. Meiling was holding onto her boot. 

Raya looked into She's eyes. Her expression was angry and betrayed. "You don't even know my name."

"Raya, it's not like that. Don't do this. Don't go," She begged. "You don't know what it's like out there. I don't even know my way around town yet. I won't be able to find you."

"Good." Said Raya. Her voice was hard as stone. With one swift motion she kicked Meiling away, and her sword reached out to pull open the handle to the back door. A cold and strong wind pushed all of us away, and muffled our voices and we tried to call Raya back. 

It was too late.

The last we saw of Raya were her lips in a thin line, and her brows coming down over her eyes. She took off into the backyard, disappearing into the shrubs that created the border between neighborhoods.

And it was all my fault.

Ioihi makamaka,

Moana of Motunui

She's Big Change

It came to our attention a little while ago that She would be moving! At first, none of the dolls knew quite how to feel. We were proud of our human for graduating college and having the means to move out of her parents' house. Then, as the days passed and the date grew closer, several questions began to make us nervous. Who would be able to go with her? What all would change? And would it be change for the better? It seemed that we wouldn't get any answers until the big day. But being the loyal doll family we were, we decided to help She pack up and clear out her room- for better or for worse.

***

Each of us had our own role to play. She's mom and gathered a slew of boxes over the course of the month and they needed filled. She would be taking her desk, desk chair, two dressers, and various wall items like a floating shelf and a clock. This place needed days of effort. Luckily, we were happy to pitch in.

Thor and Tony pounded down the boxes and sealed them up with packaging tape.

Merida stacked the boxes in the Room She Lives In and kept them in stable towers.

I was in charge of making sure that "box mountain" in the hallway was well organized.

Snow White wrote the description on each box with an extra-bold Sharpie.

Dortha and Helen emptied She's bookshelf and threw them down for us to pack.

Mattias tucked the house plants into a laundry basket so they wouldn't tip over. 

Jasmine and Meg took turns filling the donation bin, which She would take the Goodwill later.

Rapunzel cleared off She's bulletin board and used the thumbtacks as a rock wall to reach the top.

Cinderella wrapped all of the fragile items like candles and crystals in white tissue paper.

Tinker Bell took the hardware off She's walls.

Pocahontas and Moana cleaned off the top shelves of She's closet. You wouldn't believe how many journals were in there!

She took all the boxes from "box mountain" to the garage, despite Thalia's best efforts to convince her to use my powers to turn the staircase into an ice slide and push everything to the first floor.

There was one last box that didn't make it. She kept filling it with things. DVDs, books, and mailing envelopes. She explained to us that this box would be "to sell". Later on, after settling in to her new home, She would attempt to list the items on eBay.

Blake interrupted her. Since most Funko Pops don't have a mouth, She couldn't understand Blake's non-verbal way of talking, but Moana got to translate. Blake said that he and the Funky Warriors were growing tired of living there and wanted to move on to a new home.

"Are you sure?" She asked. "I can't guarantee where you'll end up."

Blake didn't seem to mind. He gathered together the Funkos and they talked it out amongst themselves. The rest of the dolls waited and held their breaths. No one had ever chosen to leave She like this. Sure, there was the mistake of her giving Zayn and his boyfriend away, but that was years ago, before She knew about The Code of Dolls. 

Still, it's not like we could stop them. If the Funky Warriors wanted to leave, they had the right to do so. And unfortunately I could see why they wanted to. Only a few dolls understood their form of nonverbal communication, and Funkos were very territorial dolls as it was. They just... didn't feel welcome. And I was guilty about that because it was hard to welcome them. Maybe they were better suited to a different home. And now was a good a time as ever to do that.

In the end, we had a whole group of Funko Pops who wanted to go. Blake, Heimdall, and Iron Man, of course, but also Maia, Time, Bob Ross. We made sure to get a good picture of them before they left.

As a final hurrah, She made us a giant pot of hot chocolate. The smell was absolutely heavenly, and it was as warm as the home we remembered. 

Finally, it was time to pack ourselves. She said we'd have the comfiest spot in her ottoman, which had a huge storage space when you lifted the lid. Being the tallest, Anna and I settled ourselves in first. 

"You ready?" Said Anna, crossing her ankles.

"Definitely."

"You nervous?"

I sighed. "A little."

