What a Doll! by P.J. Night

enough—but didn’t want to leave the doll in the room alone with sleeping Lizzy. She did little things to wake Lizzy up, like cough and rock her bed so it squeaked. Finally, Lizzy stirred.
    â€œMmmm,” she said, her eyes still closed. Lizzy was such a heavy sleeper.
    â€œMorning, Lizard,” Emmy said, using her old nickname for Lizzy.
    â€œI’m not a lizard,” Lizzy said, her eyes still closed, but a smile on her face.
    â€œSorry, Lizard,” Emmy replied. Finally, Lizzy opened her eyes.
    â€œDid I sleep too late?” Lizzy said, rubbing her eyes.
    â€œNo, you’re fine,” Emmy said. “You have an hour before your mom wants you to be home. Let’s go downstairs and get breakfast.”
    Emmy and Lizzy got up slowly and shuffled their way down to the kitchen in their pajamas.
    â€œHi, pizza makers,” Emmy’s dad said. Emmy and Lizzy both smiled sleepily, proud of their creation, half of which was currently on the kitchen table. Sam sat at the table too, eating a slice.
    â€œMom said this counts as breakfast,” he told the girls, obviously very pleased with his mother’s judgment.
    â€œFor sure it does,” Emmy said, trying to act normal around him. She just wanted to put last night, and the past two weeks, behind her. She was still so freaked out about what could have happened while they were making the sauce.
    Emmy and Lizzy both poured themselves big bowls of cereal and dug in.
    â€œWhat do you plan to do today, Emmy?” her mom asked. “Lizzy, I know you have plans with your family. I told your mom I’d make sure to send you home in time.”
    â€œI’m not sure,” Emmy answered. Though, of course, she was totally sure. She had to get to the river, which was more like a canal actually, and a good twenty blocks from her house. Still, she had to do it alone, so she couldn’t very well ask her parents for a ride.
    After breakfast when Lizzy had to go, she turned to Emmy and gave her a hug, and they stayed in the hug an extra long time.
    â€œI’m glad we had a sleepover,” Lizzy said, a little shyly.
    â€œMe too,” Emmy said. But there was so much that neither of them was saying.
    I’m so glad we’re friends again. I’m so sorry I hurt you. Let’s never let that happen again.
    As soon as Lizzy left, Emmy ran upstairs and pulled on sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and sneakers as fast as she could. She opened the night-table drawer, took out the doll, and put it into her sweatpants pocket. Then she walked downstairs, reminding herself to act normally. “I’m going for a walk,” she told her parents, who were still at the breakfast table reading the newspaper.
    â€œTo where?” her dad said. Taking a random walk wasn’t something Emmy usually did.
    â€œUm, I have to go to the park and look for certain wildflowers for art class,” she lied. “We’re doing some kind of big art project next week.” She was pretty impressed with her own story. It was foolproof.
    â€œThat sounds fun,” her mom said. “Want some company?”
    â€œNo!” Emmy said, a little too quickly and forcefully. “I mean, thanks, but I was looking forward to going by myself. Now that you let me walk places outside by myself during the day,” she added.
    â€œOkay then,” her mom said. “Have a good time, honey. Come right back home when you’re done.”
    â€œI will,” Emmy promised. She pulled on a light coat and stepped outside. The walk seemed to take forever. She kept one hand on the doll in her pocket. This was going to be it, the final farewell, and she couldn’t mess it up.
    Finally, she reached the river. It was called the Gowanus Canal, and it had the distinction of being one of the most polluted body of water in the country. Emmy hoped that the toxic chemicals in the water would destroy the doll before it even sank to the bottom.
    Even