The Lost Doll
The ‘Lost Doll’ is a supernatural story which brings the issue of ‘reincarnation’. It evokes about the belief that the soul, upon death of the body, comes back to earth in another form or body or rebirth of the soul in a new incarnation or embodiment, as of a person.
Maria del Carmen was the only child of her parents, Roberto and Rosa Soto. ‘Carmen’ was a beautiful, bright, kind and loving child. However, she was sick from the very day of her birth. By the time she turned four, she fell sick seriously and died. Many people gathered there for her funeral procession and all of them said that she was like a little doll. A few days after the funeral ceremony Rosa gave away Carmen’s playthings and clothes to a priest of another village so that she couldn’t see them time and again. Rosa had no hope of any more child as Soto Spouse was told by the doctor at the time of Carmen’s birth that they wouldn’t have no more child. When Roberto knew about it, he became very unhappy because he was hopeful that they would have another child. Meanwhile Roberto asked whether she had given away the little doll, too. Rosa wondered that it was not there among the things. Then they searched everywhere in the house as well asked to friends, neighbours, villagers too but they couldn’t find However they soon forgot about the lost doll because Rosa became pregnant. On the first anniversary of the death of Carmen, Rosa gave birth to another child. Roberto and Rosa became very happy. Rosa thought that God gave them their baby back to them because the new baby was similar to her sister Carmen but she was a healthy girl. She was baptized with the name Evangelina, which meant “good news”. The parish priest used to say that God took their sick child. He healed her and gave her back to them.
One day, when Evangelina was almost four she told her mother that she had been sick a long time ago. She also told her aunt that she had a little, beautiful doll with blue eyes and red dress. She had buried it under a tree in the yard. She requested her mother to dig up the doll. When Rosa dug up the ground, she found the lost doll. She looked surprised, shocked and sick because it was difficult for her to believe. Evangelina also said that when she was sick, the nice man came and helped her to bury that doll under the tree.
The story accounts the supernatural significance regarding its particular focus on the concept of reincarnation. When Evangelina was born and grown up, she looked very much similar to that of carmens action, characters behaviours and other many things were very much similar. The priest said that God healed Carmen and sent her back in the form of healthy Evangelina. Though Rosa did not believe that her newly born child as the reincarnation of Carmen but she could not reject the mysterious fact towards the end of the story. When Evangelina reported everything about past and about her doll, Rosa could say nothing anymore.
