My name is Lillian, the year was 1792, and I was a toublesome child. My parents sent me to a mental hospital for children, so I could be cared for. Although I was there for unpleasant reasons, I was quite fond of this place. Especially the woman who took care of us all. Her name was Mary Ann, and she was like a mother to me. We baked with her, and she would play with us frequently. The hospital had a tradition, that on a child's 12th birthday, they would recieve a porcelain doll that looked exactly like them. The resemblance was almost unsettling. And they all had dead grey eyes. I adored these dolls and wanted one of my own. A week before my 12th birthday I was running around the halls, looking for someone to play with. I heard behind me a girl's giggle, and the pitter patter of small shoes. I looked only to see Mary Ann carrying laundry. I was puzzled and carried on wandering the halls. I heard it again, yet no one was there. I decided to visit a friend of mine, Elizabeth. I opened the door to her room. She was laying down in her bed. "Lizzy? Let's play house today, you can be the mommy and-" She sat up slowly, her doll in her hands. It took me a moment to study her face. It was blank and oddly pale, her dolls eyes were closed. She looked at me, and her eyes were no longer the bright green they once were. They were the same dead grey that the dolls had. "Lizzy? What's wrong?" As soon as I said that, the toy opened its eyes to reveal bright green hue. I backed away slowly and tried to open the door behind me. The doll sprung to life and began running towards me, falling off the bed. I screamed and ran to my room. I can still hear the faint laugh that Eizabeth once possesed. I locked the door behind me and covered myself with my bedsheets. Demon like scratching at the door, Elizabeth's voice wailing at me to come out and play. "Now, now, it's no time to bother her, go on to sleep my dear child." It was Mary Ann. The scratching ceased. "Lillian, would you open the door please?" I slowly rose from my bed and ulocked the door. Mary Ann opened it cautiously, there was no porcelain figure in sight. She told me it was time for bed and tucked me in. The next day I went over to Lizzy's room hoping it was all a dream. I was in the hall leading to her room , and there stood Mary. She was looking down at the motionless child. She sat down on Elizabeth's bed and stroked her cold, lifeless cheek. "Now, you can stay here with me forever." Mary's warm smile was no longer welcoming to me, it was a reminder that in only six day's I would have the same fate.
The days were going by ever so dreadfully.
Five days...then four...then three....then two.... then one. The night before my birthday I was unable to sleep, fearing the time when my soul would leave my body. The clock striked midnight. I felt something cold and wet, touch my arm as to wake me. I turned over hoping it wasn't Mary Ann. I looked with one eye open to see a large black dog, slightly illuminated by the moonlight peering through my window. I sat up surprised and petted it's head. Something was in its mouth. I tugged it gently out of the canine's mouth to see a beautiful pink and gold crystal necklace. I admired it in the faint moonlight, it almost seemed to glow. The dog pulled at my night dress leading me to the door.It wanted me to escape. I prepared myself and opened the door. I began walking with the black dog by my side, it was leading me to the exit of this hell hole. We made it to the front of the building and I heard them. Children's running footsteps and high shrieks. I started running, the animal still by my side, hoping I would make it to the exit. The screams grew louder, they were growing near. Suddenly a woman in black robes stepped in front of me. She picked me up and started sprinting. It was Mary Ann. I was kicking and yelling at her to let me go. I couldn't see anything in a blur of tears, I was about to die and I can't do anything about it. Before I knew it we were outside of the hospital, she was still running. The dolls made it to a certain point, and stopped not moving. They were still screaming at me to come back and play. The lady kept running into the woods for about 10 minutes. We came to a halt at a small cottage, just outside of a town. She placed me on the the ground and removed her hood. "Hello my darling granddaughter, do you like your birthday present?" The large dog had still kept up with us. It took me a minute to relize it was my grandmother. "Yes I do, it's lovely." I said.
She bent down and held me in her arms. I was saved from death.
For now.