Part 1

A Chapter by OpheliaNorth

The floorboards creaked as I simultaneously tried to walk as quietly and fast as possible. Drip, drip, drip went the water from the cracks in the roof to the broken glass that covered the floor. Why I ended up here, I wasn't quite sure. All that I know is that I have to get out. Or she would find me.

Beep, beep, beep blared my alarm signaling another wonderful day starting. I had to babysit my younger cousin Selena that day. She’s sweet and all but still a bit...strange. All she talked about was her “best friend Esa” her imaginary friend that developed when she was very young. But I couldn’t think about that right now, all that I had to worry about was getting my butt out of bed.

As I drove through town and across the border of York and Lancaster, I noticed... people. People that I was taught to think were disturbed or just delusional. They were standing on almost every corner holding signs saying, “They are coming.” Now, they were always there but for some reason, I just noticed them today. But I just chopped it down to me being extremely exhausted and kept driving.

When I got there, my cousin was sitting on the floor playing with her favorite dolls, old china ones that my grandmother had gotten her a while back. There was an empty seat at her tea party, however, which I assumed was for Esa. Her mother came downstairs, wished me good luck, and bolted out the door as fast as she could. Even her own mother was scared of her. Poor kid.

“May I join you?” I reluctantly said to Selena. “Esa says, ‘No, you may not.’ You’re not as special as I am to be Esa’s friend.” I take back what I said earlier about her own parents being terrified of her. Honestly, I don’t blame them. As I begin to walk away, Selena grabs my arm with the tightest grip for a 5-year-old ever. “We’re going to the park. Now. ” “That’s no way to talk to someone older than you, is it?” Instead, of apologizing she just grabbed one of the dolls and bolted out the door. ‘I guess we’re going to the park then’ I thought as I ran after her with a small jacket in hand.

“Selena! You can’t just run away like that! Here put this on,” I said handing her the jacket, "Your mother would kill me if the rain frizzed your curls.” She wasn’t paying attention to a word that I was saying. Instead, she was staring down at the doll that she had grabbed. It had a loose-fitting white dress that went down to her ankles, long black hair that covered her face, and sheet-white skin that perfectly contrasted with Selena’s deep, mocha skin. “Is this your favorite one?” I asked as we walked slowly in the direction of the park. “It’s the only one. The others are bad, bad girls,” she replied, in a slightly ominous voice that was deeper than her usual. “What did they do that was so bad?” “They hurt me”

At this point, it had turned fully demented, and she, again, bolted. This time to an old house on the corner, that had been there as long as I could remember. It had been closed off after the owner of the house had been suspected of murder. Inside, it was dark and damp, in the worst state that I’ve ever seen it in. As the door closed behind me with a slam, I realized I was trapped and had to find a way out.

There was loud shatter from up the stairs, followed by I blanket of finely grained glass, that covered the entire lower floor. I carefully walked across hearing the drip of the rain, the creak of the floor, and the crunch of the glass beneath my boots. When I reached the stairs, I dashed up them to find an attic door. I climbed up the ladder to find a large crawl space, with a slanted roof and a large window at the end of it. As the light shone through, I could make out the silhouette of a small girl, Selena. The only thing was that she was floating off of the ground, doll in hand.

“Selena?” “She’s not here anymore” “What did you do with her?!” I exclaimed, my heart beating out of my chest. “That doesn’t matter, and you know that.” “You have to stop!” Now my breathing was so rapid, I thought that I would pass out. “The world will pay for what they did to me!” That’s when I remembered the dolls, how too real they looked, and what she had said about them hurting her. “All that I wanted to do was play! But they were afraid of me, and they...they tried to get rid of me. But Selena would play with me and now she will be my friend forever!” Suddenly a chill ran through my spine. I looked up at an old, blood-splattered mirror that was hung on the wall. Only instead of just my reflection, she was there.

The doll, but life-size was inching closer and closer to me. I blinked and opened my eyes. I saw a flash of black and white, felt a cold hand grasp my shoulder, and darkness. After a brief moment, I was jolted awake then looked at the mirror one last time. The doll had disappeared, and my body felt deathly cold. My reflection was staring back at me, except it wasn’t mine. I had long, black hair, pale skin, and a devilish smile. I was Esa.