by Erin Nicole

Our mom was a doll collector.  Especially after she got divorced, she would spend her weekends hitting the estate sales and the thrift stores and searching for dolls.  Eventually, she owned over a thousand dolls, many of which were very valuable.

I don’t know if this doll was valuable but I know it used to scare crap out of me whenever I would wake up to get a drink of water in the middle of the night and I would see it sitting in the kitchen.  I think I was 13 when my mom found this doll and, even as she was buying it, I said, “Mom, that doll’s scary!”

No, my mom told me, this doll was beautiful.

Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder.  All I know is that I always gave it the side eye whenever I was in the same room.  I’m not superstitious.  I know the doll wasn’t possessed but sometimes, it’s arms would be in a different position than they were the last time I had seen it and I would wonder why.  Was the doll haunted?  Or was my little sister just playing a trick on me?

A few years ago, I joined my sisters in going through mom’s doll collection.  Mom not only kept the dolls in perfect shape but she also kept detailed records of where she had bought each doll, how old each doll was, and how much they were selling for on Ebay.  When Lisa came across this doll, she announced that we were taking it home with us.

“No, we definitely are not,” I replied.

Lisa nodded and then said she wouldn’t bring the doll into our house.  I made her promise.  I should have noticed she had her hands behind her back when she did.

The next morning, I woke up and I walked into the kitchen and I screamed at the sight of that doll sitting at the kitchen table.

The doll is still in our house.  It sits in one of the dining room chairs and it greets anyone who visits.  As the years have passed, I’ve actually come to appreciate seeing the doll sitting there every day.  It’s a link to my mom.  Now, when I look at the doll, I think about how much my mom loved collecting and how happy she would be that her daughters have continued to take care of her collection.  I collect cameras and baseball memorabilia.  Lisa collects political campaign buttons and books.  My mom collected haunted dolls.  It’s a family tradition.

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4. The Neighborhood, This Afternoon by Erin Nicole
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