The Original Arabella Story

ARABELLA

1

A little girl, named Lucy, was given a small doll by her parents. The doll was a gift from an ancient great aunt who had now passed away.

2

Lucy was secretly worried by the doll which had nasty little black eyes that seemed to follow her around the room. Its face also had a cross expression.

3

Nevertheless, Lucy took the doll, as she didn’t want to upset her parents by telling them how uneasy she felt around the doll.

4

Her parents told her the doll was called Arabella. Lucy was even more afraid now that the doll had a name. It seemed to make it more human.

5

Even so, Lucy never really believed that the doll could do anything to her. It was just a doll, after all, and only reached up to just above her knee. So, to put her mind at rest, she stuffed Arabella into the little cupboard under the stairs.

6

It was not until a few nights later, when Lucy was lying in bed that she heard a noise…a shuffling sound, which went on for about five minutes.

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Then, a brief dragging noise and finally, a scuttling like little footsteps walking very fast.

8

Lucy was pinned to the bed with fear, unable to move. Then, she heard a voice – in a very deep tone – but quiet enough not to wake her parents. Lucy always slept with the door open, as she was a little scared of the dark.

9

Lucy heard the voice say “Lucy, I’m on the first step”…And then a loud scratching again, as whatever was speaking apparently turned tail and returned to its place of hiding.

10

Lucy didn’t sleep that night but lay in fear until her mother got her up for school. Lucy tried to explain to her mother what had happened the night before, but her mother said it was “just a dream”.

11

That night, Lucy tried not to sleep but she eventually drifted off. Soon, the deep voice woke Lucy again. She wondered if she could only hear it in her head.

12

“Luuuuucccccccyyyyy….I’m on the fifth step..” it said. Then came the scuffling noise and the voice didn’t speak again that night.

13

At school, Lucy told her friends about the doll, and of course they laughed at her. Lucy could only think that if Arabella was climbing four steps at a time then there was only one more night to go.

14

That night Lucy decided to shut her bedroom door. Lucy asked her mother if she could leave her light on instead of the hall light. Her mother pointed out that her bedroom light was so bright it would keep her awake, and said no.

15

Just as she began to fall asleep, she heard the noise. And then the voice “Luuucccyyyy… I’m on the top step…” Lucy knew her door was closed but was still terribly afraid.

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Her heart was pounding; she knew if she stayed in bed she would not be safe. So she got up to investigate. She screamed!

17

Lucy’s parents found her body at the bottom of the stairs. They guessed she was on her way to the bathroom without switching on the hallway light and had fallen down the stairs breaking her neck.

18

Arabella, the favorite family doll, was found beside her body. She was……smiling.

The End …