The Doll People

On the following night, the families escort Sarah downstairs. Sarah is shocked at how much the house has changed. Annabelle worries that The Captain will return to his bed and find Sarah before the Palmers do, but Sarah bravely says that she can take care of herself. She proclaims, “I’m not afraid of cats, you know” (227). When Annabelle is back home, she asks her mother what she meant about thinking Sarah ran away. She asks whether Sarah loved them, and Mama assures her that she did. She explains that it was just that Sarah was very different from the rest of the family. Her boldness and risk-taking led to arguments with the more cautious adults in the family. Mama knew that Sarah felt like the others were holding her back from living the way she wanted to, so when she disappeared, Mama, Papa, and Nanny all believed she ran away on purpose. Uncle Doll was the only adult who did not believe this. Annabelle is relieved to hear that it was not just fear holding them back from searching; if she were to disappear herself, she realizes, the adults would certainly look for her.

The family waits impatiently all the next day for Sarah to be discovered and returned to the dollhouse. Finally, they hear Grandma Katherine exclaim in surprise and then enter Kate’s room holding Sarah. Grandma Katherine cleans Sarah up as best she can and then sits her on the couch in the dollhouse’s parlor. She is amused thinking about Kate looking into the dollhouse and discovering the doll that has been missing since long before Kate was born. When Grandma Katherine leaves, the Dolls agree that they should have a party to celebrate Sarah’s return. Sarah reminds them that it is nearly Annabelle’s birthday and says that the party can celebrate both of them.

The Dolls and Funcrafts plan a party for Sarah and Annabelle, to be held at the Funcrafts’ house. On the night of the party, Annabelle is taken aback by the state of the Funcrafts’ home. Not only is everything in the house plastic, but it is also a terrible mess. Tiffany tells Annabelle that Nora never set the house up. Instead, she just tosses things wherever is convenient at the time. Annabelle and Tiffany go upstairs to Tiffany’s room. It contains an upside-down bed, plastic sheep, a dining-room chair, and a box of detergent. Annabelle tells Tiffany that she thinks she knows who wrote the final entries in Sarah’s journal. She promises to tell Tiffany who it is once she has had a chance to talk to the person about it. Annabelle realizes that she feels happy and complete now that she has Tiffany in her life. The families gather on the back patio. The Funcrafts show the Dolls their plastic barbecue grill, and then they all sit down to a pretend meal made of plastic. Afterward, the Funcrafts surprise Annabelle and Sarah with a plastic cake. The families sing “Happy Birthday” to Annabelle and a welcome-home song to Sarah. Tiffany sets the cake down near Annabelle and Sarah and tells them to make a wish. Annabelle decides that since this is the best birthday she has had “in a hundred years” (247), she does not need a wish—instead, she just wants to take a moment to feel thankful.

On the way home, Mama and Papa agree that it is wonderful to have the Funcrafts in their lives. The adults talk about how unusual and yet friendly and amazing the Funcrafts are. Back at home, Annabelle privately asks Uncle Doll if he was the person writing in Sarah’s journal. He admits that he was. He explains that he suspected that Sarah was in the attic, and Annabelle understands that Uncle Doll was simply too frightened to search there for Sarah himself. Realizing that this means that Uncle Doll respected and trusted her enough to believe that she could rescue Sarah, Annabelle feels proud and “a bit like a grown-up” (250). She asks why she never knew about Sarah’s trips outside the house, and Uncle Doll tells her that, out of respect for her parents’ wishes, Sarah kept these trips hidden from the children. Mama and Papa did not want Annabelle and Bobby to get ideas about leaving on adventures. Now, though, he suspects that Mama and Papa will allow the children to go out exploring because even though it makes them worried, they understand that some dolls need to get out and see the world a bit.

In the days after the party, Tiffany and Annabelle see each other almost every day. Tiffany wishes that she had come with the friendship necklace upgrade so that she could give half to Annabelle, and Annabelle often thinks about this and feels a warm glow. One night, Grandma Katherine comes into Kate’s room while Kate is reading. Kate says that she is having trouble concentrating on her book because she has been thinking a lot about the dolls lately. Kate asks her grandmother whether she ever wonders if the dolls might be alive. Grandma Katherine admits that she does think about this. Annabelle smiles to herself.