Twisted

The center of town was nearly deserted, the town’s clock strike 10 at night. Some taverns were filled with knockout drunks, others were emptying out. The air was stall with sweat and booze. The moon high in the night sky. Illuminating a soft light, pushing away the frightening darkness. The winds swirling my blonde hair across my pale face and sending a chill down my under-dressed body. I didn’t realize how cold it got out in the square. My light baby doll pink dress, with the ruffles on the bottom, wasn’t protecting me against the harsh winds. The dress ended a little below my knees, the arms elbow length. The material of the dress was also very thin and light weighted.

I have been waiting for maybe 20 mins, sitting on this lonely bench. Stores were closing, the clouds were slowly but surely blocking the moon’s protective light. I want to go home where I feel safe, but I made a promise.

I promised my best friend, Ellie, that I would go with her to this old toy factory. The factory has been closed even before we were born, and we are both 17 years old. The factory lays hidden in the woods. There are a lot of strange stories about this old abandoned factory. The old folks love to ramble on about them. Ellie has never believed any old tale until she witness it herself. I guess that is the reason why she wants to go and see the factory.

On the opposite side, I’m another story, I have noticed the tense and petrified expressions on these elders faces and it frightens me to the core of my soul. If they are fearful, then why shouldn’t we be?

“Anna! My apologizes, Mother was still roaming the house for a while.” Ellie high pitched voice, rang through the darkness.

“Ellie, no worries. I wished I wore better garments for this adventure we are about to have.” I said, giving her a tight hug.

Her dress was short, just above the knees. The dress fitted her well, it hugged her tightly in all places. The color a majestic dark blue, with white swirl designs across it. The tights she wore underneath a solid black. Her black hair, was in a tight bun, a cute sparkly ribbon tied around it.

“See, you are finally seeing it as an adventure instead of a death wish. I knew you would come through, and don’t worry about your outfit. You look adorable, might I add.”

Ellie’s bright blue eyes twinkled with excitement. We have been best friends since birth. Her mother and my mother were very close. She has been there for me through everything. My mother’s death was the hardest thing ever, I never thought I would see a day when I didn’t wake up and cry all day long. I couldn’t handle the pain of the lost. She was my best friend, my protector. All that was left behind was myself and my drunken father, who waste his days away with booze and his buddies. Ellie might seem to have it all, a perfect life, loving parents, happy smiles. As her best friend I know her struggles. Her parents are forcing her to marry an older man, 15 years older than her. Ellie’s dream was to always become a seamstress, she want to design clothes for everybody. She has a gift for it, but her parents just wants her to be a good wife and raise a family.

“Anyway! I guess we are supposed to be on our way?” I mumbled staring off into the dark path that we will be taken.

Ellie giggled, and took a hold of my hands. We continued through the village, the houses and stores begin to be fewer and fewer. Soon enough there was none in sights.

“There’s the path through the woods! We are close my little Anna!” Ellie shouted as she clapped her gloved hands together.

I didn’t feel like answering her back, her excitement was a one way feeling. All i felt as I stared into the pitch black woods, was terror. Not because of the darkness, but something else. I can’t explain it, but I felt it right through my spine.

“Ellie, this is foolish. Let’s go back and have some hot cocoa.” I whispered pulling at her left sleeve.

“Anna! No! We will not go back, I want to go and see what all the words are about. Why whats wrong?”

“Someone’s watching us” I whispered, my eyes locked onto a single light far in the distance, but bright enough to be seen.

Ellie stared at the same light, as it dim more and more until it was no longer. Her hands gripped mine in a strong grip as we moved forward. Once we step on this path there no going back, but we didn’t know that until later on.

We walked in silence, as the safeness of the village was left behind. The woods begin to close in on us, the winds blew harsher, as branches whipped against our faces, leaving light red marks against our hands, that protected our faces. The path begin to get more narrower and weeds begin to grow up from the ground.

Soon enough, an enormous building was in front of us. The building was overtaken by moss and mold. The place where the windows must have been were just an opened tunnel into the history of this factory.

“Gosh! It smells worse than the old basement in school. Do you think someone is still here?” Ellie said, waving her hands in the air as she spoke.

“Miss Rai said that an elderly man used to be the caretaker of this factory. He stayed here, and took care of any broken objects, while the workers were home for the night. She said no one ever saw him again, after the factory closed down.” I remembered the story well, it was big talk around town. If nothing else was important to babble about the tales of the factory was.

“Anna look! What a cute doll! Doesn’t it resemble me.” Ellie giggled, as she held a doll up to her face.

The doll had a pale face with dark freckles across the nose. The hair a curly black, eyes blacker than the night sky. The doll wore, a black dress, a little rip in the dress, ruined the exquisite. The skin was very smooth looking.

“Ellie would you stop. The doll looks nothing like you.” I laughed along with her.

Ellie continued to keep a hold on the doll, as we walked closer to the building.The door was rusted but it was not locked. I guess my longing to not enter the building,was unanswered. The smell was worse inside than outside.

