text: You and Wilky William agree that it's best to leave Uncle Shrevnetz so you can learn more about where both of you came from. Wilky suggests that the two of you should take the compass Uncle Shrevnetz has shown you at times. He always told us it only points North. We need to go North anyway, so it will help us not to get lost, he says.
  
  You know Uncle Shrevnetz sleeps in a backroom adjacent to the doll room, so you figure he must keep the compass in there. One day, when Uncle Shrevnetz is up front tending the store, you and Wilky drop down off of your shelf and make your way to the door of the doll room. It stands ajar and you and Wilky push it just a crack more to let yourselves out. The door creeks on its hinges and both of you freeze up. Wilky peers around the edge of the door and looks back at you. I don't think he heard that, he says.
  
  Following Wilky you creep across the floorboards of the hall till you arrive at Uncle Shrevnetz's bedroom. Its door stands open and you and Wilky let out a mental sigh.
  
  The bedroom is immaculate. Under an open window is a bed draped in a dark blue bedspread and resting on a wooden frame. Next to the bed is a small table with a lamp covered with a red and yellow glass shade. Stacked in front of the lamp are several hardback books.
  
  Wilky looks to you and splays hands in resignation. I don't see it, he says.
  
  Maybe we're too far down to see the compass. Let's climb up onto the bed and then we can work our away across and then jump onto that table and take a closer look, you suggest.
  
  Wilky agrees with your suggestion and the two of you head to one of the oak legs of the bed frame and shimmy up till both of you are atop the bed. From there it is an easy sprint to the table. You both search and Wilky exclaims when he finds the compass nestled between the stacked books and the lamp. Since Wilky is already carrying Doctor Rozier's card under his shirt, you grab the compass. You both return to the bed and look up at the window.
  
  Wilky scratches his head and looks to you. Do you think we can jump up to the windowsill from here? he asks.
  
  I think we're light enough. Plus, the bed seems pretty springy.
  
  Wilky tests your observation and starts hoping up and down. The bed springs squeak loudly as he gets higher and higher off of the mattress. Finally, he is able to bound up to the windowsill. He turns and leans down, waving you to join him. You quickly repeat Wilky's hopping till you finally are able to leap onto the windowsill. The two of you hug in celebration. Wilky peers over the window ledge. There's a cluster of bushes right below the window. He turns to you. I guess we should go now, he admits in a sad mental tone.
  
  I will miss the old man, you admit.
  
  "What is going on here?"
  
  You both turn in terror to spy Uncle Shrevnetz standing in the doorway. His jaw falls open as he realizes that his two most favorite dolls are alive.
  
  We have to go. Now! demands Wilky. He hops out the window and you hear the bushes rustling as he lands. You look to Uncle Shreventz, who seems paralyzed in a state of shock (or is it fear?). You raise a gloved hand and wave goodby to him and then leap from the window.
  
  On your way down through the bushes, you lose the compass and you and Wilky are forced to search for a few minutes before you find it again. Once it's recovered,you slide it under your shirt where it bulges and almost makes you look pregnant. Wilky chides you about that, but then you ask him to pull out the card. The two of you examine it. The ventriloquist dummy's town is supposed to be a lot closer then Henson's Bay, the city where Doctor Rozier currently resides. For beings of your diminutive height, both places seem impossibly long from here. Yet the two of you never need to sleep, although both of you seem to have more energy in the daylight then you do at night.
  
  I'm curious to see the dummy, says Wilky. Remember what Uncle Shrevnetz said about dummies? He said they're a kind of hand puppet made of wood.
  
  Yes, you admit. That would be interesting. I wonder if the wood is the reason we inhabit these bodies. Doctor Rozier said we're carved from a special wood only found in some place in...in...
  
  Bavaria, says Wilky. That's in Germany. Uncle Shrevnetz said his ancestors came from there. Maybe Doctor Rozier could tell us more about how we came to be like this.
  
  > Go find Doctor Rozier
  If we're going to go all the way to Henson's Bay, we probably need to find a map to its location, says Wilky.
  
  I know, you agree, but where are we going to find a map?
  
  Let's climb up to the top of the bushes and survey the area. Maybe we can find someplace that might have a map.
  
  You don't know if you agree with Wilky's reasoning, but having no other ideas to offer, you follow him as he works his way up the stem of one of the bushes. The two of you look around you. The town you are in seems vast and endless. There appear to be rows of shops across the street. From behind one of them, you make out a slowly rotating sign. Finally, it's face comes into a view and you read the tall blue letters: Pathfinder's Bus Lines.
  
  Wilky, that's it! you point out the sign to him. If we can just get to that sign...it's what Uncle Shrevnetz called a bus station. They probably have a bus to Henson's Bay!
  
  Wilky strains his head but eventually makes out the sign. You're right, Mary Beth! If we get there we can sneak onto one the buses and most of our work will be done.
  
  Suddenly, your conversation is interrupted by the sight of a huge hairy head peering over the bushes. You immediately recognize it from the storybooks uncle Shrevnetz showed you. A dog. He's got long, floppy ears and a big muzzle and sagging folds of skin covered with a thick red-brown coat of fur.
  
