The Lovely Doll Learn English through story level 3
i remembered jim’s description of the
woman who made her
how could a woman like that
make a beautiful doll
my name is stephen ameni
and i am a doctor
i live and work in london
and i have a house by the river thames
everything in this story happened
because of a doll
it is a strange story but true
it began on an october day
three years ago
i can remember it clearly
the early morning sun was shining on the
river when i left my house
i went to buy a copy of the times as
usual
there was a flower shop on the corner of
the road where i lived
i could see the brightly colored flowers
as i reached the corner
i turned into abby lane
and continued walking
i was enjoying the warm october sun
after a few minutes i arrived at the
newspaper shop
suddenly i remembered that it was a
niece’s birthday the next week
so i stopped and looked in the shop
window
there were games and toys
paper and pens
books and sweets in the window
most of it has been in that window for
years i thought to myself
i almost decided that there was nothing
in the window for my niece
then
i saw a doll
she was half hidden in the corner of the
window
she was made of cloth
and she had a painted face
the face was special
it had a lovely gentle look
but sad eyes
suddenly i felt sorry for her sitting in
that crowded window
i know that this sounds strange
but i decided to go inside
and to look at her more closely
the shop was owned by a man named jim
carter
good morning dr amony he said brightly
when i walked in
do you want the times as usual
yes please jim i replied
and i need a present for a little girl
it’s her birthday next week
is it said jim
yes i said
i was looking at that cloth doll in your
window
oh
said jim
the one that’s half hidden in the corner
i said
jim looked surprised
that doll
he said
she’s a little unusual
can i see her
i said
she’s also very expensive
he said
he took the doll from the window and
gave her to me
and i nearly dropped her in surprise
she was beautifully made she seemed
almost alive
her dress and other clothes were
handmade not made by a machine
and her face was hand painted
i could see it clearly now
she’s lovely i thought
she was made with a lot of love
i could see this love in the doll’s face
i put her down gently
how much do you want for her jim
i asked
12 pounds dr emini
he answered
he saw the surprise in my face and
continued
she’s expensive i did say that didn’t i
you did
i agreed
dolls like this cost as much as 20
pounds in the center of london
said jim
but i’ll tell you what i’ll do doctor
i’ll sell her to you for 11 pounds
who makes them i asked
i’d like to know something about the
person who can make beautiful dolls like
this
the woman has lived in hardly street for
some years now
said jim
she sometimes comes into my shop
and she brings me the dolls
what’s her name
i asked
i’m not sure
jim answered
it’s something like calamie
what’s she like
i said
she’s a tall woman with red hair
and she wears very expensive coats and
hats
replied jim
but she’s got a very serious face
she never says very much when she comes
into the shop
i’m honestly always glad when she leaves
he stopped for a minute
and then said
and i’ve never
seen her smile
i couldn’t understand this how could a
woman like that
make dolls as beautiful as these
i’ll buy the doll
i said at last
11 pounds seemed a lot of money for a
doll
as i counted out the pound notes
i felt a little silly
yes the doll was a present but
i knew the real reason for buying her
i didn’t want to leave her in that shop
window
i took the doll home
and put her in my small bedroom
she seemed to fill the room with her
loveliness
i carefully put her into a box
then i covered the box with brown paper
later in the afternoon
i went to the post office and posted it
to my niece
in the following days
i could not stop thinking about the doll
or about the gentle face and the sad
eyes
i remembered jim’s description of the
woman who made her
how could a woman like that
make a beautiful doll
it was difficult to believe
so who was she
i wanted to know
but the weather got cold and wet
children in the area became ill
and i was suddenly very busy
i soon forgot about the woman
and the doll
one day
a few weeks later
my telephone rang
a woman’s voice said
is that dr emini
yes it is
i said
do you visit people who can pay for your
visit
the woman asked
yes sometimes
i replied
how much does it cost
she asked
the voice sounded unpleasant
the woman seemed to think that money was
more important than the sick person
a visit will cost five pounds i replied
oh
she said
but if you really can’t pay
then i don’t ask for the money
i said
that’s all right
she said
i can pay five pounds
what’s your name i asked
rose calamit
