Duck Parade
The Toymaker
available at amazon.com
NOT a Jolly, Fat Elf
"You'd be surprised how many people have an unnatural fear of my toys," said the toymaker, and suddenly his silky voice sounded ominous to Rose.
She eyed the box nervously. It was five or six feet long, and perhaps two feet wide. Like a coffin she thought. She knelt beside the box with a sense of dread.
She cut the twine securing the lid and pried the lid away, revealing wads of tissue packed around a figure. She recoiled instinctively, sensing something ominous. The toymaker smiled indulgently.
"It's perfectly safe," he said. "I tested it before I packed it. And I can assure you, it will please you."
As Rose removed the tissue, she exclaimed in horror. Her gaze fell on a perfect copy of her own face, almost a mirror image, except for the smile. For a moment, she felt as though she were drowning in her own image, crossing over from one body to another....
