The FIRM - A Short Story

IPPZZEE ANNE GOES TO COURT

Who is Ippzzee Anne, I am Ippzzee Anne and I am a doll, not just any doll, I sing, I talk and I giggle. I make a lots of children happy and feel good about themselves because my Mimzee who created me says, all children are so special if allowed to be a child.

So I sing a song for all children called, "I'm Special, You're special, We're all special as can be."

It was scary when I found myself sitting in a big chair at a long table in a place they call Federal Court along with a people person called the Judge and people persons called Attorneys.

I didn't understand what I was hearing though. One of the men they called my Attorney, said I was worth $450,000 dollars. Wow, that sure sounded like a lot of money, I have a piggy bank I keep my pennies in but I don't think I have that much in it!

Then I heard another man they called The Judge say, "Now let's be reasonable I think that's out of line."

My Attorney man interrupted him saying, "It's not that out of line if you consider this doll has been advertised for sale on ten different web sites as if they had all rights to her and without a contract or written agreement of any kind from the rightful owner. Besides," he added, "how do we know what she has collected over the past four years?"

I looked at my Mimzee and Popzee who were sitting at the end of the table near me, but not with me, and wondered if I should give my piggy bank to them.

I heard my Popzee whisper to my Mimzee, "This man knows his business; he's the smartest attorney in all of New York, you know."

I looked up at my attorney people person and he patted me on the head.

The Judge person sitting across from me smiled at me and I smiled back 'cause he was friendly and nice too. He asked my Mimzee about me.

My Mimzee said, "I wrote Ippzzee Anne for children with characters they can relate to. I wrote it in story form first, then as a Christmas play and a Birthday play."

"Who is Ippzzee Anne?" she asked smiling at me, "Ippzzee Anne is a friendly happy-go-lucky doll children love and enjoy, especially those who need a friend."

"Ippzzee Anne along with her friends, Tweekie Nose, a nervous fuzzy bunny, a fat, Fuzzy Teddy Bear, who stutters and lisps, Speckles, a silly polka-a-dotted dog who chases his tail and howls, Quack-Quack, a very negative cross-patched duck, all live with their beloved mistress Mary Jane, in her play room."

"None of the above characters are perfect on the outside but all are perfect on the inside, especially to Ippzzee Anne. This teaches children to see only the good in one another and to be kind."

"Many children visit Mary Jane play room They love to play with Ippzzee Anne and her friends. They learn the poems, stories, and songs; they even participate in there outlandish antics. They have fun."

"In today's fearful world," my Mimzee added, "children need to have fun, feel safe and protected. If we will just give them a chance to be children, at least until they are six years old, and in my opinion it's our duty as parents, teachers and guardians to do this, children will have a good foundation, learn right from wrong, and grow up into fine young men and women. Doing this we might even see a remarkable change in this old world of ours through their leadership."

"I agree," the Judge person said smiling at my Mimzee.

"I love hearing children laugh," my Mimzee said. "Is there any greater sound in the whole world then that? That is why I have created Ippzzee Anne and her funny friends in story form and plays. It allows children everywhere to participate-- be a part of it."

"You may ask me why I feel I am such an authority on this. I have been teaching little children for over thirty years. Today I am a grandmother, I can no longer physically work with children, but I can write for them."

Just then a tall skinny lady people person with a long neck wearing kind of a pickle face walked in and looked at me. She frowned even though I smiled and waved at her.

Then her Attorney person followed her in wearing fish lips all pulled down on both sides of his mouth. He wore a big frown too when he looked at me. "Guess they don't like me," I said to myself. They looked just like Quack-Quack when she scolds me.

The fish lip attorney person stated in a loud voice, "They owe us a lot of money," nodding towards my Mimzee and Popzee, "for the time we spent on the play called, "Ippzzee Anne."

They both looked very angry and became even angrier when the Judge person shouted, "You have nothing, and never did have anything without a copyright, a contract or a written agreement, but you always knew that didn't you!"

The lawyer person with the fish lips started to argue saying, "We had an oral agreement."

Wow, the Judge person got very angry over that, he shouted even louder. "You know oral agreements are not legal, not in Federal Court or any other court of law. And let me point out a very important fact to you both, before you start to develop a play or story again, make sure you have the paper work done, you understand? A legal copyright and a signed contract by the rightful owner."

