A little girl has been trying to come and say hi. Little by little her shape was there, first the feet. Always first the feet. Then her hands, those round little spoon hands with small thumbs. Barely there. After we had some pretty legs, with a gentle curve for a knee; and a pair of hugging arms too! With little elbows to poke her brother she said.
After legs and arms were there, we made her head. Oh yes, that beautiful head. Must be the proper size, always double check. Measure and measure, and measure again. Sculpting her took time, but I am patient I said. Needle felt here, needle felt there. Got to sculpt a peanut nose that smiles with her face. Most important. Chloe is smiling in all the photos I have seen of her, always smiling. So happy.
Her blonde hair took some time too. Many hours of cleaning, sorting, combing, selecting the right shades for matching and contrast, sewing into a strip then turn it into a cap. While all that was happening, her eyes came alive. Those big and beautiful and deep eyes, full of meaning and mischief. Chloe is full of life, the way I see her.
Little Chloe, my little Chloe. But also someone else's real Chloe. A custom doll with a custom brother. Will they want to be my little Hansel and Gretel of the year, will they want to embark on a different adventure? Time will tell I keep telling myself. Maybe they will write their own story. Maybe they will surprise us. We will have to wait and see.