The Heart of Play

By Jay Palmer

An ancient, wicked Voodoo Doll has invaded Arcadia!

 

Exciting sequel to "The Magic of Play"!

 

Still bitter after their friendship was sundered in Arcadia, Hilary must overcome her anger and rescue Audrey. Yet Audrey's captor is so terrible Great Aunt Virginia won't let her go alone; Audrey and Hilary's mothers must join them in the Magic Realm of Dolls.
One by one the Voodoo Doll possesses their friends, using their hands to set in motion her diabolical plan. Hilary jumping skills can match any magic, but the Voodoo Doll controls Audrey's magic jump rope, which equals hers. Yet they can't fight their friends, not while their bodies are posessed by their true enemy.
Their only hope is to locate the Voodoo Doll's secret lair. Yet can the stuffed animals, rag dolls, marionettes, paper dolls, tin soldiers, glamor dolls, and even the smiling troll dolls find and destroy the Voodoo Doll's lair before her evil magic claims them all?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jay Palmer
• Release date: Apr 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781732498938

Jay Palmer

When not writing, Jay Palmer is often seen waltzing or doing the hustle upon dance floors all around Seattle. Born extreme ADHD at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, Jay grew up on military base, moving to a new city every two years. Jay Palmer has always sought the novel and the obscure, and joined numerous fringe groups as a teenager, including Wicca in 1972, the Markland Medieval Mercenary Militia in 1974, Puget Sound Star Trekkers and the Society for Creative Anachronism in 1979 (where he fought his way to become a knight, herald, seneschal, and autocrat), and working ConCom for Norwescons 2-6. Today Jay Palmer rides a Kawasaki Vulcan and leads a quiet life working as a Technical Writer for major software firms, including Microsoft, Attachmate, and the Walt Disney Internet Group. Jay is always looking for the next party, interesting people to meet, and new places to dance.

Book preview

All Books by Jay Palmer

The VIKINGS! Trilogy:

DeathQuest

The Mourning Trail

Quest for Valhalla

The EGYPTIANS! Trilogy:

SoulQuest

Song of the Sphinx

Quest for Osiris

The Magic of Play

The Heart of Play

The Grotesquerie Games

The Grotesquerie Gambit

Souls of Steam

The Seneschal

Jeremy Wrecker – Pirate of Land and Sea

Viking Son

Viking Daughter

Dracula – Deathless Desire

Website: JayPalmerBooks.com

Cover Artist:  Jay Palmer

To our amazing niece,

Heather,

from her loving Aunt Karen

and Uncle Jay.

1.  Hilary

The last bell finally rang.  Before I left the classroom I paused to look at Audrey’s empty chair.  Audrey had been absent from school all week.  I didn’t care; we hadn’t spoken in two months, not since school had started.  With a deep-throated growl audible only to me, I picked up my book-bag and followed the line of students into the crowded hall, wending my way toward the main doors.

Whatever had happened to Audrey wasn’t my problem.  We weren’t friends anymore.  Audrey had given to me, and then stolen, my greatest opportunity; she’d taken me to Arcadia, a magic world where living dolls danced and sang.  I’d proven to be a great magician, chanting and flipping my jump rope with a mastery even Audrey couldn’t claim.  Together we’d defeated Punch and freed the baby dolls.

Then Audrey had done the unthinkable; Audrey had banished me from Arcadia.

How could anyone forgive such a betrayal?

Arcadia was incredible, a place where all my dreams could come true.  Wealth, fame, and power ... everything magic could conjure was mine ... and then Audrey had crushed my dreams.

Audrey had never really been my friend.  Looking back over our five-year friendship, I could see now that everything Audrey had ever said hid secret meanings; dark, unkind, and downright insulting.

Audrey and I had never been alike.  I was cool and popular while Audrey was quiet and shy.  I liked the newest, loudest jammin’ music while Audrey liked old songs whose lyrics were clear and romantic.  I loved gold jewelry and fancy clothes while Audrey dressed plain, not caring about fashions or labels.  My skin was as brown as Hershey’s chocolate while Audrey was white as cream.  But our biggest difference was ambition; I wanted everything life had to offer while Audrey seemed content with whatever she got.  Our differences would’ve eventually driven us apart so I really hadn’t lost very much ...

... except Arcadia.

Audrey had tried to talk to me several times since school started, but Audrey’s expelling me from Arcadia was the act of an eternal enemy.  I wouldn’t listen.  I could never trust her again, and whatever was keeping her out of school all week, I hoped it was painful.

