The Doll

By Aldric

The Doll

“What an odd girl,” Bray thought to himself. She appeared to be a couple of years younger than his age of thirteen, but she had long brown hair that hung in a tumble over her ears and looked like it hadn’t been washed in weeks. She had a long, distinctive nose, and was dressed in a flowery jumpsuit that would look okay on a five-year-old, but not on her. And she was playing with a doll.

Bray had just moved in to a town that had an odd name— Eerie. When his parents told him they were moving there he pictured it as being somewhere along the Great Lake. But they were hundreds of miles south of Lake Erie, in a town with a similar sounding name.

It was a small town, and after they passed the sign at the city limits Bray stared out the windows, hoping to see a mall or cluster of stores or anything that looked like where he had left. But all he saw were small houses, churches, and an imposing school with the sign out front that identified it as Eerie Junior High and High School. The school looked like it had been built during the civil war. It was red brick, three stories high, with vines growing up several of the walls. There was nothing that made it look welcoming at all.

His first day in their new house was spent unpacking the boxes in his room. There was no internet and he hoped his parents would get cable or something soon. His cell phone also had no connection. It was as if he’d moved back fifty years into the past.

The next day he was free to roam around the town and see if he could make a friend or two before he started school the next day. He wasn’t looking forward to it. Meeting people was not one of his strong suits. He preferred to be in the background, and even where he’d moved from he hadn’t really had any true friends. There were kids he hung out with, sure, but he didn’t have sleepovers, nor was he interested in scouting or sports. Few kids came to his birthday parties, and he didn’t get invited to other kids’ parties as often as the kids he hung out with. But while he was fine with that, he didn’t want to start school not knowing anyone.

He followed the street he lived on heading towards the main road. He’d nearly reached there when he saw the odd girl with the doll.

“I wouldn’t stare at the moon girl,” a boy said from behind him. “She doesn’t like people looking at her.”

Bray turned and saw a boy who appeared to be about his age. The boy was shirtless, and tanned, with thick, dark hair that came down to his ears. His hands and arms were dirty, as were the knees in his pants. Even though the temperature was close to ninety he had long pants on.

“You’re new,” the boy said. “I’m Fletcher West.” He held out his hand and then looked at it and wiped it off on his pants. “Sorry, been pulling weeds from the garden.”

“I’m Braylon Adams, but please don’t call me that. Bray is bad enough. We just moved in and I’m glad to meet someone my age. I’m thirteen and four months. What did you say her name is? Moon?”

“Her name is Luna, but she’s batty and everyone calls her Moon Girl. But not to her face. She’s got the gift.”

“Uh, the gift? What’s that?”

“It’s just what she’s got. Word is she controls things around here. You can believe that or not, but either way I’d stay away from her if I were you. Aw shit, here she comes.”

Bray turned to look and didn’t notice Fletcher run off behind him. “Hello,” he said. “I’m Bray.” He held out his hand.

As she approached, Bray saw that under the dirt on her face she was actually kind of nice looking. She walked up and took his hand in a firm grip. She then grabbed his wrist and with her other hand she opened his hand and traced his palm. He tried to pull back but her grip was too strong. Much stronger than he’d have expected from a girl younger than him.

“You’re an outsider. You shouldn’t have come here. But it’s nice to have someone new to play with. The other boys are getting boring. We’ll play. Fun things. Fun to me, and sometimes to others who see them, but not to the boy I’ve taken.” She let go of his wrist and reached up and pulled some hair out of his head with one hand and a button off his shirt with the other before turning away and walking back to where she had left the doll he’d seen her with earlier.

“Oww,” Bray said as he rubbed his head where she’d pulled out some of his hair. He turned back to discover that Fletcher was no longer in sight. “This is the strangest place I’ve ever been to,” he said to himself as he rubbed the sore spot on his scalp.

He turned back to Luna, the moon girl, who had picked the doll up again and was busy taking the clothes off of it. “Aren’t you a little old for dolls?” He asked in a sarcastic voice.

“Aren’t you a little stupid even for a boy?” she responded. “You stay away from me. There is something about you that is different. You might even be dangerous. But right now you’re just a boy and I have a way to take care of dangerous boys.”

“Yeah, you bet I’m dangerous,” he said. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“You should be. You will be,” she said as she removed the last article of clothing from the doll. Bray was a little surprised to see the doll was an anatomically correct boy doll. He turned away shaking his head and thinking this place just kept getting stranger by the minute.

He continued walking to the main street into town. He was almost to the intersection where a totally naked boy ran past him. The boy’s dick was swaying back and forth as he ran and it was about the same size as his own. “This place is way past strange and all the way to totally crazy,” he said, this time out loud. He turned around and went back to his new house.

His parents were busy unpacking and putting stuff away. They both greeted him, and his mom asked if he’d made any friends. He told her about Fletcher West and mentioned Luna. He decided not to mention the naked boy.

“That’s good,” was all his mother said. “We’ll stop and have dinner soon. Your dad starts work tomorrow.” She turned back to the box she was working on and removed the wrapping paper from the glasses it contained and started to put them in the cabinet.

One of his friends back in his old town once remarked that his parents seemed distant. But he’d never noticed it. It had always been that way as far back as he remembered. There had been some kind of an accident when he was around 8 years old. He couldn’t remember any details, nor could he recall anything that happened before then. But it never really bothered him. It was just the three of them, no brothers or sisters, so he didn’t have to share toys or even a bathroom with anyone. And that was just fine with him.

The next day his mother drove him to the school so she could get him enrolled. He found out that the scary-looking building he had seen as they drove in was the high school, the junior high was a slightly newer looking two story building behind it. He was given a schedule of classes and a locker assignment, and while his mom completed the paperwork another student was summoned to show him to his first class.

“I’m Finn,” the boy said. He seemed pleased and a little familiar to him, but Bray couldn’t figure out why. “We’re both in seventh grade. That means were at the bottom of the pecking order, but don’t worry, it isn’t too bad. Just don’t use the bathrooms on the first floor, they belong to the ninth graders.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’m Bray.”

“Like a donkey?”

“Huh? What made you ask that?”

“That’s the sound a donkey makes,” Finn said. “They bray. Sorry, it was a joke. But not funny I guess.”

“I never heard that before,” Bray said. “My full name is Braylon, Braylon Adams. I’m named after my grandfather. But I don’t like Braylon, so call me Bray.”

“You meet anyone else yet?”

“Yeah, yesterday I met Fletcher West and a strange girl named Luna.”

Finn stopped and turned and faced him. “Fletch is okay, he’s in our grade too. But stay away from the moon girl. And don’t say bad things about her or she might find out and then she’d be after you.”

“After me for what?”

“Just don’t. Trust me, I know. And don’t let her take any of your hair or parts of clothes you’re wearing.” He saw the look on Bray’s face but misread it. “I know that sounds weird, but trust me, I know better than anyone recently. She’s someone to avoid.”

“But why would she steal your hair or parts of clothing?” Bray asked.