"We have nothing to worry about as long as we're together," Anna grasped my hand and held it tight. "Remember what you told me? You were waiting for a sister all of your life. And when I finally came, it was like the world was new. We're going into a new world. That's all. And this time you'll have me with you the entire way."

"You're right," I said. "This will be good for us."

Anna and I slowed our breaths until we stopped entirely, and I shut my eyes as more dolls were piled up around us, tight and cozy as sardines in a tin. Steve was on my other side and Thalia was on my lap, and I couldn't have been more contented. 

Let's go, I thought. Let's start this new life.

Moving on,

Queen Elsa Rodgers

Fall Recipes 2021- Three Quick Snacks

Good morning everyone, and happy Thanksgiving! She's family has been put on the spot this year to create some appetizers before today's feast. Luckily, we have these recipes handy, and we'd like to share them with you. Please note that the ratios and measurements for these aren't set in stone. If you prefer more or less of one thing, or if you want to do some replacements and omissions, that is perfectly okay.

***

Sweet and Smoky Pumpkin Seeds

If you have some leftover pumpkins from Halloween, this is the recipe for you. We discovered that two medium-sized pumpkins will yield about 2 cups of the seeds. Make sure they are rinsed well and pat them slightly dry with a paper towel. The seeds will still be sticky, but they will hold the seasoning better than pre-roasted seeds.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups washed and dried fresh pumpkin seeds
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, set aside
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon ginger
• hearty sprinkle cayenne pepper
• sprinkle of sea salt
• sprinkle of black pepper

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven 300 degrees Fahrenheit and spread the pumpkin seeds out as evenly as possible on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper
• Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds with salt and pepper in about a 3-1 ratio. Turn the seeds over a little with a spatula in order to evenly season them
• Bake the seeds for about 20 minutes. This will help to dry out the insides and keep them crunchy
• When they are finished, put the olive oil into a large saucepan on medium heat. When the oil starts flowing more freely, pour in the cooked pumpkin seeds
• Stir well, allowing the oil to coat all of the seeds. While it is roasting, combine the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the remainder of the spices into a large bowl
• Toss the 3 tablespoons of sugar over the oily seeds. Stir until the sugar starts to crystalize over the seeds, but don't let it get to a caramel color
• When the sugar crystals form, dump the seeds into the bowl of spices and mix until they are evenly coated in the seasoning
• Serve at room temperature with a refreshing glass of apple cider or a drink of your choice

Rosemary Garlic Cream Cheese Spread

She's family always get a cheese platter with crackers to munch on during the Macy's parade. This flavorful spread is by She's own invention- works well with crackers or crunchy veggies like cucumber and baby carrots.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoons dried dill
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons garlic clove (we used canned garlic)
• handful of finely shredded cheddar cheese
• sprinkle of sea salt
• sprinkle of black pepper

Recipe:

• Take the cream cheese out of the package and put it into a small-medium mixing bowl. Let soften
• Using a fork or a standing mixer, mash up the cream cheese
• Add all of the spices, stirring constantly
• Cover and refrigerate when not eating

Turkey Feathers Trail Mix

This trail mix is so easy to make that you could include the kiddos. Tell them that the pretzel sticks are "turkey feathers" and they will love to help out in the kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Reese's pieces candies (or any other candy-coated peanut butter pieces)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips or chunks
• 1/3 cup unsalted almonds
• 1/3 cup unsalted peanuts
• handful of pretzel sticks

Recipe:

• Toss all the ingredients into a container with a lid. Add more of a certain ingredient if you would prefer. (You can never have enough chocolate.)
• Shake it up thoroughly. The pretzel sticks may tend to stay at the top, but you could also take the lid off and give it a good stir
• Serve or store for later. Replace with green and red M&Ms for a Christmas treat!

Signing off,

Queen Elsa Rodgers

Fall Recipes 2021- Drinks and Desserts!

Something about the changing of the leaves and the shortening of the day really puts me in the mood to write... and bake. She and the doll family has spent more time in the kitchen than anywhere else ever since the season began. Try using these recipes along with your Thanksgiving feast.

