Collectibles

The figurines were lined up neatly on the shelf. All had the same shape. At first Matilda thought they were tiny bells. But on closer inspection they were depicting a sitting human.

White, yellow, green, pink, blue, blank, red … Quite colorful. I wonder …

“Don’t touch that.”

Matilda whipped around. She came to face a short woman who hunched over a cane. Her white hair was tied to a tight bun on the nape of her neck.

“I’m sorry. I was just looking. Mrs. Woringer?”

Matilda straightened her back and smiled at the old lady. In reply Mrs. Woringer grimaced.

You’ve done this before. Stay calm.

But then, the woman’s face cleared. With tears in her eyes, she stared at Matilda. Her face washed of any expression. Then, blinking twice, the shine disappeared. Mrs. Woringer cleared her throat.

“Yes, that’s me. Elke Woringer. You’re not Lina.”

“Oh, Linda. No, I’m Matilda. The agency sent …”

“Yeah, yeah. I understand. How is … Linda?”

Matilda kept the friendly smile plastered on her lips, focusing on her new client.

“Linda is on leave for the next week. So, I’ll …”

“A week. It’ll be longer …”

The voice trailed off. Without warning, there were tears silently spilling over. Quickly, Matilda pulled out a tissue from her bag and handed it to the old lady. The woman stared at the outstretched hand. A tear dripped on the dark wooden floor.

“Thank you.”

With shaking fingers Mrs. Woringer wiped off the tears. Balling the tissue paper, she stuffed it in her cardigan pocket. It was already bulging.

“What do you have in there? It looks heavy.”

The old lady looked down. Tears spilled again. This time she sniffed as well, while her free hand dove into the pocket. Matilda’s eyes widened, when another figurine emerged. It was the same shape, the same size, but a different color.

“Huh? Do you collect these?”

Mrs. Woringer didn’t grace Matilda with an answer. Instead, she pushed a footstool with her cane. With tears now streaming down her face she climbed the stool. Matilda hovered nearby, hesitating.

The figurine found its place next to the black counterpart.

“You might need a new shelf soon. There isn’t much space left.”

While imagining another row of these figures, a chill reached her face. Her head snapped around.

Did I not close the door?

She took half a step in the direction. The stool wobbled. Mrs. Woringer lost her footing. The cane stamped Matilda’s foot. Matilda cried out. Mrs. Woringer fell. The caretaker wrapped her arms around the fragile woman. They hit the floor. Air was pushed out of Matilda’s lungs. Pain shot up her back. A moan escaped her. Then something wet hit her face.

“Mrs. Woringer! Are you hurt?”

Carefully pushing herself up, she checked the old woman for injuries.

Head? Neck? Shoulders?

A sigh escaped her, when she didn’t find any. Yet, the old woman’s tears wouldn’t stop. Matilda helped the old lady up. Another tissue left her bag. With a face bare any emotion, Mrs. Woringer wiped off the tears.

“We should have some tea. Come with me.”

Still sniffing the woman scuffled down the short corridor. Matilda looked back at the door. It was closed. The smiling figurines caught her eye again. Matilda frowned.

“Mrs. Woringer! I’m here!”

Silence greeted her, and immediately Matilda quickened her movements. Hanging her jacket and switching to house shoes, she brushed past the figurines. Just like the past few weeks, Matilda avoided looking at the figures on the shelf.

“Mrs. Woringer! It’s me! Mathila!”

There was still no answer. She checked the kitchen first. There were no signs of the old lady or her lunch. Matilda’s heartbeat quickened.

Living room. Armchair.

With every call her throat got drier. Her phone in hand, ready to call emergency services, she stepped into the bedroom. Switching on the light, she saw Mrs. Woringer lying in her bed. Her eyes were closed. No movement visible.

“Mrs. Woringer?”

It came out as a whisper but still sounded loud in the quiet room. There was no answer. After checking her charge’s pulse, she dialed the number. It was a routine call, but Matilda still felt the lump in her throat. The whole time she spoke to the emergency operator, she looked at Mrs. Woringer.

While waiting for the doctor and the police to arrive, Matilda walked around the room. She had never been allowed to enter the bedroom before. Making sure not to touch anything, she looked at the photographs on the walls.

The photos were mainly of Mrs. Woringer in front of different landmarks all over the world. In every picture, Mrs. Woringer smiled widely. Matilda shivered. The face of the corpse on the bed was completely blank.

“Come in. How are you? I heard about Mrs. Woringer.”

Linda stepped back and Matilda hugged her friend but was pushed away quickly. A frown appeared on Matilda’s face.

“I showered and disinfected.”

“Sorry. Really sorry. These days … I’ve been a bit …”

Linda took her to her kitchen and Matilda placed the cake on the table. Linda prepared coffee. Matilda took out the plates from the cupboard.

“Be careful! Don’t let them drop. You might get hurt.”

The outcry was so sudden that the plates slid from Matilda’s grip. Matilda jerked to catch them. Then they shattered on the floor.

“Why would you do that? Can’t you be more careful?”

Matilda had crouched on the floor, picking up the pieces and halted her movements.

“Are you for real now?”

“Well, you should be more careful. You always drop things. I just wanted to make sure you don’t make a mess.”

Linda’s face was bright red. Matilda stared at her friend.

“When have I ever … Ah!”

Blood stained the shards in front of her. Quickly, Matilda pushed her finger in her mouth while getting up. Immediately, Linda’s mouth formed a silent O. Her face went from red to white. Then she disappeared without another word.

Sucking on her finger, Matilda abandoned the mess and looked around the kitchen. She had chosen the kitchen cabinets and shelves with Linda. Despite her friend’s erratic behavior today, a smile appeared on Matilda’s lips.

But her gaze stopped at a new shelf. It was quite narrow. On it there were four figurines.

White, yellow, green, pink.

The door opened and Linda returned, a pack of plasters in her hand.

“Don’t touch that!”

Matilda raised her hands and stepped back from the shelf. Blood from her cut dripped on the floor.

“Don’t worry. I’m just looking. Did Mrs. Woringer tell you where to get these?”

“What?”

“Mrs. Woringer. She had the same figurines. You must …”

“I don’t know what you are talking about. Give me your finger. You’re making a mess.”

“Who is this from?”

“I don’t know. I’m just getting paid to deliver it. You need to sign here.”

Matilda shut the door and stood in her corridor for a few moments. She stared at the package.

I haven’t ordered anything.

At her desk, she cut through the tape. She dug through the packing peanuts. Then, she froze in her movements. Amidst all the color sat a white figurine. She wanted to grab it. Her fingers trembled. But then her eye got caught by a pink card. She picked it up.

“Dear Ms. Faller, thank you for taking care of my aunt the last few weeks. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy task. I haven’t seen her in a long time, but I’m sure she would have wanted to give you a gesture of appreciation. I hope you can look at the figurine from time to time and send a prayer to my aunt. Best Regards, Frauke Woringer”

Matilda stared at the letter. Then she eyed the figurine. It was similar to what she had seen at Mrs. Woringer’s place. But this figurine didn’t have any facial features. Also, the details on the clothes were completely smoothed out.

Now her heart was beating up her throat. She reached for the figurine. Her fingertips touched the cold material. It warmed quickly. Her heartbeat slowed. Her breathing returned to normal. Her eyes scanned the walls. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the figurine.