Author's note: Just started a new project. I got the idea from rereading The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright. I just found the idea of spirits communicating through dolls and without words was very interesting. I want to state that only the dollhouse, dolls and cold case came from the Betty Wright's book, I plan adding as many elements from my own imagination as possible.
Although it isn't the most original way to start a story, it all started one fateful day.
"Gajeel!" Someone shouted from downstairs. Gajeel pushed himself out of bed but remained half asleep. He ended up hitting his head hard against the shelf above him, scaring his cat, Pantherlily, off the foot of his bed. He cursed and hollered, "What is it now?!"
He heard the sound of small, light footsteps coming up the stairs as he dressed in sweatpants and his favorite black hoodie. His little sister, Wendy, ran up to the bedroom and ended up tripping over the last step. Gajeel helped her up, and she gave him his answer, "Carla's gone!"
"What?!" was all her brother could say. Wendy explained that she woke up without her cat, Carla, sleeping at the foot of her bed. Soon after that, she found the front door popped open.
"Damn it!" Gajeel kicked his bed in frustration, Stupid busted lock. He began to head out the door. "Come on," Gajeel turned to his sister who was already tearing up. "Let's get out there. She can't be too far."
Gajeel and Wendy searched all over the yard. Wendy checked under the flower beds and found nothing. Gajeel looked through the cracks and holes in the walls but didn't even hear a peep.
The two of them decided to check their yard's maple tree with Wendy on Gajeel's shoulders. "Hello," said an unfamiliar voice. It startled the two which resulted in Gajeel losing his balance and having Wendy fall on top of him.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," Gajeel turned to their front gate, and a saw a strange woman not much taller than Wendy. She wore an orange bandana that held back wavy, cerulean hair and had the most enormous, warmest brown eyes he'd ever seen. Gajeel could tell she was cradling something in her arms, but whatever it was, it was hidden behind the gate.
"I didn't mean to scare you," her voice was sweet and filled with concern. "I'm your new neighbor, Levy Mcgarden. I was working at my house when I found this little one on my porch."
She opened the gate, revealing a small white kitten curled up against the women's chest. Wendy's face lit up, "Carla!" Shey rushed towards the strange woman, stepping on her brother along the way. Carla jumped out Levy's arms and raced into Levy's yard with Wendy behind her.
Gajeel got up and took a good look at the house, "Didn't notice the place was for sale." He had lived on the street for a good chunk of his life, so Levy shook her head, "It wasn't. My parents left it for me in their will."
His face went blank, "I'm sorry." It came off as deadpan, but Gajeel meant it. His parents died when Wendy was around seven, leaving him to raise Wendy by himself.
"It's not that big a deal," Levy responded in a way that oddly calm. "They died when I was young. It just wasn't in my name until I turned twenty-one." Gajeel tried to hold back a chuckle. She was so tiny, Gajeel figured she was still in high school and living with a relative. Not living in an empty house as an adult. Levy puffed out her cheeks, "What's so funny?"
A crash broke the conversation between the two adults. "Gajeel!" That scream was Wendy. It came from inside Levy's house.
"Damn it!" Gajeel raced into the house with Levy behind him. Luckily, Wendy had unknowingly stepped in a mud puddle while outside which made a clear trail for Levy and Gajeel to follow. The tracks lead up the stairs. "I'm up here!" Wendy called. It came from the attic. How the hell did she get up there? He thought.
When the two adults reached the top of the stairwell, the door to the attic was open wide and the ladder out. "Were you working in the attic when you found Carla?" Gajeel asked. Levy shook her head. Wendy was too short to open the door herself, so how would that have been possible. Gajeel pushed the question aside; now he needed to get Wendy and Carla.
He crept up the ladder carefully, not wanting to break anything in his new neighbor's house. When Gajeel reached the top, he pulled Levy up with him, but not without almost knocking over a few towers of boxes and unsettling some dust. Wendy was in the corner of the crowded room with Carla, who seemed to have settled down, in her arms.
"Wendy!" Gajeel hollered, though it was out of concern than anger. "You can't just rush into someone else's home-" Wendy interrupted him by frantic tugging on his sleeve, "Gajeel, look." She pointed at a miniature house in the attic's corner.
It was painted a light blue color with little plant holders under the windows. The front door was carved with delicate swirling designs with a little knocker in the center. On the porch was a small porch swing and tiny rock chair that gently shifted. Wendy walked up to the toy house, unlatched the hook and opened up the interior. Every room was filled with handmade furniture and little hand stitched blankets and curtains.
"Isn't it cute, Gajeel," Wendy chimed, "It looks just like Miss Levy's house."
