The Doll House

The doll maker

The light was fading, creating new shadows and dark patches around Hae-In. His eyes glimmered from tree hollows as the wind wailed between distorted trunks, carrying the sickly stink of wood rot. He moved faster, ignoring the briars that caught at his khaki-colored loose pants and the damp leaves that grimed his skin.

He lifted his face, letting the light and shadow dance across his fair skin. Bees hummed in and out of the pennyroyal; he inhaled its minty smell and continued on, delighting in the sound of his feet sliding through the leaves.

The trees stood utterly still, mimicking statues in a living museum where no leaf dared to fall. The dead leaves on the forest floor were crackling underfoot, leading him to the old cottage at the dead unending corner of the forest.

The sight of the cottage made the young man sigh in happiness; he walked up to the foot of the little premise. Taking the thick circle bronze wall knob into his hand, Hae-In banged it on the fragile old pinewood door; creating a loud hollow sound.

Hae-In waited patiently at the mouth of the veranda as the old door slowly opened creating a loud and long screeching sound, revealing the insides of the house that were darker than the forest itself. A short scrunched old lady walked out of the house wearing a thick kneaded shawl over. She squinted her eyes from the dim light of the exterior as she looked at Hae-In with a frown across her slightly swollen face.

"You've come once again young man" she was not happy with the fact he had come by to give her a visit. This was not a place for casual visits, once they came in people rarely went out.

"Please Shaman Lee; I've brought what you wanted."

The lady's eyes sparked a tint of amusement and weariness. She raised one eyebrow, her lips a tight line before she nodded.

"Very well, come on in then"

Hae-In followed the uncanny woman into the dark cottage; his weight pressed down on the uneven wooden flooring creating weird sounds that constantly echoed across the small place. The walls of the house were black as the big black pot that resided at the center, taking up most of the space. A disgusting smell reached Hae-In's nose making him gag a little; that smell was choking him. It was a mixture of burning flesh and rusty blood- revolting as it sounded.

"Sit down!"

The stern remark made Hae-In obey her in a split second as he sat at the almost broken chair opposite her, a big table with chipped tarot cards and voodoo dolls scattered over it.

"Did you bring me the necklace?"

Hae-In took out the wooden sculptured piece of carving that was sewed onto a cheap strand of string. It took him 10 days to finish carving this from the timber of the kauri tree. He was about to pass the necklace to the old woman in front of him but paused, retreating his hand back.

"What do I get in return?"

A crooked smile framed the woman's face, as she eyed the piece on the artist's hand.

"What would you ever need when you have those pair of hands?"

There was a short pause between them both as Hae-In looked down at his blistered hands and cringed. Being a doll maker was a difficult job, but he never regretted acquiring the talent from his father. The shaman pulled off a black ring out of her short crooked index finger and placed it on the table in front; creating a small inaudible 'thud' sound.

"Take this and give me that piece"

"What is this?"

The old woman frowned again hinting on her visible saggy wrinkles.