she answered
i live in the house next to the cake
shop in hardly street
my rooms are on the second floor
i’ll be there soon i told
her i arrived at the house next to the
cake shop in hardly street 10 minutes
later
and went up the stairs
they were narrow dirty and badly lit
as i reached the top of the stairs a
door opened
dr emini
said the unpleasant voice
yes i said
please come in
she said i’m rose calumet
she was a tall woman
between 45 and 50 years old
she had red hair
dark eyes
and a bright shiny red mouth
we went into the front room
it was a cold ugly room
and the furniture was cheap and badly
made
on the cupboard in the corner were a lot
of small glass bottles
then i saw the dolls
they were hanging from the walls and
were thrown carelessly across the bed
each doll was different
but each one was as beautiful as my doll
it seemed impossible that this rough
unpleasant woman could make them
rose calamit
looked closely at me
you’re a very young doctor
she said
i’m older than i look
i said coldly
you think that i’m too young
shall i go away again
she laughed at me
you don’t need to be angry doctor
she said
you’re very good looking for a doctor
and i’m a very busy doctor
i said
are you the person who’s ill
no
it’s my niece
she replied
she’s in the back room
i’ll take you to her
before we went in
i had to know about the dolls
do you make these dolls i asked
yes
she replied
why
i felt very sad
oh i bought one for someone’s birthday
i said quietly
she laughed
and i’m sure that you paid a lot of
money for it
she said
she took me to a smaller room at the
back
and started to open the door
mary it’s the doctor
she shouted
then she pushed the door open wider to
let me in
don’t be surprised when you see her
doctor
she said loudly
her left leg is twisted
the girl mary
was sitting in a chair by the window
she heard the woman’s words
a look of unhappiness crossed her pale
face
and there was pain in her large dark
eyes
i was angry at the red-haired woman
the words were unnecessary
she wanted to hurt the girl
mary was not more than 25 years old
but i could see immediately
that she was very ill i looked again
into those dark eyes
something inside her is dying i thought
after that first visit
i always remembered the sweetness
in her sad face
her poor thin body
and her dry unhealthy hair
but something filled me with happiness
around her with three small tables
and on them were all the necessary
things to make the dolls
brightly colored paints and pieces of
cloth of many different colors and
shapes
soon understood that her twisted leg was
not the reason for her illness
i noticed the way that she sat
if i was right i could make that leg
straight i was almost sure that i was
right
can you walk mary
i asked after a minute
she looked at me
then looked away
yes
she answered quietly
please walk to me
i said gently
oh don’t
she said
don’t ask me that
i didn’t want her to suffer but i had to
be sure that i was right
i’m sorry mary i said
please try and walk
it’s important
she got up from her chair very carefully
and moved slowly towards me
i looked closely at her left leg
yes
i was right
that’s good i said
i smiled at her
i wanted to show her that i was pleased
i held out my hands to help her
she looked up
again i saw the pain and hopelessness in
her face
she seemed to be crying out silently to
me for help
she lifted her hands towards mine
and then they fell back to her sides
how long have you been like this mary
i asked
rose calamit answered for the girl
oh mary’s had that twisted leg for
nearly ten years now she said
but i asked you to come for a different
reason
she’s ill
i want to know what’s wrong with her
oh yes she’s ill i thought
perhaps she’s dying
i knew that immediately
i wanted rose calumet to leave the room
but she didn’t
she laughed and said
i’m staying here doctor amini
you look at mary
then you can tell me what the problem is
when i finished my examination of mary
i went with rose into the front room
it’s possible to make her legs straight
i said
did you know that
with help
she could walk in
stop
she shouted loudly
i jumped
that’s enough
you must never say anything about that
to her
the best doctors cannot help her
no stupid young man is going to give her
hope
if you ever do
you won’t come here again
i want to know what’s wrong with her
she can’t eat or sleep and she isn’t
really working
now tell me
what did you learn from your examination
of her
i don’t know what’s wrong with her yet i
replied
but something is slowly destroying her i
know that
i shall want to see her again soon
i’m going to give her some medicine
it will make her feel stronger
then i’ll call again in a few days
don’t say anything about making her legs
straight she said
do you understand
if you do
