(This is going to be posts re-formatted to Co-host from this ones twitter acct. Original Posting: https://twitter.com/TheNervousDoll/status/1554643625136427008 )
snap
The polaroid camera wielded by the doll shoots out another beautiful image. It's witch captured in frame staring at the camera with a book in their hands.
it's witch bought the camera for them months ago, and since then the doll has been snapping photos of everything.
"Another beautiful shot, miss!" it smiles, happy at it's handiwork as it hands it over to the witch for review.
The composition and lighting is really well done this time, the doll is gleeful as it's handed back the photo "You know how to capture my witchy-ness really well."
"Yeah yeah!" it happily grabs the photo. "It will look great in the photo collection this one's been building!"
The witch raises it's eyebrow, this is the first they heard of it. "...Collection?"
The doll lights up "O-oh! this one hasn't shown you yet! come! come!"
the doll politely pulls the witch out of the reading room, and down the hallway before stopping. the doll picks up a long broomstick and pulls a drawstring with it that opens access to the attic. The witch hasn't been up there in years and is wondering what's going on up there.
They both climb the ladder to the attic access, pitch black except for a single dirty window.
And then suddenly, a bulb turns on, and the room reveals itself.
the entire walls, from columns to ceiling, is absolutely covered in polaroid photos as far as the light sees.
The witch looks at random photos, one shot is just the grass outside, another is a doll snack it loves, a book it found for its witch, so many photos full of objects or sceneries.
They see the doll walk up to a wall with a empty space, and places the witch photo on the wall.
They then see the photos around it, and the realization struck. There's way more photos of themselves with the doll than anything else. Photos of the witch and the doll doing things, making spells, harvesting supplies, days in the town, so many moments, encased in 3x4 frames.
"You like it?" the doll chirps. "This one took all of these!" it stands proud as the witch continues to pour over all the photos. They then had a query.
"How come you have so many of these? these are all...beautiful." they slowly walk over and inspect one of the polaroids.
the doll kind of hesitates, before speaking "W-when this one became a doll, it slowly realized over time that a dolls memory is...limited" it looks a little sad "No matter how precious or important the event was, this one's little brain eventually made the memory...vanish."
It continues as it walks towards the witch, "this one felt inadequate. How can this one remember important things from the witch if they fade so quickly?" It had a look of melancholy on its face "B-but! one day, in town, this one stumbled upon this camera right here in a shop!"
it points to the camera in it's hand. it continues to walk over to the frame "Y-you were curious that a doll wanted a camera, and bought it as a experiment. This one was so happy!" It picks up a photo from the wall "See?" and hands it to the witch
It's a crude photo, composition was off, sun was pointing directly into the frame, but it was a picture of a curious witch and it's doll, an extremely wide smile across it's face. The witch remembers this day, they thought it would go nowhere, but this room proves them wrong.
"You sure have improved since then, little one" the witch says as they hand the photo back.
"And that improvement helped this one capture so many memories that happened to the doll, alot happy! some sad! memories are important to this doll, and it wishes to remember them all!"
it puts the first photo back on the wall.
"This place has all of the photos this one took, and now you know where to look at them all" it smiles gladly.
The witch is surprised that a doll was able to grow a talent so well, from out of focus frames to shots unmistakable from professional work. How a precious doll can grow a perfect talent without any direction. It's beautiful.
they begin to ask the doll questions about the photos they were interested in, with the doll being able to easily recall the moments in clear detail. moments that even the witch forgot, the doll was able to recall with just a simple glance of the photos. a precious trait.
After awhile of spending time with the doll's photographic memories, the sun begins to set in the window, and the witch begins to leave the attic. "are you ready to go back down, little one?" they ask the doll.
"In a little bit miss, it's not done looking!" the doll responds
the witch has a light smile as they go down the attic ladder, leaving it open for their doll. They need to buy a big album for it.
The doll sits on the floor, staring at the section of all the photos featuring it and it's beautiful witch.
It begins to remember, and it smiles.