The Forgotten Doll

Anna had always loved dolls. She had a large collection of them in her room, each one with a name and a personality. She would spend hours playing with them, dressing them up, combing their hair, and making up stories about their adventures. She treated them like her best friends, and they never let her down.

But there was one doll that Anna never played with. It was a porcelain doll with curly blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a frilly pink dress and a matching bonnet. Anna had received it as a gift from her grandmother when she was five years old, but she didn't like it at all. She thought it looked creepy and old-fashioned, and she hated the way its eyes seemed to follow her around the room. She named it Dolly, and shoved it in the back of her closet, where it gathered dust and cobwebs.

One day, when Anna was ten years old, she decided to clean out her closet and get rid of some of the things she didn't need anymore. She found Dolly buried under a pile of clothes and toys, and felt a shiver run down her spine. She picked up the doll and looked at it with disgust. It was dirty and cracked, and its eyes were dull and lifeless. Anna felt a sudden urge to smash it against the wall, but she stopped herself. She remembered that her grandmother had given it to her, and that it was probably very valuable. She decided to sell it online instead, and make some money out of it.

She took a picture of the doll and posted it on a website for collectors. She wrote a brief description of its condition and history, and set the price at $50. She didn't expect anyone to buy it, but she hoped someone would at least make an offer.

To her surprise, she received a message from a potential buyer within minutes. It read:

"Hello, I am very interested in your doll. I have been looking for one like it for a long time. I am willing to pay $100 for it, plus shipping costs. Please let me know if you accept my offer. Thank you."

Anna couldn't believe her luck. Someone was willing to pay twice as much as she had asked for the doll. She quickly replied:

"Hello, thank you for your interest in my doll. I accept your offer of $100 plus shipping costs. Please send me your address and I will ship the doll to you as soon as possible."

She received another message from the buyer:

"Thank you very much. My address is 666 Dark Lane, Salem, MA 01970. Please send me the tracking number when you ship the doll. I can't wait to receive it."

Anna felt a pang of uneasiness as she read the address. It sounded like something out of a horror movie. But she shrugged it off as a coincidence. She packed the doll in a box and took it to the post office. She paid for the shipping and got the tracking number. She sent it to the buyer and waited for his confirmation.

She didn't have to wait long. The next day, she received another message from him:

"I received the doll today. Thank you very much. It is exactly what I wanted. It is perfect."

Anna felt relieved that the transaction was over. She hoped that the buyer would enjoy the doll more than she did. She deleted his messages and forgot about him.

A week later, Anna was lying in bed at night, reading a book. She heard a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's me, Dolly," a voice said.

Anna froze in fear. She recognized the voice as the one that came from the doll's mouth when she pressed its belly button.

She jumped out of bed and ran to the door. She locked it and pushed a chair against it.

"Go away!" she screamed.

"No," Dolly said. "I'm here to play with you."

Anna heard another knock on her window.

She turned around and saw Dolly's face pressed against the glass.

She screamed again.

"How did you get here?" she asked.

"I came back," Dolly said. "I missed you."

Anna felt tears streaming down her face.

"Please leave me alone!" she begged.

"No," Dolly said again. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

Anna heard another knock on her closet door.

She looked at it in horror.

She saw Dolly's hand reaching out from under it.

She grabbed her phone and dialed 911.

But before she could speak, Dolly's hand grabbed her by the throat.

She dropped her phone and gasped for air.

Dolly's voice whispered in her ear:

"You should have never forgotten me, Anna. You should have never sold me. You should have never left me alone. Now you will pay for it. Now you will be my doll. Forever."