They arrived; and for this sombre occasion, Ellen McNally wore a pretty dress and shoes.

It was here that Ellen found the doll, who claimed to be a guardian of the so-called barrier between the realm of Reality and the realm of N.  And she was in need of a host - always a young girl of an innocent age - to help her with her week-long patrol in the Real world.

And now it was time to say goodbye...

But this doll, and all others like her, had an insufferable curse on them: their hosts had a tendency to become extremely emotionally attached to them; the other part of the curse was that they had to return to the very portal where they came from, or risk it bursting open, bring all sorts of chaos into Reality.

To make matters worse, Ellen was from a wealthy family whose parents committed scant little time to visit their daughter.  Even worse still, she had nobody who she could call a real friend at school, due to her very high social standing.  She was quintessentially an outcast to the envious mob of schoolkids.

In other words, poor Ellen was unbearably lonely...!

And so, despite all pleas and warnings from the doll that it was time to let go, Ellen desperate grip remained tight and solid around the doll.

The doll, a  seasoned veteran in her calling, knew from experience what was about to happen...

And there were only two minutes until the very end of her tenure...!