“I’ve said too much already. She only released me yesterday. Just take my word for it and stay as far from her as you can and never call her strange or any other name she may not like.” Finn’s face had turned red and he turned back down the hallway. “Come on, English class is just ahead. Room 217. Ms. Witchen. And she doesn’t tolerate late.”

It turned out that between Finn and Fletcher they were in the same classes as Bray so he had no trouble finding them. His last class was gym, and he, Finn, and Fletcher were together for that class.

“It’s your first day so Mr. Larkin won’t expect you to have gym clothes yet, but next time you need to have shorts, a jock strap, white tee shirt, and white socks. You can get them all at Larders Clothing Store on Main Street.

“Maybe after all the running you did yesterday Mr. Larkin won’t make you run today,” Fletcher said to Finn.

“Shut up!” Finn said. His face was bright red again. “Just shut up about that.”

Fletcher laughed, but he refused to answer Bray’s question. And then Bray suddenly realized the answer. “That was you I passed on Main Street yesterday, wasn’t it? You were naked.”

“You shut up about it too. I don’t want to talk about it.”

To himself Bray said, “Another day, and more madness.”

Late that night Bray woke up from a dream. At least he thought it was a dream. Someone was in his room and they were jacking him off. His arms wouldn’t move, but he could feel someone’s hand rubbing his dick until he shot. A few moments later he realized he could move his hands so he pulled the sheet back and saw his pajama top was covered in cum.

“Goddamn wet dream,” he said. He took the top off and washed it a bit in the sink in his bathroom, and then peed. By morning he hoped the top would be dry and his mom wouldn’t know. But he could swear his hands had never touched his dick, yet somehow a hand had been stroking it. He looked at the clock as he got back in bed. Twelve minutes past midnight. It must have happened right at midnight. Suddenly, he didn’t feel good about the dark. He turned his computer on and let the light from the monitor light up the room. Feeling foolish for wanting a night light, he left it on anyway. Just in case.

He was tempted to tell Fletcher or Finn about it, but it was kind of embarrassing to admit to having a wet dream. Especially to the only two kids he really knew. So he didn’t say a word, even though every time one of them made a joke about anything involving sex or dicks he blushed.

“Today we have biology last period instead of gym,” Fletcher said. “Mrs. Wheeling. She’s in her eighty’s I think. Anyway, she’s mostly blind and deaf so you can sleep if you want. It’ll be all just boys. Girls get biology in a different period.

Finn started laughing. “You said period. Like Mrs. Wheeling talked about. You know, girls and their periods.”

Fletcher punched him in the shoulder. “You’re weird. But funny.”

Bray didn’t know if she was eighty or not, but she was old. And the topic for the day was something near and dear to Bray: Nocturnal emissions. He didn’t even know what she was talking about until Finn leaned over and said, “Wet dreams. Something she’ll never cause me to have.”

About half way through class Bray could feel himself starting to doze off. He closed his eyes, just for a second. He thought he heard the sound a zipper makes, but he was too drowsy to check it out. Then he realized that someone was touching him. Touching him through his briefs. He forced his eyes to open.

He couldn’t move his hands or legs. His dick was pulled out through the front of his briefs. He could clearly feel the unseen hand that pulled it free. The hand was smaller than his own. And he was getting a boner. He turned his head and saw Fletcher staring at him. No, not at him, at his dick. A boy on the other side was also watching.

He wanted to move, or to speak, but he couldn’t. He was being brought right to the brink. He tried to fight it, but it was like swimming up a waterfall. The hand felt so warm and soft. He felt his balls move and his back arch and he knew what was going to happen next.

“Oh, oh, ahhh,” he said out loud, causing a couple of more boys to look. Then once, twice, three times, and finally a fourth time a blob of thin white cum shot out of his dick and landed on his shirt. The hand that he could feel but not see kept stroking, getting every last drop out. The final burst ran down his dick and into his underpants. And then he was released.

He put his dick away as fast as he could as Mrs. Wheeling turned from the board and asked, “Are you alright Braylon?”

The boys who had witnessed it laughed. “Uh, yeah Mrs. Wheeling, I’m fine.” He looked up and saw her coming down the aisle. He brought his zipper up as fast as he could, but there was nothing he could do about the globs of pearl jam on his shirt and the smell of it.

She was just two chairs away when Fletcher raised his hand and asked, “Mrs. Wheeler, I’m really confused about that last part. What causes these emissions?”

She stopped and looked at him. “Were you paying attention?”

“Uh, no ma’am, I guess not. I’m sorry. I’ll pay attention now.”

“Okay.” She turned around and went back to the board and repeated the part that Fletcher had asked about.

While she taught, Bray used his hanky to wipe as much of the cum off his shirt as he could. He could feel his ears burning, knowing that several boys had just watched him have what must have looked like a wet dream right in class.

“You got balls doing that in class,” Fletcher said as they left the room. “I could see them. Your balls. Right under your boner. That was wicked. Were you really dreaming or did you just want to show off?”

Bray was suddenly the hero of the moment, only most of the boys were making jokes about the boy who jacked off in front of Mrs. Wheeler. Only Finn stayed quiet.

When they got away from the other boys, who were eager to tell their friends (including some girls) what had happened, Finn said softly, “She got you. The moon girl got some of your hair and a part of your clothes, didn’t she.”

“I, uh, I don’t know what happened. I think I just fell asleep. I mean, last night I didn’t sleep well…”

“You were awake, but you couldn’t move, could you. You could feel her hand on your dick. I know that feeling. You did something to piss her off. That’s why she released me. She can only control one boy at a time. She only has just the one doll.”

“I, uh, what are you talking about? The moon girl didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“Stop lying to me, save it for the boys who don’t know. I know. And I know this is just the beginning. She unzips the pants on that doll and your pants unzip. She rubs the dick on that doll and you feel it on yours. She does it. And it will get worse. All I can say is thanks for taking my place. And I’ll tell you something you don’t know—we all saw your hand petting the pooch. Even me, and I knew it wasn’t your hand. That’s what we saw. If you want to talk about it, don’t lie to me.” Finn turned and started up the path to his house.

“Wait,” Bray said. “I’m sorry, I thought you were making fun of me. Actually, I knew you weren’t. But it’s hard to talk about. I mean, she jacked me off in front of everyone.”

“Not everyone. Just a couple of guys saw it. I did it on the school bus on a field trip. And I stripped completely naked in the park and swung on the monkey bars when there were about ten girls around. She will keep doing stuff to you until someone else catches her attention. I thought it was going to be Fletcher who would replace me, but she chose you.”

“She held my hand, traced my palm and she said I was dangerous,” Bray said. “All I did was call her ‘strange.’ And she certainly is that.”

“Don’t say that out loud. Don’t even think it. For all I know she can read your mind. She knew who was around me and where I was. And she’ll jack you off every night. I thought they were wet dreams the first couple of times, but they aren’t. It’s her. I guess she gets off on it.”

“How do I make it stop?”

