I’ve talked with my therapist, and she said that perhaps it would be better to share my story online where I am able to remain anonymous. It was the 23rd of December. I had taken my daughter out Christmas shopping as our family never believed in Santa, or for Christmas in that matter; we always just gone to splurge from the price drops. We were in the toy aisle of the store and my daughter had stopped behind me before calling out my name “Dad! Dad!” She had called to me, bringing me out of the trance I had been in whilst staring into nothingness. “Y-yeah Susa?” I called out as I trailed back to her. “Look.” It’d seem that my eyes would trail her hand as it raised to a porcelain doll with appled cheeks and an uncannily humanoid face, it’s pupils darker than the night sky and it’s iris a deep brown.
As if it was a warning. “What about it?” I asked as I squatted down to the dolls level, it’s features grew more and more grotesque as I crept closer. “Can I get it? She’s really pretty!” She announced putting her arms up with a smile that compensated for the pleading expression. “I don’t know, seems unlike of you to want a doll.” I questioned with a raise in my brow, it was true, of course. She wasn’t one to enjoy dolls for the matter, she was more sportsy and had liked physical activities over playing with toys. “Well yeah, but I think she’d look good with all my other stuff, am I able to get her? Please?” She pleaded more. I had let out a sigh and examined the price tag, it was opaque for it’s size, but to be expected; it was a very old doll.
A Ukrainian doll seemed to be made in the 30’s and had signs of wear on the box. I agreed to it’s purchase, much to my daughter’s glee. Upon taking the doll to a checkout register the man at the counter had a confused look on his face. “Sir, I’m not sure we sell this item. Where did you even find it?” He implored. “I found it over by the Toy Aisle, and-“ I stopped abruptly as I turned the box subconsciously and to my shock a barcode was present. “Well, there’s a scannable barcode over on the bottom of the box, if that works” The man had brief look of realization that soonly faded into neutrality, he had scanned the box, on our end of it all the doll came up as “Саллі” and nothing else.
We purchased the doll and began our trip home, upon entering the car there was a dark and heavy atmosphere throughout the vehicle that I brushed off as unease from the cold. After leaving the car we entered our house to be greeted by our dog and my Wife. “I got this one doll for Susa, weird choice for someone like her, wouldn’t you say?” I said whilst propping the doll onto my forearm leaning onto my shoulder. “Yeah, would say so. That doll… It just rubs me the wrong way, you know?” She said as she shuddered. I shrugged as I gone into the back room where our dogs slept and locked the doll in it’s box in the cupboard, after which my wife and I tucked our daughter into her bed and slept the night away.
I had a dream that I started within the confines of my childhood bedroom, I remembered it clearly, the green paint digging into my head, drilling a feeling of permeated dread into my soul, by how the room was decorated I’d consider I was about 8 or 9. I heard a sort of shlush shlush type of sound, and as the curiosity of a child is, I had to investigate. I exited my room into the hallway, the sound getting louder; it’s true form coming to. Shlick shlick schlick. As if it was my mother cutting into beef or chicken, it seemed to be coming from my sister’s room, so I opened the door and…
Nothing. Nothing happened. I awoke in a sweat, peering at the clock, it said 6:24 AM, I remember it so clearly. I exited the bedroom and began a descent in the stairs, no point in waiting on the daylight. It seemed darker in the house than what was perceived normal. I opened the door to the kitchen and entered, the backroom a mess. I assumed that the dog had caused the mess as she was a young puppy, nonetheless I continued on into the kitchen and fixed myself a delicacy; a mustard sandwich. Not the most regal or delicious point in taste, but it was food. I noticed the backdoor cupboard was unlocked.
I thought nothing else of it until I entered the room, the box to the doll was empty. Assuming that my daughter had taken it I headed for her room, a feeling that I couldn’t describe in the back of my head that seemed to pound harder and harder as I began my ascent, I couldn’t come to terms what was happening, I stumbled up the stairs, practically crawling to my daughters door, I pushed my nails into the floorboards and tore myself further and further. That feeling, that burning sensation that I was feeling. It wasn’t a feeling of anxiousness or dread; it was a protective nature, my daughter was in danger.
From the strength that I so coveted and held within my core I exerted to rise to my feet, I saw red as I burst into my daughters room. Just like my last dream… All for nothing, my efforts for nothing, I saw my daughter just fine, nothing bad had happened and I had just overreacted, she awoke from me running into her room. “D… Dad? What are you doing? What’s wrong?” She said as though she felt urgency in the situation. “Nothing, go back to bed.” I said closing the door and exiting.
I stopped myself and gone back in. “Hey, Susa, did you take the doll I got for you yesterday?” I said with a hint of desperation in my voice, the silence before her response the most painful thing I ever bear. “No, why are you asking me that?” She said contemplatively, snuggling into her blankets more. “Nothing, really, I just was asking.” I said as I started to I looked to the clock on the wall, 3:57 AM. I thought I was reading it wrong so I pulled out my phone, it said the 24th even though just minutes ago it was the 23rd.
I immediately darted downstairs to which I entered the backroom, I came across the cupboard and tore it open, destroying the plastic lock. The doll was still there, in it’s case, unmoved. I thought that I was going insane but summed it up to a lack of sleep, as tired as I was. I trudged myself up to my room and entered my bed, I fell asleep as soon as I collapsed into my pillow, I had the same dream again, except I felt well rested.
I followed the dream as normal and progressed into my old room, I opened the door, except it didn’t end there, a bloody heap of skin and cloth plastered across my carpet, an open box and an open window. It seemed that the cries of my wife broke that same image as my daughter’s room materialized out of thin air, I awoke and rushed into the room, my wife curled in a ball; the same scenario, the bloody heap being my daughter this time, the box had the words “10 VICTIMS, 2 MORE TO GO” drawn in blood over it, I saw as the doll dropped a steak knife onto the ground and fell back only flashing up her splayed hands, as to signify 10 people killed.