  Wilky jumps up from the cluster of leaves he's been resting on and slips through the bush's canopy. The dog growls and dips his head into the bushes and comes out with Wilky between his slavering jaws. Help me! screams Wilky. The dog turns away and begins moving away from the bushes. With no time to lose, you leap from your perch and land on the dog's back. It's hard finding any perches on the dog, especially since he almost immediately starts running at a trot, but you notice he has a collar on his neck and quickly make your way to it. You grab onto the leather strap and hold on for dear life.
  
  > The Terrifying Journey's Conclusion
  The dog begins running faster than ever and you bounce up and down on his hide, holding onto his collar for dear life.
  
  I can't get out of his mouth! screams Wilky.
  
  Just stay where you are for now, you reply.
  
  A green blur sweeps underneath and you realize it must be grass. Then concrete squares slide into a view. Then asphalt. Cars whiz by and some honk loudly at the dog. The dog changes course and soon you see concrete squares again. This goes on for what seems like forever. You recall Uncle Shrevnetz once telling you and Wilky that dogs like to be petted. Thinking this might calm the beast, you brush one of your legs across his fur in a soothing manner. You're not sure if your actions are working, but the dog starts slowing his pace. Finally, the dog tires and sits down on the pavement. He drops Wilky from his mouth and your companion bounces off the concrete. You let go the collar and slide down off the dog. He looks around him, panting, as your feet hit the ground. You run around the dog to help Wilky stand up. His shirt is ripped in places and dripping with slobber, but he seems to be okay.
  
  I thought he was going to eat me! he says.
  
  You're made of wood and cloth. Somehow, I don't think you would've agreed with him.
  
  The dog, ignoring the two of you, lays his head on his front paws, yawns widely, and then closes his eyes. You and Wilky look around you. You appear to be in a space between two buildings. Beyond it are bright sunlight and people walking by. You look up and see that the building beyond the people has the sign! You and Wilky make your way through the alley till you step into sunlight. The giant feet of the humans come close to stepping on the two of you, but you both decide to dart between the people till you both reach the bus station. You and Wilky come to two enormous glass doors. They don't open for you, but then a fat woman with a blue hat and a big wicker bag walks past you and the doors slide to either side. Wilky runs through and you soon follow.
  
  > At the Bus Station
  The bus station is one vast, cavernous space with a grimy linoleum tiled floor that seems to stretch off to the horizon (actually where one of the walls begins). Row upon row of scudded plastic benches are filled with slumped or sitting people, many with suitcases and bags by their legs. You and Wilky huddle in one corner, peering out from the shadow of a large rectangular machine with a lighted front and buttons. From your vantage point, the two of you scan your surroundings hoping to find some information about how to get to Henson's Bay. It's Wilky who eventually spots a square glass-fronted case on a wall. Under the glass are rows of town names with arrival times for their buses next to them. You spot the Henson's Bay bus and check the adjacent time. 2:30! you say. What time is it now?
  
  Wilky looks around and then points to the round face of a dial clock. According to the clock, it's 12:45, he says. I guess we don't have too long to wait. But how are we going to sneak onto the bus?
  
  You have to admit that you're stumped and can't think of any solution. It's about half an hour before you find one. The solution is in the form of a disheveled-looking couple. The man is tall and thin with a pockmarked face that looks aged beyond his apparent twenty-something years. He has greasy blond locks of hair and a green camouflaged jacket. Slung over his shoulder is an army bag. His girlfriend is small and gaunt-faced with a dirty gray hoody covering most of her angular features, and stray locks of reddish-brown hair hanging over her deep-set eyes. They huddle on a steamer trunk by one of the benches not far from you and Wilky and you can hear their conversation.
  
  "Come on, Celine," says the man, "I can go with you. All I need to do is get another ten bucks and I can get a ticket too."
  
  "No," replies Celine, "I don't think you should be going, anyway. You know my brother fucking hates you."
  
  "That's ancient history. Besides, he kicked my ass for that one time I popped you. It's all forgiven."
  
  "No, it's not! He told me if he ever sees me with you again, he's going to kill you!"
  
  The man puts his face in his hand. "Jesus H. CHRIST! He's got a lot of nerve to tell me anything. Wasn't he the one who got you hooked on smack, anyway?"
  
  "I got the habit on my own. He was just a junkie first. That's why our parents kicked him out when he was 16."
  
  "Well, see! There you go! Guy totally set a bad example for his kid sister. That's why he's willing to take you in. He's got nothing on me!"
  
  "He lives with his girlfriend. I don't think he's gonna want you around, too. I've been to their place. That efficiency's not very big."
  
  "Look, let me just go with you and if he's not kosher, fine. I got a buddy in Henson's Bay who can let me stay in his garage. No big deal. But come on... we're meant for each other!"
  
  Wilky, you say, he mentioned Henson's Bay!
  
  He also mentioned her brother wanted to kill him! Wilky replies.
  
