Caroline, a young and ambitious woman, inherits her late aunt’s farm, embarking on what seems like a promising chapter. Little does she know, eerie messages and chilling events soon unfold, plunging her into a haunting mystery surrounding a peculiar doll.
Caroline’s parents were proud of her because she was the first in the family to graduate with honors and got a job in a big city. The family tried to support their only child, but it was hard for them to save any money.
They sustained themselves with simple work on the farm, having a few animals that were for their own use. They had their own milk from cows, eggs, and meat from chickens. Therefore, the news of their daughter, who would be able to live comfortably in the city without worrying whether she would have enough money by the end of the month, filled her parents with pride and joy.
During a conversation with her supervisor, Caroline learned that she wouldn’t have to move. It turned out her job could be completely remote. Her parents weren’t entirely convinced if this was a good idea, but they agreed to their daughter’s proposal to try this form of work for six months. If it didn’t work out, she would go back to the office.
After a few weeks of work, Caroline experienced grief – her beloved aunt Nicole passed away. As a spinster, all of her belongings went to her sister, Caroline’s mother. There weren’t many people at the funeral, just a few close family members and a couple of neighbors. Caroline mourned throughout the funeral; her melancholic nature took over, remembering how as a little girl she would sit on a blanket spread out in Nicole’s backyard and listen to her aunt’s crazy and scary stories.
A few days after the funeral, Caroline sat in her room at her parents’ house. She decided to return to her hometown because it didn’t interfere with her work. Taking five days off, she aimed to move peacefully and sort out her thoughts after her aunt’s death. While organizing things in the closet, her mother entered her room.”
“I’ve just received papers from the lawyer; Nicole’s farm officially belongs to us,” her mother said.
She was dressed in a black tank top and a black flared skirt. She also took her sister’s death hard, as evidenced by her swollen, tear-filled eyes.
“I’m glad you managed to sort everything out so quickly. I don’t know if Dad would want to go to all those offices,” Caroline tried to joke.
“It’s true,” her mother gently smiled. “You know, I’ve been thinking, since Nicole’s farm is empty and you’re practically a grown woman now, you could live there. You’d have your own place,” she suggested gently.
Caroline was conflicted. The same thought crossed her mind after the funeral, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to live alone in a big house. She also realized her parents’ debts, and selling the farm would allow them to pay off their debts and save some money for a rainy day. Caroline smiled at her mother and said she would think about it. It was too serious a decision, and the girl still had a jumble in her head after her aunt’s death.
During dinner, her father tried to cheer up her mother and Caroline; he wanted to help them but didn’t know how. He was a good and simple man, also very religious, so his view on the death of a loved one was positive. He repeated that Nicole no longer had to suffer here on earth; she could rest now and not worry about earthly problems. Caroline also tried to think that way, but the longing for her aunt prevailed. She wished she could visit her again, laugh, and gossip. She also liked getting preserves from Nicole, and her favorite was strawberry jam, which her aunt grew in the greenhouse.
The topic of moving to her aunt’s house came up from time to time, but Caroline dismissed it, saying she needed to focus on work. She also repeated that she wouldn’t mind if her parents sold the farm and paid off their debts, but her parents had a different idea. They wanted Caroline to have something, something of her own. They knew that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t afford to buy a house or apartment for their only daughter. While they dreamed of paying off their debts, Caroline was more important to them.
One evening, her father asked Caroline to come downstairs and talk to her parents. Caroline was still very emotional, and going down reminded her of her childhood when her parents called her to them when something broke or when she was naughty. She left her room and went to the hallway. The house was tiny, so on the upper floor, there was only Caroline’s room, the bathroom, and her parents’ small bedroom. The stairs were old-fashioned, wooden, and each step creaked when you stepped on it. On the ground floor, there was the living room, kitchen, and vestibule. Also small, but her mother arranged the decor in such a way that the house didn’t seem small, just cozy and family-like.
The girl sat on the couch in the living room. She covered herself with a blanket because the evenings were still cool, and her father sat next to her in an armchair. Caroline could hear her mother preparing snacks in the kitchen.
“Caroline. I’ll be straightforward. You’re an adult now, and your mother and I want to leave something for you.
You can’t live with us in the same house; you have to stand on your own. Sooner or later, you’ll meet a man, and you’ll want to live with him. Where will you do that? Our home won’t fit four adults,” her father sat leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, looking Caroline straight in the eyes as he spoke.
The girl was sad; she loved her parents and felt a strong bond with them. She wanted to stay with them, especially in these difficult times for her.
“Dad, tell me honestly. Does it bother you that I live with you?” she asked shyly.
Caroline was afraid that maybe her parents had gotten used to being just the two of them in the house. She was also afraid of the answer she would hear in a moment.
“Where do you get such silly ideas, child?” shouted Dad. “You know we love you and Mom very much, but you’re already 25 years old. We want to see you become independent,” the man straightened up and leaned against the chair, placing his hands on the armrests.
