The Pillow Friend
Chapter One
THE DOLL AND THE BOOK
Loneliness drove her to create an imaginary object of worship. This sublimation of her need of love she named Corambe, and for many years this glorified being was her constant companion. When she began to write, it was Corambe who composed her stories-she merely heard and recorded the words he spoke.
-Marie Jenney Howe on George Sand
Agnes Grey had a new doll, a present from her mother. It was what she had always wanted. Nothing had ever made her so happy.
The doll was almost as big as a real baby, and it was warm, and soft, and cuddly. It had the sweetest face she had ever seen. As she gazed lovingly into its big blue eyes she suddenly realized, with a warm thrill of excitement, that the doll was looking back at her. The eyes were real. The doll was real. And then it spoke.
Agnes woke, the sound of the doll's words still ringing in the quiet air of her bedroom. Wanting to reenter the dream, she kept her eyes closed and concentrated on the warm, golden glow of happiness she had felt while holding the doll. In a moment, she would feel its welcome weight in her arms and understand what it was saying to her. But reality was too strong. Instead ... read full excerpt from The Pillow Friend ebook