The Judge person looked at the tall skinny lady and her attorney person with the fish lips, "If I see or hear of any more ads over the Internet claiming you own Ippzzee Anne, or any material associated with Ippzzee Anne, being used in any manner whatsoever, you will be standing right back here in my court room in front of me again and YOU WILL NOT BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU HEAR AND WHAT YOU HAVE TO FACE!"

The tall, skinny lady person turned very red; I knew she was really angry.

Whenever the Judge person looked at my Mimzee and Popzee, he'd smile. When he looked at the skinny lady person and her lawyer, he looked really stern.

My Attorney person sitting beside me said to the skinny lady, "We expect all the materials, costumes, stage settings, Internet ads, etc. pertaining to 'Ippzzee Anne,' to be returned to my client as soon as possible."

"And furthermore," he added, "we don't want you using any of the stage settings, music, or costumes at any time, any place, any where ever again, not even to a Halloween costume party. Is that understood?"

This really made the pickle face lady mad. She yelled, "I don't have to listen to this!" She jumped up and started to leave, but her lawyer person pulled her back down.

The Judge person said in very loud voice, "You sit down, young lady, or I will have the bailiff put you in jail and you will spend the night there. This is Federal Court, and you will do as I say."

Then the Judge person said very angrily, "We don't have to look at you, go into my office until you can get yourself under control."

She left the room slamming the door behind her.

Shortly afterwards that, the Judge person told everyone they could leave go for lunch but be back by one o'clock.

My Mimzee took me out into the hallway. Some nice ladies asked my Mimzee where they could get a doll like me. Popzee quickly explained saying, "At this time she isn't for sale."

It sure scared me hearing my Popzee say I wasn't for sale at this time, 'cause I sure didn't want ever to belong to that skinny lady with the pickle face or her attorney man with the fish lips; I could see they didn't like me.

I stayed in the federal courtroom all by myself while my Mimzee and Popzee went to lunch. I felt lonesome; I was wishing I was back home with Mary Jane, my friends, and all the children who came to play with me.

Wow, was I ever glad to see my Mimzee and Popzee when they returned after lunch.

I heard my Popzee say, "Mimzee you sure look pretty today." "Thank you honey," Mimzee smiled, "and . thank you for buying me this new dress, it really gave me confidence. I guess I wasn't very brave last night. I cried a lot. I am really grateful to you for being so understanding. I'm not sure I could have gone through this without you."

Popzee said, "I was wishing our daughter who worked in a lawyer's office for so many years could be with us today. She knows so much about the law," he said. "But with a new baby it was impossible."

Just then the Judge person came in. He started talking to Popzee. "Personally," he said, "you can carry this lawsuit on and probably get $450,000, but here's what could happen, they might contest it and then it could carry on for another four years."

"At our ages," Popzee said, "I don't think I want that. My Mimzee and I have gone through enough suffering over this."

"Mimzee has had four operations and the shingles in the past four years, partly due to the stress caused by all of this. I don't want her going through anything more, so let's put an end to it right now."

Mimzee seemed very surprised. She thought for sure Popzee would ask for the attorney fees since earlier he had talked about doing that. "If anything happens to you, sweetheart," I heard Popzee say, "what would it profit me? I can't take that chance, I love you too much for that."

The Judge person called in the skinny lady person with the pickle face and her attorney person with the fish lips and told them what Popzee decided. They both looked shocked. I guess they didn't expect that either.

Our attorney person from New York told the Judge to call in the court reporter. He asked her to write everything down under his direction.

The tall skinny lady's attorney said, "Lets go to my office and finish up the details." "No way," our attorney person frowned, "we will do it right here and now."

After the legal details were written by the court reporter, the tall skinny lady person with the pickle face came rushing up to my Mimzee and said, "Can we have a talk sometime?" My Mimzee stepped back and looked at her for sometime. "Perhaps someday," I heard her answer.

Popzee and Mimzee took our famous attorney friend along with us up to Mt. Rushmore for a sightseeing tour. Popzee even took pictures of him with the presidents' faces behind him.

"You know," Popsee smiled at him, "you look good with them. We just might have to run you for president someday!"

Later my Mimzee said looking at me, "Ippzzee Anne, you belong to us, you always have, and you always will."

Boy did that make me happy!

"The Judge was such a nice man, and our attorney was sharp," Popzee nodded. "Yes, but honey, you were the real hero," Mimzee laughed hugging him, "Now let's go home!"

© 2003 Lois Blankenship