10. The Doll That Watches You

The Doll That Watches You When Clara inherited her great-aunt’s house, she inherited its ghosts as well. They did not come in the form of clanking chains or spectral apparitions, but in the silence of dust motes dancing in sunbeams and the faint, cloying scent of potpourri that clung to the air. And in a small, forgotten bedroom upstairs, sitting primly on a rocking chair, she found Lily. The doll was an antique, its porcelain face a web of fine cracks, its button eyes polished to a glassy, unnerving sheen. Its lips were painted into a serene, knowing smile. Clara, despite her modern sensibilities, felt an immediate and profound unease. She placed Lily on a high shelf in the corner, intending to box her up later, a silent relic among other forgotten things. But from that moment on, the silence in the house felt different. It felt… occupied. The Imperceptible Shift The first incident was small, easily dismissed. Clara left t...