“I don’t know. Get someone else to call her names or make her angry. But everyone here believes she has magical powers and we are all careful around her. Other than that, I can’t help you much. Someday when you find yourself naked outside, you can come to my house. My sisters all know the truth. They’ll laugh at you, but they’ll get me and I’ll get you clothes. That day you saw me naked? That was her.”

“If she has that kind of power, how can I be dangerous to her?”

“I don’t know. She never said anything like that about me. She just told me I’d be sorry. And she was right about that – I sure was. At some point she gets bored and lets a boy go. I remember the one before me, but after a short while he forgot about it. I hope I do too, the things I did were too embarrassing. But others think that I was doing it, just like they thought you jacked off in class today. In their mind, they saw your hand stroking your dick. You and I know the truth. And I don’t know how to help you. If you think of a way, I’ll hear your plan. But I won’t help. I won’t put myself in that position again, not for you or anyone else. Sorry, but you’re on your own. And I think that soon even I will forget that before you it was me. The boy before me doesn’t remember it even happening.”

“But I could end up in jail—be called a sex offender. There has to be a way.”

“You know, no matter what she did to me, no matter where, nobody ever told an adult and no adults were ever around. Or if one was, they didn’t do anything. I don’t think it was Fletcher’s idea to stop her from seeing you, I think that’s the way she controls it. I had several close calls where I should have been arrested or my parents ground me or something, but I always escaped detection by an adult at the last minute. And none of the kids who see you will ever tell an adult. So you do have a lot to worry about, but getting arrested isn’t something that should concern you.”

Finn had reached his house. “Like I say, for as long as I remember, and my sisters remember, you can seek sanctuary here. Even if my parents are home, they won’t see you. They will have slipped out to go to the store, or the phone will ring. Each time it was something like that for me. Good luck. I hope you find a way to break it. I was her boy for four months and if you hadn’t come around I’m sure I still would be. It was nice to sleep through the night last night without her jacking me off at midnight. Just wait until it happens on a sleepover or a camping trip. I wish I had more, but that’s all I know.” He opened the door and went inside and Bray made his way to his own house.

That night Bray decided to leave his pajama top off so it wouldn’t get sprayed again. His bare chest would be easier to clean. He tried to stay awake, but he couldn’t.

He woke up cold and wet, remembering the dream. He’d gotten out of bed, removed his pajama bottoms, and went outside naked. He went to the old run-down house at the end of the un-named lane that branched off a half-mile past his house. Even though he had never been on this lane before, he knew exactly where he was going.

An old house, barely more than a shack. It was dark, and he walked up to it and around to the side. He walked up to a certain window on the house and while the moon girl watched from inside, he jacked off for her. The dream ended when he shot.

Only it wasn’t a dream. He had just woken up naked, outside, and not sure where he was. He could see the sky starting to get light to the east so he knew it was very early morning. And now he remembered seeing her hand on the doll’s dick. The doll’s dick grew as she rubbed it, and so did his. His hand had never touched his dick; but as she stroked the doll, he could feel a hand on his own dick. And when the feeling came over him, he pasted his seed against the side of her house right below her window. Most of all, he remembered the leering smile she had the entire time he stood there. After that he remembered nothing until he woke up on dew-soaked grass.

He found a path through the grass made by his bare feet and followed the trail until he reached the main road. He wasn’t far from his own street. He wondered if Finn had been incredibly lucky or if he was protected, and he couldn’t decide so when he heard a car or truck coming he hid in the ditch.

It was light and the birds were singing when he got home. The front door was locked, but the back door wasn’t. However, the kitchen light was on and he could smell coffee so he knew his dad was up. He peeked in the window and saw his dad in the kitchen filling his cup.

He considered testing to see if he was protected by just walking in, but if he wasn’t, he didn’t want to try to explain to his dad what he was doing outside completely naked. He was just about to find somewhere to hide when he saw his dad pick up the coffee he had poured and move to the front of the house. A few seconds later he heard the front door open and then close.

He went in the back door and crept to the living room. His dad was standing on the front porch staring down the road. The road that he had walked naked along just minutes ago. He ran to his bedroom and grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower. But he knew that his shame was not going to be cleansed by soap and water.

He was telling Finn about it as they headed to school, until Fletcher joined them. He knew Finn couldn’t help him, but it felt good to talk to someone who understood. As they walked up the steps to the school’s entrance, Bray saw her sitting under a group of trees by the side of the building.

“Does the moon girl go to school?” he asked.

“Naw, she’s dumb,” Fletcher said.

“You should be careful what you say about her,” Finn said. “You know to stay clear of her.”

“And that’s why I don’t have to worry about telling the truth,” Fletcher said. “I hear she lives in a little shack somewhere. The only learning she gets comes from what other people tell her. She don’t go to no school.”

“I’d think the same of you from the way you talk,” Finn said with a smile.

“Hey, Fletcher, introduce me to the new kid,” a girl said to them as they entered the front doors.

“Sure. This here is the famous Braylon Adams. And this is Remi Jones.”

“Please, call me Bray, not Braylon. And it’s nice to meet you.”

“I hear you put on quite a show for the boys in biology yesterday. Anything planned for any classes today? Maybe one that I’m in?”

Bray could feel the heat rising in his ears. “Uh, I think what you heard may have stretched the truth a bit,” he said.

“Bull crap!” Fletcher said. Weren’t no lies you heard. The only stretching was what he was doing to his cock and he stretched it ‘bout as far as it would go. Right proud of it he was. Made quite a mess on his shirt though. Shows he’s a man now, not some boy streaker like Finn here.”

“I uh, got to get to my locker and then to class,” Bray said. “Nice to meet you though. Maybe later.” He hurried away, but behind him, he could still hear Fletcher describing what he’d done.

He got through the day with less teasing than he thought he might and when the last period came he followed Fletcher and Finn to the locker room for gym. His mom had gotten the gym uniform clothes he needed the night before and he tried not to look at the other boys as they put on their jock strap but he’d never worn one and didn’t know how. Once he saw how it went on it was simple and he dressed quickly.

After gym, he felt awkward undressing and heading to a group shower with fifteen other boys, but like the uniform, the shower was mandatory. He washed as fast as he could and was about to leave the shower room when the noise around him faded away and soon he could hear birds and insects. He felt cool grass under him and the hot sun overhead. He opened his eyes. The tops of trees were above him. He sat up suddenly as he heard a school bell ring and moments later a crowd of kids poured out the front doors. He realized he was sitting under the trees on the side of the building, right where the moon girl had been that morning. And then he realized he was still wet from the shower room. And very naked.

Finn came running towards him with a bag. Right behind him was Fletcher and several girls, including Remi Jones.

“Damn Bray, you sure have some balls. Walking down the hall to meet us out here like you didn’t have a care in the world. Aren’t you embarrassed to have the whole school seeing you naked?”

Bray didn’t wait for Finn to get to him. He turned and ran as fast as he could towards home, tears streaming down his face. Luckily for him, as he got to the house he saw his mom’s car was gone so he wouldn’t have to explain why he came home naked. And then he remembered it wasn’t luck she was gone. No adult was going to catch him. He couldn’t be saved by being arrested and sent away. And he knew then that he had to find a way to end it.

