Playtime

• Anas Siddiquee, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2020

Bang! The door thrust open as crowds of people spill into Alex’s ice-cream bar. Boys, girls all waving their notes in the air. “Well, hello kids! What would you like today?” Alex playfully asks. Chocolate! One would call out. Strawberry! Would go another. Alex was oh so delighted seeing their energy.
It was a long, tiring day of scooping and serving, and Alex was utterly exhausted. “I’ll call that a day” She sighed as she slumps over one of the chairs and rubs her eyes. The glass door creaks, just a little, but enough to lure Alex up to her feet.
“What was that?” CREEK! It’s there again. “That’s it!” Alex trots to the door and opens it. Nothing.
“Huh… I must be paranoid.” She bangs her head a few times to get back to her senses. On the walk home, Alex nearly stumbled into an old woman shuffling along. Her skin pale, her hair as grey as rain clouds.
“Oh, sorry” Alex apologised. The woman glares… and then speaks. “And where may you be going?”
Alex beamed. “I was just passing the forest on my way home. The trees are wonderful, aren’t they? Alex grinned but the lady stayed put. A gloomy cloud of darkness swept across her face. Gradually, she started to speak. “Perhaps I’d tell you a story child.
“When I was a girl, just like you. I had a passion for dolls.
All my childhood was dolls. Hundreds and hundreds of them.
Day and night, I would sit there, playing or making dolls. One day, I wondered if you could make a living doll. One that can walk and talk with you anywhere. It seemed simple, you need some doll and some human. I had to pick which doll to use and…
Which human.”
The lady’s face goes cold.
“I decided to pick Chelsea, my favourite doll. She was the best creation I’ve ever made. With orange hair and an actual dress, she made me feel proud.
“I did get my living doll… the woman starts sobbing, rivers of tears flowing down her cheeks. “But also lost my sister.”
“I ran away from home. How could I show my face to my…”
The lady stopped, trembling.
“I betrayed her…”
Tears streamed from her shaking eyes. “What have I done!”
“What a monster I am ...”
“I just kept running, like my guilt was chasing me. Until I collided with a car which threw me in-between two apartments.
I lay there,
vulnerable,
wasted,
A noise of scratching and grazing is amplified by hateful growling and slowly, a distorted, broken voice rings my ears.” “Play with me…” It echoed. Its silhouette becomes clearer. The voice becomes familiar. Gradually, terrifyingly, I understand what I am staring at…
My sister.
“You said you would never leave me…” she groaned.
“With that she grabbed my torso,”
Alex shudders,
“How did you make it out alive?”
The lady smiled. “Who said I did?”