***

She's Soft Ginger Cookies

Wait- where's the snap? Well, there isn't one. And perhaps that is what has made She's soft gingersnaps so popular. Their old-fashioned flavor and addicting texture are sure to be a hit with friends.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses (regular is also fine, we just used blackstrap)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 heaping teaspoon cloves
• 1 heaping teaspoon ginger

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Get a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. This will prevent the cookies from sticking to the pan.
• Beat the softened butter and 1 cup of sugar together using an electric mixer. While mixing, add the egg and the 1/4 cup of molasses 
• In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients by simply stirring with a spatula. This would include the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.
• Put the mixer on the lowest speed and slowly pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. 
• Using a cookie scoop, ball up the dough and roll it in a dish that has the 3 tablespoons of sugar until there is sugar all around the ball.
• Evenly space the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, but don't press them down.
• Bake the cookies for 11 minutes, then check them. If the middle of the cookies still jiggle when you shake the pan, add 2 more minutes to the bake time. They should be medium brown in the oven and cool to a dark brown, but not burnt.
• Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with some leftover sugar. Cool before eating! Or if you're a doll and you don't eat, it smells stronger when it's warm.

Herbal Apple Tea for Two

Perfect for a relaxing day spent at home watching rain or visiting an orchard.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 4 teaspoons granulated sugar

Recipe:

• Pour the water into a pot or kettle along with the cinnamon and cloves, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat until the liquid is steaming and let the spices sit in the water for about four minutes. It should be a clear brown.
• With a mesh strainer, filter out the cloves and cinnamon into a heat-proof large measuring cup with a lip for easy pouring. Return it to the pot or kettle and turn on low heat.
• Add the apple juice and sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
• Top with ground cinnamon if you prefer. Serves two. Enjoy hot or cold.

Peanut Butter Honey Cookies

If you're not ready to leave summer behind, these peanut butter cookies can be enjoyed any time of the year. Press them with your thumb before baking and top with jelly after they are cooled to make a good after school treat.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 5 to 6 fl oz of honey (about half a bear bottle)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Recipe:

• Using an electric mixer, combine butter, peanut butter, granulated and brown sugars together in a bowl until it has a creamy texture.
• Add the eggs while the mixer is still running. 
• In a separate bowl, stir the dry ingredients together. This includes baking powder, baking soda, flour, and salt. 
• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer running. 
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
• When ready, roll the dough into balls using a cookie scoop. Place on a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Flatten each ball with a fork to make a checkerboard pattern.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• If you prefer, sprinkle the finished cookies with granulated sugar when they're still hot from the oven.
• Cool on a baking rack. Best served cold.

She's Birthday Pumpkin Pie

In lieu of birthday cake, She sometimes requests homemade pumpkin pie. It's a surprisingly simple recipe but never fails to delight. The leftover crust and filling can also make a mini pie for dolls.

Filling ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 heaping teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 heaping teaspoon nutmeg
• Hearty sprinkle of cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Crust ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening (we used Crisco)
• 7 to 8 tablespoons ice-cold water

Recipe:

• Let's start with the crust. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. This includes flour, sugar, and salt.
• Cut the butter into small chunks with a knife. You'll want them about the size of your pinkie fingernail.
• Combine the butter with the dry ingredients by mashing the chunks with your fingers. The warmth of your hands will not melt the butter, only soften it enough to get a good dough. 
• When the dough can be squeezed into quarter-sized lumps without falling apart, add the vegetable shortening and continue mixing with your hands. 
• If need be, sprinkle in a little iced water at a time.
• The dough is ready whenever it can form a round loaf shape, but isn't wet when squeezed.
• Roll out the dough into a circle on a lightly floured surface.
• Form into the shape of a pie pan. If you prefer, you can cut off the edges of dough with a paring knife and flatten it into a ramekin. We made this pie twice and used both aluminum and glass. Either one will bake the same way.
• Moving on to the pie filling! This is the easy part. Just whisk all the ingredients together in a separate mixing bowl. 
• Pour the pie filling into the crust. Any leftovers can go into the ramekin with the extra dough.
• Bake the pie for 15 minutes on 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• When the timer ends, lower the oven's temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue baking for 40 more minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• If you made the mini pie, it should only require the first 15 minutes on 425 and maybe 10-20 minutes of baking at 350. I would recommend the toothpick trick.
• Let cool for 2 or more hours. Top with pumpkin pie spice or whipped cream.

Falling Leaves Mulled Wine

"Leaf" it to Kristoff's puns to make you "fall" in love with this non-alcoholic spiced wine.

