Description

Eighteen-year old Rose had a three month-old baby, born out of wedlock. Her mother Sybil was determined to protect the family reputation, and had carefully hidden the baby from the entire town. This was 1910, after all. One day Sybil brought an old doll down from the attic as a present for baby Angela. Mysteriously, the next day Angela did not wake up. Rose was devastated. Just a few days later, Rose also did not wake up. Her sister Julie Sue, age fifteen, had a rebellious streak and was suspicious of the deaths. Within another few days, Julie Sue also passed away.  Gertrude, age ten, was the last remaining child, until a boy named Ted was born a few years later. So many strange deaths in such a short period of time!

Sybil doted on Ted as he grew up, as did Gertrude, who never left her mother. However, at age twenty-six Ted decided to settle down and marry Jenny, the maid. Sybil was furious, and Ted and Jenny ran away to get married. They soon had a daughter Annie. In 1950, when Annie was eight, Sybil’s deathbed wish was that Ted and Jenny would bring Annie so that she could at last lay eyes on her grand-daughter. Upon seeing Annie, Sybil said “Now she is yours”, the collapsed. What did she mean? Was she talking about the doll? After Sybil’s death, Ted and Jenny decided to move into the old house with Gertrude. Gertrude had developed a concern about the doll and took precautions, but she could not prevent the deaths of first Ted and Annie, and finally herself. Jenny escaped, leaving Gertrude right where she lay, and determined to never return to the house. Years passed while Jenny remained in town and tended Ted’s and Annie’s graves.

Years later, the neighborhood was being developed and a new family moved in next door to the old mansion.  It was no surprise that Kirsten, eleven, and Lisa, seven, decided to check out the abandoned house.  Lisa found an old doll, but also found a long-dead corpse. Was it possible that forty years had passed? Jenny’s heart failed when the police called to ask about the corpse. Her only heirs, nephew Mel and his wife, did not remember Jenny, but were excited to learn about their good fortune. They came to look at the house as soon as they could. Unfortunately, the troubles in the old house were not yet over.