Here’s the rest of the “heat white chocolate wafers” exercise, the top of which is part of the “Writing every day” post.
The idea may have some potential, but I probably won’t develop it. I have lots of other stories.
What would a child do with white chocolate wafers? Eat enough to get sick, which isn’t many. Try to melt some for popcorn balls but there is a mishap. Could it boil over? Shingles for a gingerbread house. Licorice siding. Parsley trees. Cinnamon roses. The dolls sneak out in the dead of night and nibble on the house. The kids think it’s mice. Staying up late they train a flashlight and catch the doll in action. Now the doll, compromised, has to share secrets. The children want to go on a quest and grudgingly, the doll agrees. She tries to put them off with easy tasks, but these kids want challenge and they challenge her to provide that.
The Night Revels. They dance by the light of the moon and run away from the sword-wielding mice. Or badgers. Or foxes. How to tell who is a friend? The answer: trust no one.
Then they get stuck. They can’t get back home. They are in doll world and the portal is shut. They must find a new one. One of the kids is content to stay in doll world, but the others talk her into trying. Do they do this for themselves, or are they worried the parents would fret? How responsible are children when faced with a Land of the Lotus Eaters existence? It would be so easy to stay: plenty of sweet food, friendly critters, chances to swim and run. But there are no books, no TV, no music except what they can create. Nothing to consume except fruits and berries. No ice cream. These kids come from consumer culture and no matter how pleasant Paradise, they can’t wait to get back to their cluttered lives.