Ingredients:

• One bottle (750 ml) of sparkling red grape juice
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks
• 10-13 cloves
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• splash of lemon juice
• hearty sprinkle of allspice
• light sprinkle of cardamom

Recipe:

• Pour the sparkling grape juice and apple juice into a large pot and turn the stove on low-medium heat. When the liquid is steaming, add all other ingredients.
• Continue to heat the wine on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Don't let it boil! Taste intermittently to ensure the flavor is coming through. 
• Turn off the stove and pour through a mesh strainer into a heat proof vessel, like glass. Since the apple juice was added, the liquid contents increased and you will not be able to put it back in the original grape juice bottle.
• Serve hot as an accompaniment to a crackling bonfire.

Additional notes:

One of the best parts of this drink is that mulled wine can be customized! You can use real red wine or a few other ingredients. We're including our suggestions down below.

• Orange peel
• Nutmeg
• Fresh ginger
• Cranberries
• Anise flower

Signing off,

Queen Elsa Rodgers

Helen's Journey P.1: Boat and Sword

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the blog. Another addition came to us in June 2019, a Frozen 2 Anna doll by the name "Helen". Helen is a special case, unique to any other story the dolls in She's collection. Helen is the only doll we have ever met who knew the exact moment they gained sentience. This would have not been so surprising if she hadn't done something about it, because Helen didn't need shipping and handling to reach the Room She Lives In. Because Helen got here all by herself. This is her story, one she is finally willing to tell.

***

Gaining sentience is like... daybreak.

You're in darkness so dark that you never realized you were there. And then, all of a sudden, a huge burst of light. With the light comes colors: gold, peach, pink, and violet, in pastels and neons. It's so bright it hurts, but your eyes are forced to stay open as breath ruptures your chest. Breathing is a choice now. It's optional, but goodness, does it feel good. You rise and fall like oceans overtaking a mountain, overlapping it and drowning you in the sensation of life. 

I was able to calm myself long enough to observe my body. I had wavy copper-colored hair, part of it done up in a braided halo. It was the kind of hair I always wanted to have. My eyes are bigger than I remember, my eyelashes thicker. My hands are smaller, and my skin is paler, plastic and unblemished. Years of age and experience washed away in a single resurrection. 

If I wasn't supposed to be here, why did it feel so right?

I get the sense to look around at more than myself. I'm in a box. Half is translucent, bendy plastic. The other half is cardboard, patterned with dozens of white and brown birch trees. I'm not alone in the box, either. I'm sitting in a blue canoe, textured with stars, or maybe snowflakes? It was likely the latter, since a snowman with an enormous grin shared the boat with me. He was a delightful-looking character, but he had what I wanted. Behind him was a wall of accessories perfectly sized for someone like me. A dish, a teacup, and a lantern, but I was more interested in the sword. My hands were both bound to the sides of the boat, and if I was ever going to get to know what happened to me, I'd have to break free. If the snowman was also alive, I might be able to catch his attention. 

I started whistling, something I remembered doing a lot for some reason, but I couldn't place a time or reason. It was a low, haunting whistle, one that mimicked the sound of wind through a tall field of grasses. I dipped my voice up and down, trying to strike the right tune. A shrill squeal caused the snowman to twitch once... twice. His movements exploded and I could almost see the lights that opened his eyes and brought him into the world.

"Hello?" I called carefully once the snowman had settled into a steady rhythm of breathing. My voice was more even now, more confident and sweet.

"Hello?" He echoed back, still too startled to look anywhere else but up. 

"Are you okay?"

"I... I think so."

"Well whenever you're ready, can you reach and grab that sword for me? It's behind you."

"The blue one?"

I looked around quickly for a sword of any other color, but found none. "Yes."

The snowman, having sticks for arms, was easily able to remove one and hold it in the other, giving him more length to reach and grab the sword off the wall.

"What do you need it for?" He asked, his face twisting with suspicion.

"To cut my bonds," I explained. "I'm not going to use it against you. You can trust me."

He eased his expression and gave me the sword. The tool was unfamiliar in my hands but it was easy enough to sever my hands from the plastic ties around the canoe. Another one around my waist and head and I was now standing, free but still trapped. I started grabbing all the accessories off the wall. I tossed a sleeveless cape around my shoulders and fit the dishware and a compass into a brown satchel. I carried that as well as the lantern, already glowing with an unusual yellow light. The lantern illuminated a corner of the box closest to the snowman, shining on a small lizard-like creature. A salamander, mostly blue with reddish shapes on its back. I didn't see how it would be useful, but it was a certainly cute. I snatched it up, lifeless as it was, and used the sword to cut a hole in the box's plastic the right size for me to escape.

