The Doll Maker

Chapter 2 - Josephine (Part 8)

It was only the next day that Doctor Pete let Josephine go back home. She was given pills though, just as she had initially expected when she was asked to talk to Doctor Pete. The pills? There’re a few packets of them. “I sure as hell ain’t sick,” Josephine said to herself. “It is part and parcel of my working life to believe what my patients say,” she mocked.

“Oh hell yeah you do, you believed me so much that you gave me those pills and told me I’m having hallucinations! I should’ve given that damn cursed thing to you,” Josephine complained to herself on the bus ride back home.

Who would believe you in a world like this, Jo? Dreaming retard! Josephine chided herself mentally.

Maybe she’ll go back to school tomorrow, she decided; that is, if things go fine again.

What great timing, Josephine thought. I’m out of the hospital, and mum goes back in there again. What’s that, a chain?

A chain letter! Her mind rang loud and clear to let her know what it’s thinking about.

She then hit herself on her head. Stop thinking about it! It wasn’t  easy to get back into a good mood and she’s not going to spoil that so fast by remembering that… just something. She’s not going to even think of its name.

After half an hour that seemed more like an eternity, she arrived at her stop and got down from the bus.

Home again.

She looked at the building before her that she called a home. Things could have been better…

As she took her first step into the hall of her house, a weird stench caught her attention. She turned the lock and looked around her.

          “Oh gosh,” Josephine gasped. Before her she saw stains on the marble floor. Dark, red splotches. The all-so-familiar stench came back to her now. Copper-ish smell… Of course, it’s blood. She thought to herself.

          What is it that made these stains?

          Mother?

          The thought alone sent her running up the stairs. No, it mustn’t be!

          What’s that sound? Josephine almost screamed in frustration. Then, she bit down on her bottom lip and grunted. Esme, what is it now?!! At the top of the stairs the splotches turned into only droplets. Now fearing for the worst, she searched for the end of those droplets.

          Home? Not even close.

          ESME!!!!!

          Just where it needs to be led to but her room. She balled her fist. Whatever this might turn out to be, it’ll never be something good.

          She thought she heard a disgusting squelching sound.

          “Oh no,” she muttered under her breath. Josephine realized how her legs were trembling then. She walked slowly to her room.

          The droplets still aren’t ending there yet.

          “Mimi…” she called out quietly. Why, it couldn’t be her mother. She’ll only be back tomorrow morning. Josephine remembered.

          She walked into the room then, and saw the trails of ugly red spots leading onto her bed. Whatever she ate earlier made their way up from her stomach again. She held her hands up to her mouth, but still, she failed to contain herself from vomiting.

          “Forget me? LET’S SEE IF YOU CAN STILL TRY THAT, JOSEPHINE!” The sinister laugh rang through the room.

          Upon her bed was Mimi, eyes wide almost with shock. A weird angle… Mimi’s head was twisted! Mimi’s limbs were pinned to the bed with her scissors and penknives. HERS. Her pet looked like a dissected animal – done the wrong way . Its stomach was ripped open, having its intestines pulled out from its body. What’s worse, Esme itself was standing by Mimi’s dead form. Stained. The blood, it stained the floor, her bed. It’s just... Not right. This couldn’t go on…

          Josephine felt her knees go weak as she fell to the floor.

          “ESME!!!!” She screamed, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

          “Am I important to you now?”

          Josephine wailed. How could Esme do this? How could it kill her pet? Mimi, wasn’t that a memory of her mother and her together? How she had took care of Mimi and trained it till it grew up beautifully…

          “Get out of my life!!!” she shouted at the inanimate object that was the starting of all these problems. Walking across the room, taking care not to step in the tiny blood puddles, Josephine grabbed Esme and threw it right out of the window.

          “I can do worse than just this, you of all should know it!” Esme laughed again, and was back on Josephine’s bed.

          “I HAD ENOUGH!” Josephine took her penknife out from Mimi’s left paw and stabbed at the doll, only to have the doll repairing its broken parts back quicker than she could shatter it.

          Josephine gave up. She painstakingly took out the sharp objects in Mimi one by one, trying not to look at the grotesque sight before her. She avoided Esme’s smile and gaze altogether as she carried the remains of Mimi’s body out into the backyard.

          A loud gasp, and Mary was running towards Josephine.

          “Mimi! What in the world …” Mary’s words stopped dead as she saw Josephine’s lost gaze. The soul in her seemed to be lost, as she walked steadily to a corner of her collection of pretty plants.

          Mary quietly joined Josephine, gulping as she saw what that was left of Mimi. She couldn’t help wondering about what happened just as she was planning to visit Josephine again. It surely isn’t the right time to give Josephine the brownies!

          Josephine put Mimi on her lap, bloodying her shorts as she dug through the soil with her bare hands. Mary tried to offer help, but is pushed away before she could do so. Mary just watched then, looking on as Josephine kissed Mimi’s forehead before gently placed Mimi’s remains into the freshly dug soil and covering it back again.

          Afterwards, she stood up, entered the house she really wanted to call a home and closed the door before Mary could say or do anything.

          “Take care, Jo! I’m sorry about what happened to Mimi…” Mary said to the closed door in front of her, left the box of brownies on the doorsteps and left.