This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Mintjump on 2025-09-23 16:41:36+00:00.

I never really believed in spirits or ghosts. “Dumb Cowards” is the nickname I gave to horror obsessed people. And as the world does with dumb people, I exploited them.

It was a simple plan, really. Just a camera, a cursed looking doll, and a few strings to fake a paranormal video. My product was an instant hit. People bought my ‘haunted’ dolls for thousands of dollars. I even had a youtuber make a video with it. They went viral in horror communities and the demand was always more than I could fulfill. Business was good.

Until tonight of course.

I was reading my business book on the bed under the warm light of my bedside lamp. It was like every other night. After I finished my chapter, I closed the book and took a moment to celebrate the small achievement. That’s when I noticed something moving near the door. I focused my eyes to see if it was a bug that would trouble me all night. It was not a bug. What I saw made my eyes go wide as I froze in disbelief.

There it was, sitting in front of the door. A doll. My doll. Smiling at me.

None of the dolls I made ever had a smile on them. Customers liked the ones with frowns. So I made them all with frowns. How the hell did this doll get here, and why did it have a smile?

In denial, I tried to shrug it off. I have been working a lot. Maybe it was an older piece when I used to do smiles. I got up to put it back on my shelf, but stopped in my tracks. My eyes were fixed on the doll. The frizzy hair and all the disturbing decorations I added to it, suddenly seemed to overwhelm me with a feeling of dread. Something was wrong, and I could feel it.

I wore my slippers and then jumped as a big thud came behind me. I jumped forward and turned around, letting out a whimpering scream. There it was, another doll with its blood shot eyes and a crooked smile. Sitting on my bedside table. What the fuck.

I am out.

I rush to the door, kick the doll away and opened the door. What I saw made me burst into tears. All my dolls. Every single one of them. They all sat on the far end of the hallway, in dim moonlight bleeding from the window. They all had the same exact smile.

And then they started laughing.

The door behind me shut with a thud, pushing me and making me fall to the ground. I looked up as I got on my knees, the dolls staring into my eyes.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT?” I cried. I did not want to admit, but I figured my small little business was a little more serious than I anticipated. All those curses I recited. All the chants I did. I made way for something evil. And I know its evil because just looking at those dolls laughing felt like a heavy weight on my back.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT? LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE” I cried.

They all went silent. And as thunder boomed outside, and a flash of lightning filled the hallway with a beam of light, I saw the words in blood written on the floor ahead of me.

T h a n k Y o u.

The door behind me opened slowly with a creek. Not knowing what to do, I just crawled back inside my room and shut the door close. The dolls in my room were gone. I waited all night in my room. My tears ran out. When the clock hit 6am, I opened the door slightly half expecting the dolls to jump and attack me, but all I saw was an empty hallway.

Slower than a snail, I crawled inch by inch on all fours to my doll shelf. It was empty. They were all gone. They thanked me, and they left.

I am not sure what to make of this. I am not sure what I have done. I am closing my business but I have no idea what to do to make things right. I am not sure if I even can.