The birthday party was a grand success. After everyone had left, Malika, her parents, and younger sister Maneka were cleaning up. That’s when they spotted a gift stuck behind the sofa.
The mystery gift was a beautiful doll. When she opened the box, the doll said, “Mama!”
“I’ll call her Monica,” said Malika, instantly in love with the doll.
Malika carried the doll with her everywhere. She spoke to it, sang songs to it, and even tried to feed it. When Maneka played with the doll, Malika would sulk. It was the same with Maneka when her sister played with it. Slowly, the doll took over their lives. The two of them would spend all their time with the doll.
Mind games
After a couple of weeks, the parents noticed that the girls looked pale and ill. They had lost their appetite and were listless. The teachers at school also noticed the change. Worried, the parents took the girls to the doctor. But she could find nothing wrong with the girls. She prescribed vitamins and long walks.
One day, when the girls were having their breakfast with Monica on the dining table, their mother looked at the doll and was amazed to see how well it looked. Its cheeks were rosier than ever and its smile, though brighter, was decidedly evil. Immediately, she called the girls’ father and voiced her concern.
“I think you are over rea…” he began, turning to look at the doll. They were shocked to see how angry the doll was. Seized with anger, he grabbed the doll and flung it out of the window. They heard a piercing cry, as the doll went flying out of their 12th floor apartment. Strangely, the girls felt as if a huge burden had lifted from them.
Just then there was a knock on the door. The mother opened the door and cried aloud. Everyone rushed to the door. Outside, was their aunt Charmi who had left the family after a bitter fight swearing that she would take revenge on every one of them. But what shocked them more was that she was holding the doll in her hands. Both the doll and aunt Charmi looked triumphant.
Quickly, the father shut the door on aunt Charmi and the doll. For a long time, Charmi knocked on the door and rang the bell. The four of them huddled together and refused to open the door. It was late when, finally, the heard Charmi’s creeping footsteps leave their door. They opened the door and were shocked to find that the doll was sitting there, smiling up at them. The mother took hold of its leg and threw it down the lift shaft.
“There, that’s the end of that,” she said, happily.
The next morning, when Malika and Maneka were leaving for school, they got a nasty shock when they saw the doll sitting there grinning up at them, its arms outstretched.
They could never get rid of the doll. However far they threw it, it was back at their door.
May be someone would steal it? They wished.
Published - September 02, 2024 10:00 am IST
