She put my doll’s mouth to her ear like it was whispering a secret to her.
They lined the shelves in her canopied, bubble gum pink bedroom.
Then, on my eighth birthday, they gave me the greatest present of my young little life.
Tapio Haaja
I cant remember ever being more excited than I was on that August day.
My doll was blonde and blue-eyed, like me, a miniature version with the same set of freckles.
For months, I brought her everywhere with me.
I refused to leave the house without her.
But then something weird happened.
My friend came over to my house one day to play with our dolls.
She put my dolls mouth to her ear like it was whispering a secret to her.
After that, I started to get paranoid.
My parents didnt understand my sudden change of heart.
I felt too silly.
Fast forward to 2020.
I dug through old Nickelodeon Magazines and Magic 8 Balls, Tamagotchis and Furbies.
Then I found my doll.
I never thought it would be a problem.
I never thought it would put me in danger.
But the next morning, the doll was sitting at the foot of my bed.
Or maybe she fell off my table and rolled onto the bed somehow.
There was obviously an explanation.
But the next night, it happened again.
She moved to the kitchen this time.
Close to the knife block.
I was living alone, so there was no way anyone else could have touched her.
I started freaking out.
I stuffed her back into her box.
I sealed it with duct tape.
In the meantime, I tried to forget about her.
I wiped her from my mind.
Until I noticed a chunk of duct tape hanging from my refrigerator.
The same kind I had used to wrap the box.
I stepped closer and slowly opened the freezer.
Inside, there was my dolls head.
Her mouth was scribbled over with marker.
Her body was missing.
I screamed and slammed the door shut.
In the same marker that gratified the doll, it said, Youre next.
It was signed by my best friend.
