It was not that the True North crew forgot about the trash run to the Fibula Crevasse. They fully intended to go as that was what they had been paid to do. They were waiting to tackle that task when a job took them closer to that location. The Crevasse was part of a long chain of volcanoes, far to the West. The surrounding lands were desert wastelands. At this point, it was not feasible for them to make that trek, so they carried the eight boxes with them. In the darkness, she continued waiting for them to remember their task and imagined an escape.

________________________

"That's everything, Joe! Tell Jaehyun to prepare for lift off!" Navi called running up the ramp to the North. Within moments, the ship took off and the next journey was underway.

"This has got to be the easiest job we've had in a while," Navi crowed, jumping up to ruffle Joe's hair. He flushed in embarrassment. "Is all the cargo secured properly?"

"Yes," he answered hesitantly. "But I think Casey has been hiding in the freight room again. I thought I heard someone speak, but they wouldn't answer after I called them."

Jethro came down to join them by the entrance. "It couldn't be Casey. I just saw her on the bridge with Jaehyun," he said, joining their conversation. Sounds like we have a stowaway."

Navi frowned. “Will you two come with me in case they prove to be trouble?”

“You got it, boss.” Jethro cracked his knuckles. “Let’s catch us a stowaway.”

                                                  ______________________________

She heard the hiss of the freight room doors as the hydraulic pressure released. Then she could hear the doors rolled open. (She learned a lot about this ship by listening.) "Hello?" the woman—Navi—called out.

They were back! She wanted to call out, but still could not figure out why her voice denied itself.

"We know you're in there and we don't take kindly to stowaways. There are two large gentlemen with me and they are not happy to be missing out on dinner," Navi continued. Of course she could not answer.

"Okay, start checking these boxes."

They went through the room quite thoroughly. She figured out that her box was on top of several others by the way sounds changed after a loud clatter told her she had hit the floor. There was the magical clicking sounds she waited for!

"Hello!" she started, but the clicking stopped again. What she would give to not be constrained by that infernal noise!

"We've got 'em!" An unfamiliar man's voice crowed out, shaking her box. It started the clicking again.

"If you can hear me, please get me out," she said. She could hear the nails shrieking as her box was being pulled apart. "It's been so--”. The clicking stopped as did her voice, but there was light. It was the first light she had seen in a long time. Oh glorious, wonderful light!

If she could have she would have cried for sheer joy at its beauty. By its illumination she finally saw the faces of Navi, Jethro and Joseph peering down at her. They were the most beautiful faces she had seen in a long time--even if they were smudged with smoke and engine grease.

"How'd you end up in the trash?" Joseph breathed in wonder, reaching out a hand to touch her. She couldn't feel his hand. What was wrong with her skin? What did it matter? She was found! She was free!

The other man who was much older and scarier-looking (he had to be Jethro) lifted her from the box as though she weighed no more than a feather. He carefully set her down, sitting her upright. (How lovely to have directions to refer to!) She was finally able to get a good view of her where she spent the last few weeks. The remains of several crates lay scattered about as did piles of refuse from previously opened cargo. It was the loveliest room she had ever seen.

______________________

"D'you reckon they meant to throw her out with the trash?" Jethro glanced at Navi.  

Navi was still looking over the doll they had found. She was created with the finest craftsmanship that Navi had ever seen. Her skin plates were crafted of a porcelain so soft, it felt like skin at first touch. It was creamy, cool and pale. The doll had a head full of brilliant, soft, red hair (had to be human). The very joints in her hand were linked and coated so well, that it took her a minute to find the seams. The doll had a very pretty face, perfectly oval with large green glass eyes and rosy pink lips on the verge of a smile. The outfit she wore was filmy and a little frilly—like that of a dancer. She was a work of art.

"You wouldn’t think so.” Navi looked down at the box lid. The box she came in was part of the Valor Town rubbish. She looked back at the doll. Her senses prickled a bit, like they tended to do when Faffy suddenly appeared. “I hope not. Destroying her would be a crime against humanity.” She shook her head to try and rid herself of the buzzing feeling. It was just a doll. “Joseph, is there anything else in the box?”

Joe pulled out a large, brass wind-up key. “This is the only other thing in there. Do you think we should wind it?”

“Why not?” Unbidden, Dr. Sneed’s voice came to her. “The items have been warped by some chemist experiments. I wouldn't trust a one of it.” She frowned. Something was not adding up. “Let’s see what she does.”

Navi carefully leaned the doll over one of her arms so she could get a good view of the back. There was a hole in the costume to make space for the key. She took the key from Joseph and inserted it. Before she could think too hard about what she was doing, she started winding the doll. It was awkward and Joseph had to hold the doll for her so she could get a good grip.

How long should she wind for? What if the doll proved dangerous? Would the ship be safe? She opted to give the doll a good five winds, so that the spring would wind down quickly in case the doll was something else.

When she removed the key and sat the doll up, they could hear the gears inside begin to turn. The first thing to move were her eyes. Navi now noticed that within the glass the pupils worked like the aperture of a camera lens. They shifted in the light. Then the doll’s head turned to each of them. Her eyes focused.

“Hello!” came a voice from the doll. Her lips stayed in the perpetual smile. “Hello! It is so good to finally be able to move! Thank you so much!” She got to her feet in a fluid movement. “And you don’t need to introduce yourselves! I already know that you are Navi. You are Jethro. And you are Joseph!” She pointed at each of them in turn. Her fingers made quiet clicking noises as the plates rubbed against each other.

“I cannot tell you how lovely it is to put a face to names! And it is so nice to be able to say everything I’m thinking out loud!” While she spoke, the doll paced back and forth gracefully, gesticulating wildly. “Speaking of loud, I can only seem to move and talk when all this clicking and whirring starts up. I can hear very well, but I can’t feel anything. I was looking at my hands when you found me. They don’t look right. Can you tell me…what…am I?” Here, she put a hand to her chest, looking down.

"Oh…my…god!” Jethro gasped, hurling himself backwards. “It can talk! It knows our names! Navi, we need to smash it or something!”

“No! Please don’t! I never did anything! I would never harm anyone!” the doll cried. “Please! You have to believe me! I’ve been trapped in that box for…I actually don’t know how long! A-and I’m sorry if my talking is too much. I can be quiet—just please don’t hurt me!” And she put a hand to her smiling face, standing still.

Navi and Joseph were still frozen with their mouths wide open.

“I can honestly say that I was not expecting that,” Navi finally said slowly, getting up and keeping her eye on the doll. “Jethro, put that hammer down! It’ll be okay!”

The big man was edging his way towards the doll, his eyes wide with fright. “But--!”

“She hasn’t done any harm yet. Let’s wait a big before making any judgement calls.” Navi made her way towards the doll who still had not moved. She saw the eyes focus on her. “You say you don’t know how long you were in that box, right?”

“Right.” She did not move.

“Do you have a name?”

“My name…” The doll lowered her arms to hug herself. “..is Estelle, I think. It’s the only thing that I can seem to recall clearly.”

“Estelle. Do you know how you came to be in the box? Were you always a doll?”

“I don’t think I was a doll before. Is that what I am now?” Estelle asked in interest, examining the joins in her fingers. “Do you have a mirror? What do I look like?” She looked down at her elegantly attired legs and tiny feet. “I hope I at least look pretty.”

“That should be the least of your concerns,” Navi smiled in spite of herself at the absurdity of the situation. She called the bridge. “Captain, we have a bit of a situation in the freight room. Some of our cargo is alive…in a manner of speaking.”