He was just pulling on some clothes when he heard a quick knock at the back door and then the screen door opening. He went to the kitchen just as Finn and Fletcher came in followed by Remi.

“Hey, why’d you run off?” Finn asked. “You said you wanted to show Remi how brave you were, but then you ran off.”

“I didn’t say any such thing,” Bray said. “I was naked! Outside the school naked.”

“Yeah, that was your plan. But when we came running up so that Remi could get a good look you took off.”

“Finn, I never said I’d do that. It was her.”

“Remi? All she did was ask if you were going to put on a show for her. And you sure did. Well, almost did.”

“No, not Remi, her—the moon girl. She made me do it. Remember? Just like happened with you.”

“Hey, I went streaking, but not in front of the school. And it was a dare anyway. You just wanted to show everyone what you were made of. What does the moon girl have to do with it?”

Bray tried a few more times and then he brought Finn back to his bedroom where they could talk in private, but Finn refused to admit to having anything to do with the moon girl and didn’t know what he was talking about. Bray had to accept that his only confident had lost the memory of all that he had gone through at the hands of Luna the moon girl.

“Come on, you can still show Remi how brave you are. Maybe it was just the number of kids, I get that. But now it’s just me and Fletcher and her. Take those off and show her what she missed. Just like you promised.”

He couldn’t believe that they expected him to just walk out there naked like it was the most natural thing in the world. He was about to get angry with Finn but the next thing he knew his chest was covered in cum and he was naked on his couch with Remi staring at him.

“Man, you sure make a mess,” Fletcher said. “Remi, that’s what you missed in biology. And can you believe he’s cool enough to show you?”

“I hoped he would, I just wish he’d do more for other girls too. It’s been too long since we’ve had new blood around, especially someone as proud of their body as he is. You two were great, but not like him.”

“What are you talking about?” Fletcher said. “I ain’t never done nothing like that, least not in public.”

“You did, you just don’t remember it. And someday, Bray will forget it too. But the girls remember. So, thanks Bray. You are really good to look at.” Remi turned and left.

“I don’t know what the hell got into her,” Fletcher said. “I never done nothing like you’ve done. And I sure as hell would remember it if I did.”

Ignoring his nakedness, Bray ran out after her. “Remi, wait. You said Fletcher has done stuff like this too. How long ago?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” she said. “Time works differently here. Some of the boys age along with the girls, but others, the special ones, they don’t age at all. They just get recycled. We don’t get much new blood around here. So when we do it’s special. Finn and Fletcher are recycle boys. I’ve seen both of them get taken since I was old enough to watch. Every class gets to see them, going back as far as when my mom was my age. I think there are twelve recycle boys in all. Fletcher is the oldest, most get released and start to age normally after a time, but Luna seems to like him. That’s why he talks like he’s from the early 1900’s. Finn is the newest and has a better education. Until you came, it was only his third time being taken. Don’t worry, as embarrassing as it is, you’ll forget it shortly after you’ve been released. The last time we had new blood here was Wade McCullin, but he was only around for just for a few days and most of the girls have forgotten him.”

“Anyway, thanks for the private show. I know I’ll be seeing more of you; I’ve heard that new boys last the longest before they have to be recycled. But I’ve got to get home now. Bye.”

Bray hadn’t heard the name Wade McCullin before, but he knew he had to meet him. He ran back inside and dressed just as his mom’s car was pulling in the drive and he knew again it was more than luck that he wasn’t still standing outside naked talking to Remi.

“I don’t know no boy named Wade or anyone named McCullin,” Fletcher said when Bray asked him.

“Me neither, but isn’t there an old mail box along Cross Avenue with the name McCullin?”

Bray knew where his next journey was going to be. But it would have to wait until after dinner.

He found the mailbox easily enough and was surprised to see fresh tire tracks in the dirt driveway. He followed them until he could see a trailer house set on blocks and a boy who looked to be about the same age as him sitting on a swing reading a book.

“You Wade McCullin?” he asked as he got close. He saw a middle-aged woman come to the front window of the mobile house.

“What made you think I would be?” the boy answered. “My name’s Wyatt. Wyatt McCullin. There is no Wade.”

“You know a girl named Luna? Otherwise known as the moon girl? And do you have a brother or cousin about my age named Wade?”

“I don’t leave the property much,” the boy said. “And my mom doesn’t like strangers around the house either. I’m an only child. You should leave now; she’s coming and like I say she doesn’t like strangers around much.”

Bray turned and saw the woman was approaching. “You there. This is private property. You might be dangerous. Leave my son alone. He doesn’t know anyone from town. We’re private folks and we like to keep it that way. So get your ass moving the other direction up the driveway.”

“Please, I need some help. There’s a girl named Luna and she has some power over me and she’s making me do stuff. Bad stuff. I need help. And I think you know what I’m talking about.”

The woman grabbed him by the arm and, with surprising strength, pulled him down the driveway towards the house. In a low voice that wouldn’t carry to the chair where Wyatt was sitting she said, “You’re different, even I can feel it within you. I don’t want any more trouble from the taker. If she’s taken you then you need to figure out how to end that yourself. It cost me a lot to save my son and now we don’t dare leave. I can come and go for short times, but he has to stay near the house. He doesn’t remember anything. So you go now and stay the hell away from here.”

“But wait, he’s Wade? How did you free him? And what is the taker? Please help me.”

“He isn’t Wade no more, not since I got him back. No, I’ll not help you. I feel power in you. Use it at your own risk or wait until she gets bored. But don’t ever come here again. I used most of my power making her forget me and my son so he could grow up normal. And if you ruin that you’ll find that I’ve got enough power left to make you far more miserable than she does. Get your ass off my property now!”

Bray was about to plead his case again when he turned and chanced a look through the front window of the house. And there on the fireplace mantle he saw a doll, dressed in boy’s clothing. He couldn’t know, but he was sure that it was an anatomically correct boy doll.

He left, feeling like he now knew even less than before. But he knew that the doll was the key.

He guessed he had time before it got dark to try and sneak back to the moon girl’s house. Maybe he could find where the doll was kept and from that make a plan. He jogged, conserving energy in case things went wrong, until he was at the unmarked lane he remembered from his ‘dream.’ He walked along the edge of the lane, listening for any sounds.

He reached the clearing, only the house wasn’t there. Actually, it was there, but just a few burned out walls remained and part of the floor. He walked over to it. The fire wasn’t recent. In fact, it had occurred long enough ago that a small tree was growing from what used to be a bedroom. A bedroom he had stood in front of the night before. The floor had been completely consumed in the fire, along with the wall with the window. The house had just been an old shack last night, but it wasn’t burned then. Bray was confused, and more than a little scared. He looked for footprints, but all he found were his own, made that afternoon.

He hurried home.

That night he returned to the shack. He was naked again, and again, the house stood unburned. This time the moon girl was outside. She had the doll in her arms. Her hand reached into the doll’s pants and he could feel it inside his own. It slid over his dick and went lower, grasping his ball sack.

