Dolls Eyes (Watty Awards 2011)

Dolls Eyes: Chapter 2

Chapter 2

That night, I dreamed of the doll.

I dreamed that she was there, in the corner of my room, beckoning for me to come to her. I walked over, unsteady on my legs which were stiff as a board.  She motioned for me to come closer and closer, until I was toughing her porcelain nose, which was surprisingly warm, and I was hypnotized by her eyes. Her eyes sparkled and danced like stars and galaxies and moonbeams. I felt so euphoric, staring into her eyes, that I wanted to dive into her eyes and swim in them.  I reached out and her eyes surrounded me, sucking me in.

I woke up with a start. Darn! I thought. My alarm clock hadn’t gone off. Luckily, I didn’t start work until twelve, but it was nine thirty, and I didn’t like waking up after 9. I hopped out of bed and brushed my straight, chestnut hair until it was knot free, then tied it into a ponytail. I put on my sweat suit and tied on my trainers. On my way out the door for my morning jog, I grabbed a NutriGrain bar.

I jogged at my usual place, a park with a path that leads to a river trail. I ran extra long and extra hard until my mind was empty, and I had to stop, fully exhausted. I pulled of my trainers and walked barefoot to the riverbed. I sat down on a rock and let my feet dangle in the clear, cool water. I thought about anything I could that wasn’t a doll; the old type writer I wanted for my birthday, what I should have for breakfast and how nice it would be to paint this spot and how I would do it.

                I had almost gotten my mind off of those eyes, when in the small indentations of water around my toes, I saw two violet eyes. (Or were they blue?)  It didn’t matter, because they kept drawing me in. I leaned forward, spellbound, farther and farther over the edge of the rock.

                The next thing I knew, I was in the river, spitting out a stream of water with a minnow in it. I coughed and coughed as I dragged myself out of the shoulder deep water to the bank. I shivered as I pulled my sneakers back on. So much for my jog. Dripping wet and miserable, I walked home. The weather was hot and the morning sun hung bright in the sky, so by the time I got home I was mostly dry with an extra layer of sweat added on.  I opened the door to my apartment, grouchily, and slammed it shut. Immediately, I ran to the shower, hoping to rid myself of my sweat and my mood. The hot water cascaded down my body, calming me like it always did. I sat down and relaxed letting the water pool around me.

                My stomach began to growl, and it reminded me of how I had only eaten half a power bar. I walked out of the bathroom wrapped tightly in my favorite white fluffy towel. As I walked through the narrow beige striped halls, I heard a clattering sound in the kitchen.

                I held back a gasp. Another sound. Trembling, I crept towards the kitchen, walking only on the pads of my bare feet. I tucked the towel tighter around my chest.

                “W-who’s there?” I ventured. I waited for a moment, but there was no response. More sounds. It almost sounded as if someone was… cooking? Still shaking, I pulled myself to the entry to the kitchen and peeked in. No one!

                “Savannah?” Came a voice from around the corner in the kitchen.

                I let out a blood curdling shriek and jumped, only barely managing to keep my towel up. I calmed down immediately after I recognized who it was. “David!” I sighed. “You scared the living daylights out of me!”

                “Sorry,” He said, returning to the oven. “I thought I’d stop by and make you breakfast. You were in the shower, so I guess you didn’t hear me shout ‘hello’. Why don’t you get your clothes on?” I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

                I rolled my eyes on my way into my room. I wrapped a towel around my head while I pulled on a light blue tee shirt and an oatmeal colored sleeveless cardigan, along with my favorite pair of blue jeans. I took my hair out of the towel, brushed it out and let it hang damply down my back. 

                I sat down at the table, pulling out one of the two chairs. “So, what’s for breakfast? I smells delicious.” I said.

                “Fried eggs, chocolate-chip and blueberry pancakes and orange juice.” He responded, handing me a big, steamy plate. “Eat up.”

“Thanks.” I said, eating it. Quickly, the eggs were gone, leaving my favorite for last. Just as I was about to cut out my first bite, I noticed an odd blueberry formation. They looked like eyes. Blue-violet eyes.  I shrieked and jumped away from the table, the chair screeching nastily on the tile floor as I did.

                “What’s wrong?” David asked, looking over.

                “Oh… Oh, nothing.” I stammered. “I just felt a bit sick…”

                “Are you okay?”

                “Yeah. I’m fine, I just thought I felt sick. I don’t anymore.” Why do those eyes have such a hold on me?  I wondered, biting the edge of my nail.

                He sent me a strange look, and after a moment, he said “Well, okay. Do you want to watch a movie? I brought over Scream.”

                “I’m sorry, David. My mom is sick, so I’ll be working the next few days. Wednesday it still on though, right?” I asked as I grabbed my hand bag and made sure the store key was still inside.

                “Yep.” David replied.

“Great.” I said, opening the door about to leave. “Lock up on the way out okay? I’ll see you on Wednesday, then. Bye!”

***

The papery scent of Camilla’s greeted me as I walked in. I stretched and let out a contented yawn as if I had just woken up. Today was going to be a good day at work. I walked over to the back room, and began to boil myself some water for tea. Once it boiled, I made myself a cup of tea. I heard the bell ding, so I poked my head out of the room. “Welcome to Camilla’s! Can I help you?”

                It was a young lady, around my age, 22 or so.  She looked up “Uhm, no thanks. I’m just browsing.” She spoke with a faint British accent.

                “Are you sure? We have tea and biscuits and such, and a small library of books to read.”

                “Yes. Thank you. Perhaps I’ll have a spot of tea later.”

                I picked my book up from where I had left it the night before and began to read. A few moments later, I felt a presence looking at me. Slowly, I peered up from my book, just to come face to face with the eerie, haunting eyes of the doll. I began to become entranced, being dragged deeper and deeper into them. A wave of peace washed over me, and I felt as if I was becoming immobilized.

                “Excuse me.” The girl’s voice sent me out of my trance. “How much is this doll?” She asked, pointing to the violet/blue eyed doll.

                I panicked for a brief second. No! She couldn’t have the enchanting doll! It was mine! The urge to have the enchanting doll as my own was much too overpowering. “I’m sorry, it’s not for sale.” I lied, surprised at myself for doing so.

                “But the store policy says that no holds are placed.” She argued, gesturing to the sheet of paper listing the store policies.

                “I’m sorry,” I said, beginning to get irritated. “Special exception. Important customer.” Why am I doing this? I’m not a liar. I wondered. What was with me?

                The girl gave me a minor glare, bought a vintage chocolate bar and walked out.

                I felt a little bad about lying to a customer, but as I looked into the doll’s eyes, I thought, What could it hurt?