Who Is in My Mother’s Skin?

I'd been home for half a month, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that Mom wasn't quite herself anymore. She looked and sounded like she always had, but something felt different.Then, one day, I got a message from her that sent a chill down my spine."Lily, hide! There's a ghost in the house!"At first, I thought she was pulling a prank on me—or maybe her account got hacked.Then, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Mom, who had just finished cooking, called out to tell me the meal was ready.I was still hesitating when another message popped up. It was a voice message."Trust me, Lily. I'm your real mom! The one out there is a ghost! Run!"It sounded just like Mom's voice from outside. My mind was racing in panic.Not hearing me respond, Mom giggled from the other side of the door and said, "I'm coming in."

I didn't want Mom and Dad to worry, so I saw a therapist without telling them. The doctor said the hallucinations were due to anxiety.I took the diagnosis home, thinking maybe I should take a trip to clear my head. But when I got home, I saw Mom with her back to me, chopping cucumbers.I frowned. She knew I was allergic to cucumbers. I hesitated for a second but figured she probably wanted them for herself, so I didn't bring it up.I went to my room, trying to figure out how to tell them I wanted to take a trip.I'd never gone far by myself. Mom and Dad were always overprotective. They never let me go more than ten miles alone because they were always worried something bad might happen.While I was thinking of how to convince them, my phone lit up with a WhatsApp notification. I thought it was just a friend asking me to hang out, so I opened it without thinking. But then, I frowned.It was a message from Mom.I hadn't greeted her when I came in, so maybe she thought I was still

That night, I barely slept. I kept the light on, forcing myself to stay awake until dawn, and only then did I doze off a bit.When I opened my eyes again, it was already evening. The sun outside wasn't as strong, and quite a few people were out for a walk. I got up and opened the door.Grandma was already there, wearing an old dress that didn't fit right. She was probably trying to look "grand", but the wrinkles around her eyes gave away the toll of her younger years spent doing tough work.She was sitting on the couch, talking to Dad. I listened closely. She was still pushing Dad to have a second child."Come on. Hurry up and get to the hospital for IVF. We need a grandson in this family.""What's the rush, Mom? Let's wait until Lily's in college.""How can I not be in a rush? We've been waiting forever, and now that we finally got rid of that bitch—" Grandma paused and glanced at Mom, who was busy cooking in the kitchen. "Forget it. The most important thing is, I want a grandso

I jumped awake, eyes snapping open as I shot upright in bed. My whole body was soaked in cold sweat.Thank goodness, it was just a dream!I wiped the sweat off my forehead, but then, I caught something out of the corner of my eye, sitting on the desk by my bed.I usually kept my desk pretty clean. Aside from my computer, a photo frame, and a pen holder, there was never much else on it. But now, there was something new—a small porcelain doll in a white dress.Its pale, round face had two dark, shiny eyes staring right at me, bold as ever. I couldn't remember ever putting anything like that in my room.I picked it up to get a better look, but my phone suddenly rang. I quickly set the doll back on the desk and grabbed my phone from the bedside table. It was an unfamiliar number."Hello, is this a relative of Irene Lovett?" asked a man.Irene Lovett was Mom's name. A wave of dread hit me instantly."Yes, I'm her daughter. Is something wrong?"The man continued, "I'm an officer wit

When did the doll turn around? How long had it been watching me? I didn't want to dwell on it. There was one outside and one inside. What was I supposed to do?Suddenly, the voice on the phone crackled again, "Jump out the window. Jump."I couldn't open the door or stay in my room much longer. So, why not jump? It felt like the only way out. The idea wouldn't stop circling in my head.Slowly, I walked over to the window and looked down. Jumping from this height would either kill me or leave me crippled.Summoning every bit of courage, I grabbed the porcelain doll off the shelf and threw it out the window with all my strength.There was a loud crack as the porcelain shattered, followed by a shrill, bloodcurdling scream.Strangely, the scream came from the other side of the door. It seemed like the doll and whatever was outside were somehow connected.I didn't have time to figure out who put that doll in my room. The thing outside was pissed now. Its voice wasn't Grandma's anymore