The Real Doll

“Amanda! Are you almost ready to go?”

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Amanda replied to her mother. Amanda was eight years old, and her favorite night of the year was Halloween. Every year Amanda’s mom, Liz, would take her costume shopping exactly one month before Halloween. Amanda hopped into her mother’s black SUV. The interiors leather seats had cookie crumbs and blue sharpie marks engraved into them. Amanda had had her heart set on a costume where she would match a doll. Liz doing her usual research on the best costume stores found an elderly man who made dolls with the realist features. No one really knew how real the features were until the 31^st of October. Once Amanda and her mom hopped out of the car, they headed up the walkway to the elderly man’s store. It was surrounded by lamps that projected a cast of light upon each doll. The walls were stacked with little dolls in a perfect array so you could see each and every one of them.

“Mom I want this one, wait no, this one, hold on I think this one is even better!” Amanda shouted.

“Whatever you want.” Replied Liz.

The old man watched as the two of them flaunted around the store, smiles growing bigger and bigger as they saw a new doll. He was a proud man of his work and turned his shop into an unhealthy obsession of death. His name was Max. Max was around 79 years old and had big strong hands. Each month he would find a victim of youth. He targeted little girls who had protective mothers because they had fresh skin that was unharmed and well cared for. Once he chose the perfect girl, he would take them in the middle of the night and shave off their skin in long wide strips. He would then use these silky-smooth skin strips to wrap finely carved dolls that were built out of the finger bones of his victims. The dolls were practically unbreakable because of the use of real human bones and skin. His work was incredible, and his hands were like surgeons; careful and precise.

             Amanda and her mother choose a beautiful expensive doll with rich honey almond skin and long bouncy curly hair. It looked as if her hair was chocolate shavings you see on top of cakes. She had a puffy ballerina dress on that was made of baby pink silk. Amanda clutched the doll like she was holding her heart. She was cautious when picking it up and putting it down as if it might disappear into thin air because of how perfect it was.

             “That will be $250 please”

             “I hope the cost reflects its quality” murmured Liz.

             “Trust me, the skin is as real as your own” Max replied.

             Liz found a gorgeous size 8 ballerina costume that was also a baby pink silk to match her daughter’s doll. It was tight fitting until it reached Amanda’s pelvis which it then puffed out like a cloud made up of cotton candy. Amanda looked into the mirror and smiled then proceeded to dance around her room holding her doll. She was in love with her reflection and couldn’t get enough. Everyday after school she would run straight to her room to try on her dress and do the same dances around the house to practice her dance moves for Halloween night.

             Meanwhile Max had his eyes set on a new victim, Amanda. He spent his days stalking her through the eyes of his doll. Watching the pattern of her actions draw his plans. 7:45 a.m., she awakes and grabs her doll. 7:50 A.M., she brushes her teeth and her dolls. 8:00 a.m., she leaves her room to eat and ultimately leaves her house at 8:30a.m. for school. When she arrives her mother Liz comes home 20 minutes after Amanda’s bus pulls in at 3:30 p.m. That would be his window to capture her. The plan was as perfect as his dolls. In fact, it was cruel and inhumane, just like the dolls. His plan was to capture Amanda at exactly 3:35 P.M. right as she would enter her house. When she would walk into her room to change into her ballerina costume he would be there. With his razor in hand. Then, he would take her to his car and leave at 3:45 P.M. five minutes before the mother’s arrival.

             “See you after school Amanda!”

             “Ok Mom!” Amanda shouted while running out the door.

It was the day that Amanda’s life would end, well more like the day it was supposed to end. When Amanda’s bus pulled to her stop, she didn’t get off. Amanda had fallen asleep and woke up five stops past her house. Max realized it was 3:45 P.M. and Amanda was not home. He quickly cursed then sprinted to his car and drove back to his shop. He was a reckless man who went even more psycho than he already was when things didn’t go his way. He decided to not let this failed attempt stop him from restocking his dolls. He would find her on Halloween night and dress up as a mummy. That way he could cover his older appearance and trick Amanda into coming with him. He wrote down a whole new plan and studied it long and hard.

             Amanda gazed upon herself with a fixated stare in her mirror. It was the 31^st of October, Halloween night. Amanda looked flawless and was a real head turner that night walking down the streets with her matching partner.

             “Amanda smiles big with your doll I want a picture!”

             “Sure Mom!” Amanda shouted while setting up her doll to match her pose. She loved it when people wanted her picture, it made her feel like she was some sort of celebrity. On Amber Street Amanda patrolled the sidewalks scanning each child to see if someone had a better costume than her and every time, she checked her scans came back clean. She declared herself the best dressed of the night, well her and her doll. As she walked past the 6^th house of the night she saw toilet paper stuck to one of their bushes.

             “Dumb teenagers why do they always toilet paper peoples houses for fun?”

Smart as Amanda was, she was innocent. The toilet paper she viewed was actually a part of Max’s disguise that had ripped off. He was watching her. Every house she went to. Every step. Every breath he counted.

             “What’s the time? Ah it has come upon striking hour.” Max said out of gritted teeth. With his sweaty but stern hand he followed Amanda like her shadow. Always staying in the blind spot of her eye until she turned down a forgotten street that no other kid dared to enter at her age. This was the time! The hours of planning his plan, it was now all ready to unfold.

             “Hi there sweetie!”

             “Who are you?” asked Amanda.

             “I’m Mr. Mummy. You know I have some king size candy bars back at my shop- I mean house. Follow me now and I’ll give them to you because you are the best dressed kid I’ve seen all night!”

“My Mom doesn’t let me go with strangers… I best be on my way home now. Thank you though Mr. Mummy”

             “No! I command you to come with me” Both Max and Amanda’s hearts were racing. Their palms bled with sweat, and their actions had to be carefully thought out in order for both of them to get what they wanted. Amanda stomped on Max’s toes leaving Max gasping for air as he lunged back holding his toes as if he were trying to hold the life back in them

             “Ouch! You stupid spoiled brat!”

Amanda took a run for it but only to be pulled back by Max. Amanda’s doll had been snatched and Max held onto almost as tight as he was holding his foot.

             “If I can’t have you, you can’t have this doll!” Max started to scribble on the face of Amanda’s doll with blue sharpie. Each stroke he made with the pen was another slit he sliced into Amanda’s heart. Screaming in agony Amanda grabbed her doll and sprinted for her life. She didn’t stop running until she made it home where she passed her mom’s car. The seats. The seats that were engraved with blue sharpie. Another wave of overwhelming pain swallowed her body and took every last bit of hope from her. Amanda realized that the only material that sharpie didn’t stain was human skin. Crying she still tried to get the blue sharpie off her dolls face. She knew for a fact it wouldn’t come off, but she wanted to let her doll know that she would still care for the doll even thought it was ruined. When Amanda let the water drizzle over her dolls face blue started uplifting off its skin, staining the water bright blue. Amanda had realized her doll wasn’t fake. It was real human skin. The last noise Amanda ever made was a piercing scream to let her mom know Max was a serial killer. The next doll Max sold was named Amanda. She was a big hit.