Five Nights at Freddy's: The Silver Eyes(19)

“That’s not other people’s memories, though,” Lamar said, “that’s subconscious cues, stuff we don’t realize we’re noticing, that tells us we should feel some way. Peeling paint, old-fashioned furniture, lace curtains, details that tell us to be nostalgic, mostly things we pick up from movies, probably. I got lost at a carnival when I was four; I never got so scared in my life, but I don’t think anybody’s feeling suddenly desperate for their mom when they pass that Ferris wheel.

“Maybe they are,” Marla said. “I don’t know, sometimes I have little moments where it’s like there’s something I forgot, something I regret, or that I’m happy about, or something that makes me want to cry, but it’s only there for a split second, then it’s gone. Maybe we’re all shedding our fear and regret and hope everywhere we go, and catching up traces of people we’ve never met. Maybe it’s everywhere.”

“How is that different from believing in ghosts?” Lamar said.

“It’s totally different,” Marla said. “It’s not supernatural, and it’s not, like, the souls of dead people, it’s just… people leaving their mark on the world.”

“So it’s the ghosts of living people?” Lamar said.

“No.”

“You’re talking about people having some kind of essence that can hang around a specific place after the person is gone,” Lamar said. “That’s a ghost.”

“No, it’s not! I’m not saying it right,” Marla said. She closed her eyes for a minute, thinking. “Okay,” she said at last. “Do you all remember my grandmother?”

“I do,” said Jason. “She was my grandmother, too.”

“She was my dad’s mom, not yours,” Marla said. “Anyway, you were only a year old when she died.”

“I do remember her,” Jason said quietly.

“Okay,” Marla said. “So, she collected dolls, from the time she was a kid. She and my grandfather used to travel a lot after he retired, and she’d bring them back from all over the world—she had them from France, Egypt, Italy, Brazil, China, everywhere. She kept them in their own special room, and it was full of them, shelves and shelves of dolls, some tiny and some almost as big as I was. I loved it; one of my earliest memories is playing in that room, with the dolls. I remember my dad would always warn me to be careful, and my grandmother would laugh, and say ‘toys should be played with.’

“I had a favorite, a 21-inch red-haired doll in a short, shiny white dress like Shirley Temple; I called her Maggie. She was from the 1940s, and I loved her; I told her everything, and when I was lonely I would imagine myself in that room, playing with Maggie. My grandmother died when I was six, and when my dad and I went to see my grandfather after the funeral, he told me I should pick a doll to keep from the collection. I went to the room to get Maggie, and as soon as I walked through the door, something was wrong.

“It was as though the light had changed, become darker, harsher than it used to be. I looked around, and the lively, playful poses of the dolls now seemed unnatural, disjointed. It was as though all of them were staring at me. I didn’t know what they wanted. Maggie was in the corner, and I took a step toward her, then stopped. I met her eyes, and instead of painted glass I saw a stranger. I turned and ran. I raced down the hall as though something might be chasing me, not daring to look back until I reached my father’s side. He asked if I had picked a doll, and I just shook my head. I never went back in that room.”

Everyone was silent. Charlie was transfixed, still seeing little Marla running for her life.

“What happened to the dolls?” Carlton said, only half-breaking the spell.

“I don’t know, I think my mom sold them to another collector when my grandfather died,” Marla said.

“Sorry, Marla,” Lamar said, “It’s still just tricks of the mind. You missed your grandmother, you were frightened of death, and dolls are inherently freaky.”

Charlie broke in, wanting to head off the argument:

“Is everybody done eating?” She said. “We have to go soon.”

“We still have plenty of time,” Carlton looked down at his watch, “it’s like five minutes away.” Something else fell out of his mouth landing next to the first dropped bit of food.

John looked around the table, from person to person, as though he were waiting for something.

“We have to tell them,” he said, looking at Charlie.

“Oh, yeah, we totally do!” Jessica said.

“Tell us what?” Jason piped up, peeking over the back of Marla’s seat.

“Shh,” Marla said halfheartedly. She was looking at John. “Tell us what?”

John dropped his voice, forcing everyone to lean in closer. Charlie did it too, eager to hear, even though she knew exactly what he was going to say.

“We went to Freddy’s last night,” he said.

“Freddy’s is still there?” Marla exclaimed, too loud.

“Shhh!” Jessica said, making frantic hand movements.

“Sorry,” Marla whispered. “I just can’t believe it’s still there.”

“It’s not,” Carlton said, raising his eyebrows and grinning enigmatically at Lamar.