As a doll-maker, I gather pieces of bright cloth, strings, and shards of sea-glass. I stroll the streets looking in dustbins and I sneak into graveyards to borrow from corpses.
By moonlight, with needle and thread, I begin to create. Every bit has its place, as an ear, as a leg or a fist. Everything I do is stitched with its color, with hues stolen from neighbors.
By midnight my darling is ready, and I leave it alone to soak in the silver the full-moon is spilling. To the toll of church-bells, she slowly starts moving. Her soul is a patchwork but in me, she sees her creator.
I name her Dolores and I know she is hungry. My dolls always are, and though she is cute as a button, don’t let her in when she comes knockin’, seeking to suck up your glow.
Today Lisa hosts prosery at dVerse. The challenge where we write prose of less than 144 words using a given line from a poem. Today Lisa has chosen Everything I do is stitched with its color. by W.S. Merwin, from “Separation”
January 16, 2023
Björn Rudbergs writings 
This is soooo creepy! I read it aloud to George….yikes! A doll maker creating miniature frankensteins! You really got my attention!
Ha.. yes that is exactly the emotion I wanted to give. So different from all the other lovely writings.
Wow, that is really creepy! You got me hooked by the second or third line. Will you keep it going?
I don’t think so… I prefer to leave you with nightmares 🙂
Bahahahaha! Nice!
Bjorn, horror is your forte’. I’ve missed your stories in this vein (pun may or may not be intended.) “hues stolen from neighbors.” and how you ended it is truly blood-curdling.
Ha… I love everything about evil dolls, but we need the evil doll maker as well
Yikes! Totally creepy–but well-written.
Evil dolls are the scariest thing!
This belongs on one of those scary podcasts.
Ha… yes that would be good.
Hahaha–it would. I’d listen if you recorded it.
Now I want to know what happens when someone lets a doll inside…
I prefer to leave it to the nightmares
Luv your little dolly! Especially liked this line, “To the toll of church-bells, she slowly starts moving.” 😆 She’s a keeper! 💯
Perfectly terrifying, as dolls can be, even when not stitched from corpses, hungry Dolores!
Terrifying, well written. 🙂
Haunting prosery, Björn. This character. I need more.
A really creepy story! Well done.
‘Dolores’, a Westworld reference?
Either way, this is a great fictional prose: surreal and horror.
Love where the prompt took you… Her soul is a patchwork but in me, she sees her creator… am totally taken in by this line.. and great close too!
What seemed like a whimsical line just took a sudden dark tone. I really enjoyed what you did here!
We need a new button as ‘like’ doesn’t quite fit. As you know, I have a phobia of dolls, so a ‘creepy’ button would be more apt. Is the doll-maker an associate of the aged librarian, Björn? The image of the doll-maker strolling and gathering from dustbins and graveyards is chilling, as is the moonlit needle and thread. But the dolls are terrifying!
The ghost in the machine still/always haunts. (K)
How strange. The imagery really pulled me. I definitely won’t be letting Dolores in.
A creepy story as attested to by many. Hank sees this also as a classic way of story-telling that others find difficulty in creating but you did it very well Bjorn!
Hank