The Doll's Revenge

James Wallace sat in his house with his bottle of whisky in his hand. He was alone. His daughter, Becky, had died several days earlier and had been buried. His wife, Margaret, had left him after the funeral.1

"Stupid woman. I don't need you anymore."2

He had been drinking since his wife had driven away from the house. She and her sister had boxed up all of Becky's clothes and toys and taken them away. The only toy they did not get rid of, was Becky's favorite doll.3

The doll had long blonde hair. She was dressed in a long white dress with fur around the sleeves. The doll had been placed beside her in her casket.4

* * *5

"This is my house,' James thought to himself.'I can do whatever I da** please."6

He raised the bottle to his lips and took a long drink. All of a sudden, he heard a sound in the living room. It was the sound of a child crying. He looked around the living room, but there was no one there.7

His eyes travelled over to the bookshelves that still contained his wife's books. His eyes grew wide. Sitting on the top shelf, was his daughter's doll. He saw a tear running down its face. He could not believe his eyes. He knew what he thought he had seen. He walked over to the bookshelves and peered at the doll.8

He began rubbing his eyes. He did not know how the doll had gotten there. He knew that it had been put in his daughter's casket, because he had seen it.9

* * *10

He could not take his eyes off the doll. He tried to turn away from it, but he was not able to. Suddenly, he saw the doll's eyes open. The bottle of whisky slipped from his trembling hand. He could see his daughter's blue eyes looking back at him.11

"I have come home, Daddy."12

With a shriek of terror, he fell to the floor in a dead faint.13

* * *14

When he opened his eyes and began looking around the room, his eyes travelled to the bookshelf and the doll. It stared blindly from the top of the bookshelf. He picked up the phone and dialed his wife's phone number.15

"Hello."16

"Maggie, it's James."17

"What do you want? I'm not coming home."18

"Becky's back."19

"What do you mean, Becky's back?"20

"I heard her voice inside the house."21

"You are drinking, aren't you?"22

"I had had a little."23

"Where did you hear hear her?"24

"Her voice was coming from her doll."25

* * *26

Margaret could only shake her head as she thought of the things her husband had just said. He had been inclined to say stupid things, especially when he had been drinking. But none had been as crazy as hearing their dead daughter's voice coming from her doll.27

For the last two years of Becky's life, he had been abusive to her. Finally, the last time, Becky had fallen, hit her head and died.28

* * *29

Margaret got into her car and drove back to the house she had shared with her husband and daughter. She used her key to let herself inside. She looked over the entire house, but there was no sign of Becky's doll. She did not see James either.30

She called for James, but he did not answer. She climbed the stairs and went into the room that had belonged to her daughter. It was as if Becky had never existed. She shook her head as she went back downstairs, left the house, got back into her car and drove away.31

James sat in the darkened basement. He had heard his wife and heard her calling him. He had not wanted to see anyone. He could not understand what he had seen. He had not been too drunk to have imagined it.32

* * *33

A couple nights after Margaret went to the house, James went upstairs and went to bed. The time was 9:00 p.m. For him, that was early. He had been there for about half an hour, when he heard footsteps climbing the stairs.34

"Is that you, Maggie?"35

There was no answer. He figured that he must have been dreaming. Then he wondered how it could have happened if he had not gone to sleep. He listened, but he no longer heard the footsteps. He turned over and closed his eyes. He had just gotten to sleep, when he heard another sound.36

"Daddy."37

James sat up in bed. His breathing was rapid.38

"Daddy."39

He rubbed his eyes with both fists. He figured that if he shut his eyes and then opened them, then the sound would go away. He did that, and when he opened them, he let out a blood-curdling scream.40

He could not believe his eyes. The doll was standing beside the bed. She had grown tall enough to see over the edge. Her eyes burned with rage as she glared at James as he laid cowering in the bed. His fingers were turning white as he clutched the bedcovers in both fists.41

"Why didn't you answer me when I called you, Daddy?"42

"You can't be here, Becky, you are dead. I saw them bury you myself."43

"I can't be dead, Daddy. I am standing here in front of you."44

"I don't care. .I still say you are dead."45

She reached a hand toward James and brushed it over his cheek. The hand was icy cold. Her touch made him start to whimper as he pulled his face away. When he turned back around, the doll was gone from where he had seen her.46

In the morning, when he got up, he went downstairs and called Margaret again. He was surprised to hear the following words: "This phone has been disconnected. It is no longer in service." 47

He could not understand it. He knew that he dialed the right number. He was beginning to hang up the phone, when he heard a familiar voice coming through the receiver.48

"It is your fault I died, Daddy. If you wouldn't have been so mean to me, I would not have died."49