i’ll get another doctor
all right
i said
i wanted to be able to visit mary again
and i thought to myself
perhaps when mary’s feeling better
i can talk to her about her leg
i was ready to leave
i picked up my bag
these dolls
i said
yes
she said
i thought that you made them
i said
i do
she said in her unpleasant way
i draw them
mary makes them
it stops her thinking about her leg
i don’t want her to think about the fact
that she’ll never marry she’ll never
have children
i walked out into the bright october
sunshine
i knew that rose calamit was lying
i now knew the sweet person who made
those special dolls
i was happy about this but i was also
worried about mary
i had to discover what was wrong with
her
i had to know
before she died
without mary and the dolls the money
will end
but what was killing mary
i still did not know
i discovered more about mary during my
next few visits
her name was mary nolan
when she was 15 years old she was in a
bad car crash
her mother and father were killed
and mary was very badly hurt
the car crash was the reason for her
twisted leg
rose kalamat offered to look after mary
the law finally agreed because there was
no other person to look after the young
girl
rose always thought that mary’s father
was a rich man
then she learned that there was only a
small amount of money
after that
she was unkind to mary
she made her very unhappy
mary was never able to forget her leg
her aunt seemed to say
no man will love you
you will never get married and have
children
no man wants a wife with a twisted leg
the years passed and mary began to
believe her aunt
she stayed with her
she did what her aunt wanted her to do
she could see no reason to leave her
aunt
so she lived an unhappy life without
hope
then
mary started to make the dolls
rose calumet saw how lovely the dolls
were
she soon realized that she could sell
them for a lot of money
she was right
after she sold a few
she decided
mary must work on them every day of the
week from morning until night
rose did not love mary
but the girl produced hundreds of dolls
over the years
rose was happy to take the money for
them but now mary was ill
and rose immediately said to herself
without mary and the dolls the money
will end
but what was killing mary
i still did not know
i could see that she was afraid of her
aunt
but it wasn’t that
and i couldn’t ask mary because her aunt
was always with us mary found it
difficult to say anything to me with
rose in the room
i did not tell mary that perhaps i could
make her legs straight
it was more important to discover why
she didn’t want to continue living
i told mary to stop working on the dolls
and i brought her some books and some
chocolates
for ten days she seemed to get better
during my next visit
she smiled at me for the first time
that’s better
i said
i was very pleased to see her happy face
you must leave the dolls alone for
another 10 days
i don’t want you to work
i want you to rest
sleep
and read
then we’ll see
but i could see that rose was unhappy at
these words
when i called again
she was waiting for me in her room
you don’t need to come anymore dr amony
she said coldly
but mary must not
i started to say
mary is much better now
she said quickly
goodbye doctor
my eyes went to the box in the corner of
the room
there were three new dolls lying on top
of it
their faces were as lovely as ever
but they had the look of death on them
suddenly
i was frightened for mary
i knew that rose calumet was lying
i wanted to push this woman out of the
way and crash through the door and see
mary
but i was a doctor
when doctors are told to leave
they have to go
i still did not know what mary’s problem
was
but i guessed that rose was asking
another doctor to call
so sadly i left
but i couldn’t forget mary
i continued to worry about her in the
days that followed
not long after this i became ill
it wasn’t much at first but as the days
passed it seemed to get worse
i visited a doctor friend
i can find nothing wrong with your body
he said
perhaps you work too hard
but i knew that this wasn’t the reason
i continued to get worse
i didn’t want to eat and i lost weight
i began to look thin and pale
i felt tired
but i didn’t sleep well at night
i sometimes dreamed that i saw mary
she was calling to me for help
while rose calamit was holding her in
her ugly arms
i thought about mary all the time
i wasn’t able to help her
i thought
she wanted me to help her and i did
nothing
one night i couldn’t sleep at all
i walked up and down my room
thinking about myself and my illness
it seemed that i was suffering from the
same illness as mary
suddenly
i knew what was wrong
i was in love with mary nolan
and because i couldn’t look after her i
felt ill and unhappy
i know why mary’s dying
i thought
