Dolly

The first of two creepy new stories for Halloween

Dolly was a present from Alice’s great auntie May, who lived in Ireland. Alice had never met her great auntie, and it was the first time she had sent her a present. Daddy said auntie May found Dolly when she was clearing out the attic and wanted her to go to a good home. Dolly had long blond hair that Alice liked to brush, and Mummy made Dolly a new dress with some flowery fabric she found in the sewing basket.

The first time Dolly spoke, Alice was practicing her letters.

‘Not like that,’ Dolly said and Alice stopped halfway through the B she was writing. ‘The top bit should be smaller than the bottom bit.’

Dolly often gave her advice after that. Like how to make a house for the snails that lived in daddy’s greenhouse out of an empty shoebox or how to poke a woodlouse with your finger so it curled into a ball. Dolly didn’t like custard or pigeons and sometimes she could be mean. One time, when Elizabeth at school said her doll was prettier than Dolly, Dolly told Alice to put a peanut in Elizabeth’s lunchbox when no one was looking. Elizabeth spat the peanut out, but then she went all funny and couldn’t breathe and Mrs Harris had to stick a pen in her leg. Alice was frightened, but Dolly said Elizabeth deserved it and they were teaching her a lesson.

Mrs Harris said Elizabeth could have died. She asked if anyone knew how the peanut got into Elizabeth’s lunchbox and Dolly told Alice not to put her hand up. Alice didn’t tell Mummy about the peanut either, but when Mummy found the flower Dolly had told her to draw on the bedroom wall, she couldn’t help herself.

‘Dolly did it.’

Later, Alice heard Mummy talking to Daddy about Dolly and when she woke in the morning, Mummy had locked Dolly in the cupboard in her room. Alice knew where Dolly was because she could hear her crying and begging for Alice to get her out. Dolly didn’t like Mummy after that. When Alice got Dolly back, Dolly said they should teach Mummy a lesson like they had with Elizabeth. At first, Alice didn’t want to, but Dolly kept repeating it and even when she put her pillow over her head, Alice could still hear her.

Dolly’s idea was for Alice to leave one of her roller skates at the top of the stairs where Mummy would trip over it. The first time, Daddy found it and told Alice to be more careful. Alice was relieved, but Dolly said they had to try again. If they didn’t teach Mummy a lesson, she would take Dolly away and never give her back.

The second time, Daddy was at one of his work meetings and it was just Mummy, Alice, and Dolly at home. Alice put the skate on the second step like Dolly told her and she was watching cartoons when she heard the thwump, thwump of mummy falling and a louder thump when she hit the ground. Dolly laughed, but Alice didn’t move. She was waiting for mummy to ask who left the roller skate on the stairs.