《My Doll & Me》


 Chapter 1: My Little Obsession

    Down the street there was a lovely little shop. It sold trinkets and whatchamacallits, but to me what mattered most was the lovely homemade dolls crafted by the owner. I remembered when I first entered the store there was a certain aura I felt when I looked at the dolls, I knew they were special. As a member of the Ellington household, a rich family in the northern United States, I am often looked upon as if my life is glowing, even when it''s not. I was a lonely child who didn''t have any friends so when it came to how I spent my days I played with toys. People call me weird these days because I haven''t grown out of it despite the fact I''ve turned eighteen. However, I cannot help it, it''s my comfort zone. Truthfully I just wish for company. Dolls are meant to imitate humans, so perhaps it''s only natural for me to turn to them.


    As time went on I began to think of Dolls as a perfect replacement for humans. My parents who began to ignore me when they realized I could not achieve a social connection in high society were practically invisible after about my fifteenth birthday. Their pretty perfect hair, gorgeous features, and pitch black eyes fill me with such comfort I can only begin to describe. Dolls are a reflection of society''s views of perfection. All that which my parents could only wish to achieve when they dress up in their fakery to appease their constituents at their fancy parties. The dolls in my room were already there, they were perfect, and they could never reach their perfection. That is why I live with dolls rather than people.


    Well, except for my annoying maid who is always busy nagging me about having too many dolls. "Alexis, clean up your room, there are dolls everywhere", "Alexis, you don''t need more dolls, you have 70 something please..." "Alexis, do you think anything other than dolls?". What a bother. Eventually however, she began showing up less and less, and I was truly alone with my dolls. I stopped going out. I stopped seeing people. I stayed in my room, playing with my dolls, except on the rare occasions I went out to buy more.


    On one of these occasions I decided against going to the shop down the street. I had read online there was to be a market in town. Today I was hoping to find an extravagant doll at this market. Yes, it would be wonderful. I dressed in my favorite shirt and pants and walked out of the house for the first time in what must have been months. I must have looked like a ghost to the house workers but I had messaged my mother on my flip phone earlier so she must have known. As usual she didn''t respond but I didn''t think that would mean she wouldn''t inform the house of my actions. Regardless I proceeded to the door, that was until my Maid Margarete stopped me.


    "Where do you think you''re going, young lady? This is the first time any of us have seen you in months" She exclaimed. "Are you to leave the house without saying a word?".


    I opened my mouth to speak. "Yes, Margarete, well you see I have spoken word to my mother but as usual she has not cared enough to inform you ladies and I apologize for that, but as it were, I am on my way. I am an adult now and you have no right to stop me.


    Moving past her I exit the house. Walking down the street I notice it''s quite busy today. Unusual for Truffington. Must be the festivities in town are also well, the talk of the town. Reaching the market I began to search for any dolls I could find. It, however, did not take me long to find something that caught my eye. A girl whose hair was golden blonde. She wore a beautiful black dress with white ruffles. Her eyes are a beautiful pitch black with a soulless expression. She is absolutely perfect. No, more than perfect, I was absolutely obsessed with this doll. I went up to the man selling her, he must have been in his late 70''s if I had to guess. He had a rather fantastical gray mustache and a jolly tone.


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    "Ah a fan of Mrs. Cordelia are ye?" he snickered, almost mocking me for being so intrigued by this doll. However, in what way he thought I wouldn''t be is absurdist. Why, the doll was the size of me I could not help but be ecstatic, it was like the friend I never had. The mother who never loved me, the father who never spoke my name. I needed this doll.


    "How much? I''ll pay any price." I exclaimed excitedly, if not in a bit of an anxious tone, others might even say creepy.


    "Why ye are nothing if not excited are ye? Hmm.... I''ll give her to you for just 10 dollars. How''s that sound for the girl eh?" he said.


    I exclaimed "What? Only 10 dollars for such a magnificent beauty? You must be out of your mind, not that I won''t accept it."


    "Once you''ve lived with her you''ll understand why I sell her for such a low price, she ain''t nothing but a demon in dolls clothing you''ll understand lass." the man said confidently.


    He must have been absurd. What does this old man think he''s talking about? He must''ve gone senile the old bastard. I handed him his 10 bucks just hoping to get the purchase over with.


    "...9, 10, yup that''s it you''ve got the amount. Good luck lass."