In the sunlight I walked past rows of parked school busses lining the busy lot and the driveway lined with parents waiting to collect their kids.  I joined the familiar crowd who walked home, which used to include Audrey.  Step by step, three blocks passed amid pointless babble, and other kids slowly broke off to head to their homes, until I was alone.

Carrying my book-bag, I passed a large, fancy gray car, almost a limousine, parked outside my building, and then I ascended the elevator to my condo.

I inserted my key and turned it in the lock, but felt no resistance; the front door of my condo hadn’t been locked ...!

I paused and stepped back, wary: Mother never forgot to lock our door!  This was unheard of ... and a serious potential threat.  We always locked our door.  If Mother had come home from work early, then she still would’ve locked the door.  Had we been robbed?  What if the robbers were still inside?

What should I do?

Pocketing my key, I grasped the doorknob lightly, and as gently and silently as possible I slowly twisted it.

Peering into the narrow gap, I saw most of our living room unchanged, nothing out of place.  I inched the door open slightly wider and spied a clear view of our hallway and kitchen.  Nothing seemed missing or disheveled and no strange noises reached my ears.  I stepped inside and glanced about.

Sitting quietly upon our couch was the last person I expected to ever see again.

Great Aunt Virginia ...! I exclaimed.

Hello, Hilary Agatha Martin, Great Aunt Virginia said.

Great Aunt Virginia looked the same as always, austere, aged, with bright silver hair like chrome wire spun about her head, each strand uniformly rigid and perfectly in place.  She had sea-green eyes, was very thin, and wore a long, full dress; a tight bodice above ballooning skirts, under which only the toes of highly-polished, sharp-pointed shoes could be seen.  Her dress appeared to be entirely of embroidered black silk with traces of white lace puffing out at her collar and cuffs ... I’d always wondered if she’d sewn it herself.  A broach on her collar showed a natural golden leaf trapped in a dark-glass oval, but it was of no plant that Audrey or I knew.  Beside her rested a thick cane, leaning against a large carpet-bag purse, both of which were probably antiques and worth a fortune.  Her cane seemed to be made entirely of ebony, like the black keys on a piano, but it was smooth, intricately carved, and two small red gems gleamed from its handle like watchful eyes.

A pleasure to see you again, sweet child, Great Aunt Virginia said.

I ... didn’t think you ... wanted to see me anymore, I said.

Children take the slightest grain of evidence and make mountainous assumptions, Great Aunt Virginia said. Do you have any evidence that I disliked your company?

Well, no ..., I said.

And yet you’d be insulted if I called you a child, Great Aunt Virginia said.

I bit my lip and said nothing.

Hilary, I need you to come to Arcadia, Great Aunt Virginia said.

But ... Audrey said I could never go there again ...! I said.

Audrey is also a child, Great Aunt Virginia said. She made a false assumption.

Can we go now? I asked.

No, we must wait for your mother, Great Aunt Virginia said. I can’t let you face this risk without her permission.  Another threat has arisen ... far greater than Punch.

Can’t Audrey handle it? I asked.

Audrey can’t help anyone, Great Aunt Virginia said. Audrey has been captured, and without a jumper, I’ve no means to free her.

I pressed Great Aunt Virginia for details, but she put me off, insisting it was only polite to wait for my mother.  I asked about Princess Gracely, Hiram, and Muskay; Great Aunt Virginia assured me they were all fine, and that the dolls of Arcadia were safe, and would be happy if not for the new threat.  I wanted to ask about Audrey but I couldn’t; I was still angry with her, so an awkward silence fell.

I felt excited and terrible.  I wanted to return to Arcadia more than anything.  I couldn’t miss this chance!  Yet I didn’t want to see Audrey again.  Audrey didn’t deserve me coming to rescue her.  But I didn’t think I could leave anyone, even Audrey, in the hands of something worse than Punch.  I felt like a hypocrite, like I was telling a lie even though I’d said nothing.  I was keeping the fact that Audrey and I weren’t speaking unsaid.  I was letting Great Aunt Virginia believe in something that wasn’t true to get something that I wanted.  No matter how justified my anger, I was being untruthful.

HILARY! Mom scolded as she opened the door. You didn’t lock ...!

Mom! I interrupted her. We ... have company.

Mom stepped inside, glanced into our living room and almost dropped her laptop.

Virginia ...! Mom exclaimed, surprised.

Forgive me, Madge, Great Aunt Virginia said. I hope I’m not intruding.

No, forgive me, Mom recovered quickly, and she set her computer bag down. Always a pleasure ...!

