The Specter of Lydia Beadle

Many years ago, 11-year old Lydia Beadle and her parents Henry and Mavis Beadle, all ran a doll shop in the Mercantile District of Lankhmar known as Beadle's Babies. Henry Beadle was a well-known maker of porcelain dolls that were popular all throughout Lankhmaria and Ilthmar alike.     While Lydia was skilled in making these dolls, her favorite task was to greet their customers. She would often have a porcelain baby doll in her arms as she walked around the shop; when a customer would enter, she would approach them, extending the baby doll out and ask "would you like to hold my baby?" She would do so in such an innocent and charming way that it was difficult for anyone to say no. Inevitably, sales were high at Beadle's Babies with Lydia being the primary salesperson. She spent time with both parents and children discovering exactly what kind of baby they wanted, from the color of the dress to the length of their eyelashes -- down to the very last detail.   One day, Lydia ate an apple that was tainted with a toxic mold. She and hundreds of others in Lankhmar fell ill during the event that was later called The Plague of Apples. Unfortunately, Lydia did not survive her illness and within a span of 3 days, she died in bed in their apartment above the shop.   Visitors of Beadle's Babies often report sightings of Lydia's specter to this day. One such incident occurred recently when a little girl named Barbara and her parents visited the shop. While her parents negotiated the sale, Barbara wandered the shop, looking at all the different porcelain dolls on the shelf. When she got near the door that led to the Beadles' upstairs apartment, there stood Lydia in the doorway, holding a porcelain doll in her hands. She smiled warmly at Barbara and asked "would you like to hold my baby"? Barbara cheerfully agreed, at which point Lydia turned and ran up the stairs, calling "well come and play with us!". Barbara chased Lydia to the top of the stairs. When she reached the top, Lydia ran through the apartment door, as specters are apt to do. Shocked, Barbara screamed and fainted.   Others who have seen Lydia report that she appears as though she were made of porcelain, embodying the porcelain dolls she so loved. On these occasions, she seems sad and lonely. These witnesses say that after a few seconds, Lydia's "porcelain skin" crumbles away until her "body" finally disappears into an ethereal dust.     While Lydia doesn't appear often, when she does, it seems that a little girl similar to her age is present. Additionally, anyone who brings apples into the building often feels immediately ill. If they remain in the shop for more than a few minutes, most end up vomiting uncontrollably until they exit.