Dollface [Chapter Six]

As the two massive doors opened the sounds of a crowded city poured out. It was like a waterfall of sound and, blue radiant light. As Tiny and I walked through the enormous gateway we saw the disgusting residents, no doubt the derelicts of Pompey, huddled up in balls. They were shivering and muttering to themselves in a language I couldn't understand. Tiny and I walked down what I assumed to be the main street.
The buildings were covered in blue and purple neon lights that they wore like shrouds. I couldn't recognize the buildings past the constant glowing. It was like visual traffic and my brain was too slow to sort them.
Then the foot traffic began.
Tons of dozens of...residents started criss-crossing as we hit the first intersection. People, trees, giants, animals, humanoid animals were passing each other as we walked through the intersection.
We got onto a smaller street when Tiny stopped. I followed suit and looked up at it. Tiny raised it's arm, my gaze followed.
"A doll shop?" I asked. Tiny resumed walking. We entered the doll shop. Tiny had to practically crawl to fit in the door.
There were hundreds of them of all shapes and sizes. Dolls standing along the walls, hung on hangers, sitting in different poses.
"Hello, friends! How can I help you!?" A stout man with eight spider legs, each crawling quickly towards us, shouted. "Ah, there's no doubt you're here to purchase a doll. So what would you like? What is your desire, sir?" He came close to me, extended his hand towards mine--his long fingers wrapping gracefully around my own.
"We have many models to choose from," He continued, leading me into the depths of the shop. "you see here we have what I like to call the Worker Model. This little lady would handle any sort of task laid out before her. Cooking, cleaning, watching the little ones, anything that you need done, Sir, she can and will get done, and all with our Lifetime satisfaction guarantee!"
"Not interested." I said bluntly.
"Of course not, what was I thinking, you're a man, an independent man, no doubt! You get stuff done all on your own accord, very respectable, sir. Now if you'll come just a hop skip and a jump way's down here." He lead me further into the shop. "This doll is one of our most popular models, designed for the more..." He paused and looked at me with a smirk. "Sexual type of man. She can handle any kind of sexual desire a man could ever want."
"Not interested." I cut him off.
"Absolutely not, sir! It was all a jest." He took me by the hand yet again, this time up stairs. We stopped.
"Aribella?" I asked. She was sitting in front of me, at the top of the stairs, a dead look in her eyes--as if she was lost in a thought, focusing on some image a million miles away.
"Ah, I see you're already taken in by our Heart Model's attraction. She has been known to haunt the dreams and fuel the fantasies of all who see her."
Crack.
Shatter.

There goes my heart.
"Honey, come back to bed." Aribella says, I turn around. Our bedroom is projected against bare off white walls. There she is, flat against the wall, on my bed covered by the torn blanket. She waves at me.
"Well, hurry up! I'm cold and don't want your cold feet freezing me after I get warm." She bundles under the covers.
"But I have work." I say in dead, rehearsed voice. It feels strange, like these are scripted lines my muscles remember. "You know I have to finish these pages before Friday."
"Fine, your loss. I'm sure there are dozens of other guys out there who'd love to have a naked girl in there bed begging them to come in."
"Well, you would know, wouldn't you?" Its like remembering the words to a song I haven't heard in years, the delivery is dry, the timing is a little rusty, but the words are all the same.
"You're such a dick, Jack! Passive aggressive bullshit!"
I remember I'm supposed to pause.
I pause.
She waits.
I remember I turn back to my work, she gets upset and leaves.
But I don't want to do that. I want to go to bed. I want her to wrap her arms around my neck, her legs around my waist, and warm me up.
"I'm sorry, baby." I say.
She looks at me and the projected image glitches. I can see the digital lines realign.
"What?" She asks, her voice deepens in pitch at the end, like a robot.
"Make room, I'm coming." I get to my feet and walk toward her, but just as I do I bump into the wall and the projection shuts off, leaving just the off white wall.
"Magnificent, sir! Simply magnificent! In all the years of owning this doll shop I have never seen something like that, a memory projection, absolutely amazing!" The man tells me.
"I bet." I tell him.
"So, sir. It appears as though you've either lost your 'Aribella' or you're looking for her."
"Yes."
"Might I offer you this, a hound dog, trained just to find your Aribella."
"No, thanks." I leave the doll shop. Outside Tiny is still waiting.
"No luck, she wasn't there." I tell it. Tiny puts it's head down in defeat. "Its alright, we'll go get something to eat and start again."

-Sir Jestro