I had been eagerly waiting for this day. After a month of persistently doing my chores, my mother was finally taking me to the store to buy me a toy of my choice. The anticipation was electric and I could not contain my excitement, jumping up and down. I was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and every second felt more thrilling than the last.

As I entered the store, I was pumped with exhilaration and felt as if I had stepped into an entirely new and different world. There were so many toys to choose from. There were mechanical toy trains lined up in a corner and towering shelves were stacked with a variety of different toys, like puzzles, robots, remote control cars and so much more. Near the counter, a bunch of different fidget toys were kept in boxes. Upstairs there were toy aeroplanes, dolls and so much more, but out of all these what caught my attention was a doll.

Amidst a sea of identical toys, the doll stood out in the corner with an annoying, unique presence that could not be ignored in any way. Looking at the doll, I felt a strange pull and picked it up.

It was covered in dust and looked as though it had been there for a very long time. Its clothes were worn smooth and its hair was as rough as sandpaper. There were lines drawn on her face with what seemed to be a marker and her necklace was broken. There was nothing mesmerising about the doll. In fact, it was a symbol of dismay. Even though it was not traditionally appealing or beautiful like the other dolls, I knew it was the one I wanted.

I bought it and took it home. As soon as I reached my house, I sprinted towards my room with my doll. I placed it on my desk and stared at it for a while, thinking about how I would restore it to its former glory. Soon, I got started. I washed it up and scrubbed off the drawings on her face. I cleaned her hair and brushed it until it was silky smooth.

Next, I washed her clothes and ironed them, which was not an easy task. Finally, I finished by making her a new necklace. When I was done, I kept it on my desk and looked as it with pride. It looked amazing.

Afterwards, I went over to the couch and started reading a book. Suddenly the lights went out. As I was not a coward, I did not have much of a reaction and got up to go outside and see what was happening. It was then that I heard a voice. The voice was unrecognisable, nor did I understand what it was saying. All of a sudden, the light came back and I not only heard, but saw the doll speak again, saying, “Thank you.”

A sense of nervousness washed over me. My heart skipped a beat as my doll had come to life and it was not only speaking, but moving too. It was a scary scene!

I rushed to the door with the speed of lightening, but, to my terror, I found it locked. I slowly turned around and looked at the doll. Surprisingly, it was shedding tears.

“Why is my life so miserable?” it spoke.

Soon my terror turned into curiosity and I walked a few steps forward. I hesitated and then stammered, “Why are you crying?”

She told me the story about how she was a gorgeous and breathtakingly beautiful doll once, but then she was mistreated by her previous owners who eventually returned her to the store. That was one of the reasons she ended up in the corner of the store.

After hearing her story, I felt extremely bad for her because she did not deserve it. I told her that I was sorry for the way that I had reacted. She fearfully asked me if I was going to return her to the store as well?

Seeing her so sad, I assured her that she would stay with me forever and that I would never return her. Listening to me, her face lit up with a smile.

I also told her that her being alive had to be kept a secret, no matter what. She promised that she would make sure that she does not let the cat out of the bag. Since then, we became best friends, and it was not long until I realised that she was a very interesting and enjoyable doll and also a caring friend.

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 19th, 2025