darkladyofthenight

[darkladyofthenight]

Xiaolan and Wayne Uedera. These are my oldest Rose Guns Days sketches.

[darkladyofthenight]

Miguel Kurashiki

[darkladyofthenight]

Some more sketches of Rose Guns Days characters.

[darkladyofthenight]

Just some of my sketches of Rose Guns Days characters. Some of them are finished, some are not.

[darkladyofthenight]

[darkladyofthenight]

The Doll

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who had everything a child her age could ever want. She never knew hardship or deprivation and always got what she wanted. One day, she longed for a big, beautiful doll that always smiled at her from the shop window she passed every day. When her parents bought her the doll, she was overjoyed. The girl never parted with the doll for a moment, carrying it with her wherever she went. She told it about everything that happened to her during the day, and it seemed to her that the doll was listening attentively. Then one night, as the girl was about to go to sleep, the doll, sitting beside her on the bed, suddenly raised its head and spoke, “You know, I'm no ordinary doll. I can grant wishes. Ask for anything you want, and I'll do it for you, because you're my mistress now.”

The girl asked, astonished, “Can I really wish for anything?”

“Of course,” the doll replied confidently. “I'll grant whatever you wish.”

The girl's eyes lit up. “Then,” she said, “let my parents buy me whatever I want.”

“But they already do that,” the doll replied.

“No,” the girl shook her head. “They can only buy me what they can afford. Our family isn't that rich, so…”

“I understand,” the doll said. “You want your parents to always have money. Very well, then. So be it.”

The next day, the girl decided to see if the doll had truly granted her wish. She asked her parents to buy her several expensive toys they had always refused to purchase. But this time, they agreed, and the girl got what she wanted, which made her ecstatic. Soon, she began to notice other changes. Her parents bought many more expensive things: new furniture for the house, various decorations, and so on. Her mother even quit her job: that's how much money they suddenly had. Overjoyed, the girl hurried to share her happiness with the doll.

“Thank you, dear doll!” she cried, hugging her precious gift tightly. “My wish really came true!”

“I told you,” the doll replied calmly. “I can grant whatever you wish.”

After some time, the girl began to notice some strange things. While her family, at her wish, grew richer every day, her neighbors, classmates, and everyone she knew grew poorer. Her father thrived, while others were losing their jobs and struggling to find money. Noticing this strange circumstance, the girl told the doll about it.

“Nothing surprising,” the doll said, shrugging. “If you get more than you should, someone else must get less. That’s just the way it is. No other way.”

The girl frowned, thinking over what the doll had said. Noticing her reaction, the doll gave a small smile.

“Don't you want to undo your wish? Then everything would go back to normal.”

Snapping out of her thoughts, the girl shook her head.

“No,” she said. “Let everything stay as it is.”

Time passed, and the girl's family grew even richer, her parents buying their daughter everything she asked for. Realizing that the doll would do anything for her, the girl began to want more. Or rather, she no longer wanted to do anything herself. All the tasks she was given were done for her by the doll. This suited the girl, and so she enjoyed life, trying not to think about how it affected the lives of those around her. After all, did it really matter when everything was finally so perfect for her?

After a short time, the girl asked the doll to do her work again. The doll obeyed, but after completing the task, it said, “I can no longer fulfill your wishes. My term of service is over, and I am free.”

“What does that mean?” the girl asked in astonishment.

“Once, I was just like you,” the doll said. “I, too, was given a doll that did everything I asked of it. But soon, it was over. All my fulfilled wishes were enough to lift the curse from her and pass it on to me. That's how I became a wish-granting doll. But now my duty is done, and I pass this role on to you. After I shed this shell, everything I've done for you will cease to exist, and everything will return to how it was before.”

Before the girl could say a word, she turned into a doll—just like the one that, before her eyes, was transforming back into the living person it had once been. Freed from the curse, the girl quietly left the room, leaving behind a new doll on the floor—one that would now have to grant the wishes of others.

[darkladyofthenight]

A girl asks her doll to make her wish come true