    And so began the trek home. I initially tried to carry her but that seemed futile as she was quite heavy, of course, not as heavy as a human, but for someone like me who does not get much exercise and for a doll of her size, it was rather difficult. Thus, I had to call the servants from the house.


    That was when of course, Margarete appeared with the servants. She put her face in her palm. ¡°Alexis Ellington, your obsession with dolls has gotten the both of us in a whole heaping of trouble, but I¡¯ve let it slide, but this? This is ridiculous, where are you going to put such a large doll hm? In your bed Missy? Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± she said with a snark tone.


    I decided to play her game.


    ¡°Okay Margie, until you get me a social life and parents who give two cents about me I¡¯m going to keep on buying dolls you hear me? Dolls are wonderful creatures whom you cannot even begin to envelop you tired old hag.¡± I said sternly and succinctly. She just stared at me in disgust, perhaps I had said too much but you must understand I have been hearing this for years. It began with my mother, I was never the daughter she wanted me to be but nonetheless I was adamant she would leave me be with my dolls as they had meant more to me than any friends I could not make. However after my mother cut herself off from me that attitude shifted to my maid who now held the complete responsibility of me, though even then her contact with me lessened.


    Margarete stormed away after a moment of silence, she must be rather upset. And who could truly blame her. It wasn¡¯t her I was angry at and instead my mother. I will apologize to her later. I consoled myself. Yes, later I will make up with her. I then instructed the men of the house to place my precious doll in the vehicle and drive us home.


    And so as we arrived I only had one thing on my mind to say: ¡°Welcome home, Cordelia¡±.


    After getting the doll home I collapsed onto my bed with a big sigh. Going out is exhausting. Luckily though there was a gorgeous sight in front of me, I couldn¡¯t help but run my fingers through her hair. Oh it was just wonderful. She was absolutely lovely. Words cannot describe how much she dazzled me with her beauty. She must be from, say, the Victorian era. Oh it just made me more excited. So much so I hugged her. Though as I hugged her¡­ I realized how exhausted I was as I drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 2: Strange Girl

    My eyes awoke. I was being held by a strange girl with red hair and naturally tan skin. Yet, she seemed pale with lack of sunlight. I guess that merchant finally sold me off I thought. Though I am considered unnerving so the thought confused me that anyone, let alone this adult girl would buy me. At least, I thought at first. However, as I look around I can tell this is no ordinary girl. Her walls were lined with shelves filled with dolls, of all kinds and origins it would seem. I realized it would be a wise decision to escape. And so, I began to attempt to release myself from the grasp of this strange girl.


    Problem was, the girl awoke.


    ¡°Huh? Did I feel something moving?¡± the girl asked.


    I stood still.


    ¡°Well it definitely wasn¡¯t you my lovely dear dolly!¡± she exclaimed.


    ¡°Your what, now?¡± I thought, a bit insulted.


    The girl stretched. ¡°What do you want to do dolly?¡± She asked me. ¡°Hmm, I want to do your hair I think!¡± she said excitedly. And so she took a brush to my hair. I cannot feel anything so I didn¡¯t feel it coursing through my hair, but I could tell she was being gentle just from the way it went behind my head from what I could see in the mirror. Too bad for her my hair is naturally curly and thus it immediately popped out.


    ¡°Huh?! Really, after all that??¡± She pouted, ¡°Dolly, your hair is just so perfect it resists change huh?¡± she asked.


    That was one way to describe hair that has never been washed and has just been tangled for over 100 years, sure.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay dolly I love you anyways¡±. She says while hugging me.


    ¡°Hey can you stop?¡± I asked


    The girl froze there in the hug, blinking twice and slowly looking down. ¡°D-did I hear something???¡± she asked in a frantic tone. I decided to play with her for a moment and keep quiet.


    ¡°Dolly I¡¯m scared she said as she increased her squeezing¡±.


    I then decided playtime was over so I then stood up¡­ only to fall over backwards as she weighs far more than I can support.


    ¡°Ow!! What just happened?!¡± She said, in a panicked tone.


    I twist my head around in a 360 degree turn, which is easy for me as I feel no pain and my joints are simply ball joints which can be easily manipulated.


    The woman screamed as if she had just seen the living dead rise just in front of her. It was amusing to say the least. This freak of a doll loving girl must be having her world turn upside down right about now.


