Victoria

Beth had always wanted a doll ever since she was a little girl. There was just always something about having a doll that fascinated her. She honestly didn’t know what it was, maybe the clear color eyes, or the perfect amount of blush on the fair skinned cheeks. It was a mystery to her that she didn’t bother with. Then one day her sister, Trisha, came over to her house with a gift. A box wrapped in bright colors Beth tore into her present to find what she always wanted. She held out a brunette porcelain doll with all the trimmings she adored on a doll. Everything from her shiny hair to her laced dress, all the way down to the leather boots the doll wore. Beth held the doll with care as her sister studied her expression.

“So do you like her?” Trisha asked.

“Yes, I love her!” Beth squealed while hold the doll, “Where did you find her? Was she expensive?”

“I actually got her from Jim,” Trisha said crossing her legs, “His family was going to through her away. So I thought instead of having her rot away in some junk yard why not give her to you? Someone who actually wants a doll like her and so I had Jim talk to his parents about it. Surprisingly they were pretty reluctant to give her away event though they were about to through her out. In which case we got her in secret.”

“You stole her!” Beth exclaimed holding the doll out to Trisha, “I don’t want stolen goods, Trish.”

“She isn’t stolen, Beth,” She push the doll back in Beth’s arms, “We were going to the dump and we snuck her out of the garbage pile. We saved her! Not steal her; there is a difference you know.”

“Fine then, I guess I can keep her.” Beth looked down at the doll suddenly feeling very attached to the doll, “I’ll cherish her.” Beth then got up and hugged her sister.

Trisha stayed a little longer after giving the doll to Beth and just talked about plans and dates. When Trisha left Beth spent the rest of the day with her new doll. She loved how the doll looked warm and seemed full of life and she was so happy that Trisha gave the doll to her. Once night fell Beth brushed her hair along with the doll’s hair before placing her on the nightstand by the bed. Quietly slipping under the covers Beth turned off the light and fell asleep.

“Beetthh” a childlike voiced echoed in the room, “Beetthh, wake up, Beth.” The voice finally woke Beth up and she quickly sat up. Moon light spilled into the room as Beth peered into the shadows looking for the source of the voice. “Beth,” the voice echoed again, “Over here, Beth,” Beth’s eyes darted around the room until they fell on the doll.

She picked up the doll, “I must be hallucinating dolls don’t-“

“Talk?” the childlike voiced finished her sentence. Terrified Beth dropped the doll onto the bed, “Scared? Most humans are when they hear me speak.”

“Not scared. Surprised, maybe,” Beth stammered looking at the doll whose eyes seemed as full of life as a human’s.

“That’s good, because I like you, Beth, and you like me. So let’s get along and be friends.”

“O-Okay,” Beth stammered picking up the doll and placing her back on the nightstand.

“We’ll be friends forever,” the voice whispered.

“Yeah…forever.”

From that night on Beth took the doll everywhere she went. To the grocery store, the mall, work – which earned her some questionable glances from her coworkers- till the news finally, hit Trisha who became worried. So one lazy Friday Trisha invited Beth over and told her to not bring the doll. When Beth arrived at Trisha’s she appeared off and distracted to her sister, almost paranoid. Even the slightest touch over sound made Beth turn white as a sheet.

“Beth,” Trisha said holding Beth’s hand, “What’s going on? You’ve been acting strange lately.”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Beth’s eyes kept darting around the room, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. You’d think I’m crazy.”

“I’m your sister, Beth,” Trisha squeezed Beth’s hand, “I promise I won’t think you’re crazy.”
Beth then began to sob as she told Trisha what was going on in her house. She told her hold the doll talked to her, how it demanded to go everywhere with her. She then started to cry on how she felt like a prisoner in her own home and how scary it was at night. The doll had learned how to used its limbs and the patter of its leather boots on the wooden floor frightened her. Trisha could feel her face drain of blood as what her sister was telling her shocked her greatly.

“Then sometimes a night,” Beth said between sobs, “I can feel her petting my head while I pretend to be asleep. And last night…” she trailed off, “Last night was the worst. Trisha she slipped into bed with me and this morning when I woke up there she was. Right was right next to me staring at my face with her creepy little blue eyes. Watching me sleep like it was a fun game or something.”

“That thing isn’t something to keep in the house if its scaring you, Beth.”

“I know, but I can’t just throw her out, Trish. She can walk now and move her fingers individually like us; she looks like a creepy child. Something living! Something with a mind of it’s own that can decide at any minute to kill me when I sleep. She even gave herself a name! and every time I see her it’s ‘hello Victoria’ and she smiles. Her damn, cursed face can move! I’m terrified of her, Trish. “

Thought for a moment as she looked over her sister’s swelled red eyes and quivering lower lip. “Has she ever said anything while other people were around?”