"Wait! I want to come with you." The snowman yelled.

I glanced behind my shoulder to see him with arms extended like a child begging to be held.

"I don't know where I'm going."

"That's okay. It's better than staying in here."

I couldn't blame him for saying that. A box was no place for someone with a life to be. I went over and began sawing through the wires that held his body into the canoe.

"What's your name?" He said.

I inhaled, searching for some ever-fading scrap of the past I could still grab onto. The name "Anna" kept getting pushed into my head, but I ignored it. That wasn't me. "Helen." I replied. Yes, that was right.

"That's a nice name. I'm Olaf." The snowman stuck out the stick-arm I had released to shake my hand, but I didn't take it.

"Is it really?" I said, not meaning to discourage him against that name, but it felt too... regular.  Like he had been told to say that, too.

"Well- I guess- maybe it isn't." 

"That's okay, take your time." I had time to spare now, since plastic swords and laminated cardboard were not the best of friends. 

"It's Wendell Eugene," He nodded, cementing this as the truth. It was another unusual name, but I liked this one better. It felt more real to life. "Gene for short."

"I'm... Helen Louise."

Our eyes met and we both smiled in a way that gave me deja vu. I looked away, now sheepish, and continued working at the wires. 

"Why do you want to leave?"

"Why do you?" I repeated.

"Because... we have to be somewhere."

I stopped. "You feel it, too?"

Gene nodded. "Yeah, it's like there's this calling. Not a voice, exactly, but I think it's best that I... I feel like we need to find out why we're here."

"I'm glad we're on the same page," I giggled lightly. "Let's get out of here while we're alone."

I pulled my arms back and thrust the sword forward, harder than I had yet, and let out a murmur of a war cry. I jiggled my hands around the hilt- it was stuck in the box.

Gene hobbled forward (his legs were so short and round, that was the only way he could walk), and wrapped his arms around my legs to allow more gravity. I jiggled the sword again. "Maybe pull this time?" He suggested.

I stuck out my chin and tugged, hard. The sword ripped away and we both fell back, me crushing Gene.

I leapt up immediately, hands to my mouth. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" When I saw how disoriented he was, and how empty the box felt now, I felt sick to the stomach I no longer had. "Where's the canoe?"

Gene pointed down his throat and said hoarsely, "I swallowed it."

"You swallowed it? How?"

"I got a big mouth!"

Okay, maybe he did, but not nearly as big as that boat was. The thing was nearly four times his own height, and now it had completely disappeared.

"I'll use the sword," I said, approaching him with the sharp end cautiously. "Stay steady and it won't hurt."

"Wait!" Gene cried. He flailed his arms out, and I was worried he was choking or having a panic attack. His snowy-white eyelids went further and further back, until all parts of his pupil were visible. With a sudden popping noise, the canoe came whooshing back out, a millimeter away from decking me right in the head. 

"Woah! Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I think I must have burped. That was weird, wasn't it?"

"Weird is an understatement," I murmured. "Maybe you're supposed to do that. Can you try it again?"

Gene sighed and pushed himself up, going back over to the canoe. He inhaled sharply, and the canoe went back into his mouth like he had sucked too hard on a straw. 

I clapped. This was a circus act if I had ever seen one. And that reminded me of something. "Try the sword."

Gene titled his head skeptically. "Sword-swallowing?"

"Yeah! It's plastic and so are you. It shouldn't hurt."

With a raised brow, he inhaled that, too. This was amazing! "Is there anything else you can do?"

Gene nodded, unsure. I started handing him things from my satchel. The dinner plate, the teacup, and the compass, but even those they were much smaller, none of them passed.

"Maybe you have a capacity of two?"

"No, that makes no sense. I think they have to be made of that blue ice plastic."

I looked around the box. Everything had already been packed away by me or Gene. The only thing left out was the little blue salamander toy that didn't seem to fit in anywhere. "This?" I cupped the little creature in my hands. He was certainly blue and shimmery like the other icy items. 

"Is it alive?"

"I haven't seen it move yet. Maybe it's too small to be sentient."

Gene poked it, and sensing no life, shrugged and had me hand it off to him. He pursed his lips and I felt the pull of air. My eyes sparkled with energy. Those eyes didn't expect to see the salamander burst to life, scuttle from Gene's hands, and yelp with fear.

