Sinister Tales

Layla's Gift

This story has been changed to have a different ending. I prefer this version better because I'm not a fan of the one I wrote about two years ago. I hope you enjoy. :) Slowly, I'll be editing all these short stories.

Layla's Gift

2012 © All Rights Reserved

Sometimes the past comes back for revenge.

"What are you going to name her?" Rachel asked her daughter, Layla.

Layla looked at her new doll, pondering on the question she was asked. She scanned the porcelain doll up and down. Twirling the brown curly hair of the doll around her finger and looking into the black fake eyeballs. "I'm gonna name her Lacy."

"What.. What made you pick that name?"

Layla shrugged her shoulders, using her index finger to caress the doll's cheek. "It fits her."

Rachel didn't respond, she just put the doll away and tucked in her eight year old daughter for bed. With a quick peck on the forehead, she proceeded to leave the room.

"Mommy." Layla called out before her mother left the room.

Rachel turned to see what her child wanted. "What is it honey?" she spoke with a soft motherly voice.

"Lacy doesn't like you." Layla frowned after saying those words, as if she were confused.

"Oh." was all Rachel could say, she looked at the doll before walking out of the room and closing the door.

While walking to her room, she could hear the faint laughter of her daughter. She would have went in there and asked why she was laughing, but she didn't want to step in that room for the rest of the night.

Rachel tiptoed into her bedroom, trying to be careful not to wake her husband, but as she slipped into bed she saw her husband, Richard was wide awake.

"Does she like the gift?" he asked his wife, giving a quick peck on her cheeks.

"Yeah." Rachel turned away from her husband, ready to go to sleep.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sensing the change of atmosphere in his wife.

"Nothing." Rachel tried to push the subject away by giving short, vague replies.

"I know you, darlin'. Something's wrong." he continued to use his caring voice.

"She named the doll Lacy." Rachel blurted out, hoping to shut him up.

Richard left the topic alone and turned away from his wife, ready to catch some shut eye after the long day they had. Rachel and Richard found it hard to sleep, but as they let their minds rest, they quickly fell into deep sleep.

Rachel shot up from her sleep to the sound of a thumping sound downstairs.

"Richard." she shook her husband awake, he made some grumbling noises in return. "There was some noises downstairs."

"It's probably your imagination Rach." he spoke into his pillow.

More thumping noises followed, making Richard wake up entirely and on full alert. He walked out the bedroom with a firm grip on a baseball bat incase he had to attack any intruders inside of his house. How many people could there be? One? Five? There wasn't a way to be sure and he didn't want to find out. Maybe it's just rats or tree branches hitting the side of the house.

Rachel sat in the room alone with the home phone in her hand. She dialed 911 after hearing the thumping noises a few more times, but didn't press the call button just yet. She began to get up from her bed and proceed to the door. Her hands shook as she grasped onto the metal doorknob. She felt an evil prescence in her home, but couldn't bare the thought of her husband being on his own.