Dear Dolly

I thought that day would've been fun. The sun shone down on me, highlighting the beautiful pearl necklace I'd put on that morning. The bright arrays of light seemed to tell me that everything would go smoothly- But it couldn't have been further from the truth. As I walked along the cobblestone pathway, the trees of the seemingly never-ending forest surrounding me like a garden's fence, I hummed a soft melody that, at the time, I thought only an angel could re-create. Every step I took felt surreal, every firefly an accent in this fairy-tale like atmosphere. I began to hear another voice join mine- A little girl's, humming in tune with the wordless song I sang. Curious, I found myself walking to the source of the voice. Much to my dismay, the only thing I found was a small doll, dressed in an old-fashioned pink striped dress, and a tiny bow set neatly in it's strawberry blonde hair. The doll seemed like a toy that a toddler would play with, so I carried on my way, making only a small mental note about it. Although I tried to find the path that I'd followed previously, I was only met with more trees. I decided it would be best to head back to where I found the doll, though I'm not sure why- it was only a doll, after all. To my surprise, the doll had disappeared. That's when I heard it- the tiny footsteps creeping up behind me, the soft humming of the little girl I'd been so curious about before- but then it stopped. I turned around, only to see the doll, sitting on a tiny chair that seemed to have been made for it. I met eyes with the doll. This wouldn't have been unusual, as pranks pulled by little children are common in the area- except for the fact that the doll stared back. I thought that day would've been fun- but that couldn't have been further from the truth. Now I sit in the forest, on a tiny chair that seems to have been made for me, watching the children walk down the old cobblestone path. Every once in a while, I hum the same soft melody I heard. Every once in a while, I meet a new doll.