The Hidden Spirit

When Mary was born, her parents Arun and Maria were still living in an apartment in the city. As she grew older, however, they decided to buy a house in the suburbs so she would have a larger space to play in. When she was four, they bought a rather old but affordable house that still looked new. The area was rather secluded, but there were still plenty of neighbours around, so they thought there was nothing to fear.

After moving in, Mary soon discovered an old doll that was still in good condition. Arun and Maria found no harm in letting her keep it since she seemed fond of it. During the first two weeks at that house, May played outside in the backyard for hours every day. As time passed by, however, that began to change. She grew more and more recluse, wanting to spend time alone in her room, just with the doll. Her parents tried on many an occasion to take her outside, but she refused each time saying the doll didn’t want to be left alone. Maria told her she could take the doll outside, but she said the doll didn’t want to leave the room either. Mary’s parents didn’t think much of it at the time.

Soon, even getting a hug or kiss from their daughter was a nearly impossible feat, for she would barely even greet them when they arrived home. Arun and Maria eventually got a babysitter called Priya for Mary in the weeks that passed, as their work became more and more hectic. Priya found her attachment to the doll more strange and even found Mary talking to her in a made-up language. When she spoke about this to Maria, Maria took the doll away from Mary and put it back in the attic. To her surprise, however, the following day, it was back in Mary’s room. She asked Mary if she had taken it back, but she said the doll came back on her own.

One day, Maria decided to leave work early after taking a week off to spend time with her daughter. Meanwhile, at their home, Priya drew a bath for Mary. When she called out to Mary, she approached the bathroom door with the doll. Priya sighed and walked over to her, bending over to extend her hand. “You know she can’t join you in the bath, Mary.”

As soon as Priya touched the doll, Mary pulled her to her feet and bit her hand. Priya screamed and pulled away, gripping her hand as it bled. Mary just stood there, smiling as the blood dripped down from her teeth and along her chin. Priya gasped and gulped as she got back to her feet. “What has gotten into you? I’ll have to tell your mother about this!”

Mary smiled at her with an unflinching gaze and slowly tilted her head to a side.; her smile quickly faded as soon as the motion stopped. “You will do no such thing if you know what’s good for you.”

Priya’s eyes widened as she found herself unable to move an inch from where she stood. Right then, the bathroom door suddenly closed on its own and Mary’s eyes began to turn red. Priya felt her body tremble and go cold almost instantly. She fell unconscious moments later.

“I must go back into the doll now,” a voice spoke to Mary.

It was at that instant that Maria unlocked the bathroom door and found Mary standing before an unconscious Priya. “What happened here?” she asked.

Mary quickly hugged her mother. “I don’t know, mom. Priya just collapsed.”

When the paramedics arrived at the scene, they told Maria that Priya had died of a stroke. Arun wanted to take a week off to be with his family after the incident as well, but there was an important project he had to oversee. The following day, Maria tried over and over again to spend time with Mary, but Mary kept ignoring her. She sighed and touched her daughter’s hand to get her attention, but as she did, Mary glared at her with red eyes. Maria let go of her daughter’s hand and backed away at once. “Wh-what happened to your eyes just now?”

Mary smiled and stepped closer towards Maria. “Why, don’t you like it?” she asked with a smirk.

Maria began to hyperventilate as she began to move away, feeling her entire body begin to tremble in moments.

“What’s wrong, don’t you love us anymore?” Mary asked.

The bedroom door suddenly shut on its own as Maria tried to reach for it. “You’re not going anywhere,” Mary said with a sinister smile. Maria also fell to the floor in an instant after that.

“Okay, it’s done. I’ll be your mom now, Mary,” the voice said.

An hour passed. Maria suddenly awakened, but something was off. She felt as if she was in a void within her own body, looking through her own eyes yet from afar. Arun was there. He was hugging her, but she was not in control. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt them,” came a voice from within.

“Who… Who are you?” Maria asked. There was no reply. She watched in horror, trapped in her own body, as her husband and daughter spent time with the spirit that had possessed her body.