Weeds and mold took their places on the walls and floors. A long staircase laid in the middle of the factory. There were large wooden tables, that seemed to be covered in tools and fabric that were used to make the toys.

“Wow! This place had to be grandeur back in it’s liveliest time. Just like Mr. Ale said. The walls covered in bright colorful splashes of color, the floors the nicest wood that the town has ever seen. The huge father clock, against the window facing the garden of roses and tulips.” Ellie recited.

“Yes, it must have been fancy. Why did it shut down if it was such a majestic place. The elders never said.”I spoke, as I made my way to one of the wooden tables.

Needles and thread. A doll’s arm, paint brushes. All these things needed to create the ideal child’s toy. I wonder how much work it took, to make a single doll for one child. They had to have worked long hours, to make enough toys to be sold.

I turned back to glance at Ellie was standing. She was standing there staring at something up the stairs. Her eyes locked on, her hands gripping the doll so tight that her hands started to turn red.

I slowly walked towards her and grabbed her wrists. She didn’t acknowledge me. Her eyes were focused on something else, slowly I turned to look in the same direction.

The stairs were rusted, but looked pretty solid. There was a soft light from the moon shining through a window on the second floor facing the stairs. My eyes widen as I took in the sight, in front of the window, facing us, stood a small almost child like figure. I could not tell any facial features. Who was it? Why was there a child, in this abandoned structure.

Ellie seemed to have broke out of her frightened trance and she yelled up to the figure, her voice booming through the ancient workshop.

“Hello! Who are you? Are you lost??”

The child, didn’t speak a word. We stood there for a minute, just staring at the child like figure. All of a sudden it began to move rather fast away from the window and the stairs. Ellie glanced towards me and bolted up the rusted staircase, the doll still in hand. This building has been deserted for over 25 years. Why was that doll so new looking? Gosh!

“Ellie get back here!! We have to go!”I screamed running after her up the stairs.

Someone’s been here since the factory shut down and been making toys. The second floor was not as dark as downstairs. There was a long hallway, with doors on either side. I didn’t see Ellie, so I began to walk down the hallway. The first day, was opened slightly.

As i pushed the door open, I took notice of a room filled with dolls. These dolls looked like they belonged in your darkest nightmares. They were rusty looking. Some body parts were missing, such as legs, arms and heads. The fabrics were ripped and rotten looking. Making the once elegant looking toys, an old graveyard toy. The shelves were filled with them. None of them looked new, like the one Ellie has.

Leaving the room, I walked to the next one, which was completely empty except for rodents that spirited across the wooden floor, as light shined in.

“Ellie, where are you?”I whispered into the empty hallway. No sound was heard, but she couldn’t just disappear like that.

“E...Ell..E..Ellie.” A weird voice interrupted my thoughts. The voice sounded like the creaking of old wood.

I kept looking back and forth, but I couldn’t figure out where it came from. The silence once again took over. My skin felt flushed and my head started to pound. No matter what logical explanation, might be able to explain this, I knew something was not right. I ran into the next room, searching quickly for Ellie. The next two rooms were empty, no sign of her anywhere.

I tumbled to the floor, tears blurring my visions, as I cried. I couldn’t shake the fear that has creep it's way into my heart. Where was Ellie? Who was that child? Is someone here with us? I didn’t even care that my new light colored dress was going to be ruined from sitting on this dirt covered floor. All I want is to go home and wrap myself around my mother’s white nightgown.

“Ellie...”I cried out.

A sound of feet running caught my attention. Ellie figure popped out from out of the door far down the hall. She looked a mess. Her hair was out of it’s bun, the waves covering her face. Her dress was ripped on one side, She was holding one of her arms, tight against her body.

Quickly I ran to her and pulled her into a room. The room seemed to have been used as a junk room. There were trunks of stuff in one corner, a dresser that was overflowing with old clothes. A bunch of coat racks and shoes of all kind, thrown around the room. There was a small closet, that I dragged Ellie to. We both squeezed in it and I held her against my chest tightly.

“Ellie what happened?”I questioned, keeping my eyes locked on the door through the little spaces of the closet door.

“Anna..Anna.. I’m soo sca..scared.”Ellie cried out as she gripped my arm.

A wet liquid dripped down my leg as she clinged to my arm. Ellie’s other arm was clamped against her side. She made no effort to move it.

“Ellie calm down, talk to me. You are going to be okay. “I whispered to her as I laid my chin on top of her head.

Ellie took a deep breath and explained, “I wanted to see who that child was on top of the stairs. You saw the child, right?” Ellie asked.

I nodded, and she continued. “I followed it into that room down the hall, there was no light at all. I called out to it, hoping not to scare the poor child too much. I was wondering why a child would be out here in this factory. I figured they were homeless and lost.”She whispered, and held onto my arm tighter.

“Did you find the child, Ellie?”I asked, closing my eyes tightly. I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear her answer.

