The Doll

The Doll

"Megan, come see what Mama found." Lexi called to her daughter, playing on her bedroom floor with a myriad of girlie toys. Parked in the middle of the little girls menagerie of frill were Tonka trucks, Lego's, and the stuffed replicas of Knights of the Round Table. The Knights, her favorite and the central figures invited to her tea party, sat in a circle around the mess of toys. Her daddy always told her that the knights protected and guarded her.

Leaving the clutter behind, Megan ran to find a new and interesting treasure in her mother's arms.

"What is it, Mommy? It looks old... and smells bad."

"My favorite doll? I found her in the attic. I saved it all these years to give to my little girl. Meet Betsy!"

"Oh, thanks. She's kind of dirty,"

"We'll clean her up and make her a new dress. "

"Okay, Mommy," Megan said with hesitation, unsure of how the plastic two foot doll with wiry platinum hair and green glassy eyes would fit in with her best friends, the Knights.

Lexi polished her old treasure. Megan selected the fabric. Caught up in a fury of nostalgia, Lexi cut and sewed a fine pinafore for the doll. Excited to share the heirloom with her daughter, she combed the doll's stringy hair. After dash of perfume was splashed on the doll, she proudly relinquished the antique to her daughter for approval.

"She's much prettier now," Megan said presenting a smile. She hugged the doll and carried her back to her room. The reception to the intruder from the Knights was quite chilly. The doll was not of their ilk and Megan herself thought there was aloof coldness hiding in the green glass orbs of the figurine. She just wasn't huggable by Megan's standards.

Bedtime approached with Megan completing its rituals. She placed her Knights in a circle on the bed. Her mother placed Betsy in center of the bed. Megan stiffened at the sight, but said nothing. Hugs and kisses were shared with both parents before quiet ensued. Megan shoved the doll under her bed after they were gone. She wrapped her arms around the Knights that remained.

Upon waking, Megan fought to focus She giggled at the sight of her Knights lined up next to her with swords drawn. "Oh, Daddy!" she thought.

She glanced around to find her room looked messier than she remembered. Feathers from a ripped up pillow were strewn about. The Tonka trucks were crashed and overturned. Thousands of Lego pieces littered the floor. Pink tutus of lace were torn into shards. A gooey red substance trickled down the wall. Megan sat upright in bed to closer view the wreckage. She screamed a blood curdling scream at the sight of Betsy pinned to the wall with a sword through the head. The platinum hair was caked in blood but the green eyes still glowed. Her smile was now an upturned grimace of evil.

Word count 496