Caroline saw how her dad pondered this dilemma in his head. She looked at the wrinkles around his eyes, the gray, short hair, and the increasingly slender body. She had tears in her eyes at the thought that her beloved parents were aging.
“You say that we won’t fit in this house if I meet someone, but I don’t plan to look for a husband if that happens.” Caroline said quietly.
She sat with her legs tucked under her chin. If she was cold and the blanket wouldn’t help keep her warm.
“You’ll find someone sooner than you think, you look just like your mother. You look like a doll,” Dad laughed.
“Like a doll,” thought Caroline. “Aunt used to tell me that often.”
When Mom entered the kitchen with a tray of snacks, they decided to put off the topic for now and watch a movie. Dad suggested a comedy so that his girls could laugh, but they settled on a detective movie. Caroline and her mom liked listening to crime shows, while Dad couldn’t stand descriptions of crimes.
The next day, Caroline woke up thinking it was better to listen to her parents. If they think it’s best for everyone, she’ll trust them. After all, they raised her, helped her finish her studies, and thought about her welfare, not their own debt problems. During breakfast, she announced her decision, and her parents were happy that their daughter was moving forward. They sat at a small, round, wooden table. Mom spread a green tablecloth on it, which she sewed herself from old curtains. A few steps from the table was the kitchenette, also green. Caroline’s mom tried very hard to make her home full of vibrant colors. The family decided that the girl would move the following weekend.
“You’ll have to help me clean up after Auntie, Mom, I won’t be able to do it alone. I don’t know what to keep and what I can throw away,” Caroline said, eating a sandwich with tomato and ham.
“Throw away?! Don’t even think about it, everything will be useful. If there’s anything you don’t want, we’ll put it in the attic,” Mom was outraged.
She grew up in poverty, hence her mania for keeping everything. In the attic of Caroline’s family home, there’s still a pram in which Caroline lay as a baby.
Her dad burst out laughing because he was amused by how his wife tries to keep everything, while his daughter tries to maintain some order. Since she was little, Caroline argued with her mom about the usefulness of certain items.
The rest of the week went smoothly. Caroline focused on her work, her parents on their duties in the field and on the farm. On Friday evening, the girl packed her bags, and her dad helped her carry them. They wanted them to be placed in the living room so that on Saturday morning they could get up and take them straight to the car. Aunt’s farm was 7 houses down, it was at the end of the street. Behind Nicole’s house, there were only fields, and beyond them was a forest. You could feel a peaceful, rural atmosphere here.
Aunt’s house was also small, similar to Caroline’s family home, the only difference being that Nicole also had a basement. The house was adorned with decorative stones, which Caroline liked very much. The ground at her family home was painted white, and Caroline, like her mom and aunt, liked bright colors. And the stones that adorned Aunt’s house shimmered in all colors. Aunt’s farm was of considerable size, but there were no animals there. Nicole focused on growing vegetables and fruits, which she later sold at the market.
Upon arriving at Caroline’s new home, the girl and her parents started cleaning. All of Aunt’s clothes were stowed away in the attic closet, her personal belongings like documents or trinkets also went to the attic, only in suitcases. Caroline’s dad decided to check if everything in the house was working properly, so he checked the pipes, the electricity, and other things Caroline knew nothing about.
Cleaning and checking the condition of the house took the family the whole day. In the evening, they sat down exhausted in the living room of Caroline’s new home and decided to rest. They still had a lot of work to do because it turned out that the sink in the kitchen was clogged and needed to be disassembled to clear the pipes, and Caroline had to unpack her suitcases.
“Tomorrow is also a day, let’s take a break today,” said the girl’s father. “I agree,” replied Caroline and closed her eyes, she was so tired that she almost fell asleep sitting on the couch.
The parents decided to stay with the girl overnight in the new place and finish the work on Sunday. The daughter prepared a place for them on the couch so they could sleep comfortably, and she herself lay in bed in the bedroom. It felt strange lying in the bed where her beloved aunt used to sleep, but she thought that many young people inherit family legacies, and she’s not the only one sleeping in a bed after a deceased relative. That helped her fall asleep peacefully.
The next day, the family had a quick breakfast and got to work. Mom and Caroline arranged all the things on the shelves and in the cabinets, while Dad took care of fixing the sink. The girls knew that he was deliberately procrastinating so he wouldn’t have to arrange things with them, but they didn’t mind. They preferred to do it their way, and Dad would ruin their plans for interior arrangements.
In the afternoon, everything was done, including cleaning the bathroom, wiping the dust, and washing the floors. The house sparkled with cleanliness, and Caroline was elated with her parents’ decision.
“This is my house, my own house!” she rejoiced, bidding farewell to her parents and relishing her newfound independence.
With a well-paying job she enjoys, the ability to work from home, and her own house and farm, she felt content. In college, she feared living in a city apartment, missing the countryside’s climate and atmosphere, along with the freedom of her own backyard.
