You Are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine | Namseok

01

Namjoon was walking home when he bought it.

He always took the same route everyday, yet he didn't notice the new shop that opened.

It looked old, like it had been there for a long long time. Out front, there was a window showcasing all different kinds of dolls they offered, above it was a blue hat with the words: MR. BLUE'S DOLL SHOP

Namjoon was sure it wasn't there yesterday, but then again he never really paid any attention to the shops he always passed by.

He checked out the dolls. There was nothing that interested him, until he saw the offer.

On the right side, near the door, was a white cardboard cutout of a silhouette. In the middle of its chest was a hand written note (in blue) that says:

MR. BLUE'S SPECIAL LIFE SIZED DOLLS
LIMITED EDITION
GET ONE BEFORE IT GOES OUT OF STOCK

Life sized dolls? Namjoon thought. Is that even a thing?

Curious, he walked inside.

When he walked in, it felt like he entered a different world. Literally. The place was huge! It stretched on and on until the end looked fuzzy. The place had a different feel to it. It felt cleaner and spacey. The best thing was the walls. Lining it was just dolls. There were all types of dolls—from stuffed to porcelain, and from antique to newly made.

Namjoon stood in his place in awe. There were so much he can look through, he thought if he went through all of them he'll take a few days.

He started looking through some of porcelain dolls. They were all so beautiful with their smooth, silky hair and extravagant, expensive-looking dresses.

"Hi, I'm MR. BLUE, Can I help you?" someone asked.

Namjoon flinched. He turned to see a short, plump old man. He wore a pristine white shirt under brown overalls, and had an ID around his neck.

When he saw the man, a sudden feeling of dread washed over him. He wanted to say that he was just looking around, but he was drawn to the offer. "Oh, uh, I saw the sign outside about a life sized doll?" he said.

Mr. Blue smiled coldly. "Oh, I see. Would you like to see them?"

"Yes, please."

"Right this way." He gestured Namjoon to follow him. "Is this doll for someone? Your sister?"

Namjoon's face flushed. He didn't want to admit it was for himself. Then Mr. Blue would be another person that would think he's wierd. "I was just curious," he said. "Maybe I'll give it to someone when I do buy it."

Mr. Blue nodded. With his back faced to Namjoon, he couldn't really tell what he was thinking. He hoped Mr. Blue believed it, because if he didn't, then that would make Namjoon look like a fool.

But he had a bad feeling about the old man.

He kept thinking about the dread he was feeling. It was just there. Lingering. As if he was always being watched. He had a strange imagination Mr. Blue had eyes on the back of his head, regarding him closely.

He shook that feeling away. Instead, he focused on the dolls they passed as they walked.

Some looked peculiar, some just plain creepy. Namjoon once saw a boy doll with eyes all over its body, wearing a white shirt and faded jeans. He felt like the doll watched him as he walked passed.

Another had no eyes at all. Another had one huge blue eye on its forehead, like a cyclops, and where the eyes were supposed to be were two wide smiling mouths. It had a black pinstrip suit on with brown loafers. Namjoon found it really creepy.