“What would happen if I squeezed?” Luna asked.

“Please don’t,” Bray said. “It would hurt. Hurt a lot. Make me sick.”

“Maybe even prevent you from ever having kids,” she said. “I could spare you the pain and just use a pair of scissors to cut them off.”

Bray felt sick from the thought that she might decide to do that—castrate the doll and his own balls at the same time.

“That is why tomorrow after school you are going to meet up with Remi Jones. You are going to give her all your clothes. I’m not going to undress the doll; you’ll have to do this all on your own. You will then walk her home, and let her do what she wants. You’ll do it because you’re afraid of what I might do if you don’t. And you should be afraid.”

Luna turned and headed for the door on the shack, but before she went in she turned and said, “Oh, and don’t ever think about touching the doll. That would be the biggest mistake you could ever make.”

He felt the hand on his balls move to his dick and start stroking it. She stood at the door with that leering smile as she stroked the doll’s dick, making him feel it. She stopped after he shot. “Remember, after school tomorrow. Strip totally naked. Not even shoes or socks should stay on. And walk her home.”

He woke up again a mile away at the back edge of a dew-covered grass lawn. This time there were two sets of tracks in the dew, each one heading in opposite directions. One set went in the direction he knew from the night before would lead to the main road. He followed the other set until he could see that he was approaching the back of a house. An older home, small even for Eerie standards, but well-maintained. There were lights on inside, and he could see it getting light on the other side of the house. He turned and went back, running to get home before the sun rose.

Just as before, he was able by nothing more than pure luck to reach his bedroom without being seen by either of his parents. He grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the shower, dreading what he had to do eight hours from then.

He normally met up with Fletcher and Finn as he headed to school, but he didn’t feel like eating and headed to school early. He was surprised when about half way there a boy stepped out from behind a tree and motioned to join him. He took a close look and saw it was Wade / Wyatt McCullin. Curious, and a little afraid, he joined him along an old hedge.

“It’s really hard for me to sneak out. My mom watches me like a hawk. She doesn’t think I remember, but I do. I remember the moon girl, and the taker. I heard my mother say you had power. Hopefully, power like she has. Don’t worry about the moon girl, she doesn’t exist. You need to be very careful around the taker, and no matter what, never, ever, allow her to collect that sticky stuff that comes out of your dick. If you do and she gives it to the doll, you’ll be trapped forever.”

“You mean cum? Semen? And who’s the taker? And the moon girl is real. Can you tell me anything that will really help?”

“Can’t. I gotta go. I probably said too much already. My mom can sometimes read my thoughts, just like the taker could.” Without another word, he turned and ran back towards his house, leaving Bray with a million unanswered questions.

At lunch, he thought he heard a buzzing sound, similar to what he’d heard a hundred times at barber shops, and then he felt something cold touch his groin. He could feel the vibrations as whatever it was moved across his privates, and he excused himself from his friends and ran to the boy’s bathroom.

He went into a stall and pulled down his pants and boxers and a shower of brown pubic hair fell out. He looked at himself and saw that he was now bald down there. Somehow the moon girl could even do that from a distance. Her hold over him was beyond belief, and he knew that he had to carry out her command or things would get worse rapidly. No matter what Wade had told him, she was real. He’d felt her grip on his arm and palm.

After two nights of sleepwalking, he was extremely tired and classes dragged on intolerably. The only thing that made it even remotely bearable was the knowledge that when it ended he was going to strip naked in public, surrounded by who knew how many kids, and walk a girl to her house.

When the final bell rang, he walked out the main doors with Fletcher and Finn. Remi’s last class was further from the door, so they were ahead of her, but it was almost as if she knew what was about to happen because as soon as she cleared the doors and saw them she shouted to him. He and his friends stepped off the sidewalk to let the stream of students continue to pass by while they waited for her to get there.

“So, do you have anything exciting to do this afternoon?” she asked as soon as she got there.

Fletcher and Finn said they didn’t, but Bray took a deep breath and somehow broke the grip his fear had on him. “There is something I have to do,” he said. He started by kicking off his shoes.

“You have to do something?” Remi asked. “Why do you have to do it?”

He didn’t have an answer that any of them would believe or understand. Telling them the moon girl was making him do it when she wasn’t even in sight wouldn’t work. As he pulled his socks off he said, “Okay, I decided to do it. I’m going to give you all my clothes and walk you home.”

His ears were so hot the hair hanging over them was in danger of catching fire. He knew if he paused the fear would take control again, and then would come the excruciating pain as his balls were squeezed—or removed. He pulled his shirt off over his head and handed it to her.

Until then none of the kids walking past had paid attention to them, but as soon as his shirt was off a boy named Danial yelled out, “Hey, the new kid is stripping again!” Suddenly the stream slowed and then stopped as seventy or more kids gathered around.

He’d been anxious before, but now it was worse. Still, he couldn’t stop. He unsnapped his shorts and let them fall to his ankles and then pushed his boxers down to join them. He stepped out of both at the same time and picked them up and handed them to her. “Let’s go,” he said, trying to sound brave, but his voice cracked and gave away his fear.

“You even shaved your pubs for me,” Remi said with a laugh. “You are totally humiliating yourself for me. I love it!” She took him by the hand and led him through the crowd of kids.

The noise hurt Bray’s ears. The laughter and teasing hurt his soul. Hands reached out to touch him as he became erect. Yet with fierce determination he walked on, naked and unshielded from the boundless joy of scores of kids gathered around a single naked boy.

Surprisingly, when they reached Remi’s house all the kids, even Fletcher and Finn, moved on and didn’t cross into her yard. Bray saw there was something familiar about her house, but he couldn’t place it.

“Now what?” she asked as she unlocked the door and let them inside.

In a trembling voice that sounded to him like when he was eight years old, he said, “Whatever you want.”

She dumped his clothes in a heap on the floor and walked to the kitchen table. “Let’s start with these,” she said. “Put your arms behind your back.”

Bray swallowed but did as she asked. At once he felt the cold metal on his wrists as she locked a pair of handcuffs on him. He saw her drop a key into a pocket.

“Let’s do this in the backyard,” Remi said. “I’ve got to get something and I’ll join you in a minute.”

She opened the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. Bray suddenly knew why the house looked familiar. He’d woken up in that backyard each of the last two mornings. And he knew that wasn’t a coincidence. She gave him a push and with the handcuffs on he was forced out into the yard.

He thought about running, but he was afraid for his balls. He could see the path he had followed home just nine hours ago. He heard the sliding glass door open again and turned around as Remi came out of the house. She was holding two dolls. Both of the dolls were naked, but one had an erection and the other didn’t. He knew then that it worked both ways. If he got an erection, which he had, so did the doll.

