Over the
next week, Ruby’s fascination with the doll grew, even as the strange
occurrences became more frequent. She found herself spending more and more time
in her room, playing with the doll, talking to it as if it were a real friend.
She felt almost as if it understood her, like it could hear the secrets she
whispered to it in the quiet moments when no one else was around.
But the
whispers continued, more insistent than ever, and Ruby’s nights became
restless. She would wake up in a cold sweat, certain that someone had been in
the room with her, watching. Sometimes, the doll seemed closer to the bed when
she woke, as if it had moved during the night, though Ruby never saw it happen.
Her
parents began to notice the dark circles under her eyes, her distracted air at
the dinner table, and the way she rushed upstairs to her room right after
school. They asked her if everything was alright, but she only smiled and said
she was fine. She didn’t want them to take the doll away. She loved it too
much—loved the way it made her feel special, like it was meant just for her.
One
evening, as Ruby brushed the doll’s hair, she noticed something new: a tiny,
almost invisible crack running along the side of its porcelain cheek. It hadn’t
been there before. She was sure of it. Her fingers traced the line, a strange
sense of unease growing in the pit of her stomach. But she couldn’t bring
herself to be upset. The crack made the doll look… more interesting, more
unique, almost as if it had a story to tell.
She was
still staring at the crack when her mother called her downstairs for dinner.
“Coming!”
she shouted, reluctantly placing the doll back in the rocking chair. She
hesitated for a moment, her eyes lingering on its pale, perfect face, then
turned and left the room.
The house
felt unusually quiet as she walked down the stairs, the silence heavy and
thick. She didn’t see the way the doll’s head slowly turned to follow her, its
eyes now watching her retreating back.
And she
didn’t hear the whisper that echoed softly through the room:
“Don’t
leave me, Ruby…”