  Never mind that. It's not as if we were planning on moving in with her brother and his girlfriend, too. We just need a means of getting on the bus.
  
  "You know, Marcus", says Celine, "Less isn't too thrilled you're a junkie too."
  
  "Fuck him! It's like what I said." He pulls a gray metal antique movie camera out of his bag. "Now, I got this old camera I...found..." "
  
  "Yeah, 'found'."
  
  "Whatever... I can sell it to somebody for twenty bucks--"
  
  "I thought you said you only needed ten!"
  
  "I got other expenses, too!" Marcus gets up with the camera in his hands and starts accosting people in the bus station, asking them if they'd like to buy the stolen item. Most of them are short with him and he quickly gives them a piece of his mind, usually by cussing them out and threatening them. After a while of watching this, you and Wilky start feeling depressed.
  
  I really don't think I like him, says Wilky.
  
  If he can sell that camera, we can sneak into his bag and then get on the bus, you reply. What we do from then on out is our own business.
  
  Wilky is unhappy with your line of reasoning, but he grudgingly agrees with you.
  
  It takes a while, but Marcus is able to sell the camera (for only fifteen dollars, though). He quickly runs to the ticket window and purchases a ticket for Henson's Bay. You and Wilky dash from your hiding place and to the space between the bus bench and the steamer trunk and await his return. When Marcus comes back to join Celine on the trunk, he sets the bag down beside it and you and Wilky quickly slide through its fabric opening.
  
  > On the Bus
  You and Wilky find the bus ride to be miserably long. The bag is crammed with old cloths and small items, including a rusty old syringe who's needle keeps poking you in the head! You and Wilky dare not move because apparently Marcus is holding the bag in his lap so you don't want to alert him to any squirming from within. You and Wilky entertain each other with idle conversation. That is until the two of you are distracted by another conversation from without.
  
  "Hey, there, little lady!" says an older man's voice.
  
  "Huh?" says Celine. "Oh, hi."
  
  "My name's Jack Knowles. I'm an insurance salesman. Home and Life, mostly."
  
  "Oh, okay. Hope that's been working out for you."
  
  "It sure has! I've been doing it for well-on twenty years now!"
  
  "Hey, man," says Marcus, "Anything I can help you with?"
  
  "Well, no..." replies Jack Knowles. "Can't say as you can. It's just this little lady looks familiar to me, is all. Hey, Sweety, what'd you say your name was?"
  
  "Uhm, like I didn't..." says Celine.
  
  "Hey, Tubby, you wanna get away from us, already?" says Marcus.
  
  "I'm sorry, young fellow, but what did you just call me?"
  
  "I'm serious! What do you want with her?"
  
  "I'm telling you, I know her!"
  
  "You know this?" asks Marcus. You and Wilky feel yourselves shifting in the bag as Marcus adjusts his legs.
  
  "Marcus!" says Celine. "Put that away! He's just asking some questions."
  
  "Young man," says Jack Knowles, "You think you can just whip out a knife on a bus and threaten someone?"
  
  This is starting to get serious!
  
  > crawl Out of the Bag and Try and Wrestle the Knife From Marcus' Hand
  You can't just let something bad happen like this. Against Wilky's wishes, you squirm your way up to the top of the bag and stick your head out through the opening. You and Wilky are still in Marcus's lap and Celine is in the window seat next to him. Marcus is brandishing a very, VERY large-bladed knife at a fat middle-aged man sitting in the seat in front of Celine. He can't seem to get out of his seat because there's an old woman sleeping in the aisle seat in his row. Not hesitating, you wrap your limbs around the forearm area of the sleave of Marcus's jacket. He doesn't notice you at first because his stare is trained on Jack Knowles. But then you begin inching up his arm with your arms and legs and then looks down at you.His eyes bulge wide and he raises his arm in a defensive motion. Jack Knowels immediately seizes this opportunity to grab Marcus's arm, now that the blade is facing the bus ceiling. Several other riders from neighboring seats jump to Jack Knowles' aid and tackle Marcus, knocking him to the aisle floor. They quickly subdue him. In the midst of all the chaos, you manage to crawl over the crisscrossed limbs of the passengers and climb onto Marcus's now-empty seat.
  
  "What in God's name?" exclaims Jack Knowles. He's spotted you and before you can jump of the seat he grabs you up with a hammy hand. "Well, if this ain't the most amazing thing..."
  
  It's not long before Marcus and Celine are ejected from the bus by the police, but not before Jack Knowles has had a chance to rifle through Marcus's bag and find Wilky. He stows the two of you in his own bag.
  
  Three months have passed since that fateful day, and now you and Wilky live your lives in a beautiful two-story dollhouse. You guys are quite popular as a kind of roadside attraction. People line up and pay large amounts of money to see the supernatural dolls go about their business. A first the two of you were reluctant to move in front of people, but Jack Knowles proved to be less friendly than he'd first appeared. He threatened to incinerate you and Wilky if the two of you didn't co-operate.
  
  You often ask Wilky how long this Hellish existence will go on.
  
  The End