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“Ella don’t go too far into the woods sweetheart!” my wife Margot called from the porch as our daughter skipped towards the woods.390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8K0kgYanpe
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“I won’t!” Ella called back as she disappeared into the woods. It wasn’t abnormal that Ella went off into the woods alone, she loved nature and exploring, what better place for both than the woods just off of our back yard, it was safe and she never went deep into them.390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvR3Tk8XhnD
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“I hope she doesn’t bring back more caterpillars for pets, I don’t think we have enough mason jars for more.” Margot sighed before sipping her lemonade.390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5QvMQ6nW9
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“Well if she does I’ll text David to pick some up on his way over tonight.” I replied.390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHrg96suNj
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“What time was he coming over again?”390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlZ70iDlzo
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“I told him we’d start up the BBQ at 4:45, and you know my brother, he’ll be here by 4:00”390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxcWiNquun
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Margot laughed, “your parents must have had some time, a son who’s chronically early, and a daughter who’s chronically late!”390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicrlIGBWma
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I playfully swatted her shoulder, “I haven’t been late since I met you!” I retorted. We kept up our loving bickering while watching the birds and small animals go in and out of the woods.390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqsKzxf0w0
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“Helen…” Margot said tentatively after what must have been over 2 hours, “Ella should be back from exploring by now.”390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3JSGTMxIJ
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“Yeah, she should be.” I said getting off our porch swing. I walked to the edge of the porch. “Ella!” I shouted.390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgquIoZbHO0
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No response.390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVjFMmtN92
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Margot got up and joined me at the banister. “Think we should go looking for her?”390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERseUitRDY
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“Yeah, she’s usually back after a couple hours,” I said. I grabbed my phone, “let's just start down the path she usually takes then go from there.”
“Alright,” she said, and we started down the path towards the woods. We searched the entrance of the woods for a while, calling out Ella’s name with no luck.
“I think we should report her missing to the police.” I said, turning to Margot. We had been searching for so long that we lost track of time.
“I agree,” Margot sighed as she pulled out her phone and dialed 911.
Ding
I took my phone out of my pocket, it was David texting saying that he was at the front door.
‘Come to the woods, Ella’s missing,’ I replied. I put my phone back in my pocket and scanned the area. We were standing in the woods’ entrance, it was full of trees but there were enough of them to denote the start of the forest. This was as far as Ella would dare to go, deeper into the woods you couldn’t navigate without extreme difficulty. Where I stood, where Ella should have been, your line of vision of course had trees but you could see between and around them. There was no reason a 7 year old would go deeper into the woods.
I waited impatiently as Margot spoke with the 911 operator. I didn’t know where my daughter was and I was scared. I hugged my arms close to my body as I looked around again, searching for any sign of Ella. I spotted movement and got excited, hoping to see my daughter but instead my brother emerged from the trees. He must have seen the joy leave my face as the first thing he said was “I can start looking deeper if you guys want.”
Margot shook her head, “no, the police are on the way, they want us to wait by the house, they don’t want us lost as well”
“Alright,” David replied, he wrapped his arms around our shoulders and walked us back to the house.
The police came and searched, there was no sign that Ella had been in the forest. Margot and I were heart broken. The next day they brought more people, and the next even more. By the end of the month they had completely grid searched the woods, and searched them with cadaver dogs, but no signs of our Ella. Life was not the same without Ella, but we never gave up hope. We searched the woods every day for almost three years, hoping, praying for a sign outside of our house that our daughter existed. David moved into our spare bedroom to help out as most of mine and Margot’s focus and care was on searching for our daughter.
As I walked hand in hand with Margot deep within the woods on the third anniversary of Ella’s disappearance, I spotted something we never had spotted before in the forest, a porcelain doll. I pulled Margot to a halt, “That's new,” I said walking over and picking up the doll. It wasn't a pretty doll, her lacy dress was tattered, dirty, and stained; her eyes were overly glossy, and she was missing a third of her dirty blonde hair. But something about the doll screamed at me to bring it home, to take care of it, I gently brushed the doll's matted hair with my fingers.390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqp0mTxtXF
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“We should head back before David gets worried,” Margot said, gently taking the doll out of my hands, she paused and looked as mesmerized by it as I felt. There was something about this hideous doll and neither of us knew why but we needed it.
“Yeah,” I said before we walked back through the woods and to the house. I opened the door for Margot and followed her into the living room. She placed the doll on the mantle of the fireplace and smiled sadly at me. I softly kissed her cheek. “We’ll find Ella one day, Hun.” I said and took her hand in mine.
“Hey sis,” David said as he walked into the living room, he looked at me and Margot then at the doll. “Where did you guys find that...” he paused, trying to find a word, “interesting doll?” He settled on.
“Helen found it while we were searching the woods. Something just told me we needed to bring her home.” Margot replied.
“Are you two sure you want to keep it? it’s kind of decrepit.”
“I mean we keep you around,” I teased, ruffling David’s messy hair.
