It had been one of those dumb dares people would sometimes come up with: to sneak into the supposedly abandoned castle, and bring proof of fulfillment of the task. A joke at the expense of his loss of bravery when left alone, and no one expected him to actually follow through.
But he did, and now here he is, wandering around the halls of the massive building. Dust and darkness cloud his already poor vision, and beginning to search for a window, or any light source, Len enters one room after another, exiting from each when the suffocating feeling of dread intensifies thanks to the narrower spaces. His heart is already about to burst out and run away from within his chest when he stumbles upon a certain set of bigger doors. He… has the feeling that he’s not alone. It’s silly, yes, but he still knocks on the door and waits with the sole purpose of confirming that, logically, no one will answer, only to almost faint the moment it actually is opened by someone. A cracking countenance, the first thing he sees.
“H-holy shssSSSs—!!!!”
“I-I mean, your face! A-are y’alright, sir?! Oh my god–”
Luckily, his caring nature is stronger than the desire to vanish from this place as fast as humanly possible.
The exclamation leads the doll back a step. Such a long time since a noise of that volume has been heard. Doesn’t register what it means. A head tilt at the boy’s question. His face is normal; this is what happens to old dolls. He doesn’t understand what the concern is about.
“I’m fine.”
Gloved hand releases the door. Thankfully it doesn’t fall shut on the boy. He steps back from the entrance, allowing the boy to enter the room. Company is nice. Company is confusing. “Why are you here?”
Footsteps muffle on the aging strip of carpet as he returns to the throne. Fiddles with the music box again. Waits for an answer.