She went to the kitchen to make herself some tea and cheese sandwiches, feeling hungry and tired after the move. Looking out the window, she decided that the next day, after work, she would take care of the garden. It was early spring, enabling her to plant flowers and vegetables. Already, there were fruit trees and bushes in the garden, all quite large.
“I’ll have to learn how to make preserves. Nothing can go to waste,” Caroline thought. She was determined to run the farm as well as her parents and aunt did. “Maybe I’ll buy a few chickens? They’re not such demanding animals, I should be able to handle them,” the girl wondered during the meal.
After eating sandwiches and drinking tea, she went out into the garden. The sun had already almost set, but it didn’t bother the girl as she planned where to plant roses, where dahlias, and where the rest of the flowers. She spent 30 minutes in the garden and went back home when it was completely dark.
Lying in bed, she continued to think about the interior design of the house and garden. She was almost asleep when the light in the room came on. Caroline sat up in bed and thought she would have to ask her dad to check the electricity in the room tomorrow. She didn’t feel like getting up to turn off the lamp, so she thought she’d throw the plush teddy bear lying next to the bed at the switch. It worked, and she managed to turn off the light, so she happily lay back down to sleep.
She had a strange dream that night, dreaming that her aunt was crying because no one had taken care of her doll.
“You were my doll, why didn’t you do it? That was your task!” Nicole shouted.
Caroline woke up sweating, alarmed by a family superstition that dreaming of a deceased person means they need something. Concerned about her aunt’s potential message, she checked the time on her phone, realizing it wasn’t even five in the morning. Feeling underslept and too afraid to fall asleep again, she turned on the TV in the bedroom and watched some old shows airing at such an early hour. As the sun began to rise, she called her mom to share her dream.
“Hm… maybe your aunt needs prayers?” her mother said.
She was also scared by her daughter’s strange dream.
Caroline thought about it all day. She wondered what doll her aunt was talking about. She tried to remember if her aunt had ever shown her any antique items she owned when she was a child.
“Maybe I accidentally took some of Aunt’s valuable things to the attic during cleaning and now she’s mad at me?” the girl worried.
In the evening, she said a few prayers for her aunt and went to bed. The prayer calmed the girl enough to fall asleep peacefully. However, she was awakened in the middle of the night by a strange sound. Neither the cry nor the howl of an animal. Terrified, she picked up her phone and called her dad, begging him to come see what was happening in her house.
Her dad showed up at the door in a few minutes, but by then the sound had stopped.
“Maybe you had a premonition, your mom told me you had a strange dream,” her dad tried to reassure his daughter.
The girl saw in her father’s eyes that despite the words he said to her, he was scared himself. He was so worried about his daughter that he didn’t even change clothes; he came to her in his pajamas.
“I know what I heard. I didn’t dream it, that sound woke me up,” Caroline explained, frightened.
“Okay, okay. I’ll stay with you for the night, what do you think?” her father put his hand on her shoulder.
“Thank you,” Caroline was relieved, afraid to be alone.
The rest of the night passed peacefully. In the morning, Caroline made breakfast and coffee for her dad. She started setting up her work station, brought a teapot with tea, which she put on the desk, turned on the computer, and heard strange scratching above her.
“I just need mice in this house too!” she yelled angrily.
She was angry because of the lack of sleep and lack of peace. Annoyed, she went to check the attic to see if there were mousetraps set up there, or if she would have to buy them. As she climbed the stairs, she cursed the situation in her mind. She opened the attic door, and the scratching could be heard even louder, but when she crossed the threshold, it stopped. The girl began to look around the floor for mice, but it was too dark, so she turned on the light.
“TAKE CARE OF THE DOLL”
Caroline’s eyes were met with a huge inscription scratched into the wall. She was in such a shock that she forgot to breathe, so after a while, when she came to her senses, she took a deep breath. She didn’t know what it meant, nor what to do. Panicked, she wanted to call the police, her dad, and all possible services to help her.
For a moment, she was afraid that someone had broken into her house, but seeing the word “doll,” she guessed it was no one from the living world. Not knowing what to do, she fell to her knees and began to pray. She prayed, asking her aunt to leave the house. When she finished, she fled the attic. She ran to the room where she left her phone to call her mom.
“Caroline, if you’re joking, you’ll be in trouble,” her mother said sternly after hearing the story. “If you’re trying to play a trick on us, I’m telling you, it’s not funny!”
“Mom, please. I’m telling you completely seriously. I’m scared, please, come to me!” Caroline cried.
She felt helpless, she wanted to go back to her parents.
Shortly after the incident, her parents arrived, immediately heading towards the attic, and Caroline sat at her desk, she had to work. Caroline’s dad went to the attic alone, her mom was too scared. She waited for her husband outside the door, but when he came back, he was pale and frightened.
“She’s right, there really is a scratched inscription,” he said to his wife.
“And what do we do about it?” Caroline’s mom said, holding her hands crossed over her chest.
Both of them were very scared, but not of ghosts or other phenomena. They were afraid for their daughter.
English 
Polski