she’s dying because nobody loves her
nobody in the world is giving her hope
for the future
her mother and father are dead
her aunt only keeps her because she
makes money from mary’s dolls
mary has no friends
and she feels ugly because of her leg
her life is empty
except for the dolls
i have to see her
i have to speak to her for a few minutes
alone
or she’ll be lost to me forever
i thought about this all through the
night
and the next morning i telephoned jim
carter at his shop
this is dr emini jim i said
will you help me
i’ll do what i can for you doctor
jim said
you saved my son’s life last year and
i’ll never forget that
how can i help you
thanks jim i said do you remember mrs
rose calumet the doll woman
yes of course
said jim
when she comes into your shop again
i want you to telephone me
then have a long conversation with her i
said
i need 20 minutes
all right
all right
said jim
good i said
thanks jim i’ll remember this for the
rest of my life
i was worried about a telephone call
while i was out
so each evening i put my head round the
door of his shop
but he just shook his head
there was no news
then
one day at five o’clock in the afternoon
the telephone rang
it was jim
he just said
she’s here
i ran to the house where mary lived
when i got there i ran up the stairs
luckily the door was not locked
and i hurried through into mary’s
she looked so thin now
and very ill
she still had the paints and pieces of
cloth around her
i thought
she wants to make one more doll before
she dies
she looked up when i came into the room
her eyes opened wide in surprise when
she saw me
she thought that it was rose
she said my name
but she didn’t call me dr amony
she called me stephen
mary i cried i’ve come to help you
i know what’s making you ill
does it matter now
she said quietly
there’s still time mary i said
i know your secret
i know how i can make you well
but you must listen to me while i tell
you
she just closed her eyes and said
quietly
no
don’t say anything please
leave me
i don’t want to know the end is near now
i sat down and held her hand
mary please listen to me i said gently
when children are growing up
they receive love from their family
then when they’re older
they can give that love to other people
they give love and at the same time they
receive kindness
happiness and hope
then they have more love that they can
give
but you’ve given your love mary
and you’ve received nothing
now you have no love that you can give
i was not sure that she could still hear
me
but i wanted her to live so much
i had to continue
it was your aunt i said
she took away all your hopes for love
and happiness
and later i continued
she did a worse thing
she took away your children
i looked at mary
have i killed her
i thought
the one person who loves her
then
i felt her small hand move in mine
and her eyes slowly opened
she seemed almost glad to hear these
words
this gave me hope
i talked gently
i tried very hard because i wanted her
to understand
those dolls
were your children mary i said
you thought that you couldn’t be a
mother
so you made those beautiful dolls
into each one
you put some of your love
you made them gently and carefully and
you love them like your own children
then your aunt took each one away
and she gave you nothing
you continued to use all your love
people can die when they have no love
left inside them mary
i finished speaking
and she moved
she seemed to understand what i was
saying
but you won’t die mary
i cried because i love you
do you hear me i love you and i can’t
live without you
love me
she said quietly
i have a twisted leg
how can you love me
that doesn’t matter to me mary
i still love you i said gently
but rose lied to you
i can make your legs straight
in a year you’ll walk like every other
girl
i saw tears of happiness in her eyes
she smiled and put her arms out to me
i took her up in my arms and she held me
i put my coat around her to keep her
warm
then i carried her across the room
suddenly
we heard the front door shut
and the sound of running footsteps
then mary’s door crashed open as an
angry rose calumet came into the room
mary started to shake with fear
she hid her face in my neck
but rose was too late
she could do nothing now
and she knew it
she did not speak a word when i walked
past her
i held mary close to me
i went out of her front door
down the stairs and into the street
outside the sun shone
and the sky was blue
children played happily
and noisily in the street
as i carried mary home
that was three years
ago as i write this
mary is playing with our son
our second child will arrive in a few
weeks
mary doesn’t make the dolls now
she doesn’t need to make them
but i silently thank the day when i
first fell in love with the beautiful
doll
in jim carter’s shop window
you