Thank-you for all of your lovely comments. Reading them has brought me to a couple conclusions.
A) We are all on the same wave length with where the plot is going.
B) I'm a predictable writer
Look forward to later chapters. Your questions will all be answered.

"I guess I should name you, huh?" Will asked as he sipped his coffee. He had finished fixing up the kitchen and moved one of the tables down from the doll's room. He set up the microwave on the counter and set the mini fridge underneath. The room was still empty, but it was slowly filling. He now had a table and chair to sit and entertain guests. If he had any. Ever. The doll sat on the table opposite of him, looking uncomprehendingly ahead, which could have been a yes or a no.

Will rested his chin on his hand as he inspected the doll. He had attempted at making a shirt and pants so the doll didn't have to be in the night gown, but they looked terrible. As soon as Will got his internet set up he would buy some clothes. Might as well have a small set for the next resident to dress the doll in after Will was gone.

Blinking down at the ruggedly dressed doll, Will began to list names.

"Henry," he said.

It didn't sound right.

"George."

Nope, that wasn't right either.

"Alphonse?" he tried.

Closer, but still not right.

Will tapped his his fingers against his chin as he rattled off names, but none of them were working. He scowled, racking his brain for names that would work. The doll stared back.

"... I'll think on it some more." Will finalized as he stood from the table and put his plate in the sink. He picked the doll up and carried him with him to the living room and set him down on the couch. It was interesting event getting the couch downstairs, but he didn't do it by himself. He had a mattress shipped to him and he asked the men bringing it to his room if they could also help move the couch. He paid them a little extra for their trouble.

With the newly painted light olive walls and hardwood floors Will felt the house was one step closer to being a home.

"Did no one try and fix up the house when they lived here?" He asked offhandedly, picking up a stud finder and nails. "How many people lived here before me? The realtor didn't get into details. Just that no one's been able to last a month."

Will marked off where he needed to put nails and took a step back. There was a small art shop in town, and many of the paintings had caught his eye. Especially the ones with sailboats. It didn't matter that he might die by the end of the month; it would give the struggling shop some business.

He made a few more marks when his phone began to play the theme song to Phantom of the Opera. He dug into his pocket and pulled it out, not stopping what he was doing.

"Hey, Abigail." He greeted, making more marks as he went. "Did you like the pictures?"

"The house looks so nice!" Abigail gushed. "It looks so peaceful and the forest is so green. Why didn't you tell me the house you bought was out in the country?"

"I didn't think it would matter." Will responded. He set his tools down and sat next to the doll on the couch. He switched ears as he asked, "How's school going? Any classes you like?"

There was a sigh. "Not really. Just taking a bunch of Generals now. I don't know what I want to do with my life."

"Just do what you like to do. I'm sure you can find something that interests you."

"Yeah, maybe." Abigail trailed off, but she suddenly came to attention. "Did you ever take a pic of the doll?"

Will looked down at his "roommate" in his shabby clothes. "Not yet. Maybe later."

"Just do it now. I'll hang up so you can take them. I will call back if you don't in ten minutes."

"You know I can just turn my phone on silent and ignore you." Will shot back, but he was already standing with the doll in one arm.

"You wouldn't dare." she said knowingly. "Talk to you in a little bit."

Will grumbled as he set the doll on the table and turned on the camera setting. He positioned the doll so he was straight and laying on his back. Will aimed and took a picture.

It was too fuzzy.

He tried again, but this time it was too dark to see anything. It was blurry again the third time.

Will looked down at his phone, puzzled. He wasn't the best at technology, but he knew how to work the camera setting on his flip phone. He looked down at the doll.

"Let's pretend you are really cursed and you're not letting me take a picture." Will began, pulling up a chair. "If you let me take one, maybe two, nice pictures my sister will leave me alone about this. Also, she does own dolls similar to you. She can tell me what model you are and when I get my computer running we can buy clothes together. Do we have a deal?"

The doll didn't answer, and Will wondered what he would have done if he had. Will raised the phone one more time and snapped a picture.

It was near perfect. Will felt a trickle of worry begin to seep in, but he banished it. It was a coincidence. Pure and simple. He took another one of just the doll's head, knowing Abigail would be able to look up the model off the way the face was painted. He sent the pictures and smiled down at the doll. "Thank-you, Mr. Cursed doll with no name."

Will paused and slapped a hand over his face. What was the matter with him? He was talking to a doll. A doll. Either he was going slowly insane or he was turning into his sister. Neither were good options.

To get over his embarrassment he texted Abigail and asked her to find out what type of doll he was. Shutting his phone, Will went back into the living room, the doll in tow.

He was about to get back to work when he realized songs from the Phantom of the Opera were now stuck in his head. Will groaned, but he started to work. He hummed a few songs he knew, having only seen the movie once and listening to Abigail blast the soundtrack every time he visited her in the dorms. It didn't help when the 25th Anniversary DVD came out.

Still humming, Will started to put nails in their places. After a few minutes Will stopped before going upstairs and bringing his laptop down. He had the songs stuck in his head, and Abigail put them all on his laptop. Might as well listen to the music while he was at it.

He had the songs on random, but he didn't mind. It was just background music. That, and it made him think of home. He sighed as he fell into his work, beginning to hang the numerous oceanic paintings around the living room. He examined his handy work, rearranged, and examined again. He was humming along with the music, one of the opening songs, wasn't it? He tuned in as it got around to the chorus, the small speakers on his laptop playing as loud as they could.

The trumpeting elephants sound/ hear, Romans, now and tremble!/Hark to their step on the ground/hear the drums!/Hannibal comes!

