Carly's POV

I was at the kitchen table one night, doing some homework. I should have done it earlier, but I had been out with my best friends Kai, Emma, and Jordan. Now I know what you're thinking. It was not a double date. Kai and I were just friends. Emma and Jordan were a different story.

Emma, Jasmine, and Stacy had been trying to get me and Kai together for as long as I can remember. I didn't mind at first, but then they got Jordan and a bunch of other people in on it too.

I heard a knock on the door, and I glanced at the clock. It was 11:34. Who on earth was it? Maybe it was Emma.

I stood up and walked over to the front door, and then pulled it open. No one was there. The only thing out of the ordinary was a small wrapped box on the porch. I picked up the box, glanced around one last time, and then went back inside.

I put the box on the table and tore off the wrapping paper. I opened the cardboard box and glanced inside. There was an old fashioned wooden doll and a blank envelope. I pulled the doll out and held it up. It's mouth was made out of string and was made into a creepy smile, and the rest of the body was wood. It's arms, legs, and head were attached with golden hooks. It was wearing a black cloth tie. The doll was covered with dirt, burn marks, paint, and even something that looked disturbingly like blood.

I set the doll on the table and pulled out the envelope. It didn't say anything about who sent it or who it was for, so I opened it. This is what I read:

This gift is for you.
It will watch what you do.
The gift just loves to be given.
Do what it says while you're still livin'.
If you wait for just too long,
Your friends will find that you are gone.
You will find that your life has shifted.
You have now been gifted.

"Seems like someone's idea of a prank," I said, putting the card on the table next to the doll. I picked up the doll again and turned it over. It had an inscription on the back, as well as a piece of string. I read the inscription to see if it would give me any hints about who sent the doll.

Playing Pal

He's fun for kids of all ages!

Programmed with ten different games, he'll keep you entertained for hours! Just pull the string!

I put the doll back on the table. This doll looked like it had been through a war. It was probably like, a million years old. I wondered who had left it on my porch. Probably Stacy. She always loved a good prank. As if there was such thing as a doll that loved to be given to different people, and would kill you if you didn't play with it and give it away again. I put the doll and the envelope in the box, and then threw the box in the trash. I had enough problems without worrying about ugly dolls.

--- the next morning ---

When I opened my eyes, I was staring into the glassy black eyes of the creepy doll. I flinched, and then sat up and grabbed the doll. It was hanging by a string from the roof. I tossed the doll on the floor.

"Benjamin? Did you take that stupid wooden doll out of the trash? That's not funny!" I yelled. Benjamin was my little brother.

"I didn't do it!" Benjamin yelled from somewhere else in the house. I growled and went into my walk in closet, closing the door behind me. I wanted some privacy.

When I was done changing, I opened the door. The doll was sitting on my bed, staring at the door. I flinched again, and then grabbed it and stomped down the stairs. Benjamin was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of Cheerios. He was ten years old.

"Stop moving the doll around! It isn't funny!" I said.

"I didn't even touch it!" Benjamin promised.

"What doll?" My mom asked from the kitchen.

"Some old wooden doll called a Playing Pal," I said.

"I remember one of my friends had a Playing Pal. It seemed like half the neighborhood had one when I was a kid. But then the Playing Pal was placed on the dangerous toy list, and they burned any they could find," my mom said.

"Why was it placed on the dangerous toy list?" I asked while throwing the Playing Pal in the trash.

"I never found out. My parents wouldn't tell me. Maybe it gave kids splinters or something," my mom said. She looked over at me.

"Don't throw it in the trash! It's a relic!"  she said while pulling it out of the trash. I rolled my eyes and sat down. My mom pulled the string on the back.

"Let's play tag! The person who is It chases everyone else. As soon as someone is tagged, the game is over! I'm It," the doll said in a creepy voice. My mom shrugged and put the doll on the table.

"Then again, maybe it just wasn't very useful as a toy. What were the creators thinking? The doll couldn't chase anyone," she said. I shrugged and made myself some breakfast, and then went to the door.

"I'm going to the mall with my friends. See you later!" I said.

"Friends are fun to play with! They can play with us too!" The doll piped up in its creepy voice. We all looked at it.

"Must have some sort of voice recognizing chip in it. Be safe honey!" Mom said.

"I will!" I promised.