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The Wedding Doll Written and read by Maria Rodriguez Bross

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Brenda disappeared after she was married, but no one noticed. That was until Chela, her mother, saw the mutilated wedding doll. When Chela tried to grab it from the table, the pins barely holding the doll's skirt fell off and pricked her finger. Her shrieks were heard over the DJ's music, and guests quickly gathered around Chela to see what was the matter. The music cut off abruptly, and that's when everyone heard Chela exclaim, Help me find Brenda. Wedding guests searched for the teenage bride, but it was no use. Wherever Brenda was, it became apparent that it was somewhere outside the wedding hall. And out of growing concern, the police were called. Once they arrived at the scene, guests were forbidden to leave because they needed to collect witness statements in hopes that it would lead to clues in finding Brenda. Chela was questioned first. She dabbed the sides of her eyes with a cloth napkin and took a seat near a satin covered table typically reserved for the bride and groom. It was then that Chela admitted that Brenda was forced into the marriage. "I found them embraced and hiding in the closet many months ago," said Chela. The officer, who had been writing in his notepad, paused to look at her. While he stared, he noticed Chela's finger wrapped in blood soaked gauze. Chela explained how she was injured, but the officer raised his eyebrows and asked about the whereabouts of the wedding doll. The groom's parents pointed to the floor, and another cop wearing gloves placed it in a plastic bag labeled with the word evidence. Chela stood up when she saw this and said, "Please don't take it away. It's it's part of tradition". But the doll was removed despite her protests. Many of the guests, with nothing to do but wait, started gossiping about how this doll had caused many problems between Chela and Brenda leading up to the wedding. And many agreed that Brenda's disappearance would have never happened if Chela hadn't insisted the doll be blessed by a Santero from the botanica, just like she had for her wedding, and just like her mother before her. One guest even shared that Chela had made capias, little lace badges with charms. But Brenda had set fire to them. She must have thought the capias to be tacky. She didn't want capias being pinned to the doll's skirt, said another guest. Still, others noted that Brenda resented being walked down the aisle by Chela's new husband. Chela had felt he was the obvious choice despite Brenda only knowing him for six months and having found him controlling and aggressive. Brenda's biological father was alive and well. But everyone knew he would rather spend time at the racetrack than be at his daughter's wedding. But the biggest issue of all was that on the day of the wedding, Brenda noticed that the doll looked nothing like her. When Brenda confronted her mother about this mistake, Chela simply said, "You will grow to look like her". This made Brenda think this was not a mistake at all, especially since the doll's dress was white, while Brenda herself was forced to wear beige. The seamstress, who was one of the guests, claimed the dress had already been designed and cut and couldn't be changed. Brenda knew that wasn't true and just another tactic by her mother. After all, Chela wanted to protect Brenda from having to endure whispers and snide remarks on her wedding day. Wearing white would be deceitful, said the seamstress on the day Brenda went for her fitting. Brenda stood still and couldn't move as the woman pinned every part of her. Brenda turned up her nose, waiting for Cela's reaction. But her mother simply remained quiet and even looked the other way. And then there was the tradition of wearing a wedding purse. Brenda begrudgingly agreed to wear the contraption, since Chela was concerned that Brenda's biological father might crash the wedding and steal the wedding gifts. "You must protect yourself by being resourceful," said Chela. And Brenda must have remembered her mother's words on her wedding day because when it was time to cut the cake, no one could find the knife. And that's when Brenda placed the gaudy and flamboyant purse over the groom's shoulder so she could look for it. And in that awkward moment, laughter erupted amongst the guests, and especially from the boys the groom had grown up with. In his embarrassment, the groom shoved the cake into Brenda's face and exclaimed, "That's my tradition!" Brenda's lipstick smeared across her cheeks, and some of the cake's frosting landed on her gown. Desperate to escape and get herself cleaned up, Brenda leaped up, ripping the bottom half of her dress and exposing her pantyhose and garter. Everyone gasped in horror, not only because the groom never had a chance to remove the garter, but because the cake knife was revealed to be neatly tucked into it. Chela briskly walked over to Brenda, clutched her by the arm, and rushed her into the bathroom. But as soon as they entered, Brenda locked herself in one of the stalls. When she finally came out, Chela realized Brenda had sliced her locks of curly hair. Chela tried to restrain Brenda by the shoulders, but she ducked and ran out of the bathroom. When she opened the door to get some air, Chela was met by the groom and his parents looking for answers about what needed to be done next. Chela simply smiled and excused herself, but she continued walking as they trailed behind her. And that's when she saw the wedding doll with short chopped hair and punctured marks all over its arms. When the doll fell to the floor, it spun in a circular motion, making squeaking sounds. The groom yelled It's possessed. This accusation was a prominent topic of the guests' chatter throughout the night, especially when they were all later questioned by the police. As the hour grew late, the groom's father said from a distance, "We will talk to our priest and have this marriage annulled." And Chela had had enough and demanded a retraction. In a heated exchange of words, Chela's husband attacked the groom's father. The confrontation quickly escalated into a chaotic brawl between the families, and it took several police officers to separate the factions. As the hour approached midnight, the guest wanted to leave. So the police let some of them go, except the ones who had caused the fights. They were arrested and taken down to the station. Chela then begged the police to continue their search for Brenda, but they simply said a missing person's report will be filed. And with that, Chela had no choice but to walk home alone without her husband consumed with not knowing where her daughter was. And when she finally reached the front door of her home, she noticed broken glass next to a smashed window. Chela slowly crept into the first floor apartment, worried that there was an intruder, perhaps Brenda's biological father. And as she walked through the apartment, Chela spotted a knife on the counter, which she then held in front of her heart, determined to slice anyone who would get in her way. And in that moment, she remembered how she had raised Brenda all by herself in this cramped space where bed, bathroom, and living area occupied one room. But her memories were suddenly interrupted by nasal sounds emanating from the closet, and when she opened the door, Chela fell to her knees. It was Brenda, sound asleep in an upright fetal position, scratches apparently from the window's jagged glass, wearing tattered and stained clothes from a long day of misadventure. And her face oh face glazed with rouge. And that's when Chela truly saw her child. So she put the knife aside and gently woke Brenda up. Chela wiped up her face clean, dabbed her wounds with ointment, and changed her into pajamas. Chela used the remains of the wedding gown as a curtain to cover the broken window. When everything was done, Chela plopped herself next to Brenda and leaned in towards her daughter's heart. She quietly listened to its rhythmic beat, and for the first time in hours she breathed easily. And shortly before the sunrise shone through the wedding dress, pinned to the window, Chela yawned and cradled Brenda like a doll.

Speaker 13:41

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