Memory-The Doll Maker
Category: Stories

"A doll is a timeless thing... In the shape of a human yet created perfect. Immortal, unmoving. Yet hollow and devoid of soul. Free of obscenity, vice, and vulgarity.  A perfect way to capture eternal beauty where there is none... Tell me... Would you like to be beautiful...?"
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Year- 1784 AD

Location- Great Britain

City-London during its "age of industry"

Memory type- Horror, Psychological, thriller, suspense, open

Memory Shard description- This fragmented shard appears to show the tragic descent into homicidal madness of one young man, with a harsh upbringing in the rat infested slums of London and the loss of his parents, this young man was raised by dogmatic, overly religious and abusive caretakers in an orphanage of ill repute. The only solice this young man found was in the doll he had saved from the fire. The only memento of his family left. Despite its singed hair and clothes, it's soot covered face and body, and it's burned, flaking porcelain, the doll was still far more beautiful then those around him.. And so, he began to craft dolls. As the years went by and the man left his childhood behind, this young man grew so skilled that the dolls he created appeared to be almost life like. Human like expressions and beautiful physics as well as life like skin and eyes... He was praised for this, as he could create dolls for those who'd lost their loved ones, or perhaps they wished to see themsleves in a more perfect way...? Whatever the case... The young man began to make a living selling his creations... But... No matter how much he worked. No matter how much his skills improved or how expensive the material... Something was never... Right. They were perfect to others... But to him? No... But why? Why couldn't he capture the essence of "humanity" in his dolls. How do you replicate humanity perfectly? He couldn't replicate the disgusting flaws. No... That would ruin the point... But.... No amount of porcelain or cloth or anything else would make it more human... That's when the young man looked at himself in the reflection of a cracked, stained and dusty mirror... he could faintly see his oldest, most precious doll. The survivor of the fire... And he could see himself... He wasn't perfect. No one in this twisted, selfish, disgusting world was.... How do you perfect humanity...? That's when an idea came to mind. Of course... It was so obvious!! To make the perfect doll, you need to capture the perfect moment in time. And what better material to make a human... Then a human itself! Humans have all the pieces... You just need to find a way to preserve them... Discard all the flaws, clean the skin, dress them properly... And you're left with something beautiful!!!  With this thought in mind... The young man walked towards the window of his doll shop... Looking upon the very same disgusting people that walked along those rat infested streets... Only now he didn't feel bile, or sickness or disgust... No... Now he saw potential in each and every face that passed by.... The porcelain could go to waste. He had a new material to hunt....