You’re wondering what I’m doing here, Great Aunt Virginia said. To be honest, I need help Hilary’s help.

Arcadia ...? Mom asked.

There’s trouble, Great Aunt Virginia said.

Is Audrey all right? Mom asked.

Yes and no, Great Aunt Virginia said. An old enemy has returned and we can’t fight her.

Why not? Mom asked.

Because the enemy we’d have to fight ... is Audrey, Great Aunt Virginia said.

2.  Our Enemy Revealed

C harlotte ...? Mom said into her phone. Yes.  I know.  Can you come over?  Charlotte, you need to come.  Virginia ... is here.

Mom paused and we could hear Audrey’s mother over the speaker.

No, Audrey’s fine ... I think.  Charlotte, you stay there.  We’ll come right over.

Mom hung up.

Virginia, would you mind? Mom asked. I don’t think she should be driving ...

Of course, Great Aunt Virginia said. My driver is downstairs.

A UNIFORMED DRIVER in a gray suit, but without the small-billed hat, was standing beside the fancy gray car as we emerged from my building.  I wasn’t surprised; Great Aunt Virginia didn’t carry a cell phone or beeper, but strange things always happened around her.  The driver took Great Aunt Virginia’s carpet bag and opened and held the door as Mom entered first, then me, and lastly Great Aunt Virginia, and the driver quickly motored us to Audrey’s apartment.

Mrs. Darby opened the door at our first knock.  Her eyes were red, her skin pale, and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days.

Charlotte, Mom said, and they briefly hugged, and then Great Aunt Virginia came in.

So good to see you! Mrs. Darby said.

Charlotte, I won’t pretend this isn’t serious, Great Aunt Virginia said. An ancient enemy has returned to Arcadia ... and she’s captured Audrey.

Is she safe? Mrs. Darby asked.

Physically, no one has harmed her ... or is likely to harm her, Great Aunt Virginia said. It’s Audrey who’s doing the harm.

Audrey ...? Mrs. Darby asked.

Perhaps we should sit down, Great Aunt Virginia said. I need to tell you everything.

We all took seats, leaving the large recliner for Great Aunt Virginia.  She set her carpet-bag purse upon the floor, opened it widely, and out of it she lifted a silver tray with four tall, frosted glasses, each filled with ice, which she set upon the coffee table.  Then she lifted out a glass pitcher of iced tea, which was too large to have fit inside her purse, had no lid, and would certainly have spilled.  Mrs. Darby, Mom, and I exchanged glances, surprised but not questioning.

After she poured and handed each of us a glass of iced tea, she took a drink from the last glass, then set it down and sat upon the recliner.

It began very quietly, Great Aunt Virginia said softly, her hands folded in her lap. "An unsettled feeling slowly pervaded Arcadia.  A hand puppet refused to build his assignment.  He insisted on working on a secret project of his own, ignoring Boss Fist.  Two troll dolls got into a violent, angry fight and had to be forcibly separated.  One paper doll purposefully ripped another.  The rag dolls began snipping at each other and several marionettes got their strings in a knot.  Rumors began, suspicions of the cause of the disquiet, each doll blaming others.  A seething unrest overwhelmed every village.

"Then the queen of Arcadia went mad and began imprisoning dolls, even ordering their executions.  The king tried to calm her but to no avail.  Many dolls were locked in the deepest dungeon of the castle and false reports were given to the queen that the dolls had been destroyed.  Finally, the queen ordered the tin soldiers to attack the stuffed animals and drive them from Arcadia.  With no other recourse, the king refused, and he finally ordered the queen to be chained in her tallest tower ... until her insanity could be cured.

"Then the king went mad, even worse than the queen.  All stuffed animals were banished, and the hand puppets were ordered to make terrible weapons and devices of torture.  At this point I interceded and demanded an explanation ... and the king ordered me exiled.  I was forced to flee, yet I returned in secret and sought out Mr. Magee, Judy, and the ancient ones ... anyone who could tell me what was happening.  Yet no one knew.

The paper dolls found our answer.  In an old filing cabinet, they found a reference to an ancient evil that had plagued Arcadia almost a century ago, and not been seen since.

Great Aunt Virginia closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

A voodoo doll, Great Aunt Virginia said. A voodoo doll has come to work evil upon Arcadia.

A voodoo doll ...? Mom asked, raising her eyebrows and glancing at me. That can’t be!  Voodoo isn’t real!

The magic of play works both ways, Great Aunt Virginia said. The innocent dream of goodness, but the ambitious dream of power.  Anything can be real in a dream.

