People don't believe me when I tell them my dolly talks. Some believe me when I say the stuffed teddy bear talks, but not the dolly. Maybe it's because the string that used to be her mouth came out. Maybe it's becausa' all the stainsa' mud and milk and juice and jelly and blood that are on it. I don't know why they don't believe me.

But my dolly does talk. I don't even play with Furry Murray-- the teddy bear.

When I first realized she talks was the same day I realized when I grow up, my life won't be like my parentses. They tell me they've never seen a child like me, everyone tells me. Especially my mommy. So if I'm different now I'll be different when I'm grown up? Right? I was born in one-thousand-eight-hundred and ninety-six. That was a leap year. I don't know why they're calling it that, it doesn't leap or jump like uh bunny, it doesn't skip anything, it even has something extra. . .an extra day.

My birthday.

And I haven't killed as many people as everyone thinks. I don't blame my dolly for this either, but when the House tells my dolly that there is a evil on its way here something has to be done. Just because.

Did you know that leap years only show up every fourth year, I wonder why? Why is it the day in February? Why does someone need to have it only every fourth year? Why don't they just add some more hours to a bunch of days until they get 24 and then that'll be the extra day? Because then I wouldn't have a birthday. And if I didn't have my first birthday, I wouldn't've had last year's birthday or even a next birthday. And the spirits said each birthday of mine is important to someone somewhere. So I'm almost nine-and-a-half now. That makes it 1933. My mommy was 18 when I was born. She's 54 now. She turns 55 in three more months. I don't know how old my daddy is. But I think he's older. I don't have any brothers or sisters or a dog even. I had a dog for a day when it followed me home. But mommy and daddy said I couldn't keep it and I coulda' keeped it, they know I could have, but I didn't. After all, they are my mommy and daddy.

Um, last year was 1932? That was the first really big appearance of a "great evil." I felt something sick in me for every whole night for a week. Dolly told me that I should drink warm milk. But I'm not allowed ta' use the burner myself. Instead, I talk to the spirits. The spirits tell me that the deaths I've caused were good. I still cry about them sometimes. No one listens to me because I'm just small. They don't listen, especially when you're a little lady in a frilly dress. But they had to die. Those men. When we were in New York City. They had to die. My dolly told me so. The spirits told me so. The House I didn't know yet then.

The Reverend called it "the devil's brew." Daddy says it doesn't matter whose it is it's illegal and people shouldn't be drinking it. Well, it was illegal when I was six.

Mommy took me to New York City to buy a new dress. A whole big crowd came at us. I got lost. But that's just 'cause I was told to get lost with the crowd.

The spirits again.

My eyes burned. I knew the death was being sent to the bad men. After all the bangs and screams and yelling, the officers that could run away, did. As one ran at me, I stood there. I don't even think he saw me. Selfish. 'Probably thinking he'll never see his wife, his cat an' his 3-month-old son again. Which was prob'ly better since his son will grow up to be so dumb that he'll be in an 'stitution, because they'll think he's crazy, but he is just very, very dumb. But he died in front of me. I always cry when someone dies in front of me, does everybody do that or do you get used to it when you're a grown-up?