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“Welcome to your new home,” announced Arlin.

“New?  We’re in the same box,” Geovanni was quick to point out.

Arlin sighed.  He was used to Geovanni being difficult, but he was annoyed that his big proclamation was suffering.  “Yes, we are in the same box. But the box is in a different place.”

All the others tried to jump up to get a better view of the new surroundings.

“What happened to Gloria?” Fatima asked, looking concerned.

“Dear,” Lisbet touch Fatima’s arm.  “You know what happened.”

“No,” Fatima insisted, shaking her head.  “Gloria gave me all her health worries, but she hadn’t taken me out of the box for at least a month.  She was getting better.”

“She wasn’t getting better,” Lisbet said, gently.  “She was accepting it was her time to go.”

“That’s not possible.”

“It’s true,” Nilsa spoke up.  “Remember, she gave me her worries about family.  She worried how her family would go on without her.  Would they resent her for being ready to die?”

“So, where are we now?” Fatima asked.  “And where is Diego?”

“Gloria passed us on to her daughter, Heather,” Arlin explained.  “Heather only has one worry for the night. How is she supposed to live without her mom?  Diego is carrying it for her so she can sleep.”

“What a horrible burden for Diego to carry overnight!”

Geovanni shrugged.  “It’s not like he hasn’t done it before.”

“According to legend, Guatemalan children tell one worry to each doll at night when they go to bed at night.  They place the dolls under their pillow, and in the morning the dolls have taken their worries away.”

--From the "instructions" in a box of Worry Dolls.