CHAPTER 39: The Haunted Doll

I woke up in a musty, wood panelled room. I wiped away the grime on my face, before I felt a presence enter the room. I turned toward the doorway, and I saw Peater standing there, a concerned look in his eyes.

"Elyssia . . . are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, hoping that my face still didn't look grimy.

"I'm good. How about you?" I replied.

"I'm fine . . . I'm all right." he answered.

I looked down at the floor and sighed.

"What was that all about? You know . . . the dream realm . . . the crazy plants and zombies trying to kill us . . ."

"I dunno. But at least we got through in one piece . . . right?" Peater said.

I nodded slowly, before getting up to sit on a wooden crate.

"This war is wrecking us, Peater. It's not only hurting out bodies, but it's . . . hurting our hearts. I don't even know anybody anymore." I whispered.

"Hey ― I know that." Peater whispered as he tried to put a leaf on my stem.

But then we heard shuffling in the room. I looked behind me ― and I saw a doll. He ― or she ― had pale green skin that rivalled that of a zombie, and a voice that chilled me to the cores of my nerves.

"Ah, child. Tis been so long since I've had a child to play with, hasn't it! Fifty years . . . such a long, long time. Every child that played with me would say something like, "Mar, we'll be best friends forever, you cute little princess!" But alas, all good times must end, mustn't they?" the possessed doll named Mar simpered, her eyes flashing from purple to red to blue.

"What the . . ." Peater mumbled as he surveyed the doll closely.

"Why do you . . . look like you've been crying?" he asked as he pointed out the blue tear stains that made creepy stripes on Mar's chalk-white face.

"Oh, me? I've been lamenting the fact that I've had nobody to play with after all these years . . . only a kind man called Edgar to care for me . . ." she whispered, her eyes turning a sinister shade of yellow.

"Edgar George Zomboss is anything but human, and he's anything but kind, you idiot!" I growled as I slapped the crap out of Mar.

"Ooh, I don't advise that you do that, Elyssia!" she mocked.

"Oh sure, use your Maccabaeus instinct, and tear me apart. But you know you won't, and you know you can't ― don't you want to forget about that dreadful tattoo on the back of your leaf right there?"

I gasped, and turned over my right leaf, only to see that sinister tattoo. The rose and the snowflake glinted hauntingly as I looked at them. Peater gasped, and pointed at it.

"Elyssia . . . what the hell is that supposed to be?" he asked.

Realizing that my secret was out to some extent, I slapped Peater's leaf as soon as he tried to touch the tattoo.

"That is nothing you need to know ― or want to know, for that damned matter."

Mar, meanwhile, was grinning with satisfaction.

"Now . . . this, my children, is how I love to see you. Arguing . . . hitting one another . . . it brings a sweet little smile to my sweet little face!" she simpered.

"You're anything but sweet, Mar." I growled as I tried to punch the doll yet again. "Oh, you twat, didn't I warn you? Now you'll pay the price!" Mar sniffed as her eyes became a demonic shade of red.

"Don't look into Mar's eyes, girl! Don't!"

The voice of a stranger rang out loud and clear across the room. The harder I tried to look away from the puppet, the harder it was to keep in control of my brain. Just then, Peater had knocked me out of the way.

"I'll be back, God-forsaken sucker." Mar snarled as she snapped her green fingers and disappeared.

"What the heck was that all about?" I mumbled.

"The doll talking and walking by itself . . ."

Peater, meanwhile, was looking at me like I was crazy.
"How can a puppet walk on its own, let alone talk on its own, you idiot?" he asked.

"S-sorr . . ." I finally gave up on speaking and looked at the floor.

Then, the stranger's voice spoke once more.

"Son . . . is that really . . . you?"

I looked up, and I saw an older Peashooter hugging Peater, who was slowly whispering, "Father . . . I'm so happy . . . to see you . . . I thought . . . that the bastard Zomboss killed you . . . tell God how much I'll be grateful . . ."

The two separated, and the Peashooter pointed at me.

"Who is this girl, Pea?" the Peashooter asked.

"Oh, her? That's . . . she's Elyssia Antonia." Peater answered.

And as usual, the reactions anytime anybody was introduced to me. The gasp. The starry eyes. The whispers of, "Oh, it can't be."

"Last name . . . ?" the Peashooter prodded his son's stem gently.

"O-oh . . . that . . . ? Uh . . . umm . . ." I frowned slightly at Peater's behaviour ― he was beating about the bush about my last name.

"Aw, come on, Pea. You wouldn't lie to your own father . . . would you?" the Peashooter asked.

Peater looked at me, with fear in his green orbs.

"M-ma . . . Maccabaeus . . ."

The older Peashooter looked at me with loathing printed all over his face.

"You!" he growled as he pounced on me.

And that's another chapter down, with a cool cliffhanger XD!

The puppet Mar was actually inspired by a story I read somewhere on this site, and yeah, she has a VERY, VERY, VERY evil role.

Honestly, I don't even know how long this is actually gonna be, reason being that I'm planning and writing blindly. But yay, at least I didn't stop because of a bit of writer's block, which is why this chapter took half a day to write. Anyways . . .

~GamerGirl is signing off! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)