The “Baby”

My daughter has a baby doll that she is beyond obsessed with, we can’t leave the house without “baby” or go to bed without “baby,” so, she remains attached to Coras hip just about 24/7. Honestly, it’s quite the disgusting looking doll, covered in food, dirt and I’m not even sure what else. I regularly try and dress “baby,” in clean clothes, but, Cora gets irrationally upset (terrible two’s) and says “off,” while trying to take the babies clothes off. Cora loves to give her “baby” a bath in her little toy bathtub with a fake bar of soap and a little wash cloth, hence the desire to keep “babies” clothes off. The problem with this scenario is “baby” can’t exactly be washed because “baby” has a built in speaker and aside from her head, hands and feet she is made out of fabric and fluff, therefore, she remains dirty and gross. It is what it is, right?? 

When you squeeze the dolls hands, feet and belly, she makes different sounds, such as, laughing, crying, mama, dada and so on. Cora doesn’t have the hand strength to squeeze the dolls hands or feet so she resorts to using her mouth and bites them over and over again. The interesting part about this is when Cora chooses to bite “babies” hands and feet, it’s not during the day when she is playing, oh no, it’s in the in the dead of the night when the house is silent, well silentish (snoring dog and husband) and suddenly you hear the faintest laugh or cry. The diabolical baby sounds entice panic and fear and at first, you think you’re dreaming or maybe it’s the start to some weird nightmare, but, you quickly realize you’re awake and the creepy sound is coming from your child’s bedroom. I laid there and listened to the repeated laughter, it was like I was living in a Chucky film and I was about to be murdered by a possessed doll. 

My eyes widen and I reach for my phone, I pull up the baby monitor and I see my child sitting up in bed, biting “babies” foot over and over again. She is gnawing on the poor dolls foot like it’s a corn cob full of the sweetest kernels she has ever tasted. Because the monitor is in night mode, Cora looks almost supernatural with bright green eyes, adding to the eerie sight. I slowly enter her room, I almost half expect the dolls head to spin around like the girl in the Exorcist, but, that’s unrealistic, right?? I turn the light on because suddenly, I’m a kid again and I’m scared of the dark. In typical Cora fashion she quickly hops up holding “baby” upside down by her leg and asks me “what’s that.?” What’s that?, is her go to question when she is surprised or caught off guard. I exclaim that’s “baby,” now it’s time for you both to go back to sleep. I let her settle back down and tuck her and “baby,” in and head back to bed. 

I’m now back in bed, but, I can’t sleep as the sounds of the malevolent baby doll echo in my head. I give a little shiver and I think to myself, it might be time to perform and exorcism and remove “babies,” batteries, permanently.