It hopped onto me, where it crawled like a thousand bugs up my arm and under my sleeve, until it popped out the collar of my neck, where it nestled lovingly against my neck and sought shelter under my curtain of auburn hair. Both Gene and I were frozen and terrified the entire time. 

"Now, are you okay?" Gene asked.

"Apparently... it is alive. Like us." I stated, unable to move in fear that it would, too. 

"Let me see him. I think I'm good with animals."

"He's scared of you, you tried to ingest him!" I raised an eyebrow. "Wait, how do you know it's a he?"

Gene pointed to some hot pink text that was printed onto the birch tree pattern. "The set includes" and then went off to list all the accessories we had already gathered, "along with Anna, Olaf, and Bruni."

"Bruni is a traditional Norwegian name for boys."

"How do you know that?"

"How did we think these were our names before we even read this?"

Gene had a point. "Anna" wanted to be my name, and I had to look like an Anna now, but deep down, Helen was mine. Maybe remembering that was a curse.

"You're right. We're getting distracted. We need to leave this box," I picked up the sword and got back to sawing a hole big enough for us to squeeze through. "I should have... kept working on this... while you were... practicing... with the... boat." I grunted.

"Careful, Bruni's coming down."

Now that the salamander was calm, he tread much lighter and no longer reminded me of a bunch of creepy bugs. Using my arm as a bridge, he crept right to the edge of the sword, unbothered by its sharpness or icicle texture. His big blue eyes stared back at me as if asking permission. Half charmed, half confused, I smiled and nodded. 

Bruni gurgled happily and dashed down the rest of the sword, becoming a brilliant red color as he charged forward. He burst through the tiny slit I'd stabbed into the box, and it blazed into a hole that grew larger and larger. It smoldered with an unearthly heat, then died down and blackened when it was big enough for Gene and I to step out with ease. 

"Okay," I gasped, following the snowman and salamander. "You can swallow enormous things made of ice, he can literally set himself on fire, what can I do? Do I not have magic?"

Gene shrugged. "Magic is a strong word for it."

I looked back at the box that had been our home for, at most, a half an hour that I remembered. It may not be cozy, or preferable, but it was certain. Safe. I knew that I was a doll now, not knowing was I was in the past frightened me. As much as I wanted to find out who I'd been and where I was set to go, was I ready for the journey ahead? Surely it wouldn't hurt to stall a little longer.

"What else are you supposed to call this?" I asked, reaching back in for the canoe. "Think you can hold onto this until we have a use for it?"

"Yeah, I'll try not to get too excited. I think excitement makes me burp."

I laughed. "Thank you, Gene."

At first, it was hard to tell where we were. For a while it was all stumbling around in the dark, ducking rectangles and hopping over rectangles. Even the neon glow of the lantern I strung around my belt wasn't enough to light up this new area. 

I whistled in the same way I had to wake Gene, hoping that would drawn Bruni's attention. He was content in the darkness and stomped around the room like he'd been out adventuring before us. But he did turn back at my call, and noticed we lacked direction. The little guy puffed up his cheeks, pretending to be angry, and filled once again with fire. His tiny footprints made blisters of blackness on the floor, and that lent me my first clue. This was carpet. Warehouses didn't have carpet. 

Gene saw this, too. "Hey, are we in a-"

"Bedroom," I whispered, my voice as hot and tense as the amphibian we followed. "Bed. Right there."

A human, giant to us at six times my own height, turned around in their sleep and groaned. Even if there was no threat other than a nightmare, I knew that a living doll would be more than that in the eyes of a human. I pulled on Gene's arm and began to run, scooping Bruni up at the last second and suffering a burn I knew would never make my fingers look right again.

A closet door was straight ahead. It was one of those sliding closets, with a hole in place of a knob. I saw my chance and threw Bruni over my shoulder. He disappeared behind the hole. Gene looked at me in bewilderment, his mouth open in a silent gasp. 

"He'll be fine." I muttered, and immediately regretted it whenever I heard the human moan again. If they woke up, we'd be caught, and although I didn't know the consequence, I didn't want that to happen.

I heaved Gene upwards, too. He was much heavier due to the boat and sword he carried, but he too, went through the hole in the door with ease. Now the two of them were safe, but what about me? Surely there was no way to open the closet from the inside. I pressed myself flat against the door and held my breath.

It gave way behind me, and I tumbled in.

I stared up into the face of my rescuer. And they weren't Gene or Bruni.

To be continued,

Helen