Haunted Stories: Dolls in the Attic

I was part of a cleanup crew when the city decided to tear down old buildings that had asbestos in the walls.

The building I was assigned to was a toy store for at least fifty years, so it was indeed a sad affair.

Updated 2/9/2020 – Once on site, I felt an unsettling vibe that was like a mixture of nostalgia and forgotten memories.

There was something else in the mix which I couldn’t put my finger on.

Needless to say, it was creepy.

I’d heard a lot of haunted stories and until then, I never paid much heed to them.

I was soon to be proven wrong.

There were seven of us in the crew and after suiting up, we set off to our designated areas.

Mine was the attic.

I wasn’t that impressed with my assignment but I pulled my equipment up the stairs and prepared to work.

When I first entered the space, I had to fight many cobwebs and a variety of boxes, crates and cabinets.

The prep crew had neglected to clear it all out so I started to move and pack all of the items.

Thinking that the laughter was either coming from downstairs or from the toys in the boxes, I soldiered on.

It wasn’t until a doll’s arm fell on the floor – right in front of me – that I began to feel I wasn’t alone.

I felt like it hadn’t been thrown, but rather – it had dropped from above.

I looked up, but there was no way it fell.

There were only beams and roofing slats – nothing that the arm could’ve fallen from.

It was confusing.

As I picked up the arm and tossed it into a box, I heard a deep growl from somewhere in the back of the attic.

I spun around and saw that something had disturbed the thick dust, which billowed up in a big cloud.

I yelled, “Who’s there?!”

Silence first – then a cackle like an evil witch.

I slowly crept towards the back.

I stopped when I saw a dirty old doll with matted red hair – standing against a chest of drawers.

The eyes were closed.

At that point I was losing my temper, even though I was still feeling uneasy.

I stomped forward and snatched the doll up.

I’d already decided to toss the doll out but nearly fainted when the eyes suddenly flew open!

Then they rolled back.

I dropped the doll in shock and then a moldy old monkey started clashing its cymbals. Childish giggling ensued.

I was angry so I kicked the doll and threw the monkey in the trash, but then a small ball came bouncing towards me.

I kicked that too and felt like a frightened child having a tantrum.

It was bizarre but very powerful.

Feeling like something was trying to come over me – like a possession or something – I heard more evil laughter.

Now I was terrified and screaming, “STOP!

STOP IT!

IT’S NOT FUNNY!”

Then a box fell off the dresser and I started hearing whispers.

To hell with that!

I ran out and resigned on the spot.

I don’t care what anyone says, you can’t pay me enough to deal with that kind of thing.