Fiction Friday - The Dollhouse

Steve stopped at the kitchen door as he left for work and turned back to Sierra with a question on his face. She gave a quick nod and wave as she turned back to attend to Suzy's breakfast: their signal that it was a "Dotty" day. "Say good-bye to your dad, Suzy."

"Bye, Dad!" Suzy ran over for an extra hug, her  five-year-old arms wrapped around his legs as he bent down to ruffle her hair.

"Have fun at school, Sweetie," he said as he closed the door and she returned to the breakfast table.

"So Dotty's mom called and she's coming over today after school with you. Won't that be fun?" Sierra sat with her coffee across from this cute little girl who didn't understand the whole situation.

"Yay!" she raised her fork and a cheer with her mouthful. 

As soon as Suzy finished they left for the school, Sierra ensuring that the doors were all locked and windows closed. It wasn't her house, after all. When she returned from dropping off her "daughter" she'd check the status of the house to ensure Lorna would find everything satisfactory.

Lorna was Dotty's mom and in a way, Sierra's boss. Sierra had auditioned to play a woman in her late 20s for a "long-term, reality-based gig". It paid well, and this house was a big improvement on her studio apartment in a rat-trap of a building. At the audition Steve was in the room on the same side of the table as Lorna for the initial interview, then he joined her to improvise a few scenes of home-life moments. It was a boring audition and Sierra left with no interest in accepting the role.

Then she heard about Suzy. Suzy had met Lorna's daughter Dotty on the first day of kindergarten and they became instant best friends. But Lorna was a wealthy divorcee trying to control her daughter's environment. Lorna didn't want her daughter thinking all marriages ended. Her best friend had to have a solid, traditional home-life if Dotty was going to spend much time there.

And so Sierra was hired, and Steve, Sierra and Suzy were moved - at Lorna's expense and insistence - into a nice surburban home. They were provided with everything they needed, and a few things according to what Lorna decided Dotty needed in her life but not in her home-life. 

She didn't want her daughter to expect everything to fall into her lap, so Suzy had cool toys that Dotty loved to play with but would never own. Suzy's family took Dotty on an RV trip to Niagara Falls. Or Mt. Rushmore. Or just to a theme park for a day. All on Lorna's tab.

Dotty days were days that Steve and Sierra followed a script of sorts, while Suzy remained oblivious, playing with her friend at their house. Steve had to be home at a set time, smiling and happy, and until then Sierra monitored the girls' play and brought them Lorna-approved snacks. 

It wasn't a terrible job, but as she prepped the house for the afternoon play-date, Sierra wondered how long this role would last. She felt like she - and Steve, and Suzy - were the dolls living in Dotty's dollhouse. And every child's dollhouse was moved to the attic sooner or later.

It's FICTION FRIDAY!

Today's story was inspired by the song "Dollhouse" by Melanie Martinez.

Every Friday I write a new flash fiction piece. If you have a writing prompt you'd like to see turned into a story, just leave it in a comment.