Horror Doll
I kept a mermaid. She looked exactly like me.
She was me, and yet she wasn't me.
1
The moment I stepped into the aquarium shop, my eyes lit up. I hadn't been here in a few days, and the tanks were already stocked with new arrivals—vibrantly colored fish swaying among aquatic plants, fine sand, coral, and artificial sunlight, forming dazzling living murals.
But on closer inspection, the tanks, beautiful as they were, were a bit small. If I put Mona inside, wouldn't she feel cramped?
"Nothing caught your eye?" The owner greeted me familiarly. "There are some new ones in the back—you might find something you like."
In the back room, I found even bigger and more beautiful tanks. One acrylic ecological aquarium in particular made me gasp out loud...
It was gorgeous—like a luminous crystal coffin!
That was the one. Mona would love it! I didn't hesitate, swiping my card on the spot.
"Didn't you just change the tank last week?" The owner couldn't help asking as I left. "What kind of fish are you keeping, anyway? They grow that fast?"
"Hehe, it's a mermaid," I replied.
He must have thought I was joking.
But I wasn't. Mona really was a mermaid.
She was only about two years old now, though—chubby and round, like a little ball.
This was just the prelude to her transformation. In a few months, she'd fully develop and become a stunning beauty just like me!
2
A month ago, I'd had the misfortune of a bad breakup. I took a few days off and fled to Thailand, hoping a trip would help heal my broken heart.
In the exotic streets of Bangkok, I stumbled into a narrow alley. It was deep and quiet, with barely a soul in sight. Just as I was starting to feel lost, a light appeared ahead. I walked toward it and found an old-fashioned shop.
The shop looked quite ancient. The paint on its carved doors had peeled away, revealing mottled wood grain beneath. To my surprise, the door panel bore familiar Chinese characters: Heartbreak Doll Shop.
Perhaps drawn by the word "heartbreak," I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The shop was quiet. Two elderly women in traditional Chinese tunics sat inside. When they saw me, they smiled and rose to welcome me.
They had identical faces, like copies of each other, and their clothes and mannerisms were oddly synchronized—they had to be twin sisters.
One of them brought me a cup of black tea, while the other enthusiastically introduced the shop's services...
They possessed a magical potion that could replicate human genes!
3
"Just soak one of your fingernails in the potion, and it will quickly develop into an embryo. Within ten months, it will complete the transformation from a nail into a full-grown adult."
"She will stay by your side forever, sharing the joys and sorrows of life. You needn't worry about her betraying or hurting you like a lover might, because she is you, and you are her—you are one and the same."
At this point, the two old women clasped each other's hands. "You see, without men, we get along just fine."
So that was the meaning behind the Heartbreak Doll Shop.
Love was fickle, men were unreliable. In this world, the only person you could truly depend on was yourself...
But such a "doll" must be expensive. I probably couldn't afford it.
"We didn't open this shop to make money," the old woman said, reading my thoughts. "We want to help those who've been wounded by love. Because we've been heartbroken too, and we know that soul-crushing pain. The fact that you found your way here today means we're destined. We'd like to help you, free of charge, so you can move on from your heartbreak sooner!" She pressed a vial of potion into my hands.
I looked at the potion, half-skeptical...
Was it really as magical as they claimed?
4
Back at the hotel, driven by curiosity, I clipped one of my fingernails and dropped it into the vial of potion. Then I took a shower and went to bed.
That night, I had a dream. I dreamed that the fingernail in the bottle was quietly undergoing a mutation. It had become an embryo, developing and swelling at a terrifying pace...
The tiny bottle could no longer contain its growing body.
With a crack, the bottle burst. It broke free, transforming into a hideous monster...
The monster bared its fangs and lunged at me viciously, stretching out razor-sharp claws that closed around my throat...
I woke in a cold sweat. I reached up to touch my neck—it throbbed with phantom pain.
Collecting myself, I went to check the bottle. The fingernail was gone, and in its place was a small object about the size of a soybean. Beneath its nearly translucent skin, a dark dot pulsed rhythmically... Was that a beating heart?
My God—it really had become an embryo!
Remembering the nightmare, a violent shiver ran through me. I grabbed the bottle and hurried to the bathroom, about to flush it down the toilet...
But just then, a sharp pain stabbed through my chest, forcing me to stop and grip the edge of the sink.
The old woman's weathered voice echoed in my ears: "Once it becomes an embryo, it has life. Just like any ordinary person, it begins the process of gestation and growth. It is your replica—another you. You will sense each other, feel each other's emotions..."
So—was it scared?
Inside the bottle, the tiny embryo trembled uneasily.
My hardened heart gradually softened...
5
When I opened my eyes again, it was morning. Overnight, the little embryo had grown a head and a tail—like a tadpole in the midst of evolution...
I gazed at it, emotions tangled... no—"she"!
This unexpected little life left me at a loss. I truly didn't know how I should interact with her going forward...
In the end, I decided to accept her. As the old woman had said—it was fate.
So I cut my trip short and boarded a flight home.
Once home, I followed the old woman's instructions and placed her in an aquarium filled with clean water.
Her body changed with every passing second, like a flower bud straining to bloom. In the quiet of the night, I seemed to hear the crack and creak of her bones growing, yet she remained peacefully asleep, as though none of it concerned her...
6
On the morning of the tenth day, I woke and went to check on her—and found that she'd opened her eyes!
Through the gentle artificial waves and the glass wall, she sucked on her finger and looked at me with curiosity. Her eyes were large and bright, like black gemstones shimmering with wonder.
I started to cry.
She was me—the childhood version of me.
What could be more thrilling than watching your own growth unfold before your very eyes?
That day, I gave her a name: Mona.
My name was Melody, and hers was Mona. Melody and Mona—what a beautiful pair!
Mona grew even faster than I'd expected. By the one-month mark, she was the size of a two-year-old, and had even automatically downloaded the language function, babbling and chirping at me.
For instance, that morning, she puckered her tiny lips and said in her baby voice: "This place is too small! I want a big, pretty house!"
So I went to the aquarium shop and bought that acrylic ecological tank.
7
When the tank arrived, Mona was thrilled. She swam and played inside it exuberantly, like a sprightly little fish.
The next day, I introduced her to some new companions—a school of beautiful, gentle tropical fish, so she wouldn't be lonely when I was out.
That evening after work, I went to check on her as usual, only to find that the tropical fish had vanished. Mona was the only one left in the tank. When she heard me calling, she slowly turned her head...
My God, what was I seeing?
In her chewing mouth, a fish tail still wriggled!
She'd eaten them all!
I stared in stunned disbelief.
So, she wasn't like me after all.
No matter how much she looked like me, she wasn't truly human!
8
Once she'd had a taste, she started demanding fish every day.
I bought fish from the market and cooked them for her, but she flipped the plate over and insisted on live ones.
"Mona, no!" I told her firmly. "You're a human, not a wild animal!"
"Then I'd rather not be human," she said with a disdainful pout.
Smack. I slapped her across the face.
She was stunned.
And so was I.
This was our first fight.
For several days afterward, we were both miserable.
Eventually, Mona gave in. She grabbed the hem of my shirt with her little hand and looked up at me pitifully. "Melody, I'm sorry. I won't make you mad again. Please don't ignore me, okay?"
I forgave her.
She was still just a child.
I believed that when she grew up, she'd understand what it meant to be human.