“Ok, ok, fair point,” he laughed, before changing his tone back to serious, “if the creepy doll gives you two some sort of happiness or hope we can keep it.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“But if it tries to kill me, I'm throwing it away.” David smirked. I punched his shoulder.
The rest of the day went by relatively normal. Margot and I caught up on some reading, did some chores (which David was elated about), and then went to bed. Margot got up before me like usual, however I was woken up by screaming. “Where is the doll!” Margot shouted from elsewhere in the house.
“I don’t know! I didn’t touch it!” David shouted back. The arguing continued as I groggily got out of bed, I wasn't a morning person and I hated being woken up. Rubbing my eyes I made my way out of mine and Margot’s bedroom, I walked down the hall to see what the fuss was about but something made me pause at Ella’s room. I hesitantly placed my hand on the handle, fearing that it might burn me. I gently turned the knob and opened the door. Nothing aside from a thick layer of dust had changed in Ella’s rooms since the last time she was in it 3 years ago, nothing except for the dust, and the porcelain doll. I froze when I saw the doll, sitting on the edge bed, exactly how Ella sat on her bed.
My blood went cold, and my voice froze in my throat. “Margot, David?!” I managed to stutter out eventually. My eyes locked with the dolls' overly glossy eyes. “Margot, David?!” I said louder, not daring to move a muscle. I heard their footsteps coming up the steps.
“What?” Margot asked, from her voice I could tell she was still angry with David. I just pointed at the doll. All sound stopped, it was so quiet I could hear my own heart beat. “What kind of cruel trick is this?” Margot spat at David.
“I swear I didn’t touch it. I don’t even go into Ella’s room!” David replied.
They said more but I tuned them out, focused in on the tiny doll like footprints in the dust on the floor. “I think David is telling the truth, look at the floor.” I said. There was no way anyone could get into the room without leaving footprints in the dust, and the only footprints I could see could never belong to a human. I felt Margot take a shaky breath beside me.
“What the hell?” David said.
I took a steadying breath and stepped into the room. I took another step, and another, making my way across the room to Ella’s bed. I picked up the doll and just stated in shock.
“I'm sorry I thought it was you David.” Margot said, her breath shaky. I walked back out of the room in disbelief the doll was warm to the touch.
“I have an Idea, a stupid idea but an idea none the less.” I said, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Margot and David followed closely. I placed the doll on the table, “David can you grab a paper and pen, Margot can you grab a shot glass, or just a clear glass of some sort?”
David’s eyes went wide, “you think it’s smart to make a Ouija board?”
“No, but the only footsteps in the room were tiny, and the doll was warm when I picked her up. Porcelain isn't just warm for no reason… I don’t like the idea either but what other idea do you have? Dolls just don't move on their own.” I said as Margot placed a glass cup onto the table.
“I say do it, nothing can be worse than losing your daughter.” Margot said, looking David dead in the eye. David nodded in understanding, he may be a dork but you couldn't ask for a better brother. He left the room for a couple minutes and came back in with a pen and paper, he placed them on the table, and we each took a seat. I pulled the paper and pen towards me and started writing out the alphabet, the numbers 0 to 9, hello, and goodbye.
“Here goes nothing.” I said as I placed the glass on the paper. We all placed a couple fingers on the makeshift planchette. “Who are you?” I asked. The glass moved swiftly.
“E-L-L-A” David read out. Ella. My heart stopped, I could feel tears welling in my eyes, and I knew Margot could as well.
“Are-Are you the doll?” I asked. The glass moved again, I looked up at Margot and David and just by the looks on their faces I knew none of us were moving it.
“M-O-M-M-I-E-S-I-M-S-C-A-R-D” David read out again. Mommies I'm scared. My breath caught in my throat, it felt like I couldn't breath. The glass moved again on its own without prompt. “I-T-T-O-O-K-M-Y-B-O-D-Y” David spelt in a shaky voice. It took my body.
“What took your body sweet heart?” Margot asked, her voice filled with fear.
“T-H-E-T-H-I-N-G-T-H-A-T-W-A-S-I-N-T-H-E-D-O-L-L” David looked horrified. The thing that was in the doll. I couldn’t breath, my daughter was in a doll, and she thinks something is in her body. “How do we know it’s you Ella?” David asked skeptically. “M-A-A-L-W-A-Y-S-G-A-V-E-M-E-C-A-N-D-Y-E-V-E-N-W-H-E-N-M-O-M-M-Y-S-A-I-D-N-O” ma always gave me candy even when mommy said no. Ella only ever called me ma, and well I was wrapped around her little finger, if she wanted candy I rarely said no. Ella always called Margot mommy and she was more strict with treats.
I nodded at Margot, “sorry Hun.” I could feel tears streaming down my face at this point.
“N-O-E-N-E-R-G-Y” the glass then slide over to ‘goodbye’. The three of us sat frozen, fingers still on the glass, no one knew what to think, Margot was sobbing but other than that the house was deathly silent. The silence was broken by a knock on the door, mechanically I got up and answered the door. There was a police officer with a 3 year older looking Ella.
“Ma’am, we’ve found your daughter.”390Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqFa2JGiWm