Will paused. Hannibal, the war general who nearly conquered Rome during the Punic Wars. Wasn't that what the song was about? Will listened as the song reached a crescendo and sneaked a look at the doll that was still slumped against the couch cushions.

"...Hannibal." Will said, testing the word on his lips. "I like it. What do you think?" He reached over and picked up the doll. Will gave him a look over before smiling. "I think it's a great name."

The doll, Hannibal, didn't reply.

Will set his laptop up on the table with Hannibal sitting next to him. Abigail had sent Will information on the model Hannibal most resembled, and Will was finally able to check out the website she gave him. It was slow, but Will didn't mind. He wouldn't be using it much.

The first things Will saw when the page loaded were dolls that looked similar to Hannibal, but with different types of hair and sizes. Will scrolled down to where it said "clothes" and began his search.

He didn't like any of them. They were too frilly, or too lacy, or just didn't seem to fit the type of personality Will imagined Hannibal having. He continued to scroll, making comments on some of the items as he went. He managed to find a section that seemed to be "normal" and tried to select a few. Amongst the list was a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts, and Will snorted. The image of Hannibal, a cursed doll, wearing such an outfit gave him the giggles. He glanced over at the doll, and from the way he was positioned he looked like he was frowning.

"Joking, I'm just joking. I wouldn't actually buy that. Too... Touristy." Will continued to entertain the thought as he backspaced and went on through the list again. About halfway down he found just the outfit.

It was a dark blue suit that came with a cream colored tie and socks, and blue shoes. Will nodded to himself.

"I think this will work perfectly, don't you, Hannibal?" he asked. He didn't know why he asked the doll questions. He knew he wasn't going to answer back.

Will found similar outfits in different colors and bought four of them, his total coming to about a hundred and sixty dollars. He gritted his teeth and nearly removed two of the outfits when he sighed.

"Not like I'm going to use the money on myself..." He mumbled and send in his order. It gave an estimate of three days, four if there were any problems with the shipping process, and Will marked the day the package would arrive at the post office.

When Will fitted Hannibal in the dark blue and cream suit the following days he had to admit the doll looked very hansom.

It was late one Saturday evening, about a week and a half since he moved in, and Will was coming back from the lake. It wasn't too far from his home, about half a mile. He had gone fishing and was bringing his prizes back. He had recently bought a grill and with the weather being so nice he thought he could cook up some walleye. He had also purchased a bigger fridge and freezer to store his meager meals and fish.

It had been a good trip to the lake. The weather was perfect: just enough sun and cloud ratio, wind was just a little breeze, and the fish were all biting. He had been out all day, leaving Hannibal in his room. He didn't want to try and take the doll with him. If some of the stories were true, then he probably wouldn't have made it to the lake that day. He would have been, to quote some of the townsfolk, "compelled to take the doll back to the house". He didn't believe in the superstition, but better to be safe than sorry.

He was getting close to the house when a small whimper caught his attention. Stopping in his tracks, Will looked in the direction of the noise. He lifted his flashlight and caught reflective eyes in the darkness. He jumped a little at the unexpected sight, but calmed when he saw it was a dog. The poor creature whined again, cautiously moving closer to Will. Will lowered his flashlight so it wasn't shining directly in the animal's face and took in his appearance.

The dog was severely malnourished and caked in mud. Will noted the limp as he came closer, head lowered and body shaking. Will didn't go near the dog, letting him come to him at his own pace. He held out a hand slowly, and the dog sniffed. It must have smelt like fish for he started to lick his hand. Will slowly retracted his hand and reached into his lunch box, pulling out his leftover sandwich. Piece by piece he fed it to the dog, urging him to follow him as he made his way back to the house. Instead of going inside, Will helped the dog into his car and took him to the vet. He was worried about his leg.

Nearly an hour and a half later Will returned with a clean and deemed healthy dog. The mutt, Winston Will decided, followed him into the house, his bandaged leg not slowing him down. He had been fed at the vet and given special food to help him recover. Will put a bowl out for him, but he wasn't hungry. Will stroked the dog's head before yawning. It was getting late. He started to get ready for bed, Winston never too far from his heels.

Will was brushing his teeth when he heard Winston growl. He came out to investigate and found the dog standing in his room, the fur on his back raised as he stared down the doll on his bed. Will paused. He thought he put Hannibal in his room. He went to pick him up when Winston barked sharply, his ears laid back and his teeth showing.

"Winston, it's okay, boy. It's okay." Will assured as he stroked the dog's head. The dog kept his gaze fixed on the doll, and Hannibal stared back. Will stood by, looking back and forth between the dog and the doll. He was about to snatch Hannibal from the bed when Winston suddenly relaxed. His tongue flopped out and he gave a big yawn. Will watched as Winston made himself a bed on the rug near Will's bed, twirling three times before falling asleep. Will glanced back at Hannibal, but the doll was still.

Will didn't believe in supernatural creatures or curses, but there was something about this doll. He picked out the pajamas he bought for Hannibal and began to change him.

"... If you are cursed, Hannibal, please don't hurt Winston. He's just a dog; he doesn't know better."

He finished up with the pajamas and carried Hannibal to his room. Against his better judgment, Will had bought a small bed big enough to house Hannibal. He decided to have Hannibal "sleep" in this room instead of Will's because it was the room he found him in. He thought perhaps the doll would rather be in this room than the master bedroom.

Tucking Hannibal in his bed, Will gently bopped him on the nose. It had become a habit since the first night. He tried to stop, but he could never catch himself in time.

"Have a good night, Hannibal. See you in the morning."

The doll didn't reply.

The next chapter is going to be hilarity and feels. Just so you know.