“I actually did! I found a child. There was a rocking chair and the child was sitting in it, rocking back and forth. Back and forth, The child was so still, like they were frozen on the spot. The chair continued to rock back and forth. Back and forth. I finally braved it and walked closer. The child.... Had to have been...”Ellie cried out, tears dripping onto my arm.

“Ellie bear, calm down. Tell me. Where is the child?’”I tried to push her to continue. I was relieved that she actually found a child instead of and old man looking to kidnap some youngsters.

“Dead! The child had to have been dead for some time. It was a... skeleton of a poor girl. Her skin gone, the eye socket empty. I got very sick, I spilled my guts right there. I couldn’t be there any longer, so I had turned around to move and I saw that same figure from before in the corner of the room. I couldn’t see their features. I was sooo...scared...Anna.”

“I stared back at it for some time. It spoke to me in this strange voice. It told, me that I made a mistake by coming her, that I made it mad.... It said I wasn’t a boy.”

I hugged Ellie tighter to my body as she continued. Why would it care that she was a boy?

“It attacked me. I didn’t see what it used, but something sharp cut into my arm and I found it hard to move. Anna.... my arm hurt.”

The wet substance wasn’t Ellie’s tears, but Ellie’s blood. I softly pushed her off of me and rip a piece of my dress. As i wrapped it around Ellie’s arm, she cringed but soon it was done and the blood stopped dripping onto my legs. I rocked Ellie back and forth as I tried to figure out a way to get us out of here. We could just run out of the factory and home, but I doubt it be that easy. That thing was fast from what I could tell by seeing it run away from the stairs. Maybe I could distract it and Ellie could get out and find help.

As I was preoccupied with my plans of escape, Ellie began to shake viciously. Her hands gripped mine tightly and her breathing grew heavy.

“..Ellie..”I whispered watching her closely.

“We aren’t alone.”She whispered back.

My eyes jumped towards the supposed to be closed door. The door was now wide opened. I sat up and pushed myself against the closet door scanning the room for anybody. Ellie tapped my arm and pointed to the corner the corner of the room. Facing the closet was that thing again. It kept swaying back and forth as it walked closer to the closet. Ellie body trembled with fear as she pushed herself further into the closet. I kept my eyes onto the figure. The way it moved was very strange, almost like it was very stiff.

The figure stopped moving towards the closet and went towards the door.

“ANNA!”Ellie cried out loud.

I quickly covered her mouth. The figure turned back towards the closet and then run out the room.

“It knows we are in here!” Ellie cried, her whole body shaking in fear.

“Come on! We are going to make a run for it. No matter what run, don’t look back. Even if I get caught, keep running and get help.” I instructed Ellie.

She stared into my brown eyes and nodded her head. We both slowly crawled out of the closet and bolted out the door. As soon as we began running down the hallway, which seemed longer than it was before. We heard the grinding voice.

“I want to be...a....real boy. Let...me... be ...a ....real...boy.”

Ellie screamed as she jumped down the stairs. As soon as I got onto one step, small hands shoved against my back and I tumbled down the steps. Everything began to get blurry, my body was filled with intense pain. I glanced towards the door to see Ellie running out it. Luckily she was safe. Everything went black shortly after.

All i could feel was pain everywhere on my body. The room was lit by a small lamp on a desk in the center of the room. A figure sat at that desk sewing something. Tears began to blur my sight, as I took in my state. My body was held up against a wall, by needles and thread. My hands were threaded into a cloth that was attached to a hard solid wall. My knees had a kind of stitched pattern in them, making them look like doll legs. My pretty pink dress was no longer on me. Now I was dressed in a black dress, with red rose designs over it. My feet were covered in dark black heels with tights that came up to my knees.

The figure sitting at the desk, stood up and grabbed something and begin to walk towards me. My fear heighten more and more as I tried to scream and open my mouth but nothing came out. I couldn’t get my mouth to open at all.

Finally the figure came into perfect view and my heart skipped a beat. This child like figure was a little wooden toy. A boy doll. His smile was huge as his eyes scanned me over. His hands held a mirror and a sewing needle. How could a toy walk on it own? A pair of strings that were attached to his arms were being dragged from behind him.

He held up the mirror so that I could see my face. The horror set in even more. My face was covered in makeup, my lips a dark red, my eyes covered in black eye shadow. My hair had been dyed a black color. The curly waves fell over my shoulders.

The most terrible part was my mouth was sewn shut! Tears fell like waterfalls down my face as I stared at my reflection in the small handheld mirror.

“I’m Pinocchio and I really want to be a real boy. Papa said I couldn’t be, that I’m special as myself. I make you like me. Puppet girl meet puppet boy.” The wooden voice entered my ears as I tried to wiggle my way out of my holdings.

He held up the sewing needle close to my eyes. I couldn’t stop him, I couldn’t fight back. I was helpless. Before everything ended, I turned my head and saw the doll Ellie had taken a liking to. Her hair black , her dress a black colored, roses covering it in exquisite designs. Her eyes black and her lips red. She’s a puppet girl.