Swamp Thing (Volume 2) Issue 101

## "Keepsakes"

"*She's so fragile... her control of her form so... tentative... But each day her control increases... I think she's beginning to* enjoy *being a spirit.* And that frightens me even more*...*"
―Abby Holland
## Synopsis

### "Keepsakes"

In Houma, Louisiana, a woman named Harriet shops with her son Danny, but she is horrified when she realizes that Danny has gone missing. Rushing out into the parking lot, she begs her boyfriend Jack for help in finding him. Jack is bitter about having had to become stepfather to a mentally challenged child, and has grown to resent Harriet. As such, he denies her any help. After canvassing the townspeople, she eventually finds Danny staring into the window of a toyshop, looking at a doll which has captured his attention. She buys it for him.

In the swamps Abby Holland watches her daughter Tefé play, but longs for her to return to her physical body and be held. She worries that Tefé will begin to prefer being a spirit to having a body. The Inuit Shaman who is watching over the child reassures Abby that Tefé is safe, and will soon return to her body. He hypnotizes Abby into falling asleep, and leaves for a few days.

Abby wakes, annoyed that the Shaman tricked her, and checks on Tefé. She calls her daughter to her, but a strong wind begins carrying the girl away. As Abby chases after her, she loses track of her surroundings, and slams into a tree. After getting up, Abby builds a fire and cuddles the bag holding Tefé's human remains to her chest.

The next day, Chester Williams arrives to take Abby into town for supplies. When he sees the cut on her head from running into the tree, he decides that she needs to see a doctor. Abby brushes it off, worrying too much about Tefé to function. Chester tries to be reassuring, but decides that they will see a doctor first thing in the morning.

The next morning, in a park, Danny's new toy draws the attention of the other children, and they all gather around him. Tefé is there too, and when she sees the doll, she gets an idea.

In the parking lot, Jack sits in his car, thinking that tonight, he will kick Danny and Harriet out. Harriet appears outside his window, and states that she and Danny will be leaving that night because she won't live with someone as unsupportive as him.

The children are delighted when Tefé takes control of the doll's body, and begins playing with them. However, when one of the mothers discovers the doll, everyone is sent into a panic. At the nearby hospital, Abby and Chester hear the screams and take a look.

Harriet goes to investigate the screams as well, and in that moment, Jack realizes that he actually cares about her. He grabs a rifle out of his truck, and runs after her. As Harriet grabs Danny, the doll begins trying to speak his name. Impulsively, Jack blasts off the doll's arms with his gun. In response, Tefé grows back more human-looking wooden arms. Jack blows off her legs, and she does the same again with her legs.

As Jack fires off another shot, Abby tackles him, realizing that the doll is possessed by her daughter. Calling out to the doll, she watches as Tefé reforms the doll in her own image. Abby cradles it in her arms, begging Tefé to come back, and for a moment, the child comes back, touching her face. Sadly, the girl leaves, leaving a hollow wooden baby girl behind.

Harriet asks for the doll back, for her son's sake. Abby selfishly wishes to keep it, but returns it at Jack's urging. Having had a change of heart, Jack gives the doll back to Danny, and reconciles himself with the fact that he needs to be a good father to this special boy. He and Harriet decide not to split up, and they take the boy home.

Abby and Chester return to the swamp, and as they near her home, Tefé's spirit splashes into their windshield. Mother and daughter are reunited, as the returned Shaman explains that there was never anything to worry about. Despite having wished for her daughter to have a physical form, Abby is as happy as ever to have her back now.

## Appearances

### "Keepsakes"

#### Individuals

* Abby Holland
* Tefé Holland
* Shaman Najgarjuk
* Chester Williams
* Jack
* Harriet
* Danny
* Gerald
* Larry

#### Locations

* Louisiana
	+ Houma

## Notes

* Swamp Thing does not appear in this issue.

## External links

* *Swamp Thing (Volume 2)* Issue 101 on DC Wiki
* *Swamp Thing (Volume 2)* Issue 101 on Comic Vine