I was sorting through my daughter Sophie’s toy box when I came across a doll I had never seen before. It was so lifelike, with its glassy eyes and intricately painted features, that it instantly gave me the creeps.

“Sophie, where did this doll come from?” I asked, holding it up.

She looked up from her coloring book, her innocent eyes wide. “It’s a gift from Daddy’s friend.”

Her words sent a shiver down my spine. My husband, Mark, had never mentioned anything about his friend giving Sophie a doll. I examined the doll more closely, and as I did, I noticed a tiny hidden button beneath its clothes. Curious, I pressed it, expecting some sort of typical doll noise.

Instead, it played a message: “I love you, Sophie. Remember, Daddy is always with you.”

My heart just dropped. It was the voice of my husband, Mark. But there was something eerie about it, almost as if it had been distorted or manipulated in some way. A sinking feeling took hold of me as I tried to make sense of what I had just heard.

“Sweetie, did Daddy give this to you himself?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“No, Mommy. It was Daddy’s friend. He said Daddy asked him to give it to me,” she replied, going back to her coloring.

I knew I needed to find out more. That night, after putting Sophie to bed, I confronted Mark.

“Mark, Sophie told me about a doll that ‘Daddy’s friend’ gave her. She said it was a gift from you. Do you know anything about this?”

Mark looked puzzled. “A doll? No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I showed him the doll and played the message. His face turned pale as he heard his own voice. “I never recorded this. I don’t know how this happened.”

The confusion and fear in his eyes seemed genuine, but I wasn’t convinced. I decided to do some investigating on my own. I took the doll to a tech-savvy friend of mine, hoping she could uncover some answers.

A few days later, she called me with news. “The recording in the doll isn’t just a simple audio file. It’s been spliced together from various recordings of Mark’s voice, and it appears to have been done by someone with serious technical skills. This isn’t something an amateur could pull off.”

I felt a chill run down my spine. Who could have done this? And why?

That evening, I sat down with Mark again. “We need to figure out who gave this doll to Sophie. It’s not just a toy. Someone went to great lengths to make it, and I want to know why.”

Mark agreed, and we started retracing his steps, trying to figure out who had access to his voice recordings and the means to create such a lifelike doll. It wasn’t long before we stumbled upon a disturbing truth.

Mark had a colleague, James, who had recently left the company under mysterious circumstances. James had always been a bit too interested in our family, often asking about Sophie and making odd comments about how much he admired our life.

We decided to pay James a visit. As we approached his house, an uneasy feeling settled over me. When he opened the door, his eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly composed himself.
“What brings you here?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“We need to talk about the doll,” I said, holding it up. “The one you gave to Sophie.”

James’ expression faltered for a moment before he forced a smile. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“We know you made it,” Mark said, his voice firm. “And we know you used recordings of my voice. Why?”

James sighed, realizing he was caught. “I never meant to scare you. I… I was just trying to be close to your family. You have no idea how lonely I’ve been. I thought if Sophie had something of me, in a way, I’d be part of your life too.”

His words sent a wave of revulsion through me. “That’s sick, James. You had no right to do this.”

James looked down, ashamed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through.”

We left his house, both of us feeling a mixture of anger and relief. We reported the incident to the police, ensuring that James would be held accountable for his actions. But the damage was done.

That night, as I tucked Sophie into bed, I couldn’t shake the feeling of violation and betrayal. The doll was gone, but the sense of unease lingered. I held Sophie close, whispering reassurances, vowing to protect her from anyone who would dare to harm our family again.

As the days went by, we began to heal. Mark and I grew closer, united in our determination to keep Sophie safe. And while the doll had revealed a horrible deception, it also brought to light the strength and resilience of our family. We knew that no matter what came our way, we would face it together.