The Doll

The Doll

As a single mother, Jenna knows how hard it is to look after a 13-year old girl. Hard, but still joyful. Her presence gives Jenna all the strength she needs.

Her name is Linda. She is a shy girl. She doesn't talk much.
Jenna got divorced three years ago, because her husband cheated on her with his secretary. Linda misses her father. But Jenna doesn't allow her to see him thinking he might be a bad influence on Linda.
Linda is a special kid. Her teacher once said that she is too intelligent for a girl this age. But Jenna already knew it. Her reactions are unexpectedly mature. She is also hard-working, Jenna expects perfection from her. Her teacher told Jenna that she must take Lisa to a psychiatrist. Jenna told that she would do it soon.
Linda is a lonely girl. Maybe because she doesn't talk too much. Jenna thinks that Linda needs friends. So Jenna bought her a doll to cease her loneliness.
Jenna bought her the ragdoll from the local toy store. Not an expensive toy, nothing too fancy. Linda might still like it. Jenna knows that expense doesn't make Linda happier.
The doll is a girl with big, blue eyes and curly black hair. She has a wide grin that someone can call "friendly". Her dress is red, matching her shoes. She also has eyebrows.
The unnamed doll waits for her new owner in the kid's bedroom. Jenna hasn't brought Linda home yet.
It's Friday. Not a sunny day, the sky is covered with clouds. Jenna is driving the car, Linda sits on the next seat, and the seat belts were worn tight. She looks from the window blankly, without any expression on her face.
Jenna suddenly remembers that the result of the math exam was going to be announced today.
Jenna asks her about her position according to the result. Linda sighs and says "Terrible. I am the 7th in the class. Not first like the previous exam. I know you will be mad at me. I didn't study enough."
Jenna smiles at her and tells her not to worry a lot. Linda looks at her with a slight surprise. Jenna always scolded her whenever she wasn't the best. Now Jenna says "It's okay, darling."
She continues watching the cars passing by.
They finally arrive home. "The doll is in your bedroom, Linda!" Jenna tells her. She climbs up the stairs slowly, apparently, she isn't so excited about the doll. Jenna follows her to her bedroom, she picks up the doll that's on her bed.
"I will think of a nice name," Linda says. "But I have got homework to do first. Play comes after study."
So Jenna leaves Linda alone in her room. Jenna has got a lot of work to do anyway. Not just Jenna will cook, but Jenna also needs to work on a novel's cover illustration as a freelance artist. The deadline is close, so Jenna works hard nowadays. Jenna is not so happy with her life. She forces Linda to study in order to see her have a better life than her.
She works all day, and the only break she takes is dinner. She doesn't talk about anything during dinner with Linda.
It's 22:00, bedtime for Linda. Jenna visits Linda before she sleeps, she's in her pink dotted pajamas. She is holding the doll in her arms.
"Mom I am going to tell you something, but you won't believe..."
After a few seconds of silence, she speaks, "The doll can speak! She told me her name is Anna."
Linda explains, "Anna says that she was nothing but a piece of light. Alight that's drifting in absolute blackness. A weak light in the infinite darkness."
"Then she found life in this doll. She was waiting in the toy store for a friend. Lonely. And today, she found me. She says that she loves me."
Jenna asks Linda that, "What did you tell her?"
Linda smiles, "And I said that I will be her new friend and I will always love her."
She continues, "And then, she told me that she was happy. Happy like the times when she used to be an angel."
Then Jenna tells her that they need to throw the doll in the dustbin. Linda screams, "No! I don't want it to be thrown! She is my friend! Please don't!"
Jenna feels like the doll is staring at her, too.
Linda doesn't show her emotions usually, but this time Jenna can see that she is surprised. Jenna lets her keep the doll. "Oh? Thank you very much, mom!" Linda says.
Jenna kisses her good night and leaves her with Anna, the doll.
