# The Dollmaker's Apprentice A young woman named Lily took a job as an apprentice to a mysterious dollmaker. The dollmaker's shop was filled with strange and beautiful dolls, each one seeming to have a life of its own.
As Lily worked alongside the dollmaker, she began to notice that the dolls were changing. Their eyes seemed to be watching her, and their smiles seemed to be growing wider.
The dollmaker told Lily that she was special, that she had a gift for creating life. But as Lily worked on her latest project, a beautiful porcelain doll, she began to feel a creeping sense of dread.
The doll seemed to be taking shape on its own, its eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. Lily tried to stop working on the doll, but the dollmaker's grip on her wrist was like a vice.
"You must finish the doll," the dollmaker whispered, his voice low and menacing. "You must bring it to life."
As Lily finished the doll, she felt a surge of energy run through her body. The doll's eyes flashed open, and it spoke in a voice that was both familiar and yet completely alien.
"Mama," the doll said, its voice dripping with malice. "I'm home."
Lily tried to scream, but her voice was frozen in her throat. The dollmaker's grip on her wrist tightened, and she felt herself being pulled into a world of madness and terror.
THE DOLLMAKE'S APPRENTICE