1 Chapter One

On an ordinary block in an ordinary house, there is something mysterious going on. Until one day, on Halloween. It was quite strange to see. Creepy you might say.

The man that lived in the house was an ordinary man. Nothing strange about him but one scar that went from his forehead to chin on one side of his face. He was older than the rest of the men on the block. The parents didn't like him and told their children to stay away from him. The children as any other child didn't listen. They did the usual by daring the others to go up to the porch and ring the doorbell then run. The newspaper listed monthly, the missing girls that came from the town. Sometimes, the missing girls came from out of town.

One strange day there were visitors that went to the house more than usual and came back out caring things. One girl that lived across the street watched the house daily. Today she saw the people. Today she saw the boxes that were taken out. The boxes where different sizes. Some tall, medium, and tall. She walked by the house every day and smelled strange smells. Waxy smells and sometimes rotten smells.

One day she and her friends were playing outside and saw the man leave. One of the boys dared the girl, Shannon, to go over there and look in the window. So Shannon got up, wiped her hands on her legs and went over. She lifted herself up on one edge and saw something that scared her. She screamed and fell. Then ran home. Shannon sat down and put her head on her hands. The other kids tried to get her to tell them what she saw. After a while, she was calmed down enough to tell them.

In the living room, she saw dolls. Not ordinary dolls, but different sizes and shapes. She also saw boxes and materials for packing the boxes. When she looked to the left she saw a doll. The doll looked familiar. As she looked, the doll opened her eyes and looked straight at her. That is when she screamed and fell.

A couple of days later she was reading the cartoons in the newspaper and her father said "well, another missing, she is from here, it says that she lived on Polk ave. Shannon; she went to your school, didn't she? Here look." As Shannon reached for the section she paled in horror as she saw the same girl who was in the house across the street. The doll that opened her eyes and looked straight at her. Shannon threw the paper down and stood up "Dad! I saw her a couple of days ago. She was in the house across the street!"

Her dad looked at her and asked "What do you mean, you saw her in the house across the street?" Her mother grabbed her arm and told her, "I thought we told you never to go over there and bother that man. You didn't go into that house did you?" "No mama," Shannon said rubbing her arm where where her mother's fingernails dug in. "I didn't go in, I looked through the window. The other kids dared me to." Then she turned to her father and said in a pleading voice," you got to call the police. You got to tell them where she is!" "Calm down Shannon." Replied her father, "I will." He reached for the phone and called the police. Shannon watched her father's face all the time he was on the phone. Her name was mentioned a couple of times. Then her father hung up her phone and turned to his wife.

"They want Shannon to go down there and tell them what she saw. I will take her and bring her back in a couple of hours." Shannon's mother nodded and told Shannon to get changed. She went down with her father and the lady at the front desk asked them "What can I do for you this evening?"

"Well I called a couple of minutes ago a Detective Gomez said to bring my daughter in for some Questions". " Alright, I'll need her name and yours then I'll tell him you are here." Shannon's Dad told her the information and they sat down and waited. Shannon started biting her fingers and looked around "Mr. Johnson?" Asked the officer at the desk. "He would like to see you now" Shannon's dad looked at her and asked while grabbing her hand, "All set?" She nodded.

"Hello, I'm Detective Gomez," said a tall looking man. He was wearing a suit and tie. Shannon's dad clasped his hand and waved to Shannon. "Well, this is Shannon, my daughter." She looked straight into his eyes. "Hey, Shannon. Would you both like to sit and we can get this going." He took out a paper and pencil and looked at her asking her to tell him what she saw. "OK, a couple of days ago I was with my friends." She started. "What are your friends names?" The Detective asked. "Joey, Layton, Landon, and Shadow." "What is Shadow's real name?" "Rachell." "OK continue." "We were outside in my front yard just talking and stuff and we saw the old man across the street leave. They dared me to look in the window. I went across the street," "Do you know the address?" "1326 Misty Ave. I pulled myself up so I could see and oh, it was horrible. At first all I saw was boxes and stuffing. Then I looked around more and there was a doll."

The Detective interrupted again. "What was this doll like? Regular Barbie or baby dolls?" Shannon looked at him like he was dumb. "The doll was tall like me and it looked to real to be a plastic fake. Then it opened her eyes and looked at me. I was kitty-corner from it, not in front. I screamed and ran home. Just as I was in my yard the old man came home." "OK, what happened this morning that made you and your Dad come here?"

"Well, Mom, Dad, and I were in the kitchen and we were reading the paper. Dad mentioned the missing girl and showed me the picture." She took a breath and shivered. "It was the same girl. Elizabeth looked at me." Shannon started crying and Gomez said in a whisper to her father "You might want to take her to a hospital. She had quite a shock from what she said." Shannon's father nodded and held his daughter. Then he looked at the Detective and asked, "So now what will you do?" "Well, we will go to the house and look around the house. Then we will see what will happen." Shannon stopped crying and nodded. "Well, thank you for coming and telling your story, Shannon. Things will be alright. I will call you if there is something else." He stood and shook hands with them both.

When she got home she had to go to bed cause of the medications the doctor gave her. She was tired but she watched outside her window at the house across the street. She saw the police pull up and went to the house. Detective Gomez knocked on the door and waited. The door opened and the people talked. The old man let them inside and within minutes they came out. Shook hands and left.

A couple of minutes later, the phone rang and she heard her Father talking. She was just about to doze when her Father and Mother came up and sat on her bed. "Well?" Asked Shannon, "Did they find her?" Her Mom looked at the wall across the room and her Dad clasped her hand and stroked it. "Honey, they went in and found nothing but boxes. No dolls."

"No! I saw her. Maybe he hid her. Maybe he already took her away." Shannon was getting upset again. Her Dad leaned down and kissed her forehead. Trying to calm her down. "Honey, I know you went through a shock. I am not sure what you saw but it sounded scary for such a young girl to go through." Her Mom went to her other side and sat down too. "Baby, I am sure you are tired now and would like to rest. Yes, I see your eyes getting glossy. Tom lets go and let her rest." They both kissed her and turned to leave before she could say anything else. Shannon started thinking about what she saw. She knew she seen what she saw. That doll's eyes moved and looked straight at her. She kept on thinking while she fell asleep.