The Doll

Mr Brown lived near the center of town, but his small house had a garden. Mr Brown liked his garden very much. It had a lot of flowers and they were pretty in summer - red, blue and yellow. Mr Brown liked sitting there in the evenings and at weekends.

But he had to work, too, Mr Brown worked in an office. It wasn't near his house, so he often went to work on the bus. He came home on the bus, too.

Mr Brown was a lonely man. He didn't have many friends, and he didn't talk to many people. And so he was sad and often bored.

One very hot day, Mr Brown walked home. He didn't want to go on the bus that day. He wanted a walk in the warm sun. In one street there was a small shop. Mr Brown looked in the window.

There were very old things in the window, and Mr Brown liked old things. He went into the shop.

'Good afternoon,' said the man in the shop.

'Good afternoon,' said Mr Brown. 'Can I look round the shop?'

'Please do.'

Mr Brown looked at the things in the shop. He saw an old doll with a sad face. It wasn't a pretty face, but Mr Brown liked it. The doll was a little old man with white hair and black clothes.

Mr Brown thought, 'Perhaps the doll is lonely, too.'

He asked, 'How much do you want for this old doll?'

The man thought. 'Oh, that. Three pounds,' he said.

Mr Brown wanted the doll. Why? He didn't know. But he wanted it. Three pounds was a lot of money for an old doll, but Mr Brown paid it. He went out with the doll in his hand.

He looked at its face. 'Is it smiling?' he wondered. 'No,' he thought. 'It's only a doll. He said to it, 'I'm going to take you home.'

The doll didn't answer - it was only a doll. So why did Mr Brown speak to it? Because he was lonely. He put it in his case with his papers from the office.

Mr Brown was tired now, so he got on the bus. The man came for Mr Brown's money and Mr Brown bought a ticket.

Suddenly, somebody on the bus spoke. 'Go away!' said the person. 'You stupid man. Go away!'

Everybody on the bus looked at Mr Brown. 'Did he say that?' they wondered.

The ticket man was angry with Mr Brown. 'Why did he say that?' he wondered. He gave Mr Brown a ticket and went away. He didn't like Mr Brown.