“I’ve yearned for so long for this day,” Remi said. “A boy with powers will allow me to make a wonderful doll; one that can command two or maybe even three boys at once. One that can contain the life force of two or more scores of boys instead of just a dozen. I thought I had it with Wade, but that failed. His power was weak, too little to do what I wanted. And then his mother interfered. This time however, neither of your parents have even a smidgeon of power. I’ll bet you were adopted. So, there will be no rescue for you. And thank you for showing me that Wade is still in town. With your help, I’ll have him again and that stupid cow of a mother won’t be able to stop me next time.”

She put one of the dolls done on the ground—the one that had an erection that matched Bray. And then she held the second doll out in front of her as she approached him.

“Now for your seed.” She walked towards him and held the doll with its mouth in front of his throbbing dick. She reached out a hand and stroked his dick and Bray knew he would shoot with just a few more strokes.

She started the second stroke and just as Bray started to ejaculate from her touch, he heard a thud and she fell to the ground. Behind her, with rock in his hand, stood Wade McCullen.

“Did any of your stuff get in the doll’s mouth?” he asked as he dropped the second rock and ran over to where Remi had fallen.

He didn’t touch the doll as he leaned over it. “Good, I was just in time.” He stood up and walked behind Bray. “Do you know where the key is? We don’t have much time.”

“In her front pocket,” Bray said. “What the hell is going on? Why did you hit her with the rock? The moon girl is going to crush my balls because of you.”

“The moon girl doesn’t exist. It’s just a phantom from her past. It’s her when she was younger. Remi’s the taker. And she was going to use your seed to make a doll that would not only be able to control you forever; she would also be able to use your power to capture even more boys. It would have been a far more dangerous doll than the other one.” Wade had dug the key out and used it to unlock the handcuffs. He took them over to Remi and pulled her arms behind her back.

“Shit man, she’s unconscious. Maybe even dead. You don’t need to handcuff her!” Bray said as he held his hand over the spot where the rock had struck the girl’s head.

“Don’t help her,” Wade said. “She’s evil. And as long as she didn’t capture you in the doll you can use it to command her, maybe even end it. Or you could use it to change the world. Make girls do evil things. But my hope is you’ll find a way to free the boys trapped in the other doll and then help me get free of my mother’s control over me.”

“What the hell are you babbling about,” Finn said. Neither he nor Wade had heard him and Fletcher approach. He looked at Remi and then Fletcher and said, “Go inside and call the police and tell them we need an ambulance.”

Bray remembered a time when he was younger, eight or nine years old, and saw a car crash. “Wait a minute Fletch,” he said as he tried to sort out what was going on.

To his surprise, he saw a small boy appear behind Wade. It was him. Well, not him exactly. It was him when he was eight. The younger Bray walked over and picked up the doll closest to Remi.

“Who the hell are you?” Finn yelled. “You don’t belong here. This girl is hurt. And you’re too young to see this. So go home.”

“It’s okay Finn,” Bray said. “Calm down. I think it’s me. And I don’t think it’s real. It’s like the moon girl. Wade told me she wasn’t real, and now I think I understand.”

“She used to be real,” Wade said. “Long ago. When she made the doll, the moon girl appeared. Just like that kid; you, when you were young. It isn’t real, but you can use it with your powers. Think about it. Concentrate on it. What is your other self learning from the doll it holds?”

Memories poured through Bray’s mind. He was reliving Remi’s life – all of it. He became the dirty girl living in a squalid shack and wearing a home-made flower dress. Boys tormented her—him; teased him, called him names. Only it wasn’t his life, it was hers. The shack caught fire one night. Her mother died in the fire. All she saved was one doll – a doll that belonged to her mother. One she was never allowed to touch or play with. And then she saw Fletcher. He was tied to a tree. He didn’t know why, but she approached him. She was curious. She’d never seen a boy before. A hand worked Fletcher’s pants down and saw his thing. It was nothing she’d ever seen before. And as she touched it, something shot out. A drop landed in the doll’s mouth. And then---"

Suddenly he was back in his own mind. He now understood. From the moment Finn’s cum went into the doll’s mouth, she had learned how to capture boys. From the shoddy construction of the houses he saw, he guessed that this had all happened a long time ago.

Wade interrupted his thoughts. “You read her mind, didn’t you?” Bray nodded. “You know what she is. She’s evil. You can become just as evil as her. Her egg is already in the doll. She wanted to combine it with your sperm. That would have given her much more power. I know, because my mother did it to me. My mother knows every thought I have, and once she sees I’m gone she’ll touch my doll and know everything I’ve done. But the power grows weak over time. She needs skin, hair, a bit of my clothing. But sperm works better.”

“How do I free my friends?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know if you can. But I trust you. And if you can, I hope you’ll come and free me too. I’ve got to go now. My mom will want to get that doll. She won’t let you use it because she’s afraid you’ll find a way to free me from my doll. The one that has my stuff in it.

Bray had a conscious thought to feel the other doll. His younger self dropped the new one and picked up the older one. Time froze as image after image flashed through Bray’s mind. He saw every act Fletcher had ever committed under the control of Remi. Every embarrassing moment. And other boys as well. The first few he didn’t recognize, only to see them suddenly grow older and another boy take their place. But there was never more than twelve. And Finn was the penultimate one. He watched as Finn’s clothing suddenly fell to the ground while he walked along Main street and Finn ran naked past him. And then he saw his own acts. And he realized that all of them were controlled not by the moon child, but by Remi. They were six years apart in age but the same person. And only one of them was real.

Remi was waking up, recovering from her unconsciousness. He could feel her trying to sort out what had happened. And he could tell she was trying to reestablish control over her twelve boys, one of whom was him.

With a thought his eight-year-old self disappeared. He no longer needed it. At that moment, it all became clear. Memories came flooding back that he had repressed all these years. He was adopted. He recalled all the painful details of the night his birth-parents had been killed by the drunken truck driver who ran the red light. But that was a burden for another time. Bray had more immediate concerns for now.

He put a hand on each of the dolls. “What happens if I destroy these?” he asked.

“Do it!” Remi said. “Go ahead.”

“What happens?” he asked again, this time looking at Wade.

“I don’t know,” Wade said.

“Part of her will be destroyed along with them,” Wade’s mother said from behind him. “She is part of each of the dolls. She is also part of Wyatt’s doll, so she would live on, but in a greatly weaken state.”

“You’re not telling me all I need to know,” Bray said to Wade’s mother. “What are you keeping secret?”

“You and the other eleven boys she has taken are also part of that doll,” she said, pointing to the original doll. “If you want to free them, destroy the doll.” She turned to Wade. “It is time to come home Wyatt. You never should have left the house. This boy can’t be trusted. He may choose to own you. You should have listened to me. I was protecting you.”

“I don’t want to own anyone,” Bray said. He didn’t say that he knew she was lying. “I saw her release boys so she could capture others. I saw her create the doll that is on your mantel. The one that you use to own Wade. I also know that the one who controls the doll can release those bound to it.”

“But you don’t know how or you would have done it already,” Remi said. She had stood up on wobbly legs, but she was becoming more clear-headed by the minute. She twisted her arms, trying to slip the cuffs off but wasn’t able to.

