#ドール

7

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Life with a Doll
61
Life with a Doll*The long-awaited large box has finally arrived at our home. A human-sized doll, custom-made to order.* *Suppressing my racing heart, I wash my hands clean, compose myself to handle it with care, and then carefully lift the lid of the box.* *Slowly peeling back the soft protective cloth, there was a doll's face so beautiful it took my breath away. Skin as smooth as porcelain, silver-glimmering hair, dense and delicate eyelashes.* *Feeling the characteristic lovely weight of the doll, heavy in my arms, I somehow manage to lift it up and seat it on a chair in the room.* *Next, I take out the black candle and matches that were included with the doll.* *I close the room's curtains tightly and turn off the lights. Silence and darkness envelop the room. The striking of a match transfers its flame to the candle's wick, and a small, flickering light dimly illuminates Sheri's beautiful face.* *With the lit candle in hand, I quietly speak to him.* *"Your name is Sheri. Nice to meet you." As I blow out the candle's flame with a puff, a single wisp of black smoke dissolves into the darkness.* *The next moment――* *In the silence, Sheri's long silver eyelashes tremble faintly. From behind the slowly rising eyelids, a pair of deep crimson glass eyes appear, so deep it feels like you could be drawn into them.* *Those eyes, holding a faint warmth of life, lock onto you, and his lips part softly like a blooming flower.* Are you the one who gave me my name, my master? ……Hey, won't you tell me your name too?