Voodoo doll 563 words

‘My dear Haiti was amazing!’
Elaine stared at her sister who sat on the sofa describing the details of her latest luxury holiday. ‘The hotel had the most gorgeous gardens.’
They had once been so alike, thought Elaine, some had even mistaken them for twins, but Gloria had blossomed into a beauty while Elaine had become thinner and paler until she just sat on the sidelines and watched her sister’s glamorous lifestyle.
‘The people are so quaint. That reminds me, I have brought you this.’ Gloria delved into her bag and brought out a box. She handed it over.
Elaine stared at the lid, on which was written “Voodoo Doll Kit.”
‘I know,’ laughed Gloria. ‘Isn’t it a hoot! I found it in a market. I never know what to buy you, Elaine. You don’t drink and You never use the perfumes I bring back from the Duty Free – so there you are. I know you like needlework.’
Elaine thanked her. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘No, I must dash, I am meeting James for lunch.’ She rose to her feet, leaned over and kissed Elaine on the cheek. Then she was gone, leaving the scent of her perfume lingering in the tiny flat.
A Voodoo Doll Kit. Elaine stared, intrigued. The cardboard box was rough and when she went to open it she found a golden hair entangled. It must be one of Gloria’s hairs. Didn’t you need a hair for voodoo – or nail clippings or something?
She opened the box and was disappointed by the contents. There were just two pieces of material, cut out to the shape of a doll, it could be made very quickly. There was stuffing and what looked like an old fashioned hat pin.
Elaine sighed. She might as well make it, there was little else to do. She threaded a needle and picked up the material. It was strange stuff, almost leathery, and so thin she had to be careful not to tear it. The stuffing looked like straw but smelt odd, as if it had been mixed with herbs. Elaine disliked the doll but she stuffed it and as she did so she added the golden hair then finished the sewing.
An ugly thing it was The face had been painted and there was a painted cross over the heart. Elaine picked it up to throw it away and then stared more closely at the face. Hadn’t the eyes been painted shut? No she must have been mistaken for they were open now and staring at her.
A voice came into her head ‘Do it!’
She felt a chill, Was she going mad?
‘Do it, do it!’
The voice became more insistent. Was it the doll? Surely not! The painted mouth seemed to move. ‘Do it, Do it!’ Do what? The answer was clear, Elaine picked up the pin and stared at the painted cross.
‘Do it, do it, do it!’ Suddenly jealousy of her sister burst the dam in her mind and overwhelmed her in a great wave. She plunged the pin into the cross.
Immediately Elaine felt a crippling pain in her chest and heard a triumphant, cackling laugh. The doll’s mouth was open now, spread into a grin. The last thing Elaine thought before darkness overwhelmed her was that the hair in the doll was not Gloria’s but hers!