Frightful Flash Fiction

Welcome Home, Emma

I had never seen Mom and Dad so sad before. Although I can't say they don't deserve to be. I'm not that upset, but, in my defense, I didn't really know her, and she wasn't mine. A couple weeks ago, my mother gave birth to what she and Dad described as a beautiful baby girl. Her name was Emma, and she was a stillborn. I was home with them when they left to go to the hospital. Their faces, they looked worried. The next time I saw them, they could barely talk. They were crying so much. I asked Dad what exactly happened, he tried to tell me, but could barely make it through the first few sentences without choking up, so I told him he could tell me if he wants to when he's ready. It's weird, my parents are always the ones looking out for me, and comforting me in my times of need, and I wasn't expecting those roles to be reversed so soon. Then, things took a turn. I came home one day to Mom, Dad, and Emma. Except this Emma, was a doll. They treated her like it was their actual daughter. She would sit with us for dinner, she'd be served. They'd ask how her day was, how she was enjoying school. I understand people grieve in different ways, but this felt, too different. As if they thought she was their actual daughter. One night, I was up pretty late, talking to my friend on the phone, while I sat in the livingroom. Next to me was Emma. She usually goes to bed with Dad and Mom, but they thought it would be a good idea for me to spend some time with her. While talking to my friend, in the corner of my eye, I saw Emma turn her head. I jumped up, and backed away slowly. At first I thought I was crazy, but then it's head tilted, as if it was confused by my reaction. I dropped my phone and ran upstairs to my parents. I woke them both up and told them that the doll moved. They seemed shocked and ran downstairs. I followed them down shortly after and saw both of them hugging and kissing the doll. "It's her, it's Emma, she came back to us," my mother told me. I just stood there unable to come up with any words. The doll moved, and they're happy, just seeing them so happy to hear this news, I felt afraid, I felt worried. I continued on the next few days thinking that maybe what I saw wasn't real. To be fair, the doll didn't really move on it's own after that, at least not often. But it probably wasn't possessed, or something. There was probably some logical reason why it moved. I was out late one night at the movie theater with my friends, to see some sappy romantic comedy. Katy really wanted to see it, and her boyfriend refused to go, so we went as friends. When I came home I noticed the door was unlocked. Mom and Dad usually leave it unlocked for me, but usually not when I'm out this late. I opened the door, and walked into the kitchen. There I saw Mom and Dad, both dead. There was a gun in my mom's hand. I started crying and called 911. They arrived and believed it to be a murder-suicide. But I went through the whole house, and I couldn't find the doll anywhere. Maybe Dad got rid of it, and Mom killed him, but he wouldn't of done that, neither of them would of. And if someone broke in, why would the only thing they take be a regular doll. I knew exactly what happened. But I didn't tell anyone, why would I, I'd sound crazy. But I guess the doll actually was possessed, but it wasn't Emma's soul that was in that doll.