The Doll in the Dark

As I walked down the street, I saw a yard sale banner. It was at my friend Ronda’s house. I decided to stop by and check if there was anything nice to add to my antique collection.

“Hi, Rhonda, any antiques for sale?”

“I don’t know if it’s an antique, but there is this ceramic doll I inherited from my mom.”

“Oh, can I see it?”

“Sure,” Rhonda replied, returning with the doll a moment later. “Here you go, Elise.”

“Wow, creepy.”

“Yes, it is, and it scares my kid.”

“What’s the price?”

“You know what? You can have it for free.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

I took the doll home and set it with my doll collection. After a hot meal of rice and curry, and also some ice cream afterwards, I turned in for the night. However, it was not long before I was woken up by a loud noise downstairs. I found all my dolls, except the one I got from Rhonda, scattered in pieces across the floor. I looked around to see if an animal or a person had snuck inside, but there was nothing or no one to be found. I was heading back upstairs when I could have sworn that the doll had moved from its original position. Perhaps I had accidentally struck it, I thought.

Sleep didn’t come easy after that. I was up for nearly an hour before I heard yet another noise. This time, it was one of my vases that lay shattered on the floor.

“What on earth is happening here?” I looked around, but it was just me in the room. My eyes then turned to the doll. I didn’t know why, but I suddenly got an eerie feeling while looking at it; and it felt as if the room around me was slowly growing colder. I took the doll outside and tossed it in the garbage bin.

Coming back inside, I locked the door and made sure that all the windows were also locked. Only when I began to climb the stairs once again did I notice that the doll was back on the rack. I felt my heart begin to pound like a drum. My arms and legs began to shake so much I had to drag myself  back downstairs in an attempt to flee.

“You can’t get away from me that easily, Elise,” the doll said.

I stood there, unable to comprehend how this was happening. The doll’s face was suddenly smeared with a sinister grin. It began to giggle and cackle aloud.

I mustered what little strength I had and bolted towards the front door, even though my legs shook with every step I took. But as I gripped the handle, I was suddenly pulled back by an unseen force.

“I told you, Elise, you can’t escape,” the doll’s voice grew darker and distorted as I was dragged through the living room and back upstairs.

I screamed for help, but the front door closed shut.