It had been three weeks. Three weeks since I saw her for the first time in that little coffee shop. My heart always skipped a beat, even when I only thought about that perfect angel. I didn’t know her name, but I loved her.

“Stop staring at her, Ravi. Being a creep won’t make her like you,” my friend Hyuk whispered. I blinked confused until I realized what I was doing. “You should go and talk to her. You know, get to know the girl you’ve been eyeballing since she appeared,” he poked his elbow between my ribs and pushed me off my chair into her direction.

She looked beautiful on that February afternoon. Her brown locks had a golden shine to them with the sunlight coming through the glass. Her skin was so fair that it seemed to be made out of porcelain. The white dress with frills fit her perfectly.

I awkwardly sat down on the chair across from her. She didn’t seem to notice me. The girl was staring through the window and humming an old nursery rhyme. London Bridge if I remembered it correctly.

“Uhm… Hi, my name’s Ravi. What’s yours?” I stuttered and she finally looked up. She really was an angel. I was so afraid that she’d hear my heart that was beating like crazy.

“It’s nice to meet you Ravi. I’m Jenny,” she answered. From there our talk started. It was a miracle she hadn’t given up on me after five minutes with my stuttering and lame jokes. She actually laughed at my jokes. When I told them to Hyuk, he smacked me right across my face. She was so kind and cute, her laugh reminded me of the sound of wind chimes.

“I’m so happy that I met you, but I have to go now. Tomorrow same time, same place?” she asked me and all I could do was simply nod. I was so busy talking to Jenny that I hadn’t even noticed Hyuk leaving. I probably had to call him later to apologise.

On my way home I felt all warm inside. When my head hit my pillow, I could only think of one person, Jenny.

Days went by like this, I was happy. My daily life went on and everyday I saw the angel Jenny. We talked about basically everything. Her favourite colour was blue and she loved parakeets.

I started abandoning my friends. I didn’t even care that I hadn’t heard anything for weeks of my best friend Hongbin. Hyuk started to ignore me, but I didn’t care. The only person that mattered to me was Jenny. How could someone not love a perfect angel?

“You’re late,” Jenny pouted, but kissed me when I gave her the bouquet of flowers I bought for her. “Oh, you’re the sweetest!” she rejoiced. I laughed as I sat down next to her. We ordered our coffee and had spent that great afternoon together.

“I love you,” I whispered in her ear. Jenny smiled and pecked my lips. I kissed her again. I wanted to deepen the kiss, but she pushed me away. I stared at her, a bit confused by the sudden rejection.

“Not here, let’s go to my place,” she winked at me as she got up and left the coffee shop. Jenny didn’t even wait for me! I paid for the coffee and hurried after her. The girl was fast on high heels since there was a big gap between us. I tried catching up with her, but kept on failing. It was like one of those strange dreams where you chased someone, but you could never get any closer.

Jenny was casually walking over the ancient pavement. Although, it looked more like gracious dancing to me. She was humming the old nursery rhyme again, London Bridge. Over and over again I heard her soft singing in front of me. It started to freak me out, especially when I noticed where we were going.

The abandoned harbour is a place where most people don’t dare to go, not even the ones with a death wish. I automatically slowed down since entering the harbour was like entering a horror film that wouldn’t end well. I tried to call out to Jenny to stop and turn back, but she was too absorbed with her own thoughts that she didn’t hear me.

I was worried for her. Didn’t she know that it was dangerous there? I nervously started looking around between the forgotten buildings. Sometimes I saw strange shadows in the corner of my eye. Every time I turned my head to look, they were gone.

Jenny and I wandered deeper and deeper into the harbour. The light seemed to fade with each step I took. It was starting to get dark.

Her humming became louder and her movements stiffer. I was probably imagining things, but she was more doll-like.

I heard another voice. The eerie male voice sang the exact same song, but the lyrics were different. I couldn’t hear it properly yet since the singer was still too far away. I got goosebumps all over my skin. Why was it suddenly so chilly?

Jenny stopped and slowly turned around to face me. She smiled sweetly at me, but her eyes were empty and cold. The girl pointed to an old building, a shop. Behind the glass there were dolls staring with the same dead eyes as Jenny. Their clothes were ripped and the colour had faded away long ago.

