You had always been a collector of odd things—old trinkets, forgotten relics, items left behind. The doll was one of those. You found her by accident in a secondhand shop. She was lying in a heap of discarded toys, her porcelain face, her purple eyes staring blankly, her snowy white hair flowing over a beautiful long dress. Something about her seemed off, unsettling even, but you couldn’t leave her there.

The shopkeeper barely glanced up when you brought her to the counter. "That thing?" he muttered. "Been here forever. No one wants it." He tossed her into an old box like she meant nothing, but you felt a strange pull to take her home.

After placing her on a shelf in your room, you forgot about her for a while. Days passed, maybe weeks. She was just a quiet presence in the background, sitting motionless amidst your clutter.

Then, one night, you woke up to the sound of soft footsteps. At first, you thought it was your imagination—maybe the wind rattling the windows. But there was no wind that night. The sound was distinct, deliberate. You turned on the lamp beside your bed, scanning the room for anything. That’s when you saw her, no longer sitting on the shelf but standing in the middle of the room, curiously looking at you. Your breath caught in your throat. Her dark eyes gleamed with a spark of life. Before you could react, she spoke in a voice that was both playful and chilling.

"Finally noticed me, did you?"

You blinked, unsure if you were dreaming. Your heart hammered in your chest as she moved closer. Her smile was sweet, but there was something desperate about it, something that made you uneasy.

"Why didn’t you love me sooner?" she whispered, her tone soft yet piercing.

You couldn’t speak. It was as if the air in the room had thickened with tension, her presence now undeniable. She was no ordinary doll. She was something else entirely. From that moment on, she was impossible to ignore. And you had no idea what you had just brought into your life.