Voodootown

Chapter 2 part 2

She saw she was right when she stepped up.  There were two dolls, older women that she didn't know, putting up notices and talking to each other.  When Twister looked closely, she saw they were putting up missing doll notices.  She started to catch some of their conversation.

"I haven't seen her for three days," said the closest one.  She had a long scarf that wrapped her neck, body and arms.

"A full week since Hopper disappeared.  Her person wanders around the house like a zombie."  This doll seemed a bit older, but it may have been the strange knitted hat she wore. 

Twister wondered if these two had met at a knitting circle.

The two dolls turned to her.  "You missing someone, too?" asked Scarf.

"No," Twister said.  "Just looking for Squat.  Do you know him?"

They both nodded.  "I think he's at Pins and Needles, getting some work done," Strange Hat said.

Scarf shook her head.  "No, no.  He's at Rada, with those girls."

"Those girls like Petro.  Very inappropriate," Strange Hat said.

Twister saw a long conversation brewing and stepped back to leave, but Scarf waved her back in with a hand.  "You're Twister, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, I thought so."  Scarf's voice started to go syrupy.  "My human is Eun Kyung's mother.  I think we heard Eun Kyung mention your human, Janey, once.  Do you know her doll, Root?"

Twister hated listening to doll introductions, especially from old folks.  They would blather on about who was related and their whole genealogy for hours if they could.  She thought about turning herself to fast forward to get through it all.

"Wait," Scarf said.  "Eun Kyung said Janey looked upset after school today.  Did Squat's boy James do something to her?"

Twister shrugged.  "Maybe."

Scarf and Strange Hat traded a look.  "You taking him to the ring?"

"Why does everyone think that?" Twister asked.

The older dolls didn't answer.

"Okay.  Yeah, I might have to challenge him."  She stepped back again.  She kept up the talk as she tried to escape.  Old folks loved the talk.  "Just have to find him first.  Thanks for the help.  Love your knitting."

"Wait," Strange Hat said and Twister felt her stuffing sink.  "I have a spotter charm."

That made Twister stop.  A spotter would make it easy to find Squat, but she didn't want to trade away any energy she might need later.  "How much?"

Strange Hat held out the little brass charm.  "To see that fight, no charge.  We'll go get in the front row right now."

Twister stared at the two older dolls for a moment, then held out her hand for the charm.  She took it and gripped it tightly in one hand, opened it.  Inside, the eye-shaped needle twitched beneath the bullseye that was painted under the cover.  "Squat," she said.

Immediately, the needle locked in one direction and she felt the charm's pull.  It spun her around, yanked her arm out straight and led her down the street toward the center of town.  As she ran to keep up with the charm, and her arm, she heard one of the old dolls.  "She was very nice.  Not at all like everyone says."

There was no time to set the two old dolls straight.  Twister ran, dragged forward by the charm in her hand as it oriented on Squat.  It pulled her past the ring, where two dolls were fighting, pins in hand, then past the other challenge areas.  In most of those, the fighting dolls threw hexes at each other.  As she ran by, she saw one doll get hit with a glowing green bubble and break out in so many warts that he could no longer move.