“No, only when we’re alone. Most of the time when she talks its when we’re in the house alone.”

“So if I were in the house she’ll do nothing?”

“Yeah,” Beth said slowly as her eyes narrowed, “What are you implying?”

“I’m not implying anything, but I think I have a plan.’

Trisha went with Beth back to her home and threw the front door of the house open. Quickly making her way to Beth’s bedroom Trisha did everything, but break the door down. Once in the room Trisha fixated on the doll that was prompted up on the bed looking slightly different from when she remembered when she gave it to Beth. Walking to the bed she roughly grabbed the doll by the hair and stormed out of the room to the front door where Beth’s was waiting. Beth’s face dropped when she saw how her sister was handling the doll dragging her out the door by her hair line letting the dirt and dusts on the floor cover her lace white dressings. Trisha could see Beth’s face, but she didn’t acknowledge the horror it registered because all she could think about is how the doll had to go. As Trisha made her for the garbage Beth was hot on her heals.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Beth yelled as she watched Trisha literally throw the doll into the trash. “Trisha!” Beth yelled as her sister walked back into the house, “Trisha!” Beth stormed into the house slamming the door closed behind her.

“I’m in the kitchen!” Trisha called as Beth stomped into the kitchen like a five year old.
Beth’s face was red in anger, “Do you know what you just did?”

“Yes,” Trisha poured herself a cup of coffee, “I doing as planned.”

“And what exactly is your plan?”

“To stay the night until that thing is picked up in the morning by the garbage truck.” Trisha snapped, ‘you said it doesn’t do anything unless you two are alone, right? So if I stay here for the night it won’t hurt you.”

Beth seemed to relax a little as her features soften up a bit thinking over what Trisha said about her plan. How the doll wouldn’t talked to her while Trish was there, and how the doll wouldn’t walk around at night and crawl into bed with her. Slowly she felt herself easy in a comfortable relation as enjoyed the rest of the day with Trisha. When evening fell Beth went to her room feeling secure and Trisha went to the guest room. Hours flew by, but when the clock hit three there was a loud banging at Trisha’s door making Trish wake up in alarm. The loud banging continued and then it suddenly stopped.

“Tttrrriissshhaaa,” an angry voice that didn’t sound human at all said from the other side of the door. Panic ran through Trisha’s body as red flags sprung up in her brain. The door handle began turning and Trisha couldn’t believe what was going on right in front of her. The door handle was turning and then there was a click when the door was flung up. Trisha looked at the once beautiful doll that now had a contorted, almost demonic face on with red eyes. “Give me life.” The doll said and then Trisha let out the most horrific scream that it woke up Beth. Beth insistently felt something drop in the pit of her stomach when she called out to her sister and there was no response. Beth sat up about to get out of bed when she heard a thump from out in the hallway. Thump, thump, thump, thump, Beth was starting to get scared as the noise was getting closer to her door. Thump, thump, thump, the thump finally reached her door as if squeaked open.

“Beth, “ it was the doll whispering Beth’s name like a child. Beth pulled her feet in and pressed her forehead against her knees, “Beth.” Quickly Beth looked up and the doll stood in front of her on the bed eye to eye. “You betrayed me Beth,” the doll said but Beth was distracted by the blood that caked the doll along with the dolls glowing red eyes. “Now we can’t be friends forever,” the voice changed into something frightening and Beth started to panic.

“N-n-no,” Beth frantically said, “we can still be friends forever.”

“I don’t believe your lies.”

The next day Trisha’s husband Jim went to Beth’s home only to find the door locked and no one answering. Worried he called the police to break down the door of the home. Once the policed entered they were greeted by horrific laughter that they followed to the second floor where they first found Trisha eyes gouged and cut open from her throat all the way down to her belly button. A few police men vomited while others fainted at the sight of Trisha’s corpse, but the rest went on to Beth’s room where the laughter was coming from. There Beth was propped up on the bed mouth cut open ear to ear, tongue missing, eye lids sliced off, and clothes tattered. Her stomach was cut out spilling its contents over the bed while in her arms sat a blood covered porcelain doll drenched in blood smiling with an evil look in its eye. Its mouth not moving, but it was clear it was the doll that was laughing. A brave police officer stepped forward and removed the doll from the corpse discovering a carving in the victim’s, Beth’s, forearm. Liar.

From that day on the porcelain doll was kept caged under complete security in a heavily protected evidence locker. Some police didn’t understand why and made fun of the police men who put the doll there, but there was always an older police officer who would always responded, “You had to have been there to understand how evil and dangerous that doll is.” Even till this day it is said the doll could be heard laughing from its tiny cage in the evidence locker occasionally asking the guard that walks by,” Do you want to be my friend?”