Robert the Doll

I do not want to use the word ugly but he is not a handsome doll.

Barely humanoid in features, his face is pockmarked as though ravaged by disease. The sailor's outfit is a size too large. Not even the dog sitting upon his lap encourages a grin from you.

The word that does come to mind is definitely creepy.

Robert the doll was a gift given to 4 year old Robert Eugene Otto by his family's Bahamian maid. Otto got quite attached to the doll and took it with him everywhere. His parents would overhear him having conversations with Robert and always assumed the voice responding was merely their child in a deeper voice.

As Otto grew, so did his attachment to the doll. And so did the unexplained phenomena. Broken silverware and furniture upturned were attributed to the doll by Otto.

"It was Robert." he would proclaim.

"It really was Robert." he would beseech his parents to trust him.

But surely not? 

When Otto got married, the doll was resigned to a locker in the attic at their home. But soon Otto told his wife that Robert was angry with the lack of a view and so placed him in the turret room which had windows. The only problem was that several children walking past the mansion swore they saw Robert the doll staring back at them from various windows during the day, even though there was noone else home at the time.

"The Artists House"

The turret room is visible on the top left side of the house

A plumber who was working in the turret room one day fled the house screaming. He would reveal to the public that he had seen and heard the doll giggling at him. Guests to the house always left uneasy, sure that the doll's expression kept changing during the course of their visits.

Otto's own behaviour grew more and more erratic as the days passed by, bursting into inexplicable fits of rage before suddenly calming down, unaware of what he had done. When asked by his wife why he behaved as such, he had but one response.

"It was Robert." he would proclaim.

"It really was Robert." he would beseech his wife to trust him.

But surely not?

Otto would get weaker and frailer as the years passed until finally one evening he locked himself in the turret room with his childhood doll, Robert. 

He was found dead the next morning beside the doll. With the death of her husband, Anne dared not stay a day longer and fled the house at the earliest. The new tenants that arrived had no clue of the doll's infamous history as they entered the house. It did not take them long.

There was the sound of giggling at night.

The doll's expression changed every day.

The doll changed positions, often found in various other rooms of the house.

Once more banished to the attic, the nights would bring forth the sound of footsteps from the attic that terrified the new tenants.

Tiny footsteps.

From tiny shoes.

Till the day he was finally sent away from the house and to the place where Robert the doll still resides today.

Do you feel creeped out by this story? You should.

There is a reason the 111 year old Robert - and there is indeed a real Robert the doll - is kept in a glass cage in a museum in Florida. It is so that there can no longer be the sound of footsteps from tiny shoes. It is so that Robert would finally stop haunting everyone around him.

While there is a separate movie 'Robert' based on this doll, the 90's generation knows all too well the movie series inspired by this real life story of a possessed doll - Child's Play.

Oh, and those letters you see on the wall around his glass home? Those are apology letters from people who took his photo when at the museum and have had bad luck.

Authors note:

This is my anecdote for the theme "Tiny Shoes" for the blogger challenge Blog-A-Thon by Blog-A-Rhythm. You can read other entries for this theme by fellow bloggers here.

During this 7 day challenge, I have written on:

Day 1 - The Curious Case of the Dog that Barked (Religion)

Day 2 - You Never Know where your Journey in Life Will Take you (Inspiration/Movies)

Day 3 - Heimlich Maneuver - for all scenarios (Medical) 

Day 4 - Caught Red Handed - Doggone it! (Dog years)

Day 5 - Robert the Doll (Horror/ Real life)

Day 6 - The Saviour (Short Fiction) 

Day 7 - Recipe - Easy Eggless Chocolate Cake (Food)