The Strangest Dream (part 14)

After cake and ice cream, her parents gave her a gift. The wrapping was so pretty she told her mom. She opened the box and saw that it was a doll, not just any babydoll, but it was her doll Holly, brand new in the box, and never opened, from the store. She looked at Holly like she didn't understand. "You don't like it?" her mother asked. "No no I love it, she looks just like you mommy, I will love her forever."

Evelyn took Holly upstairs to get ready for bed, but as she passed by the door to the attic, though, she felt uneasy, so she rushed up the last steps and ran into her room.

"There is nothing to be afraid of Evie, you're awake," she told herself.

She sat there looking at her new doll, trying to figure things out, but it just didn't make any sense.

Evelyn wanted to show her mother what a big girl she was because it was about time she started doing things herself to help out, so she brushed her own teeth and hair and got into bed and waited for her parents to come in and kiss her goodnight.

She had a long day, so she was fighting herself doing everything she could to stay awake and wait for them.

As she was between sleep and awake, she saw her mother standing at the door. "Shhh," her mother said, "you'll wake her." Then she closed her door, and Evelyn heard her go down the stairs. What were they doing? She thought to herself.

Her father's truck lights then shined in the window, making her wonder why he hadn't left yet. Just then, she heard the front door open and close, thinking that at any moment, her mother would come in wiping her eyes, but that didn't happen. She heard them both giggling downstairs in the living room. This made her so happy, she laid there and smiled until drifting off.

The next day she woke up refreshed, she stretched her arms out and took a deep breath. "Ah, it's going to be a good day.

Noticing her mother wasn't there to greet her, she quickly looked beside her bed to see if she saw her name and thank goodness it wasn't there.

Wondering where her mother had gone off to, she started down the stairs. "Mama," she heard her singing in the kitchen. Evelyn sat on the top of the steps and listened to her mother's pretty voice, and then fear began taking over her as she glanced over to the attic door. She felt like that thing was in there.

She stood up and walked over, putting her ear to the door; it sounded like something was shuffling around. She felt it was waiting for her on the other side. "Evie! What are you listening to?" Her mother startled her, making Evelyn jump.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Autumn asked her, "Whatever you want to make me," she replied, looking back towards the attic as they walked down the stairs together.

The day was happy. She picked weeds and watched her mother pick berries "Mama, why can't I help?" She asked Autumn. "You know there are thorns, and we can't have any of that,″ she told her. Autumn took the bowl of berries into the kitchen then told Evelyn that she had a very special job that only she could do. Autumn carried the hamper of wet clothes outside to the clotheslines so they could be hung up, but because Evelyn was so small, she couldn't reach, so her important job was to be the best clothespin hander ever.

By now she was getting hot so she asked her mother if she could go in and get some water. As she entered the kitchen, she stepped on something that squished under her shoe. It was a berry. In fact, the berries were strewn all over the kitchen, and her mother's white and flowered sheets that she had just washed and folded sitting on the table were smeared with purple and red stains. Autumn came in, saying, "What? Why did you do this, Evie!" "I didn't do it!" she exclaimed. Autumn looked at her with a glare that she had never seen her mother give her before. "Just go to your room, Evelyn Marie!"