On that note, Gajeel looked towards Levy. Even in the dim lighting of her attic, Levy's skin had grown deathly pale and covered in a cold sweat. Her knees and hands began to shake. She was terrified. Of this little plaything?
"Wendy, I think it's time we go," Gajeel told his younger sister, who was dismayed about leaving such a pretty house. "No," Levy said, "Please stay for just a bit. I haven't had the chance to meet the other neighbors. Your company would be greatly appreciated."
Gajeel turned to Wendy, making the biggest, cutest puppy dog eyes one could conceive. Levy's offer was very generous and refusing it would not leave a good first impression with her. He already had that problem with most of the town. And Gajeel couldn't deny he was a little curious about this woman. Gajeel agreed, much to Wendy's glee.
Gajeel took a seat at Levy's mahogany kitchen table as she prepared a pot of coffee. Wendy decided to explore the house further with Carla trotting behind her, not interested in the action so much as keeping an eye on her human girl.
That left Gajeel alone with Levy. An awkward silence filled the room and Gajeel's cheeks started to turn pink. He had no idea what to say to this woman but his mouth seemed to be working against him. Before Gajeel could stop himself, he asked, "So, what's the deal with that dollhouse?"
He regretted it when Levy's back shot up and almost dropped the mugs in her hands. Gajeel was about to get up and leave when Levy set herself down. She wrung her fingers together and let out a deep breath. "It was just a silly present my dad gave me when I was eight."
"Sounds like you don't care for it all that much."
Levy shook her head, "I was a pretty precocious kid and had already outgrown playing with dolls." She didn't look up at Gajeel, just staring at her table cloth and locking her fingers. "I asked for this fancy calligraphy set. At the time my handwriting was so bad even I couldn't read it and I wanted to practice. My dad thought a homemade dollhouse would be a more appropriate gift for a little girl."
The sound of the coffee pot whistling interrupted the conversation. Levy turned off the stove and handed Gajeel a mug filled to the brim with the dark, bitter liquid. Gajeel took the cup and Wendy rushed into the room holding up a pretty, dark green dress. It didn't have sleeves and was decorated with small rhinestones. "Look at this Gajeel. Isn't it pretty?" Money had been thin since their parents died, so Wendy was used to wearing simple clothing. He raised an eyebrow, "Yes, but you can't go through our neighbor's things."
Levy just giggled, stood up and patted Wendy on her head, "It's alright. I've been meaning to give that away anyway." Wendy handed Levy the gown. Levy held the dress in front of her, showing it was too short for her. She handed the garment back to Wendy and looked the young girl in the eye, "I have a lot more if you want to look through them."
Wendy's eyes sparkled and turned to Gajeel. She widened her eyes as much as possible, aware that her brother had a secret weakness for cute things. When Gajeel nodded, Wendy jumped with utter joy and followed Levy towards her stash of unneeded clothes.
Gajeel was left alone in the kitchen and stared deeply into his drink. For some reason, Levy's disdain for that dollhouse irritated him. She didn't simply dislike the plaything. Levy was terrified of it. That reaction didn't come from a disappointing present. Levy wouldn't explain it for obvious reasons.
After a good twenty minutes, Wendy and Gajeel left Levy's house with two large boxes in Gajeel's arms. Wendy had to open the door for her brother, who was barely able to move while trying not to drop the heavy boxes.
When Gajeel entered the house, he gently dropped the boxes by his recliner and took a seat. Wendy remained smiling as she looked through her newly acquired dresses with Carla perched on her shoulder. Soon, she heard deep snoring and saw Gajeel already fast asleep in his chair with Lily curled up in his lap. Wendy smiled as she grabbed a spare blanket from the laundry room and draped it over her older brother.
She turned to their grandfather clock, which read nine fifty-five am. Gajeel's shift at the auto shop began at one o'clock, so he had an extra hour and a half for a well-deserved nap. Wendy set an alarm on his phone, so he would have enough time to change into his work clothes, call a sitter and prep dinner before leaving. Gajeel never seemed to back away from any job that was given to him. In a way, Wendy was grateful for it since it was the reason they moved into the neighborhood two years ago. But she was also afraid Gajeel would end up dropping in exhaustion.
Wendy took a seat by the windowsill and gazed at the house of their new neighbor. The woman who was so smart and pretty and smelled like vanilla. Carla then hopped onto Wendy's lap and stared at her young owner. What are you up to child? were the words that Wendy saw in her kitten's expression. "I'm just thinking about Miss Levy," Wendy replied as she gently stroked Carla's back. "I really hope we see more of her. And I hope she and Gajeel can be friends." She smiled at her brother, who remained blissfully asleep and snoring away.