The Living Dead Dolls Series 23 Tea Party: Photo Story

Here's the story I envision for the LDD tea party.

Go here to read the first post in this series (Agatha's review),  here for the second (Betsy's review), here for the third (Teddy's review), here for the fourth (Jennocide's review), and here for the fifth (Quack's review).

                    Agatha slept in the tea chest, hating.

She hadn't been with the other dolls for years. She was too old and too broken. Her neck didn't sit right and her head was all cracked. She was there for some of the first and finest tea parties, entertaining all of the toys and children. But now her world was darker and more obscene, and she felt closer to tea than the toys. She had died as a doll. 

The tea chest was what she knew best. None of the toys around today understood and appreciated tea like she did. It was a lost art. 

Agatha had been suffering as housekeeper to Betsy, the most terrible little mistress. She was young, spoiled, demanding, and cruel. She also had no taste. She ordered Agatha around and made a mockery of whatever fine things were still around her. And today was to be a grand tea at Betsy's command.

Agatha rose and looked at herself in the serving dish. She hadn't liked what she saw for ages and ages now, but today she smiled. 

Today, she was going to kill them all.

She got herself ready. There was much to do.

Agatha muttered bitter things to herself as she walked through the house and began to brew. 

"Miss Prissy wants this, and she wants that and those too? Oh, were I to deliver a swift boot to the back of her head-"

"''Polish the kettle more, I want to see my face!' You never enter the kitchen and you want to wear me shoulders to a nub for the kettle!"

[Skull-and-snake kettle is homemade by me.]

Her mistress was beastly, evil, and selfish. She was frilly and pink and horrid. She'd killed the dolls in charge of the house to inherit Agatha, and her behavior flew in the face of all Agatha held sacred.

"AAAAGGGIIEEEE!"

...and she called her "Aggie". That could not be tolerated.

                   

                     Agatha began to dress the tea table. The cloth was old as her, and just as worn, but it was proper and that was that.

Then, Betsy arrived.

"Are you done yet, Aggie?"

"It's all ready on time as you've demanded, miss."
"This looks like a grandma table. I wanted PINK!"
"Oh, what a pity. And the guests are due any second, too..."

Betsy grumbled. She'd felt resistance from her Aggie ever since she became the lady of the house, and she had begun to suspect she'd been tricked by her on multiple occasions. 

It didn't matter. She was going to kill everybody today.

Betsy looked over the table layout.

"I want the teapot today! You can get the cup."
"Really, miss? It's my job to serve the tea-"
"You can join the party this time. I'll pour. Now shut up."
"How generous of you..."

Agatha was confused, but some part of her longed to sit at the table for once. She dreaded retribution were she to take away the pot. 

Then they saw a fuzzy head.

"Grrr..."

"Ah...Master Teddy has arrived, miss."
"Grrr...."
"That stupid bear act?!? Stop growling like that!"
"I believe that's his stomach, miss."

"There's your tea, lad-"
"I don't want tea! I'm hungry!"
"Aggie, feed him and shut him up. Maybe then-"
"-he'll drink his tea, yes."

Betsy narrowed her eyes. Why did Agatha seem so intent on him drinking? After all, she herself had planned on poisoning him with that cup. Agatha came back with a tin of sweets. She knew what a greedy doll wanted. 

Then, another face arrived.

"Madam Jennocide, miss."
"Ugh...Sit down, Jenn."

Jennocide was a neighbor's doll who had never gotten along with Betsy or the others, and she honestly couldn't tell why. She was delighted to be asked to the party as a result. 

Betsy just wanted her dead. She was too pretty and fancy. Betsy had to be the grandest of them all. 

"I'm really so honored to be here-and oh! Those sweets look delicious!"

"NO! MINE! ROAAAR!!!"

"Quack!"

All heads turned at the noise.

"Quack!" *giggle*
"...Miss Quack has arrived."

This was Quack. She wasn't far beyond a baby doll, and she loved her duck costume. Nobody knew her name--they just called her Quack because it was the only word she said.

Now, everybody was here.

                    With everybody at the table, things were quiet and tense. None of the group was warm with each other, except for Quack happily quacking and smiling. She was the first to sip her tea.

"Mmm....quack!"

Agatha, meanwhile, dumped hers behind her discreetly. She couldn't drink the cup she'd prepared for Betsy. She'd prepared it to be lethal to her mistress, and it was a silly fruit tea besides. She'd never stand for it.

Betsy was getting frustrated with Teddy. He hadn't touched his cup, and what was the fun in pouring if a cup stayed full?

Teddy just kept on gobbling up the sweets.

Betsy turned to Quack to ask if she wanted more tea, but Quack was just staring there motionless and hazy.

"Quack, do you- Quack? Quack?"

"Quaaack???"
"...hehehe...quack..."

Betsy was confused. Was there something put in Quack's tea that she didn't know about?

But then Jennocide lifted her cup and splashed the tea. She screamed as the acid inside burned off her face. She was soon dead.

Betsy laughed. Now Agatha was alarmed. Had Betsy been in the kitchen while Agatha was dressing the table? She now regretted pouring out the tea. She could have talked Betsy into drinking it.

Teddy kept eating, not caring at all about Jennocide's quick end.

Betsy turned back to Quack. She really wanted to play hostess. Quack was still somewhere else. She was rolling her head and groaning, but then started to sigh peacefully.

"Ooo...quack..."

Betsy was very upset.

"Aggie, what's wrong with her? She's not doing what she's supposed to!"

"Well, you know how the little ones are..."

"No! No! She's supposed to be--never mind! Teddy!"

It was too late to offer him more tea again. He was motionless under the table, belly bulging with candies. He had eaten himself to death.

Quack was still sitting there. Agatha waved a hand in front of her and smiled. The drugs were clearly working.

Quack felt very sleepy as she entered a beautiful dreamland.

She slipped further into the darkness, and mumbled something aloud to the room, like nothing she'd ever said before.

"You're dying too..."

Then she faded.

The two remaining dolls looked at the tea party with disgust.

This wasn't how it was really supposed to go. Agatha couldn't get Betsy to die, while she knew she hadn't been the one to kill Jennocide. Betsy was alarmed to still see Agatha up and about, and she knew she hadn't killed Quack. Both were revolted that Teddy had died entirely of his own means. Betsy stormed off, leaving Agatha to clean up the table and the bodies.

                    By the next day, Agatha had gotten some spring back in her step. It did always cheer her to bury some dead, and she felt young and joyful again in her veil and parasol, dancing amid the three mounds.

Betsy sulked by herself in the garden with a cup of tea.

[Table also homemade].

She wasn't drinking. Seeing Agatha dancing on the graves and thinking about how terribly wrong the party had gone was putting her off her tea. At this point, she couldn't trust that the tea she had now was safe...and that was it. Suddenly, she realized that Agatha was going to kill her someday.

Betsy had inherited the house and Agatha. But she had also inherited the antique toy soldier's pistol in the attic.

*BANG!*

Betsy stood in a fugue. She remembered the feeling from the last time she had used this gun, killing the dolls who ran the house before. She didn't realize what was happening in the graves.

It was a swarm of hungry, angry living dead dolls. Betsy was beaten to death and the horde destroyed itself until there was nothing left in them.

                    Such is the way of the tea party. Let's sweep these up, shall we?

And here they are, bagged, and tagged and ready to serve.

May they boil in hell.