Strings of the Lost

Chapter one... The first dolls

The town of willow Creek was known for it serene streets and picturesque scenery. Yet, behind the beauty lay a sinister mystery. Over the past decade, children had gone missing, their fates a haunting enigma. Parents locked their doors at night and kept their kids close, but the disappearances persisted, like shadows slipping through cracks.

At the center of the unease was a girl names Annabelle Lorne. She lived with her grand-mother in a crumbling, ivy-covered house at the edge of the woods.

Annabelle rarely spoke, her skin pale and deep, unblinking eyes making even adults uneasy. She was often seen walking the forest paths alone, her small frame vanishing into the trees like a wisp of smoke.

Annabelle had a particular hobby: Collecting dolls. Her grand-mother, Agnes, often found her crafting them late at night, using scraps of fabric, bits of hair, and small items she claimed to "find". These weren't ordinary dolls, though. they had an eerie lifelike quality, as if they were staring back at whoever looked at them.

The first time someone notices something odd was when Ethan, a boy from Annabelle's school, went missing. Shortly after, one of Annabelle's dolls appeared with short brown hair and a tiny red sweater-eerily identical to what Ethan was last seen wearing.

The whispers began.

"She's just a lonely girl," Agnes would say dismissing the rumours. But even she couldn't deny the way Annabelle's room felt... heavy. The air was thick, the shadows too long. The dolls sat in perfect rows on shelves, their button eyes glinting in the dim light, their expressions almost... aware.