The Doll's House

1

Her sneakers pounded on the old dirt path, in sync with his steps. The woods were quiet as Evelyn and Will jogged down the path in the early morning, the slight chirps of birds the only sound besides their footsteps interrupting the silence. The fresh, cool air filled Evelyn's lungs.

"Rest," she called out raggedly as she staggered to a stop, her foot scuffing against something as she bent over, hands on her knees. Will came to a halt, jogging in place as she took a deep breath.

"Thanks for coming with me, Evie," Will said, quitting his in place jogging and handing her a water bottle from the small pack on his back. "I know this isn't your favorite early morning activity."

"Coffee is my favorite morning activity," Evelyn grumbled, narrowing her eyes curiously at the object her toe had scuffed against. "Which I suggest we get after we finish. But I must admit, these woods are a great place to go running."

"I know, right?" Will said, glancing around them as Evelyn took a swig from the water bottle, toing at the object half buried in the dirt. He ran his hand through his hair. "And this close to the old Hope Estate, too." He pointed. "You can even see the brick walls, from this path. It's so cool and spooky."

Evelyn glanced over, noting the old brick. The Hope Estate had belonged to a family dating back to the antebellum period, one of the first homes established in the old German town of Luka, South Carolina. For years, it had been owned by the mayor of the town, before it had been sold to an English family after the Civil War. But within several decades, the estate had been abandoned, never to be reclaimed or restored.

"I wonder why some historical society never tried to restore it, open it for tours or something," Will continued thoughtfully. "It's odd, right? Just allowed to rot within the walls. A historic landmark and it just sits there."

"You've heard all the stories, though," Evelyn commented, straightening and frowning at the brick wall. "About it being haunted, ever since the mansion was burnt to the ground. Besides, with the woods enclosing it, it's no wonder no one wants to touch it. It's downright creepy at times."

Neither mentioned the story of the one attempt within their lifetimes to restore the Hope Estate, which had led to the group of young college students vanishing, never to be seen again. But both were well aware of it.

"Okay, let's keep running," Will advised, taking the water bottle back from Evelyn. "You've had enough of that."

Evelyn looked down at the object, frowning at it. "What the heck?" she muttered as her eyes finally made out what it was. She squatted down, prying at it suspiciously with her fingers.

"What you looking at?" Will asked, furrowing his brow.

Brushing aside some more dirt with her fingers, Evelyn revealed the smiling face of an old, porcelain doll. It had been half-buried in the dirt, stains smudging the surface of the smooth face.

With more energy, Evelyn continued digging, unearthing the doll. Straightening, she held the object in her hands, brushing the dirt off the faded pink silk dress. Surprisingly, the fabric wasn't decayed at all, although the doll must have been buried for years.

"What is that?" Will asked, peering at it with a perplexed look. "A doll?"

"Yep," Evelyn said, glancing up at him. "What's it doing out here?"

Will shrugged as Evelyn returned her gaze to stare at the old doll. It smiled serenely up at her, the blonde curls looking pretty good for having been covered in dirt. It was almost as if the girl who had owned it had only dropped it a little while before, for all the neglect it showed.

She felt a strange tugging inside her gut, a voice whispering in her ear. Will's face beside her blurred and his words suddenly grew muted. Without even knowing what she was doing, Evelyn pivoted and began to march toward the old brick wall, gripping the doll tightly.

"Evie!" Will called, running alongside her. It sounded like he was shouting from a long distance away. Evelyn wished to stop, but the tugging in her gut refused, the voice in her ears demanded she keep walking.

Will grabbed her arm but was repelled. He stumbled and fell, yelling, but Evelyn couldn't hear him anymore. The voice filled her ears, telling her to walk toward the old estate. Underneath the voice's words, she could hear a simple melody but couldn't figure out what song she knew it from.

But the voice was clear.

Walk. Walk. Walk. Yes, walk. Come to me. Come to me.

Evelyn walked directly into the wall.

A weird sensation struck her, overwriting Evelyn's initial feeling of pain. It twisted her insides, rattled her heart, and sent waves of the pain felt in a dull headache lapping against her brain. Her eyesight blurred, then vanished, leaving her in complete darkness. The only thing she knew for certain was that she was still clutching the doll in her hands, the fabric of the dress smooth and cool beneath her fingers.

The next thing Evelyn knew, she felt sunlight on her back and blades of grass tickling her face. Wrinkling her nose, she sneezed, blinking furiously to clear her vision. What happened?

Shoving herself up into an upright position, Evelyn's eyes widened as she stared at the green grass, gently sloping down to a slow moving river with a quaint bridge crossing it. Sitting bolt upright, she twisted and saw a small grove of trees and a path leading toward the white mansion she saw in the near distance.

Holy crap. What happened? Where am I?

Evelyn thought back to the last thing she remembered. She had been holding that old doll and then her memory had gone fuzzy, like a television full of static or a scratched CD stuck on a song lyric. The doll was the only thing she remembered.

Where's Will?

Evelyn glanced around frantically, but she saw no sign of her red-headed friend. In fact, there was no one else in sight. She was alone on the grassy slope.

Birds sang in the trees as Evelyn rose to her feet, staring down at her clothes. Whereas before, she had been wearing jogging pants and an old purple T-shirt, she was now dressed in a simple, light pink dress, cinched at the waist and flowing down until it touched the white slippers on her feet.

Exactly like the doll had been wearing.