Caught in the spider's web.
Everyone loves a haunted house/creepy doll story! The concept here is classic, and the story has all the elements of a gripping horror.
I was immediately gripped by the description of the attic, the rocking chair, the doll, and even the spider. The beginning paragraphs are descriptive and captivating, setting the scene and tone well. Wendy has an authentic feel, and her relationship with her parents feels natural. The way which the parents respond to her seems genuine (although, I'm not sure how I feel about her mother, downing shots of whiskey right in front of her, but that's artistic license), and both parents respond to each other in a loving, familial way.
I felt like some of the portions of the story were a bit cumbersome, with paragraphs of description that could have been worked into the story through interaction, rather than just blatant description. That's the old "show, don't tell" adage, though, which every author (myself included) is tired of hearing. It's all personal preference, anyway.
If I could suggest anything to the author, it would be to slow down. This story has all the elements of greatness, but the audience needs to be able to feel the story. They can't do that, if they're racing through the events at light speed. Take some time, brilliant author, and build your characters into the excellent, three-dimensional, people that they deserve to be. Build your scenes: make your world come alive, so that it's a place where readers can find themselves envisioning, living in, and being frightened by. This story is excellent in concept, and I have no doubt that this writer could make it wonderful in execution as well. They simply need to take the time to flesh out the world.
Read the story now