OK. My previously mentioned Charles like dream is still stuck in my head so maybe I do need to share it so that it will GO AWAY. Believe it or not, this is the quick version because there was so much uncanny detail. I could never do it justice without writing a whole shorty story instead of a post. As it is, it will be a long post for a web board.

I'm eating dinner at a table full of friends and family in a mini home. It feels very familiar although the owner and host is an older lady whom I do not recognize. Because there are so many of us, my chair is backed up against a bookshelf on which sits a large doll in a dress. It's almost at eye level with me and I can't help but keep turning my head to look at it. Of course, it has those glassy doll eyes that seem to stare at you no matter where you move your head. A few times during dinner, I jokingly exclaim that "OK, this doll is freaking me out.

Suddenly I feel very tense and I look at the doll. I could swear that it's head position has moved so that it now stares directly at me. I pass it off as my imagination but I can't help but look at it again. This time, I'm saying to myself, 'if this were a movie, it would probably start talking to me.' as if on cue, it then whispers something almost unintelligable. It sounds like "I'll help you."

Again, I try to pass it off. After all, I was just thinking about a scary movie scene, so of course I might imagine something....

I go back to eating my dinner, trying not to look at the doll as I'm now paranoid that people have probibly noticed how I keep looking nerveously up at it. Then, I feel a tap on my arm. I freeze as I realize that the only possible thing it could be, is that this doll just kicked me. I look around the table and no one was in a position to reach back and grab the dolls leg as a joke. Not even if I wasn't looking. It HAD TO BE the doll.

Without looking back at the doll, I exuse myself and slide out from behind the table to exit quickly to living room. To do this, I have to leave my back exposed to the doll but I'm determined not to let anyone know why I'm leaving. As I feared, I feel another tap, harder this time, right on my spine. I almost stumble ever the person in my way but I finally get to the living room.

Some guys I know but can't recall are already in the room. I end up sitting on the floor with my back leaning against the couch. I hear tiny footsteps. The doll walks around the corner and looks at us with it's hand outstretched and holding a desert of some kind. It walks up to me and says "Take this 'desert'. I stole it from the table."

Her face is still very doll like but somehow her face is also very natural and detailed. I notice this because my mind is racing with thooughts like, "If this were some kind of remote control prank, her face would be mechanical. Her face was smiling and talking with every bit of detail imaginable. Even though it still had doll like qualities, I have to admit to myself, "It's real!"

I refuse the desert but even in the dream I can't remember exactly what I said. I'm worried whatever I might have said will anger her. Instead she smiles sweetly and leaves the room.

Somehow, despite the room being in obvious shock, nobody panics amd nobody had left the room. No one says a word. Dinner conversation continues out in the kitchen as if nobody notices or like nobody cares that a doll is walking amongst us and even talking.

Very shortly, she returns. In her outstretched hands is a twenty dollar bill. She walks over to a friend sitting on a couch on the other side of the room. I can't see her face this time but I can hear her say, "Sarah didn't even see me take this out of her purse. You can have it. She will never know."

My friend is frozen in fear. I get this deep feeling of foreboding that there is more to this little dolls intentions than just sharing the spoils of her kleptomania. I get this feeling of immense dread that she is trying to get us to join her in this sin. It is a test and somehow if we accept her stolen item we will be doomed forever in some dark and terrible way along with her.

My friend looks at me and I try to shake my head without catching the dolls eye. He manages to get out a feint, "No. No thank you." and lifts his legs up onto the couch. It's rather an emasculating gesure but I can hardly blame him as I await to see the dolls reaction.

This time her face turns to a very disconcerting scowl and she storms out of the room like a little girl who had her toy taken away.

While she is gone I try to warn people that i think something very bad will happen if we take anything stolen but she comes back before I can get my point across. Again, everyone goes silent.

This time, she tries her luck with another one of my friends in the room. She approaches where he sits on the lower mantle of the gas fireplace and it is obvious that being down at her level was causing him even more discomfort. I know I felt the same vunerable way when she approached me sitting on the floor and her face was almost eye to eye.

She is holding a Werther's Original candy. "Please let me be nice and give you something. I didn't steal this. I promise!. It came from a bowl. Anyone can have one. I know stealing bothers you and I really want to give you something nice so I didn't steal this."

I could sense that my friend was torn between the fear of accepting her gift and the fear of what will happen if we continue to refuse her offerings. In fact, I think I even see him take a quick nerveous glance over at the cast iron poker sitting in a rack beside him.

Almost as if our minds were connected, I could feel him reasoning out a plan in his head that he thought would be a safe middle ground. Try to beat her at her own game, so to speak.

He reaches out and takes the candy from the doll who is staring at him with a very serious look on her face. He says "OK but you do know that if I beleive that you didn't steal this candy, then I'm not really knowingly taking something stolen.... so I'm OK."

He begins to unwrap the candy and I have to give him credit. His hands are not even shaking. The doll is smiling in a sweet little girl smile as he moves his hand up to place the candy in his mouth. My sense of fear and dread is building to nearly unbearable levels but I don't know what else to do. Somehow it seems too risky to shout "Stop!! Don't do it."

It seems to take forever but finally he places the candy in his mouth. He smiles bravely at the doll as if to say. "See, nothing terrible has happened."

The smile on the dolls face is beaming. She places her hands on her hips and says, "Yes, but did you truly beleive me?"

{Panic... wake... lie perfectly motionless for I'm not sure how long... remember to breath... force myself to roll over...nope, nothing there, just my empty room.}

With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.