Mom Put a Doll on My Pillow

My cousin, Isabelle Cox, dies of cancer. However, my adoptive parents, who have always loved her the most, don't shed a single tear. Instead, they go on an overseas trip with my adoptive brother, Cedric Cox.

After they return, they give me an exquisite doll and ask me to put it right next to my bed every night.

My adoptive mother, Vivian Mason, looks at my swollen eyes and smiles tenderly. "Why, you're such a grateful and sentimental kid. This is such a pretty doll. Let it stay by your side and accompany you like it's your sister, alright?"

I agree.

Later, my body becomes increasingly weak, and I sleep all day.

One day, when I wake up, I am horrified to find that I am trapped inside the doll and can't move at all.

My deceased cousin, Isabelle, became "me"!

Beaming widely, she cuts my hair and also my limbs one by one. Then, she throws my mutilated body into the fire.

As the flames engulf me, I see my adoptive family standing behind her. On their faces, they show happy and relieved expressions.

When I open my eyes again, I am back to the day when they give me the doll.

The room, with its curtains that had remained unopened for half a month, was cold. In fact, it was so cold that it jolted me awake.

After waking up, I was dazed for a long while. My scalp and limbs still seemed to throb with pain.

Then, I jerked out of bed and rushed into the bathroom. When I saw my reflection in the mirror and saw that I was unharmed, I burst into tears.

I was reborn!

Before long, the sound of a car came from the front yard. I pulled back a corner of the curtain and looked down at the people below. Instantly, a surge of hatred rose from deep within.

After they made their way into the house, my adoptive parents' expressions became tinged with sadness. They looked completely different from when they were outside. The excitement I had just seen on their faces from upstairs had vanished.

My adoptive mother, Vivian Mason, wrapped an arm around my shoulders affectionately. "Beth, are you still upset? I know Belle's death hit you hard, but life has to go on."

When she saw me staring at the family photo, she smiled and said, "What a sentimental and grateful child."

Cedric Cox, my adoptive brother, carefully held out a large gift box in his hands. "Don't look so gloomy. Mom and Dad bought you a present."

I said hoarsely, "Thank you."

In the center of the gift box lay a doll. It had curly hair with two sapphire hairpins and delicate features. It was wearing beautiful clothes. They had even bought a whole separate bag of accessories and outfits for it.

However, if you stared at its bright, glassy eyes for too long, they began to feel eerie…

Vivian stroked the doll's hair gently with a tender expression.

"Isn't this doll pretty? From now on, keep it by your side. Think of it as your late sister. Let's call her Baby from now on," she said, trying to stuff the doll into my arms.

My eyes widened in fear, and I instinctively dodged. My palms began to sweat.

A hurt expression appeared on my adoptive parents' faces. "Beth, are you blaming us for not taking you along? Back then, you promised Belle you would stay home and copy scriptures for her for a month after her funeral. Since you were so sincere, we didn't want to disturb you."

I quickly waved my hands to deny it. "I'm not blaming you. Mom, I…"

This was the first time they had ever given me something.

Cedric's smile faltered. "Then, what is it? Don't you like this gift? Mom and Dad were worried you'd grieve for too long, so they had this custom-made overseas. Belle once said girls like these things."

I lowered my head and wiped my eyes before looking at them gratefully. "No, I really like it. It's just as pretty as Isabelle. It just… reminded me of her."

The moment I took the doll, I met those black, shadowy eyes again. It felt as if they were staring straight at me.