The receiver fell from his hand and landed on the floor. He picked it up and listened for the sound, but all he got was dead air. He hung up the phone. Reaching down, he seized the phone cord and pulled it from the wall. He went over to his recliner and fell into it.50

* * *51

James was unable to figure out what was happening to him. He did not know that he had not been mistaken. The voice he had heard coming from the doll and the receiver had been Becky's. He suddenly began worrying about Margaret. If he had called her and heard his daughter's voice coming over her out-of-order phone, then he knew that something had happened to her.52

Turning around, he ran back upstairs to get dressed and ran back downstairs. In his hand, were his car keys. He had decided when he was upstairs, that he was going to see Margaret and try to get her to return home. When he got out in the driveway, the keys fell from his hand. He bent down and picked them up. When he looked down, he saw the two flat tires. When he went around to the other side, he saw that they too were flat. Angrily, James threw the keys as hard as he could.53

"DA** kids,'he complained. 'If I ever find out which one flattened my tires, I am going to make them pay. He them stormed back into the house and slammed the door. After he calmed down a little, he went over to the neighbor's house and asked to use the phone. When he was asked what was wrong with his, he said that it was not working.54

He called Margaret's number and heard a dial tone. When someone answered, he was surprised to hear his wife's voice.55

"Maggie, where have you been?"56

"What do you mean where have I been?"57

"I called you earlier and someone said your phone had been disconnected."58

"As you can well see, James, the phone is fine."59

* * *60

James hung up the phone, thanked the neighbor and went home. Margaret stood with the receiver still in her hand. She had a feeling that James was losing his mind. She couldn't understand the way he had just acted on the phone. She could not figure out what he had been thinking about. She had been home all morning and had made several telephone calls. Where had he gotten the idea that her phone was not working. He told her that someone else had told him.61

* * *62

James sat dozing in his chair. He was wondering why the doll was appearing to him with his dead daughter's voice coming from it. Suddenly, his eyes flew open. He heard his daughter's voice.63

"Daddy, it's about time."64

"What do you want?"65

"Why did you kill me?"66

"I didn't kill you."67

"Yes, you did. I remember the day I died. You hit me and I fell backward and hit my head."68

James looked around for the doll, but he didn't see any sign of her. He wondered why he was hearing his daughter's voice when he did not see the doll.69

James got another bottle of whisky out of the cupboard. He opened the bottle and began drinking. By the time the bottle was half-empty, he was feeling a little better. He wondered if there was any way for him to get rid of the doll. He would do anything to get her out of his house.70

The whisky bottle fell from his hand, he placed his head on the back of the chair and passed out in an alcoholic haze. He was suddenly awakened when he felt something hitting his arm. His eyes flew open and he began looking around. The doll stood before him. Again, she had grown bigger. And she was outraged.71

In her hand, was the wooden stick. It was the very same one that he had struck Becky with on several occasions. It was the same stick that had hit his arm.72

"What are you doing back here?"73

The doll swung the stick at him. He felt it hit his left cheek. He held his trembling hand against his cheek.74

"Don't ever talk to me like that, Daddy. Tell me you are sorry."75

"I'm sorry."76

"I know you don't mean it. You want to get rid of me."77

All of the color drained out of James' face. He wondered how the doll had known that he had been wondering how to get rid of her. The doll spied the bottle of whisky lying on the floor.78

"Drinking again, I see. Won't you ever learn?"79

She swung the stick and James felt it strike his shoulder. He could feel pain shooting down his arm. He screaned with the pain. Again the stick struck him. This time, it hit his head. He could feel blood running down the side of his face. He looked up at the doll with fear in his eyes.80

"Keep your mouth shut. Do you want the neighbors to hear you?"81

* * *82

Suddenly, he heard the door open and someone walk in. James turned his head and saw Margaret standing in the living room. Across the room from her, was the doll. It was still big.83

James could not understand how his wife was reacting. He did not hear her scream. Nor, did she ask him if he was hurt. She turned toward the doll. She said:84

"I'm so glad you are home, Becky. You have punished him enough. You can go away in peace."85

James struggled up from his chair and angrily faced his wife.86

"It was you. You were the one who brought this creature into this house."87

"She is not a creature. She is your daughter."88

"No, it isn't, Margaret, it's a da** doll."89

Turning, he collapsed. Margaret could hear the sound of James' head striking the fireplace. When the police arrived, they found Margaret sitting on the couch. They saw James on the floor. When they felt for a heartbeat, they could not find one. James was dead.90

When they turned to face Margaret, they saw the doll that she held on her lap. She was rocking her body back and forth with her face void of all expression. As they watched, she put her hand on the doll's head and began stroking her hair. They heard her say only one sentence.91

"Mommy is here, Becky, and she loves you."92

THE END93