A Doll's House Part I
By Patrick Gillespie

A cool wind brushed against the house while a light rain showered down upon it.  The night sky glittered with a thousand stars, but none of them could shine through the dark clouds that hung like alien intruders over the beautiful little suburb.  This was not a night like any other.  Something was off.  An evil feeling could be felt in the air, a feeling that Katie tried to push aside, a feeling she tried to ignore; but it was a feeling that would not go away.

She sat quietly inside the dimly lit house at her computer, busily typing a letter to her friend Mark, whom she had met at the set of her latest video shoot.  A slight feeling of guilt picked at her as she typed the message.  She and Jason had not yet broken up, and god knows Jason still loved her, maybe even too much, but the flame had cooled inside of her.  She had to get out.  She had to explore and meet new people, and she had to do it now while she was still young, famous, and full of life.

As she typed the letter the storm outside grew fierce.  The wind pounded against the house and wickedly howled into the night.  The rain poured down with a rage like quality, almost as if it were looking to attack whatever rested below.  The sounds slowly unnerved Katie as her cold fingers began to clumsily miss the keys on the keyboard.  Damn it, I’ve got to concentrate, it’s just a storm!  She cautiously thought to herself.

Suddenly, something strange met her ear.  In the distance she could hear the sound of a meat grinder turning on and off, on and off.  Followed shortly by the even fainter and more distant sound of screaming and an evil cackle. 

Katie drew back from her work to take a better listen, but there was nothing, nothing but the sound of rain and wind against the house.  She breathed a sigh of relief and went back to her letter.  What am I doing?  I’m letting my imagination get the best of me!  She reassuringly thought to herself.  It had been a tough week, a very tough week.  A demented fan had been staking her and Jason, and the intensity of the fan’s interest in their lives had greatly increased over the past few days.

Her name was Jessica, a lonely teenager whose gothic looks and eerie stare always seemed to catch people off guard.  Her intense interest in Katie and Jason's relationship frightened the couple.  She would show up at restaurants where they ate, follow them in her car, and even send them detailed letters about plans, fantasies, she had for them.  Finally Jason had had enough, and yesterday he had screamed at the girl, belting his lungs out with his disapproval.  She had turned and ran off crying.  Katie had felt he had been too harsh, but then there was nothing else he could do.  Jessica had at first been a friend, a loyal fan who would no doubt stick with them through thick and thin, but she was just getting too close, and she had to know she was not welcome in their personal life.

Katie continued on with her letter, finishing it and then rereading it to make sure everything was perfect.  Her heart fluttered as she then copied and pasted it into an email and set it to Mark.  She felt like such a bad girl.  Suddenly the distant sound of a meat grinder turning on and off, on and off, reappeared in her ears.  It was then followed by the familiar sound of someone screaming and an evil cackle.  Katie got up from her computer to look around, but there was nothing, nothing but the sound of wind and rain blowing against the house.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.  It's sharp sound piercing her concentration.  Already agitated by the strange occurrences she bolted towards the door.  Reaching out with her cold nervous right hand she grabbed the door’s icy brass knob and swung it open to see who was there, but there was no one.  Her face paled and her eyes looked around into the stormy night, startled and in disbelief.  No one appeared.  Closing the door she began to walk away when it suddenly rang again.  This time she turned quicker than before and ripped open the door as fast as she could to see if she could catch the perpetrator, but again, no one was there.

"Wha... what is going on?" the words fell from her lips, as she once again looked into the stormy night.

Then suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something by her feet.  Right in front of her door, in the pouring rain, lay what appeared to be a present, complete with a red bow on top.  Quickly snatching up the gift, she shut the door, and walked back over to her computer. 

Now whom could this be from?  She thought to herself.  Could it be Jason? Trying to be a sweetie? Or maybe Mark trying to make a move?  Hmm, or maybe even Jessica trying to say I'm sorry.  God, I sure hope it's not Jessica.  I've had enough of dealing with that crazy little girl.

Katie gently pulled the bow off the present and opened the lid to the box.  A gut-wrenching scream was all that could leave her lips…

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