Sweet July

[WP] You have a voodoo doll for everyone in your life. You keep these dolls in mint condition. And if someone has a particularly bad day, you give the doll special treatment; Washing their hair, rubbing their shoulders, and performing minor miracles to make them happy.

- Theme of the Writing Prompt on Reddit.

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« You know, dear July, I’m 14 years old today. I’m happy you’re with me during this special day! »

I hold her tight, smiling with all my teeth.

July. For me, it’s not just a doll. She’s real. July is someone that impacted my life. We obviously are besties, she’s my dearest friend!

… Not even knowing me.

I know July felt the biiiiig hug I gave her. I’m sure she’s happy. Because someone give her love. She’s the one that I take the most care of. But she’s not the only one in my collection.

I started making dolls with my family members. I did a little corner in my room dedicated to them and treated them very well.

The first one was my sister. And that’s thanks to her that I know my dolls are not only… dolls. It’s voodoo dolls.

I often dress my big sister with cosplay of cat-idols that boys like just before she enters her school. Since that, even if she didn’t understand anything, she started to have a lot of admirers. Maybe she’ll become a star thanks to me? Hehe!

Then, I made daddy’s doll. When he was too lazy to help mommy doing housework, I just poked him a little with toothpicks. I’m sure it worked, ‘cause the more time passed, the less I heard them arguing.

And the last one of my family was mommy. Mommy’s too perfect to do something to her. So I just took care as I could. I’m sure her hair are so soft now thanks to me!

And… the next one is July. July, a girl I met online. At school, I… don’t have anyone to talk to. That’s why I started doing dolls in my free time in the first place. I found it very entertaining and funny, they were like real people to me. It felt like I was talking to them for real!

But let’s come back to July. July is my best friend. And obviously, I’m hers! Distance doesn’t matter in friendship! She showed me a picture of her. And that’s why, months later, I decided to make a doll which look exactly like her. I never touched her doll until she started texting me less.

I was kinda sad. That’s why I started to give her all my attention. Moreover, mommy and daddy never came to my room to see how I felt. July deserved my attention more than them.

I did everything to make her feel good. Washing, massages… I even made her smile most of the time when I had the bad feeling she was a little down. But… I never really knew. I couldn’t know how she felt, because… she wasn’t talking to me anymore. Never ever.

To tell you the truth, July didn’t even know me. I noticed months and months later that I was just talking to a bot from the beginning.

Because… You know, July Power is just an exceptional star. The kindest and prettiest girl in the world. Someone… who belongs to the scene. In reality, I never talked to July Power. Just a… bad imitation of herself. And I turned a blind eye on that from the start. I… couldn’t know, right ?

Okay… I could have known.

I felt like trash not noticing I wasn’t even talking to a human. And that’s at this moment I decided to see more my family. For weeks, I hadn’t given them any attention. Neither to them, nor their dolls. I was just going to mommy to take my meal to my room, and that’s all. But now… I want to change. To be close to my real family, not just their dolls.

When I got out of my bedroom, I went first in front of the television.

My eyes widened. A report.

« Soulless July Power ? »

The title, large written on the screen. And… the picture of my only friend, the star everyone loves. The picture of her body standing in her house with totally white eyes. Smiling in a creepy manner… Smiling exactly the way I made her doll smile.

So, panicked, I ran into the living room. My dad was lying down on the sofa, not even moving any finger. My mom was doing the meal, but looked like an automaton. And my sister, still wearing this flashy pink dress full of sequins and those horrible cat ears, turning on herself. And, all of them… have those creepy white eyes. As if they were dead.

Since when ?

Since when does my family… stopped to live ?

I was too concentrate to even notice that the real bodies of everyone were… so empty. They all lost their souls. And those souls came into my dolls.

I just wanted to do something good, to be great to everyone my way. Even if I prefered to stay in my room all this time, I… I never stopped loving everyone that care about me.

And now… Now and forever… My beloved ones live inside the tiny body of my dolls. After all… I should have known. Voodoo dolls only exist… to do evil.

And I became a monster.