The Dollmaker of Krakow

No one is ever really lost as long as their story still exists.

You can destroy a person, Karolina, but destroying their story is far more difficult. No one is ever really lost as long as their story still exists.

Even if I’m so old that my bones are as brittle as chalk, I’ll find you. Even if there is an ocean between us, I will find you,” he told her.

There's nothing as disappointing as realizing you only dreamed a good thing.

My soul already existed - you just called out to me, and the wind brought me to you.

That’s what weak people do,”said the Dollmaker. “They’re afraid, and hurt others with that fear. But there comes a point at which they don’t deserve our pity any more.

She could be the voice of hope as well as reason.

But, Karolina, having a broken heart doesn't mean you failed. It means you still have one." -Fritz

That's what magic is - making things happen because you want them to be real" -Karolina

Most magicians smell like ink and starlight. The world bends around them.

We're magical. That means we're very good a surviving" -Karolina

The Dollmaker: Jewish people like Mr. Trzmiel practice a different religion that I do - they aren't Christian. They have a different relationship with God than I do. Karolina: Oh. That's a foolish reason to hate someone. The Dollmaker: Yes, it is.

Why? Why did Brandt hurt so many people with his own pain?" -Karolina "That's what weak people do. They're afraid, and hurt others with that fear." -The Dollmaker

Karolina couldn't always predict what the Dollmaker would do, but she understood his heart well; she felt as if she had a map of it inside her own. For it wasn't only the cobblestone streets of Krakow and the roadways that needed to be navigated. People could be like labyrinths too.

As he worked, the Dollmaker's tears stopped, and Karolina thought she understood why. Creating something always made her feel better. It was only when her hands were still that she could not fend off the fears that threatened to overtake her heart.

Pink roses are for gentle people. Or for gentle dolls,” Karolina said. “There’s a language for flowers. Red for passion, white for purity, pink for hope and gentleness.

Magic is an odd thing. It never takes the form you expect" -The Dollmaker

Magic is supposed to help everyone, not just certain people you approve of" -Karolina

For all she loved the Dollmaker, he was still an adult. Being loved by a child like Rena was very different - and special.

I'm a real man, who died and became a story. The more people tell a story, the more alive it becomes" -Juraj Janosik

Being around a magician is like that ... Like everything is bending around them because they're brushing the stardust and raindrops from another world off their shoulders.

He had certainly been startled when Karolina had announced herself, but he was no coward; he had not run away from what he could not explain.