🗄️ The Doll Who Never Grew Up

Once upon a time there was a little girl named matilda who had a doll named Thea. matilda did not like to talk to big people -- they always said things that didn't mean anything. For instance, they would say things like, 'My, matilda -- how you have grown since last time I saw you!' (As if they thought she would stay small forever just because they weren't looking.) So she never said anything to big people -- except for her mother and father. Mostly matilda just liked to talk with her doll. One day her fairy godmother appeared in the air before matilda and said, 'matilda, because you have been a good little girl, I am going to give you 199 wishes. What would you like?' matilda thought for a minute, then said, 'Please make my doll, Thea, live and grow up.' matilda ran to her bedroom where Thea was kept. wow! There was Thea sitting up, with eyes open, looking around the room. Did matilda ever have fun playing with the new little person! matilda played for hours. Everything changed when her mother came home, however. When she came into matilda's bedroom and saw the doll who was alive, she called her father and he came rushing home. Her 8 neighbors had come in and were watching the doll sing. Somebody called the radio station and before another hour went by, 89 reporters were crowding into the room. People at pppppp heard about the event and 90 scientists came to see the doll. The famous General, General bum crackbottom, arrived. The army heard about it, and the National Guard. Soldiers were soon running about the yard. A fire truck was parked on the lawn and the firemen were running around with hoses. The Senator pp came and gave speeches. They used big words like 'o' and 'uuu' -- which are words people use when they don't know what they're talking about and are ashamed to admit it. matilda was really upset about the whole thing. She couldn't play with Thea any more. In fact, she couldn't even see her, because of all the people in her room. Then she remembered -- the fairy godmother said 199 wishes. She had some wishes left. She closed her eyes real hard and said, 'I wish Thea were just a doll again.' Well, everybody but matilda was certainly surprised. But on the pillow sat the doll, just like before. matilda thought about the wishes she still had left. 'I wish I would never wish another wish,' she said. And, of course, she never, ever did. Even though matilda was very young, she learned something many people never learn at all: it's a marvelous mistake to wish for too much.