Lullaby | Brahms Heelshire |

Chapter 1

A shadow sat on the bed staring at me.

I had to choke down a scream to keep myself quiet. My heart was beating like a fast moving machine. Blood pumped in my ears. I took another look at the shadow to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

It was a doll.

I slipped into the room to get a better look.

It was a boy.

A life size doll of a boy.

Its lifeless hazel eyes stared sadly at me.

There was a sinking feeling in my chest as I looked at the state that the doll was in. Its face had been shattered into pieces and very carefully had been put back together. Veins of black were spread across its pale face like some scary virus. It was a little frightening to look at, but there was something about it that was... cute. It was dressed in a dapper blue sweater and navy blue dress pants.

As I looked at it, I had the strangest urge to pick it up. I had always loved dolls. I had a million when I was a little girl and I would always play with them. I leaned closer to its face and with a strange sympathy whispered "I'm sorry."

I lifted a finger to touch its face but stopped short when I heard "Miss Danielle?" from down stairs. I quickly woke up my feet and rushed out of the room. I could feel the doll staring at me the whole time.

I found Charlotte standing in the parlor crossing her arms. "Sorry!" I bit my lip and rushed down the stairs. "I guess that I couldn't control my curiosity." Charlotte shook her red head and smiled "It's fine, I should be the one apologizing for answering my cell phone during a house tour." We stared at each other for an awkward five seconds until she cleared her throat and smiled.

"Where were we?"

~*~

"This is Brahms?" I stood with Charlotte at the object that had been covered. She had pulled the sheet away and had revealed that the object beneath was a painting of the Heelshires.

I shook my head as I gazed down at the little smiling boy. "Sadly it is. Such a tragic story. He was only eight years old." Charlotte's words were soft and respectful. I couldn't do anything but shake my head at the brush stroked face of the sweet boy. "That's... t... terrible." I managed to choke out after a few moments of silence.

"Indeed." Charlotte nodded. "The Heelshires stayed in this house for years. Cooped up. They never really went out. The accident was so traumatizing."

I glanced at the painted faces of Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire. "I can't even imagine what it must be like." I crossed my arms to suppress a shiver and looked around the house. "It makes sense why they would want to leave this place behind. Where did they end up going?" I questioned, turning to charlotte

A haunting look crossed her face. "Now that is the spooky part." She quickly lifted the sheet and covered the painting as if to keep the Heelshires from listening to us. "Last year Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire left for a holiday and never returned. Three months later their bodies were discovered in a lake. Their pockets were full of heavy rocks."

My heart rate jumped at her words. I rubbed the chills away from my arms.

The feeling of being watched washed over me like a bucket of icy water. I felt exposed to the shadows. I shivered and resisted the urge to look behind me.

I fought to find words to replace this chilling silence. "Losing Brahms must have taken a huge toll on them. They couldn't live with it anymore." But as soon as I said it, it made less sense to me. Yes it would be so hard to lose a child, but wouldn't you eventually let it go? For 21 years they were never able to move past their son's death?

I pushed all my questions away and decided to move on. "Alright", I began brightly, "Let's check out the rest of the house."

~*~

As strange as it seems, I was actually taking quite an interest in the house. It was roomy. It was quiet. It was elegant. And best of all: cheap. By the time our tour had reached the top floor my mind was made. I was going to buy the house.

We walked over to the last room on the tour.

The room with the doll.

My heart began to pound as I imagined the sad creepy doll. My feet unconsciously began to drag. After hearing the dark history of the Heelshires, the doll seemed like a ghost from the past.

I followed Charlotte into the room, preparing myself to see the doll.

But it was gone.

Did Charlotte move it? She must have. But she was only in here seconds before me. She couldn't have moved it without me noticing. "Did you move the..." I began to say. Charlotte began to raise a brow. I decided not to let her know that I had wandered all the way up here. I quickly searched for words. "Did you move the furniture or is this the Heelshires stuff?"

Charlotte nodded and seemed to accept my question. "Nope. This is all of the Heelshires things." She smiled. "So when I buy this house, is everything inside included?"

A smile spread across Charlottes face. "Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that I am making a sale." I smiled back and looked around the room

"I believe you are."