The doll

I returned from office to find my 7-year old daughter playing with a new doll. She said she found it on the street lying abandoned. I casually told her off for picking stray things and dismissed the matter. Throwing a casual glance at it, I found that it was a male doll of about 10 inches. It had large bright blue eyes and a thick roundish nose. I didn’t pay further attention to the matter and soon got occupied with my work. That night, I woke up on hearing a sound. It appeared as if someone had sneezed. Both my wife and my daughter were fast asleep. The doll was clutched tightly in my daughter’s arms. I couldn’t fathom the mystery and went back to bed slightly puzzled.

The next morning, my wife was taken seriously ill. Her temperature rose to 105 degree Fahrenheit, and despite medical aid, her condition did not improve. By evening, her health deteriorated. By night, she was dead. My daughter wept over her mother’s body clutching the doll in her hands. I could do little to console the poor child.

A week passed in mourning. I and my daughter were left shattered by my wife’s death. However, I tried to recover and to spend more time with my daughter. It crossed my mind that she had become attached with the doll to the point of obsession. She hardly let it go and carried it in her arms all the time. Barely a month had passed since my wife’s death, when tragedy hit me again. My daughter was returning from school when her bus collided with a tree. Several people got injured in the accident and one of them died. It was my daughter.

Heart-broken and desolate, I began to spend most of my day inside the house. I hardly went out except for my office duty and went into a shell. Slowly, I sunk into depression and was forced to quit my job. One evening, I was lying morosely when my eyes fell on that doll which was kept in the showcase. It wore a mystical look and appeared to be smiling at my pitiable condition. In a fit of rage, I picked it up and threw it outside the window. I thought it was gone for good. But how wrong I was!

That night, as I was sleeping, I suddenly woke up on hearing someone cough. Both my wife and daughter were dead and I used to stay all alone. So, I was slightly flummoxed on hearing the sound. I looked around and saw the doll looking back at me from the showcase. How it got there I had no idea! But I could once again make out a sinister smile playing on its lips. I hated that doll for its wicked smile.

In the morning, I took the doll with me and drove far away into the outskirts of the city. There I dumped it into a garbage bin. At least, now I was free or so I thought. That night, as I was sleeping, I felt a choking sensation around my throat. I opened my eyes and got up with a start. I drank some water and looked around. It was back! The doll was sitting by my pillow smiling in a devilish way.

I had had enough. I immediately seized the doll, carried it into the kitchen, poured kerosene oil over it and set it aflame. I felt better as it burnt. I let it burn completely before I was satisfied. I went back to sleep and, after a long time, slept well. I woke up feeling completely fresh in the morning. Soon, I rejoined my office, remarried and was blessed with a daughter. Now, I have a caring wife and a beautiful daughter. All is well.