The August humidity had eased. Summer was fading fast and autumn lay just around the corner. The downward arc of the calendar had begun.
In Hays Woods the canopy was changing from deep green to crimson and gold. Flies still buzzed about during the day, but they retreated when night came—and it came earlier these days. The woods were quieter now as well—the birds had begun to fly south. The snakes and rodents had disappeared into their nests.
Hadley lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. The pink organza dress no longer itched. It fit perfectly. It was as though by wearing it, she had finally become the person she was meant to be.
Ed and Mom sat facing each other in the family room. They were smiling. They were happy again at last. Isaac was at the kitchen table in front of a bowl heaped with Flaxy O’s.
Hadley’s final wish had come true after all. They were all together again. The perfect family. In the perfect house. How could she ever have wanted anything else?
Outside, the sky was a pale, lackluster yellow—the color of an old sheet gathering dust. And somewhere, in the vast space beyond, was Gabe.
Had he come to rescue her with the one-eyed doll after all? Had he wondered where she’d gone? Was he worried about her now? If only she had waited a minute longer. If only …
Hadley imagined Gabe in Hays Woods, looking through his binoculars, searching for bugs, or lingering snakes and birds. She hoped he had finished building the retaining wall. She hoped he would build the berm that would redirect the water flow. If not, the house would eventually drop off into the ravine like he’d said.
Maybe Gabe would remember her—remember what to do with the one-eyed doll. Maybe he’d come looking for her. Maybe he’d bring the doll, return the eye, and break the spell. She could no longer go to Gabe, but there was nothing stopping Gabe from coming to her. If he remembered.
Hadley wished Gabe was with her now. She wished very hard, only she had nothing left to pay with, so there were no more wishes to be had. Grace had warned her. Hadley hadn’t listened.
Of course Grace might remember as well. She might come by the house looking for her, too. She could bring her carpetbag purse filled with her special tools—the feather duster and alluvial mud. Perhaps she could capture the old demon in one of her colorful glass bottles and cork it tight. She might even send the invisible gnomes. Perhaps invisible gnomes could fight demons. After all, they’d liked her. Grace had said so.
As Hadley lay still and calm, she was reminded of something else Grace had told her. If you believe you are happy, then aren’t you? Hadley had her family back. They were all together now. Forever. And though not in the way she’d hoped, she decided it was okay. She was happy.
Suddenly, a shadow crept over her. The yellow sheet flew away and the dollhouse exploded with bright light. Fingers tightened around Hadley’s body as she was lifted gently into the air. Large eyes stared at her in surprise and wonder.
Then a low rumble echoed across the floor. It was the eye. The girl picked it up and held it beside Hadley’s head.
Hadley tried desperately to move her mouth—to warn the girl—but her tongue was like stone. Her body was its own prison.
Inside her head, words danced themselves into a feverish frenzy. They screamed this way and that, trying desperately to find a way out. They bounced off the walls of her mind, echoing on and on, until they disappeared.
I’m not a doll.
I’m not a doll.
I’m not a doll …