Because of all the hard-work, Jenna begins to feel tired. And she goes to bed. It doesn't take long for her to sleep.
A few hours later, Jenna wakes up to the sound coming from the outside.
Jenna hears hysterical laughter coming from the garden. They belong to a girl, specifically Linda's. Jenna stands up and looks outside the window, Jenna sees Linda standing and laughing in the garden under the pale moonlight. She is facing back, Jenna can't see her.
Jenna climbs down nervously. Jenna wears her shoes and walks to the garden. Linda doesn't react to her presence. Jenna approaches Linda and puts her hand on her shoulder. She turns her face to Jenna.
It is not Linda's face! It is not even a human face! The texture of the face is a gray rag. The eyes are quite big for a human, so is the wide smile. The voice changes. It doesn't belong to a girl now, but a demon! She stares at Jenna and laughs!
Jenna wakes up. It was just a nightmare. Jenna is all sweaty with terror.
The morning has already broken. Jenna decides to check on Linda.
Linda is sleeping peacefully, hugging Anna. Anna is carrying that wide smile that annoys Jenna now. But hey, it is normal. It would be terrible if the doll's face was different than how Jenna bought it.
Jenna goes to the kitchen to prepare a weekend breakfast. Jenna usually makes omelets with sausage on Saturdays, she will repeat that habit today.
Jenna is in the kitchen. Jenna takes the sausage and eggs from the fridge. Jenna needs to slice the sausage, so she opens the drawer to pick up the meat knife.
Something is wrong.
The knife isn't there.
Jenna suddenly thinks of searching for the knife in the garbage bin. But she couldn't find the knife in the garbage bin.
She has searched for the knife everywhere possible, but it's in vain. So, she decides to use another knife to prepare the omelet.
After she has prepared the omelet, Linda wakes up and joins her in the kitchen.
She eats breakfast with her. She doesn't look so happy. There is an uneasiness on her face.
The breakfast is over.
"I need to study math," says Linda, then she climbs up to her room. Jenna also needs to work on the novel cover. Both of them are busy now.
It is evening now.
As Jenna works on the cover, she hears screams from Linda's room! She rushes to her room. She finds Linda standing and breathing in panic. Her arms are full of stitches!
"SHE DID IT!" Linda screams, showing her heavily wounded arms as blood leaks down to the floor. "SHE JUMPED AND RAN AWAY!" Linda points to the open window.
Jenna looks outside. She can't see any running dolls there. Maybe she ran away, or it is too dark, or Linda is lying.
Jenna crouches and hugs Linda.
As she cries, "I know how hard it is to believe me now... Thanks for believing in me.... But please, I want to stay alone. I know that she won't come back.”
So Jenna lets her stay alone in her room, after closing the windows and locking the door. Jenna makes sure that no doll can trespass. Jenna gets into her own bedroom, next to Linda's room. So she can hear her in case Linda needs her.
It's 3:00 AM now. It's raining outside. Flashes of Lightning strike and enlighten Jenna's dark bedroom.
Jenna hasn't slept. Jenna doesn't care about the freelance work she got, all these events make her too stressed to care about business.
Jenna sees Linda's silhouette at the door. She walks in.
Linda is holding something behind her back, but Jenna can't see it.
She approaches her bed, climbs it, and comes near Jenna.
With a sudden move, Linda stabs the meat knife in Jenna's belly!
She stabs Jenna once again!
"YOU DID NOT ALLOW ME TO LIVE MY CHILDHOOD. NOW, PAY THE CONSEQUENCE FOR YOU DEED!" Says Linda screaming while stabbing Jenna continuously!
Linda keeps stabbing Jenna's body with insanity!
"I HATE YOU, MOM! I HATE YOU!"
These are the final words Jenna hears as her own daughter repeatedly stabs her and commits matricide!
Actually the killer isn’t Linda but an evil soul inside the doll who possessed Linda! And that evil soul forced Linda to murder her own mother! After murdering her mother, that evil soul left Linda’s body and returned to the doll’s body. The doll went to another toy store looking for its next prey. And left Linda with the guilt of murdering her own mother by her own hands!

~(The End)~