“My home. Don’t you think it’s beautiful? My father will be so happy to see you,” she spoke with a mechanical voice and entered the shop, humming London Bridge again.

I immediately followed her. There was something seriously wrong with her. It wasn’t safe here.

" Jenny, where are you?" I asked with a bad feeling in my guts. This was a bad idea. I couldn't see her in the darkness of the shop.

I slowly started walking with my mobile lighting my way. It seemed as if hours went by as I just wandered in the dark. Was I just walking in circles or was this shop bigger than I thought?

I could still hear Jenny’s and the male’s voice singing in perfect harmony. I finally could clearly hear the lyrics.

 “Turning dolls, it is an art, is an art, is an art. Turning dolls, it is an art, my fair angel.”

I almost tripped over something, and I wasn’t sure if it was dead or alive.

“Crafted you from wax and clay, wax and clay, wax and clay. Crafted you from wax and clay, my fair angel.”

For I second I thought I stared into the eyes of a doll. However, when I blinked, it was gone. Where was Jenny? I had to get her out of here.

What was that horrid smell? There was something metallic, wax, clay and rotten meat. I almost threw up when the stench came over me like a tidal wave.

“Wax and clay, that won’t stay dry, won’t stay dry, won’t stay dry. Wax and clay, that won’t stay dry, my fair angel.”

“Hongbin?” I stammered. I spotted him sitting on a chair, lifeless. His eyes were closed and saw nothing.

“Crafted you from cloth and straw, cloth and straw, cloth and straw. Crafted you from cloth and straw, my fair angel.”

I ran up to him and hugged him. His body was so cold. His skin, it wasn’t skin at all. It felt smooth and cool under my fingertips.

How did he get here?

“Cloth and straw will rip and fade, rip and fade, rip and fade. Cloth and straw will rip and fade, my fair angel.”

It was most definitely Hongbin, but for some odd reason it wasn’t him at all, not anymore. He wasn’t exactly how I remembered him. Hongbin seemed… perfect. That was a ridiculous thought.

I heard footsteps around me. Was that Jenny or the male? Maybe it was someone or something else.

“Crafted you from porcelain and glass, porcelain and glass, porcelain and glass. Crafted you from porcelain and glass, my fair angel.”

A man with a pale skin and jet-black hair came out of the darkness. He smiled at me. I fell backwards and tried to get away. When I stood up I looked right at Jenny who had the exact same smile as the man.

“He’s beautiful, my angel. A wonderful addition to my collection,” the man marvelled. Was he insane? Why was he calling Jenny “my angel”? I looked for a way out, but couldn’t find one. I was petrified that they’d hear my racing heart and rapid breathing.

“Ravi, I’d like to introduce you to my creator, Leo. He’s going to make you perfect. Isn’t that exciting?” Jenny chimed. “It might hurt a little, but look at your friend Hongbin. He’s just like an angel, isn’t he?”

“What did you do to him?” I whispered. I didn’t dare to look at any of them. Hongbin then opened his eyes and gazed at me. He didn’t recognize me at all. A grin spread over his face that showed his pearly white teeth. I thought my heart stopped as I saw him stand up and let Leo examine him.

“He turned me. You will be just like me… a perfect doll,” Hongbin responded. I felt strong arms around me and knew it was Jenny. I screamed and kicked, trying to break free. Hongbin grabbed my legs and together the two brought me to a room. There was strange equipment, weird-smelling fluids and in the middle was an operation table. The two shackled me to the table. I managed to bite Jenny’s hand. It wasn’t skin. She was made of something porcelain like.

The three started singing the song again. I now understood what the lyrics were about. They’d turn me into a doll.

“Don’t worry Ravi, handmade angels are perfect. Luckily for me… perfection has no will,” Leo remarked.

I tried to fight, but it was useless. The process was so painful. All that time I was looking into the eyes of the things that were once the girl I loved and my best friend.

“Porcelain and glass will break and chip, break and chip, break and chip. Porcelain and glass will break and chip, my fair angel.”

I hope you enjoyed the prologue.

Please comment your thoughts on it (^.^)

Love y'all!