C.1 Precious

"Oh my gosh! I love her," The little girl cuddled against the soft crochet doll. "She's so precious." She gasps. "Yes! I will call her Precious."1

Her mother smiled and chuckled a bit. "That's great, Molly. Now, Precious and you have to get in the house, it's a bit chilly."2

Sarah Bruthford, Molly's mother, and Molly Bruthford, both had very heavy English accents. Of course, they were both from England. Comming to the United States, for a new start.3

"Right!" Molly marched, cheerful at her brand new doll recieved from the mail. It was absolutely adorable to her. Tanned skin color, brown hair, buttoned eyes and a white dress.4

Molly's mother coughed. Again.5

"Mommy, you ok?" Molly stopped marching, waiting for her mother to catch up.6

"I'm just fine, sweetheart. Just very cold."7

Molly didn't pity, she said she was fine. "Okay then."8

Molly held Precious in the air and stared into her buttoned eyes. So dark, and lifeless.9

In the house, Molly sat uppon her couch and played with Precious, pretending she was already her best friend.10

Molly's mother, Sarah, smiled. And she hung up her coat.11

"Would you like tea, Precious?" Molly asked her friend.12

The crochet doll made no movement.13

Molly hmmphed and leaned over. She grabbed the doll's head ever so slightly and shook it up and down. 14

"All right then!" She cheered.15

Molly almost ran to the kitchen.16

Sarah, had sat on a kitchen chair and started reading the bills.17

"Molly," she had said without looking up from an envelope.18

"Yes?" answered Molly.19

"What are you doing?" Sarah blinked and looked up. She had expected anything of her daughter.20

"Mommy, I'm just getting a cup." Molly stepped on her tippy toes and grabbed a small cup from the counter. Then she ran over back to Precious.21

Sarah had said no other word and let her daughter enjoy her brand new toy.22

Since that day, Molly and Precious were inseperable. Everything Molly did, Precious did also. Everywhere Molly went, Precious came along.23

Since school had been closed down because it was snowed in, none of her friends had seen her doll yet. Oh, she was so very excited to show them.24

But it seems that Sarah had not been feeling well. Her coughing got worse and worse. Molly always asked her what was wrong, and she's been recieving the same answer.25

"I'm fine, Molly, just fine."26

Molly had been curious. Is my mommy sick? She had asked herself many times. But it was never answered.27

***28

"Precious!" Molly gasped.29

Sarah whipped her head from the couch, she had been interrupted from reading her book.30

"What is it, Molly?" asked Sarah.31

"I-I.." Molly didn't seem to find words. "Precious acted very naughty."32

Sarah leaned her book on the coffee table and stood up. She placed a hand over her daughter's shoulder. She was staring at the hallway carpet, just like Molly was.33

There sat Precious, with that red lined smile across her face. Her head leaned to one side because she didn't have enough stuffing to hold it up on her own.34

"I don't get it, Molly." Sarah's eyebrows furrowed.35

"Precious.. I-I.. I didn't put her there. I told her to stay in the room while I get a drink. But she didn't listen to me."36

Sarah didn't need this nonsense. "Molly, she's a doll, sweetheart, they can't move on their own."37

"She can." Molly pointed. "She's always done it before."38

Molly's mother had now become curious. "How, Molly?"39

"Well, whenever I leave her, and tell her to stay, I always find her somewhere else that I didn't put her in. She's very naughty, I tell you."40

This gave Sarah the chills, but it wasn't true. She hated the fact that Molly kept her silly little game going on in a serious moment.41

"Hmm, maybe Precious would like to sleep in the garage tonight?" She asked. She decided to play along.42

Molly shook her head. "She's afraid of the dark, she told me."43

"She told you?"44

Molly nodded.45

Sarah sighed "All right."46

Sarah went to the doll and picked her up. She carressed her hair, why she was a very beautiful doll indeed. But Molly shouldn't get to attached too it, she thought.47

"Well, Molly, I'm going to put Precious in the garage tonight, all right? She needs to take a break from you. You guys have been together too long. It's been wearing out on you."48

She shook the doll toward Molly and started walking away with it.49

"Wait, mommy." Molly chirped.50

"Hmm?" Sarah stopped an turned.51

Molly started crying. "Precious, she's scaring me."52

"How, honey, tell me how? Don't worry you'll see her in the morning." she gave a wry smile.53

Molly's sobs came into hysterics. "She's.. she's telling me I'm going to loose you. That.. that you're going to die!"54

Sarah froze, eyes widened. The doll's not real. She simply cannot know about my health. She shook her head.55

"Are you sure no one else told you this?" Sarah's voice had gotten louder when she didn't mean it to.56

Molly cried out. "Precious did! Mommy, I told you she's being naughty."57

Sarah couldn't believe this. It's a doll for crying out loud!58

She said no more words and took the doll to the garage. Sarah took no harm in deciding to keep going with this game. She went back to Molly who still hadn't moved from her spot.59

"Molly, I'm not going anywhere. She is lying, some discipline may help." She grinned.60

"Okay, mommy."61

She kissed her daughter in the forehead and told her to go to bed, she would be there soon to tuck her in.62

In the living room, alone, Sarah began to think. The doll cannot talk, it is a lifeless, worthless piece of junk. But who could have told Molly she was dieing? Sure she was sick and almost eveything she did had been corrupted by her cough. But death? Someone's been telling her daughter about death?63

Sarah shook it off and tucked Molly into bed.64

The next morning, Sarah walked in the kitchen, tired, and was about to make a cup of coffee.65

She opened the cuboard and screamed.66

Sarah shut herself up immidietly before she woke up Molly.67

There in the cuboard sat Precious. As if she was never placed in the garage.68

"By god, how did you get up here?" Sarah felt stupid talking to a doll. But it had startled her so bad, she didn't think.69

I can do a lot of things. It said.