Disturbing Gaze
1122 Words
Soraya stretched as she slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes caught the dark ceiling of the room. She felt her body stiff from sleeping too long. She hoped it wasn't night because if she did, she'd be up until morning and not be able to go back to sleep.
"Where is this?" She muttered. For a moment she forgot where she was right now. All the contents of her head mixed up and it made her often confused.
"I'm in Mr Stanley's secret house, right? Why did I forget?" She thought. Soraya did not find her bag in the room. She looked at the clock on the wall, it was already 8:30 in the evening.
It was night and she didn't feel Robert's presence near her. The last thing she remembered was Robert holding her until he fell asleep. But now the man is not here.
Soraya got up and stepped outside, trying to find where Robert was. However, the atmosphere in this house was very quiet. It's not just this house, the surroundings are very quiet as if there is no life.
Honestly, this silence scared her. Despite her mental needs that required her to calm down for a while. However, Soraya was not used to such a quiet atmosphere.
Kreeettt...
Soraya was surprised to hear the sound of her own footsteps. After leaving the room, Soraya found out that this house was quite big and spacious, it even had stairs and a room on the second floor.
"Mr Stanley, where are you?" Soraya tried to call Robert. She hoped he wouldn't go away and leave her alone in this house.
Soraya gulped, fear running through her body when she saw the dolls that seemed to be staring at her in the corridor. Yes, Robert even extends the porcelain dolls that he considers beautiful in the halls of this house.
She don't know, how many dolls are in this house? it's clear that there are enough to make someone want to run away from this house as soon as possible.
As her feet hit the living room floor, Soraya saw more dolls arranged on the shelves and cupboards. Surprisingly, this house was as clean as Robert's house she used to visit. But the atmosphere in this house was much more quiet and horrible.
Soraya was sure the dolls were staring at her with their big bright eyeballs and their angelic smiles that made her nape hair stand on end.
Although afraid, Soraya seems quite curious about the dolls. She walked up to them and tried to touch them. Soraya found the exact same doll as the one she saw in the antique shop that time. The porcelain doll is a little girl with brown hair and big blue eyes. The doll is wearing a pink dress.
"This is the doll from that time, right? So, he kept it here? But, why in this house? Why not in the house he lives in?" She thought. Soraya kept wondering in her mind. She didn't understand this strange situation, but what made her even more clueless was what it seemed like Robert Stanley was thinking. What kind of interest led him to collect so many dolls?
"Are you awake?" Robert who appeared out of nowhere immediately startled her with his voice.
Soraya gasped in surprise and immediately looked back, where Robert was standing behind her with an incomprehensible look.
Soraya felt her heart beat very fast, as if she had just met a terrifying creature.
"Um...yes, I just woke up and-" Soraya stammered. Her chest heaved up and down and she wasn't quite ready to continue her words.
"You must be hungry, right? I'll cook dinner for you!" Said Robert. Soraya just realized that, Robert was standing holding several bags of groceries.
"Did you just come back from somewhere?" Soraya asked. She wished that Robert had said no so she wouldn't have to think that she had been alone in this house for a few hours.
"Yes, I went to the nearest supermarket to buy groceries. Actually, I wanted to build you up so you could come with me, but you slept soundly. That's why I had to go alone, because otherwise we wouldn't have food to eat."
"But, why is it so quiet here? Is this house the only house around here? Isn't there another house?" Soraya asked nervously.
Robert went to the kitchen, he didn't seem too bothered by Soraya's worries about the silence she was feeling. Behind him, Soraya followed him, not wanting to be left alone in the room.
"Of course there is!" Robert said as he put his shopping packages on the table and started to arrange them in the refrigerator and cupboards.
"Is that true?"
"Yes!"
"Where?"
"If you look closely, you will see that there are houses all around this house. To the right is a Spanish family home, to the left is a house that an old couple lives in, across the street is a house under renovation and across the lake there's empty house because the occupants are on vacation out of town."
"Re-really? But, all I see are big trees, I didn't realize there was a house around here!"
"This house is deliberately planted with tall trees so that the neighbors don't have to realize that this house exists!"
"What does it mean?" Soraya asked. She did not understand why this house had to be surrounded by tall trees.
Robert was silent, the atmosphere became silent and it made Soraya feel uncomfortable. It felt like there was something Robert was hiding from her.
"Maybe because the shape of this house looks weird and unique. Because of that people are not comfortable enough."
"I think that's a strange reason to plant so many trees around this house. Doesn't that just make the house look even scarier?"
"Do you think this house is scary?" asked Robert. He turning to Soraya, stared at her coldly. Soraya shuddered, she felt that Robert was uncomfortable with her questions and curiosity.
"N-no! I think this house is very, very pretty, it's just that the dolls in the living room and corridors look quite annoying!"
"Disturb?"
"Yes, I think there are too many of them to be displayed in one room where people who visit will be surprised because when they enter the house, they are immediately greeted by dozens of porcelain dolls staring at them."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah! Maybe you could keep the dolls in a special room, that way people who come to visit don't have to deal with the dolls! You know? Not everyone likes porcelain dolls."
"I see, but it's not necessary!'
"Why?"
"Because no one has come to this house but me and you!"
***
- Writer
