His Shop and Dolls

The shop was set up in the center of town, blending in perfectly with the rest of the shops around it though it sold rare items that the own crafted himself. The man would spend days down in his crafting station, only coming up when hearing the ring of the doors bell signally he had a customer. He had sold many of his dolls though some would say his shop was lacking variety. The dolls all seemed to resemble one another and the man was glad they did. See, his dolls were based off a young man he had encountered in a bar a few months ago. For a young male, beautiful was the only word that crossed his mind. He'd never been interested in anyone or found anyone that warranted the word, but this young man could have been a doll himself. "This one's my favorite." The man said as he pulled one of the dolls from the shelf to show the customer. The porcelain of the doll was pale; the hair was styled to have a few strands of bangs hang in the dolls glossy grey eyes. It wore an old fashioned suit with a strange skull bolo tie to bring everything together.

"Oh, he's lovely." The woman said. "Is he for sale?"

The man frowned, starting at the doll that started his obsession with this particular feminine male face. "No." he replied. "He's special to me." He placed the doll back in its spot, high upon a shelf before placing his hand on the woman's back to lead her to another display case. "Do any of these catch your eye?"

These dolls in this case had more manly features then his new dolls and perhaps the reason they didn't sell as much as they used too. "He's alright." She said as she tapped a long purple nail to her lips. "See, I'm looking for something for my daughter for her eighth birthday and she's always enjoyed these types of dolls."

"A birthday gift? Well, you should have said so to begin with." He coaxed over to the newer dolls, lifting one with the feminine face expect dressed in more modern formal attire. "I think this one would sit nicely in a young girl's room."

The mother held the doll in her hands, eyes narrowing as she examined every bit of it before she gave a satisfied nod and smile. "He's wonderful, I'll take him."

The man led the woman to the till and she paid the $85.99 for him. Most of the dolls in the shop were over the hundred mark but since that doll wasn't one of his favorites he lowered the price to get rid of it and now that it was gone, he could place a much better doll in its empty spot. "Thank you…Mr. Slingby." she said as she read the small nameplate on the corner of the counter.

"You're very welcome." He held the door open for her as she carried the box he had placed the doll in.

When he was alone again, he turned to the display of other dolls, frowning at them. "I'm sure you're attractive to someone." He said placing his hand on the glass. "I'd hate to have to throw you into the fire." With that said, he realized he had to feed his guest.

His living space was on the second level of the shop and he made a quick and easy dinner consisting of toast and water which he carried down on a tray to his guest in the basement. "Are you awake? I've brought dinner." He smiled as he made his way down the stairs.

In the dark corner of the poorly lit room, a figure moved, the clinking, metallic sound of chains echoing in the small room. "…please…" he heard the whimper but ignored it as he set the tray before the young man. "I…I want to…go home."

Mr. Slingby lifted his hand to run it through brown hair that seemed to lose its silkiness every day. "You are home. My home, our home." He smiled. "Don't frown love. Those eyes of yours don't suit frowns. Where's that smile I saw the night I met you?" The young man tried to pull from the grasp but the hand tightened in his hair. "Answer me."

"You stole it!" came the young man's unexpected shout. "Now let me go!"

A quiet growl came from the man's throat as he smacked a pale cheek, satisfied with the sound of a neck cracking at the force the slap had. "Should I let you starve for talking back to me?" silence. "I thought not." He stood, moving toward the stairs. "I'll be back to study you again tonight. By then I expect you to have eaten your dinner." He left and all that echoed in the room were quiet sobs.