In "The Doll Collection" by Ellen Datlow, the little girl is depicted as someone who accumulates emotions and experiences, much like a cistern gathers rainwater. This metaphor suggests that she is sensitive and receptive to her surroundings, absorbing various feelings from her environment.
As she gathers these emotions, she reaches a point where she has too many to contain. In response, she expresses her feelings creatively, storing them in beautiful vessels. This act of sealing her emotions indicates a need for preservation and perhaps a desire to protect herself from becoming overwhelmed. The metaphor emphasizes the complexity of emotional experiences and the ways individuals manage them.