Day Six - Eye

The sitting room in something rarely used in our home. It’s got two velvet couches that have faded with time, a couple of armchairs, and an assortment of random furniture. A pile of books I’ve read and books I’ve yet to reach sit in a corner. Its walls are bare and the windows are undressed. And at the centre of it all, there’s a large fireplace that hasn’t been lit since I’ve taken over.

In past years I’ve heard the room had been used for all kinds of parties and functions. Previous generations had a reason to use the room, but since I’ve taken over the house, there hasn’t been a reason for me to use it. My aunt felt the same way, after her husband passed away, she had no reason to use it.

I’m in the middle of doing my morning dusting of the room when Teddy appears in the doorway.

“That’s where you are!” he says with a grin and leans against the doorframe, “I’m just about to head off to work and wanted to say goodbye.” He steps into the room. “I have never seen this room before.”

Most the time I keep its doors shut, it helps keep the dust out, but I still dust it every once and while.

Teddy walks into the room to survey it. Then he stops, and points towards a shelf in the back of the room. “What are those?”

I turn around to look at what his finger is pointing at.

Oh, those things and their beady little eyes that I swear follow me around the room sometimes.

“Just dolls,” I say with a shrug and turn my attention back to the dusting.

“Those aren’t just dolls,” Teddy says, “they’re nightmare fuel.”

“You sleep in the same house as ghosts and that’s the scary thing here?” I ask.

“Yes, yes, they are. They look so lifelike. What are they doing here?”

I think back on it. The dolls have been here since before my aunt’s time. She told me that a guest from a long time ago left the dolls behind. Three little porcelain dolls with perfectly curled hair, frilly dresses, and glass eyes, appeared to be tucked into bed when a young girl checked out one day. The house keeper at the time had a daughter that fell in love with the dolls and insisted they be kept in the house. My aunt found the dolls to be hilarious, and I feel like it would be a bad luck to remove them from the house. So, I’ve left them to sit here.

Somehow, over the years they’ve magically managed to never get dusty or fade.

I relay this all to Teddy who nods along.

“In someway I like to think they watch over the house too. I don’t think they’re evil or anything.”

“Right,” Teddy says with a sharp inhale, “I’ll have to give them a chance then.”

I continue to tidy up the room as Teddy walks around, surveying the space.

“Why do you never use this room? It’d be a great place to sit.”

I shrug, “I just haven’t found a reason to, it’s a bit sad sitting in a large room alone.”

Teddy nods, crossing his arms and looking around the room again. Though I notice his eyes are quick to move away from the dolls.

“Would you mind if I took on a project in here?” he asks.

I don’t know what Teddy has in mind, but it would probably serve the room better than it just staying empty.

“Be my guest,” I say.

“Excellent, and I promise that the dolls will face no harm.” He says with a quick glance at the dolls before he looks away back to me.

I let out a laugh, “I didn’t think they were in any danger.”

He smiles at me and we say our goodbyes for the day. I’m already looking forward to seeing him again when he returns.