    The girl sat there shivering when we heard a noise from outside the room. ¡°Milady, is there something wrong?¡± the voice of a man came from the door. The girl didn¡¯t answer so the door swung open with a slam. The man who must have been a servant in this house judging from the uniform he had on stood there staring at the room rather than trying to help her.


    ¡°Milady, is this where you sleep? It¡¯s a mess¡­ and it¡¯s kind of creepy. Margarete was right after all.¡± he said.


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    The girl didn¡¯t care, she was too focused on what she saw, but she looked up at the guard and said with a frightened expression: ¡°The Doll¡­ she talked and then her head spun around!¡±.


    ¡°Milady, that doll didn¡¯t do anything, maybe you should get out of this room more, it¡¯s completely unfit for a lady of your stature to stay cooped up in this¡­ creepy¡­ room all day.¡± the servant said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not making it up!¡± She shouted in desperation.


    ¡°Just get some rest milady¡­.¡± he said as he left the room.


    ¡°Nice servant you¡¯ve got there, real reliable.¡± I remarked in a monotone voice. Though thinking about it if it¡¯s a rich family there may be a point to sticking around this girl. It could mean I get special treatment as one of their prized possessions, that thought does sound wonderful, to not be pawned off again that is.


    The woman gasped for a breath and then said ¡°Okay, a doll¡­ can talk and move¡­ okay let me think about this dolly.¡±


    I tilted my head, intrigued at what this strange girl was talking about.


    ¡°Okay¡­ so I¡¯ve always said dolls were my best friends, better than humans, perfect in every single way, so in many ways this is actually the best outcome¡­ yeah!¡± She exclaimed excitedly. This girl gives off an unsettling aura.


    ¡°You¡­ think dolls are that great?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes! I mean, of course Dolly. Dolls are my favorite thing in the whole wide world!¡± the strange girl exclaimed.


    ¡°Can you call me by my proper title or is that unfit for someone of your¡­. obsession? I asked in an annoyed yet monotone voice.


    ¡°Y-yes doll- I mean yes Cordelia¡­¡± She said with a sigh. Then with a sudden unbeknownst burst of energy she exclaimed ¡°Oh Cordelia I get to be with a living doll!! I get to have the best friend I¡¯ve always wanted oh! I¡¯m so excited!¡±. Needless to say I am concerned for my future. However my newfound goal of becoming the prized possession of this household has taken wind of me and thus I¡¯ve decided to play along with this weird girl for the time being.


    ¡°May I get your name milady?¡± I asked in a posh tone.


    ¡°Yes Miss Cordelia! Oh I¡¯m so excited you asked first! My name is Alexis, of the Elington household. We come from English origin so pardon my strange last name.¡± She said with an exuberant tone.


    ¡°Great.¡± I said. Soon I would be the prized item of the Elington household, truly I have been handed a good deck of cards today.


    Alexis hugged me tightly and started rolling around, for a regular person it would have been disorienting by the time she finished. ¡°Oh Cordelia!!¡± Alexis exclaimed ¡°I want to play with you forever and ever!¡±. There is something wrong with this girl.


    ¡°Show me to your parents¡± I said. The sooner I go to the top of the household and away from this girl the better.


    ¡°No can do,¡± She said. ¡°They¡¯ll just throw you away like they did when I showed them a doll before, besides¡± she said with a sigh ¡°They don¡¯t care much for me¡±. Oh great now I¡¯m with the offshoot train wreck of this family. I¡¯ll have to work my way up at this rate, there¡¯s no way this girl will let me speak to her parents as it would seem.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll do it myself¡± I say as I get up and begin walking to the door. That¡¯s when the girl jumped on me and made me collapse on the floor.


    ¡°No Cordelia! I said no!¡± she said in an anxious tone. ¡°I cannot allow you to leave my room, I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to you, you do realize that correct?¡±.


    ¡°Correct¡­¡± I said with a sigh. Was I really going to be controlled by this girl? Does she even know what I am?


    ¡°Good girl¡± she said, patting my head while I just sat there patiently. I¡¯m a demon for crying out loud. A bonafide creature from hell and this girl thinks she can control me? I think knowing full well that I am virtually very weak and cannot escape this woman.


    ¡°Are you going to keep me here forever?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course, I keep all my dolls in pristine condition perfect for such perfection.¡± she says, still patting my head. What a freak. But, if it means I can stay anywhere except that blasted garage locked in a glass container then maybe, just maybe, I prefer it.