What did you do? Mrs. Darby asked.

I snuck into the tallest tower to see the queen, Great Aunt Virginia said. "No one dared defy the king and only she could refuse him.  I found her still imprisoned in her tower, weeping for the terrible things she’d done.  Yet I couldn’t free her, not without a jumper, and so I left her to seek the source of the madness that had claimed her.

While Princess Gracely spied for us, Hiram, Muskay, and I helped the paper dolls make a timetable of all the dolls and people who’d gone mad.  Eventually we realized that at no time had two dolls or people gone mad simultaneously.  That’s the one weakness of a voodoo doll; it can only possess one individual at a time.  Remember that, Hilary; the voodoo doll can only possess one doll ... or person ... at one time.

I nodded my head but said nothing.

I went to each of the doll villages, Great Aunt Virginia said. "I ordered all the dolls to pair up, to join into small groups of two, three, or four.  Each doll had to know the others, and give an alarm if anyone suddenly started acting strangely.  Together we marched against the king, but without a jumper I couldn’t subdue him.  That’s the worst weapon of the voodoo doll; we can assault those she’s possessed, but until we find her, we can’t stop her from possessing others.  Within an hour, she can abandon one victim and take over another.

For this reason I surrendered my spare jump rope to Princess Gracely, who swore she’d hide it where I’d never find it, Great Aunt Virginia said. "Although my jumping years are over, a jump rope would make me too powerful, and if the voodoo queen took me and my jump rope then her powers would be unlimited.  Unarmed, we sent teams of scouts to scour every inch of Arcadia.  We had the stuffed animals with wings soar across the hills and valleys, looking for her ship.

"According to the notes of the paper dolls, the last time a voodoo doll invaded was before I was born.  Back then, Great Aunt Annie was the jumper of Arcadia, and she and the dolls tracked and located the voodoo doll aboard a wooden boat docked in the shadows of the great swamp.

All of Arcadia marched against her.  One after another, many dolls became possessed and had to be restrained.  Finally, Great Aunt Annie became her pawn and ordered the hunt to end, but Muskay recognized that she was possessed, refused, and Hiram held Great Aunt Annie helpless while Muskay led the final attack.

Great Aunt Virginia sighed and shook her head.

They found her boat and searched it, but the voodoo doll had fled, Great Aunt Virginia said. Released by the voodoo doll, Great Aunt Annie had her whole boat carried back to the king and queen, and they ordered it burned.  As it went up in flames, the dolls cheered and peace was restored to Arcadia.

But ... she’s back, Mom said.

This could be a different voodoo doll, but I think not, Great Aunt Virginia said. "This time, they, he or she, went for the greatest power in Arcadia they knew of ... me, as all the dolls knew I was the jumper who’d replaced Great Aunt Annie.  Finally I was possessed by the voodoo doll.  Under her influence, I ordered the dolls to do terrible things. 

Audrey stopped me.  The voodoo doll didn’t know about her, and when Audrey confronted me, the voodoo doll didn’t know who she was.  Audrey instantly realized that I was being manipulated ... or maybe she thought I’d gone mad.  Either way, she used her magic to bind me, and when the madness of the voodoo doll ended, I told Audrey all I knew.

Great Aunt Virginia hung her head in shame.

I should’ve guessed, Great Aunt Virginia said. I should’ve suspected ...!

What? I asked.

Unbeknownst to me, as soon as Audrey next arrived, she was possessed by the voodoo doll, Great Aunt Virginia said. "Foolishly, I told Audrey, who was really the voodoo doll, everything.  I described all about how Great Aunt Annie had once defeated the voodoo doll, and how it was her duty as the new jumper to find and banish, or destroy, if possible, this ancient threat to Arcadia.

Then Audrey smiled, a terrible, wicked grin, and I realized what had happened, but what could I do?  I couldn’t physically fight Audrey, and even if I could, my victory would do nothing to the voodoo doll.  Audrey took three steps backwards, lifted her jump rope, began jumping ... and she banished me from Arcadia.

You were banished ...? I asked, astounded.

I was, Great Aunt Virginia said. But don’t fear; Arcadia is always open to those whose hearts are light.  I can return to Arcadia at any time ... but I dare not go alone.

You want Hilary to enter Arcadia and fight Audrey ...? Mom asked.

Only if she must, Great Aunt Virginia said. "The voodoo doll is our true enemy.  We must enter quietly ... and find her lair.  She knows we’ll be coming.  She knows we’re looking for her.