Dolly

It was perfect. The tree was up, the lights were on, and all of the gifts were wrapped in a pile that to his little girl. In the center of all the gifts was the jewel of the lot, an aquamarine eyed doll with perfectly curled blonde hair that was put into Christmas colored ribbons of green and red. Her features were created in porcelain like a fine marble statue carved by an expert sculptor. It was the perfect gift for Ann Marie, his only daughter, his last memory of his wife.

“Daddy!” She ran down the hallway, eager red curls bouncing as she saw him beside the tree that Christmas morning, taking it all in. He smiled as her eyes grew wide at the sight of her gifts, her five year old mind racing as she tried to take it all in and the sudden gasp when she saw the doll.

“Dolly!” Ann Marie rushed the pile, boundless energy exploding upon it as she pushed all the other gifts aside and cradled the doll in her arms, “Daddy, look who Santa got me!”

“Yes dear, she’s beautiful isn’t she?” He smiled as his emerald eyes stared into hers that matched, kneeling down beside her, “Just like you.” He gave her a soft poke on the nose which had her explode into giggles.

“She looks like mommy,” She observed as his face fell a little.

“Yes, Annie, she does,” He tried to keep the smile up as best he could, “Come on, let’s open the rest.”

“Okay!”

He did get the doll because it resembled his wife so much. Her eyes, her hair, her smile, and every other detail matched up with her perfectly. He wanted to be sure she wouldn’t forget, even if the photographs faded from memory. Even as what few memories she had of her mother went away. He never wanted to hear the words “What did mommy look like?”. It was a pressing thought on his mind, forever haunting him.

It didn’t take long for a few things to start to happen within the house. Keys went missing from counters and turned up in his pants dresser drawer, his watch ended up moving from the bedside table to the toilet tank, and whenever he asked Annie what was going on, she looked at her doll, then looked back at him before saying:

“Dolly says you should watch where you put things.”

Each time a familiar chill went down his spine, his wife always told him that after all. She had this uncanny ability to find anything he had lost absentmindedly when he wasn’t paying attention. He didn’t know how she always knew where to look, even though she described her method, it just didn’t seem to match reality. She could find things in two minutes that would take him twenty to find, and now, he had lost her.

The late night arguments started next. He’d wake up to his daughter shrieking at something, rush over, and find her on the floor, looking at the doll who was across the room and just screaming her head off. The first time this happened, he scooped her up and asked her what she was doing.

“Dolly said that the kids at school hate me because of my hair,” She responded, crying, “She’s wrong, isn’t she?”

“Dolly is very wrong, your hair is beautiful,” His hand stroked her hair, “You shouldn’t listen to her if she’s saying such mean things.”

“But...the kids say meaner things, so I asked her why.”

He was stunned, he didn’t know the kids were bullying her at school. He held his little girl close, not quite sure what to think of the incident. Yet that was just the start of the complaints about Dolly’s words.

“Dolly said I am spoiled because I am your only child.”

“Dolly said you wish I looked more like Mommy.”

“Dolly said I will have to grow up someday and will die.”

“Dolly said I will outlive you.”

Each one more disturbing than the last until he finally had enough of Dolly’s words. That day before Annie came home, he took the doll, looking over it coldly as he stuffed it into a drawer in his dresser. He didn’t care if it was real or not, he just wanted to be sure nothing would harm his daughter.

Annie asked only once about her, and when he said she went away she just replied, “Good Riddance.”

He didn’t know how the almost six year old learned that phrase, but he felt rather similar. He slept in relief, knowing that his daughter was now safe from the doll that had been psychologically bothering her. He awoke though, a few hours into that peaceful sleep, by something in the middle of the night, though he couldn’t figure out what it was. Sounded like banging coming from the dresser, but why was it banging? He walked over, wondering what sort of rodent or creature would scurry out. He gently opened it only to nearly drop the drawer.

“Annie!” He picked up the child as she was sobbing, her hands bruised from hitting the drawer in an attempt to get out, “What were you doing in there?”

“I woke up and was there!” She cried, “Daddy, why did you put me there?!”

“I didn’t do that!” He held her close as he carried her to her room, noting that the door was opened slightly. He pushed the door carefully with his back, only to see Dolly, curled up on her side as though she was asleep.

“Dolly!” She glared, “Don’t do that!”

A faint giggle could be heard, which he could not chalk up to his imagination. Annie jumped down carefully out of his arms, walking toward the doll with an indignant look.

“You have been a very bad girl, you need to be punished,” She took the tone he took with her when she had misbehaved. She picked up the doll, and walked out of the bedroom with it.

“Honey, what are you doing?”

“Dolly needs to be punished, she gets to sit in the Corner!” Annie placed the doll roughly down into the corner of the room where she would usually have to sit for misbehaving.

“Dear, come on, let’s go to bed.”

“Only after the timer goes off,” She went to grab his cell phone, moving her fingers to the clock application but then looking up at him, “Can you set for five minutes?”

“Sure honey, but only if you go to bed,” He explained but Annie gave him a look.

“But I need to make sure she doesn’t leave!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll watch her,” He said, “Go to bed.”

Satisfied, Annie went back toward her bedroom as he gave the doll a look. He’d watch the doll, if only to make sure his daughter felt safe.

The next morning, Annie awoke to the sounds of birds. She rubbed her eyes and walked to see if Daddy was up. He usually woke her up, but he must have been tired. He gets really tired sometimes. As she walked quietly toward his bedroom, she saw that Daddy wasn’t in bed. Dolly was though. Her eyes narrowed and then she rushed to the Corner.

“Daddy?” She walked over cautiously as she saw him, laying on the ground. His head was all funny though, his neck looked like a twizzler. His eyes were wide, but he wasn’t moving.

“Daddy?” As she moved in close, there was blood.

“Daddy?” As she went to touch him, he felt like ice.

“Daddy?!” As she called out to him, footsteps ran behind her and little fingers caught her neck and mouth. Soon, they both were together. Father and daughter, side by side.