The weight of my clothes slows me down, while I pass under the little bridge. Each step I take the hard snow crunches below my shoes. My cheeks frosting from the cold chilly breeze, my feet skipping as I look at the old worn buildings up and down. I lift my hands, still wearing the mittens my mother ordered me to wear, as they sink beneath the hard soggy grooves. My nose, unable to take in the frosty wind. Missing posters all smushed in one huge place all tacky and old. I slowly walk up to the chalkboard filled with names, except a huge empty space right in the middle, left for me.
Across the street, an echo of a grinding roller gear fills the frosty gentle breeze. The shop window portraying myself, its muzzle ready to consume me in one piece. In the middle, a doll that is my exact double stands motionless among the others. I walk forward without thinking, my crunching footsteps echoed through the silent snow, my pupils adjusted to it, everything feels muffled. I draw closer. It looks at me, I look down at my clothes. Looking back up, the doll dissolves away. My head bangs on the frosty window, I breathe out. Clouds of warm air spill out of my mouth, hanging in the freezing air. I reach the shop door, I try to open it, but it does not budge at all. I push forward again, harder this time, still it does not move. Frustrated, I pack the snow onto my mittens, and launch it straight towards the wooden door. The door opens by itself, with a small subtle creak in the silence. I freeze. I step in, barely passing through the threshold.
A little bell chimes softly hanging above me while I make my way through the door, breaking the silence. The gentle warmth in the air spills out, replacing the freezing cold air in an instant. The shop is thick with the scent of old, dusty wood heavy in the air, like it had been untouched for years. The whole shop is silent, like nothing moves in this space around me. Endless rows of dolls stand upright on the shelves closing in around me, facing forward with hollow glassy eyes. I step inside, moving slowly through the space, my echoing footsteps squelching against the floor. It feels like eyes are surrounding me from every direction. Then I pause. In the very middle of the shop I come across my replica, for the second time. I reach for it, but stop. A sound of rusty old gears fill the air. A doll sits on a toppled small bike, I pick it up carefully and set it back down. It begins to roll forward on its own slowly, towards the door. The door begins to creak, slowly closing inch by inch. The doll keeps moving, but the gap gets smaller. I look up. The doll disappears once again. I sweep my gaze across the room. It is now positioned in the center, trapped between two unmoving dolls. I rush to the couch, pulling myself up getting closer. My hands hovering over the nose, frozen in place, ready to grab it. I pause, waiting.
I slowly reach out, my hand shaking, my fingers stretching forward inch by inch. My fingertips press against it. The surface feels cold against my skin. Too cold. A sudden chill shoots up my arm. The air grows still. It smells old, like dust locked inside a closed untouched room. The winter air outside has vanished. Silence swallows everything. No wind moves. No footsteps break it. My heart pounds, loud against my chest. I try to move, but my body hesitates, stuck in place. Fear tightens inside me. My fingers stiffen, refusing to move. Smooth. Hard. I look down. No life. My breathing turns quick, uneven, catching in my chest. The shop feels darker now, smaller. The light fades into a dull grey. The edges of my vision curve inward, like a fisheye lens bending the room. I try to scream. Nothing comes out. My eyes stay open, fixed forward. I can only blink. I cannot move. I feel it all, trapped inside. I stand among the other dolls, lined up in silence. A soft shift breaks the stillness. In the very center, a new girl appears as a doll. Long brunette hair hangs still over her shoulders. Her pose is locked, frozen in the same quiet stance. She stands in the exact place I once stood, like she always belongs there. There is no way out. 