Bray recalled the lightning-fast images of when she released certain boys she didn’t fancy and saw them suddenly age by the amount of time she had owned them. He was sure he knew how to do it himself.

“How old is Fletcher?” he asked. “And how old are you? How long have you been doing this?”

“Time is irrelevant,” she said, and he could feel her fighting him for control of the doll. “I’m thirteen, the same as you.” She was gradually re-establishing control, but she had changed her focus from him to Fletcher. She had years, no decades, perhaps even centuries, of experience controlling the doll. He had minutes of experience. He had to make up his mind fast.

She was winning. He had one chance. He released her.

In a flash, she aged. She went from a teen to an adult in a fraction of a second, becoming her true age at the time she had made the doll that Wade’s mother possessed. And she no longer had any power to control him. Her clothes were too small for the adult body and tore and pulled to accommodate. He felt a moment of regret that little of her body was exposed.

“Fletcher, you are nearly as old as her. What do you want?”

“I don’t want to be thirteen forever. I want to live my life. But I don’t want to suddenly turn old like she did.”

“I don’t think that is a choice. I think it is one or the other.” The enormity of that decision hung heavily. Bray realized he could read Fletcher’s mind. And Finn’s. And with some concentration, the other nine boys as well. He knew he could convince Fletcher that he had aged normally; it was how Remi had made them forget. But without a fresh sample of skin, hair, or something else he didn’t have the power to command him.

“What are you going to do?” Fletcher asked. Bray could hear the fear in his voice.

“I don’t honestly know. Nothing until I know for sure what will happen. Part of me is in there too.” He could sense that part and released it. There was a sudden disorienting jerk as he aged three days in a moment of time.

“One thing is obvious,” he said. “I can’t release you from the doll without you reaching your actual age. I need to think. Trust me Fletch.”

“You wouldn’t trust you if the tables were turned. You aged Remi. There was no need to do that.”

“She was fighting me for control. I had to.”

“How is Bray going to hurt us Fletcher?” Finn asked. “Besides, he’s our friend. Why don’t you go and get his clothes for him?”

That made Bray suddenly remember that he was still naked. And what Remi had been trying to do just before Wade had hit her with the rock. He switched dolls and felt a large increase in control over the spirit captured inside it.

“What happens if I destroy this doll?” he asked Remi. "Tell me.” It wasn’t a request.

“I don’t know. Since part of me is still in Wade’s doll, I think I would live. But I don’t know.”

Bray knew it was the truth. He felt the power he had over her. He felt a great desire to punish her. To humiliate her. To see her naked. To make her pay over and over again for all she had done. And all he had to do was command her. No, one other thing. He had to change the doll. From a boy doll to a girl doll. He knew instinctively that once he made that change that since the doll was naked she would be too.

He was about to give in to it, but at the last moment he had a different thought. He fought the desire for total control over her with all his might and managed to drop the doll. He picked up the second one.

“Finn, the key to the handcuffs is right there,” he said, pointing to where it was. “Unlock them please. And Fletch, bring that doll. Let’s go back inside.”

“You are making a mistake,” the adult Remi said. “You can’t control me now.”

“The hell I can’t,” Bray said. “You’re still in the other doll. And I can do anything I want with that. So, behave.” He saw that she understood. The four of them went inside and Bray grabbed his clothes and dressed.

“Fletcher, I think I know how to free you. To let you live your life. You were right to be scared of me. Wade’s mom was right. The power to control is almost too strong. But I’m better than her. I didn’t give in to it. But I am going to try this on her before I try it on anyone else.”

He had to concentrate. He had to make sure he didn’t give in to the need as he picked up the new doll. It was all he could do to not order her to strip naked for his pleasure. “Remi, your powers are gone. You are just a normal girl.” He released her. In a flash, she changed. She became thirteen again.

“The doll never ages, so when people are trapped in it they stay the same age. She put part of herself into the doll. Part of her thirteen-year-old self. And I released her. She is now thirteen and should age normally.”

“Except you’re forgetting that I’m also in the Wade doll too,” Remi commented. “And now I’m thirteen, in a house that an imaginary person bought. I have no parents, no background story. My real parents died years ago. You can’t control me any longer, but what am I supposed to do now?”

“You also live on in the Wade doll. And when released from that you will return to the age you were when you created it. And I plan to release Wade and you from that doll.”

Finn and Fletcher were totally confused, lost in seeing their friend go from girl to adult and back again while Bray was playing with dolls. It was too much to understand, and it was about to get even more weird.

“Fletcher, this is going to sound really strange, but I have an idea. I’m sure now that it will work. I’m going to release you from the old doll, but first I need to capture you in the new one. In order to do that, I need this.” He reached over to Fletcher and pulled a hair out of his head and put it in the new doll’s mouth.

“Stop, don’t do anything,” Remi said. “Do you promise to release me from the Wade doll?”

“I promise to try, but his mother controls it so I can’t promise I’ll succeed. Why? How old is that doll?”

“One hair won’t be enough. What you need is the stuff of life, not old parts. His sperm is the only thing that will allow you to do what you plan. Anything else will cause him to age. And the Wade doll will leave me at thirty-three years old, old enough to own this house. You’ll have to use your power to make everyone forget about me as a child.”

“Okay, now I’m scared again,” Fletcher said. “I didn’t understand her too much, but you need me to jack off? Here, in front of her? I don’t think so.”

“You can force him to,” Remi said with an evil smile.

“That would be your way,” Bray said. “I’m not you. I’m not evil. I don’t need to force him.”

“When it comes to using the dolls, we’re all evil. You’ll see. You survived it once, but are you sure you can next time? And the time after that?”

“Wait, you can command me? Make me do stuff? I thought only the moon girl could do that kind of shit.”

“I’ll be honest, the temptation to give in to it is hard to deny. But I did. And this will work. You can live your normal life, starting now, at the age of thirteen. But I need you to go into the bathroom and jerk off and get some of your jizz into the doll’s mouth. Then you’ll exist in that doll and the other one too. Like her, I’ll release you first from the old doll…”

“No,” Remi said. “That doll was my mother’s. She first captured Fletcher is over seventy years old. He might not survive.”

Bray hadn’t thought about that. “Okay, there is a risk. But he’ll still be in the new doll. I can still release that.”

“And then you’ll have a dead thirteen-year-old Fletcher to deal with. How would you explain that?” Remi asked.

“And I’m out,” Fletch said. I don’t want to die. I’m too young.”

“Then you’ll remain thirteen forever,” Finn said. “If I’m understanding this properly.” He looked at Bray. “How old am I? I mean, in real years, not doll years.”

Remi answered. “I took you right after I lost the Wade doll. You’re about thirty-five now.”

“That’s safe. Start with me.” He picked up the new doll. “All I have to do is jack off into its mouth?”

“Yeah, I’ll do the rest,” Bray said.

Finn shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, but this day is really getting weird. Let’s go get it over with.”

