He didn’t want to come any closer to it, but he sensed the things in the dark creeping toward him. He imagined:

1. Claws
2. Rank breath
3. Teeth made for breaking bones and tearing into muscle

His mouth agape, Jason ran faster than he’d ever done during gym class. If Mr. Lingnofski were timing him, he knew he’d have broken some sort of record. He approached the glow that beamed from inside the dollhouse’s windows, and then he skidded to a halt. His sister’s toy was only a few feet away now. There was nowhere else to go, nowhere to run.

To his relief, the sounds that had followed him faded away—grunts and scraping footfalls retreated into the dark. He swung out at the shadows. “Stay away from me!” he called out, before bending over, heaving breath, trying to not vomit.

A few moments later, he straightened his spine and listened for the voice that had saved him, as if it might be whispering to him from nearby.

Instead, Jason heard other voices. Frightened voices. They came from inside the house. Crouching, he peered through the slim windows. There appeared to be several dolls scattered throughout the maze of rooms and halls inside. One of the dolls caught his eye. It had pale skin and long, dark hair. It looked exactly like his sister.

The sight of it knocked away his breath again. “Louise … ,” he whispered. His voice echoed around him, and he felt foolish. Then the figure moved. Jason nearly toppled over. The doll that looked like his sister actually walked through a parlor, shuffling her feet in his sister’s familiar gait.

Was this really happening? Could he trust his own eyes? Even if this was a bad dream, there had to be some logic to it. Right? Talk to her. Ask her what’s going on …

“L-Lou? Can you hear me?”

She paid no attention but continued to look around the space, dragging her tiny fingertips across miniature marble busts, as if collecting dust.

“Lou!” he yelled. Again, no response.

“Hello?” Another voice came from another part of the house. It was another tiny girl whose skin was brown, with hair even darker than Lou’s. It was brushed high in the front and pinned up on the sides before falling in long curls to her shoulders. Her short-sleeved, red-and-white polka-dot dress revealed long, thin arms. She stood stiffly in the center of a large bathroom. An elegant claw-foot bathtub sat on top of black-and-white tiles, which were laid out in intricate diamonds across the floor. “Is this a joke?” asked the girl. “I don’t find it funny! Mama! Auntie Kerani! Where did you go?”