The Doll Maker

There once was a man

Who lived just out of town

No one had ever seen him

But every day the stores would be restocked

With his amazing dolls

 

There once was two girls

Who decided to sneak a peek

But one was scared, so she stayed behind

While the other one ventured inside

To brave the mystery

 

Inside the girl found nothing

Only some pieces of ordinary furniture

And a couple of dolls

She picked one up for her friend

And started to leave

 

 But out of the corner of her eye

She spied a hidden door

In the shadows behind a shelf

She slowly pushed the shelf aside

To reveal the door

 

Unable to hold in her curiosity

 She gently pushed it open

And she took a step within

Suddenly the doll was no longer in her hand

And the door silently closed behind her

 

Meanwhile, the girl outside was still waiting

And the sun was now setting

Unable to take it anymore

The girl ran back to her home

And left the other girl alone

 

The next day

The girl went over to her friend's house

But she was not there

She continued to search the town

But she was nowhere to be found

 

So she ventured back into the forest

And made her way back to the man's house

But the lights were off

And not a sound could be heard

No one was home

 

Shivering, she turned away from the house

And started to head back home

But on the way back

She found a lovely doll on the ground

And decided to pick it up

 

She continued to walk down the path

But the town never appeared

Wondering if she made the wrong turn

She headed back the way she came

But the man's house didn't appear

 

She continued to walk

Afraid to stop walking even for a moment

But the trees only seemed to get thicker

Until they blocked all of the light

And she was left in darkness

 

She clutched the doll harder

And let her feet carry her

But she tripped in the darkness

And the doll flew out of her hand

Leaving her all alone

 

Scared, she started walking again

And just as she was losing all hope

She spied a shadow moving just ahead

Unsure of what to do

She followed it as it continued to move

 

Suddenly the shadow began to run

And the girl was forced to chase after

The trees spiraled around her

As she stumbled in the darkness

The path disappeared from beneath her feet

 

Finally the shadow slowed by a small clearing

The girl sighed in relief

As she slowed down to a walk

There was a small patch of light in the middle

Something she hadn't seen in a while

 

The shadow finally reached the light

Which revealed her as the girl's friend

But she didn't look like herself

Her eyes were glazed and her movements stiff

As if she was nothing more than a doll

 

Reviews

[Willard Wells]

I saw a little Twilight Zone in this piece. Very well written and good imagery. Very fun and interesting read. thanks,