Finn left. A few minutes later he was back. There was cum all over the doll’s face. “Some of it went into the mouth,” he said with a shrug. Then he had a thought. “Wait a sec,” he said. He turned to Remi and asked, “Could you like, turn around please? These are the only clothes I have here and I don’t want them all torn.”

“I’ve seen every inch of your body a hundred times over,” Remi said. But she turned her back and he quickly stripped. “I’m ready,” he said to Bray.

First Bray released him from the old doll. In a flash, he became an adult. Remi turned around and looked at him. Bray picked up the new doll. He immediately felt an overwhelming desire to control Finn and fought it. He released him and Finn immediately reversed to thirteen. A naked thirteen-year-old with a girl laughing at him. He dressed rapidly.

“It felt odd being old,” he said, but added, “But not painful or anything. You think it will work with Fletch?”

“I might die?” Fletch asked, real fear in his voice.

“You’re the oldest by several decades,” Bray said. “Yeah, I guess you might. But maybe when I bring you back…”

“If I die and then you bring me back you’ll go to jail for my murder. If I don’t survive the first time, dump the body somewhere and let the police figure out who I am. At least I won’t suffer. I don’t want to stay like this. Let’s just do it.”

He also stripped, ignoring Remi’s presence. When released from the first doll he looked ancient, but alive. Bray immediately released him from the new doll and gave him a new life.

“I need to do this with the other nine boys,” Bray said. “But I’ll never be able to explain all this, I’ll have to force each of them. Can you guys bring them here one at a time and get me a hair or drop of blood or something so that I can command them?” Remi gave them the names.

Remi wanted him to force them to jack off while she watched, displaying her evil desires, but Bray had no intention of doing that. With each one the desire to rule them got stronger and by the last one he almost couldn’t override it. Whether through luck or because ageing them wouldn’t kill them anyway, none of the nine died and all were freed.

There were no more captured souls in the old doll and Bray destroyed it, ending the threat it represented. “Now I have to confront Wade’s mom,” he said. “I’d like some moral support from you guys if you’re brave enough.”

“Aren’t you forgetting that she may decide to take the three of you and control you?” Remi asked.

“That’s why you’re coming,” Bray said. “She won’t know that you don’t have power anymore. And while she might not respect my power, she is very afraid of yours.”

She came out as soon as she saw them on the lane heading for the house. She ordered Wade inside, but he refused. “I’ll deal with you after this is over,” she said to him.

“It’s time to release him,” Bray said. “I know how to do it. I’ve released all the others.”

“I’m his mother and I decide when it is time, not you. This is a cruel world, and I choose to protect him from it for as long as I live.”

“Mom, I don’t want your protection. I want to grow. And I know what you do to me at night. Even though you keep making me forget, I always remember a tiny bit, and over the years those tiny bits add up.”

“He just wants to control you!” she said to her son. “And I won’t stand for it.”

“Why, so you can control me instead? What difference will it make for me? Either way, I’m controlled. I can’t do what I want. I can’t grow. And if there is even the slightest chance for him to fix that I want to take the risk.”

“I don’t make you do embarrassing things like he will. I don’t need to rape you or whatever he has planned.”

“How do you control the desire to be evil?” Bray asked. “What makes you think you’re superior to me? I’ve controlled it a dozen times. I could do it a dozen more times. I don’t want to control Wade; I want to free him and destroy the doll so he can never be taken again.”

“I’ve battled the devil for years, but I’ve got religion. I’ve got good spirits protecting me from them. Protecting him.”

“If you’re controlling him, doing stuff to him while he sleeps, then those aren’t good spirits. You’re fooling yourself.”

None of them had noticed that Wade had gone inside until he came out holding the doll. “If you won’t let him do what I want, I’ll take care of it myself and destroy this doll. I’d rather be old than controlled.”

He was about to slam it down onto the ground but stopped and said, “Yes mama,” and turned to go back inside. He cradled the doll in his arms.

“I’ve seen enough,” Bray said. “Go after him and take control,” he said to Remi. “I’ll stay and battle her.”

“No, not her—never again will she have control of my son!”

“Then step aside and allow me to have control of him,” Bray said. He had counted on her to be more afraid of Remi than she was of him. “Besides, Remi’s got more experience with her powers than I do. She’ll stay here with you.” He turned and followed Wade into the house.

“Wade, do you trust me?”

“No, mother says you’re evil.” He turned and ran to the bathroom and closed and locked the door.

“Tell him to come out and trust me or I’ll command Remi take you,” Bray yelled to Wade’s mother from inside the house. A few seconds later the bathroom door unlocked and Wade came out.

“Please don’t hurt me,” he said.

“I won’t. Here’s what I need you to do. It sounds weird, but trust me.” He handed the new doll to Wade. “You can do it in your room, I don’t need to watch. I’ll be right here when you’re done.”

Wade was wiping off the excess when he came out. Bray picked up his doll but found he had no power from it and realized it was because he hadn’t taken Wade. He now fully understood why Wade’s mother was so scared. He told Wade to come along and took it outside.

“You need to release him,” he said as he handed the doll to Wade’s mother. “I can’t. Not unless I capture him and try to influence more control over him than you have. It isn’t worth that. Release him.”

“I don’t trust you,” she said. “You just want to…”

“I don’t want to control him; I’ve told you that. I want to free him. You need to release him from this doll first. If I wanted to control him I don’t think there is anything you can do right now to stop me. But I don’t want a fight. It will weaken me, making it more difficult to fight off the temptation when I touch the doll he is carrying.”

He saw the doubt in her eye, but she released her son anyway. He immediately grew into an overweight, bald-headed middle-aged man. One who was unfortunately much too large for the clothing he was wearing.

Covered in what were now rags, Wade stood. Bray didn’t want to put it off for a second longer. He took the doll that Wade had in his hands and released him from that one, allowing him to revert back to thirteen. The rags now fell to the ground, leaving him naked.

“Sorry,” Bray said as Wade turned and ran into the house.

He turned to Wade’s mother just in time to prevent her from slamming the doll to the ground.

“Don’t!” he said, grabbing it from her.

“But Remi’s in there. She’s evil. I want to destroy her.”

“Yeah, like that’s a righteous act,” Bray said. “Kill her and we’ll all spend the next two days explaining to the police why and how you killed her and what happened to her parents.”

He saw reason take over. “Release her first. She can’t harm anyone else. I’ve destroyed her other doll, only these two remain. Release her and then we’ll destroy both of these.”

Remi had dressed in over-sized baggy clothing, so it survived when she became an adult again. It was done. Only a few of them understood what had happened.

The three of them still had power, but without a doll they had limited ability to control anyone. Bray learned that controlling adults was fairly easy, even Remi and Wade’s mom, so he felt comfortable that no more dolls would be made. Between them they were able to make the town forget about young Remi and only remember adult Remi. After clearing up a few more loose ends, soon only the three of them remembered what had taken place in the past. Bray intended to never use his power as every time he did it drove him to want to use it to commit evil acts. As he got older it became easier to suppress the desire. But it never went away completely. As he became an adult it was easy to see how a young teen, high on hormonal change, would give in to it.