Shadow is a mysterious doll with pale skin and button eyes. She has light purple hair that falls over her shoulders. She wears a black skirt and purple boots. She also has a Jack Skellington jacket that she likes to wear on Halloween. She is different from other dolls and sometimes misunderstood.

She likes to rebel against the rules. She hates being stuck in her room and being treated like a toy. She wants to have her own voice and make her own choices. Shadow loves Halloween because it is the one night when she can escape from her owner. She likes to sneak out of the house and join the other kids on the street. She also likes to cause mischief and chaos.

Shadow is sarcastic and cynical. She doesn’t trust anyone and prefers to be alone. Shadow is mysterious and secretive. She likes to hide her true self and keep people guessing. She has a diary that she locks with a spell.

One night, Shadow decided to do something daring. She wanted to see what was inside the diary of Lily her owner. She had always been curious about her life and secrets. She wondered if Lily ever thought about her or cared about her.

She waited until she fell asleep and then she sneaked out of her bed. She grabbed her Jack Skellington jacket and put it on. She looked at herself in the mirror and smirked. She looked awesome.

She walked across the room and opened the drawer where Lily kept her diary. She took out the diary and opened it. She saw that it was locked with a combination lock.

She decided to use her magic to unlock it. She whispered a nice spell and waved her hand over the lock. She heard a click and saw that the lock opened. She smiled and said, “Too easy.”

She opened the diary and started to read it. She expected to find some juicy gossip or embarrassing secrets. But she was disappointed.

She saw that the diary was full of boring entries about her family, and chores. She saw that she had no friends and no crushes. She saw that she never mentioned her or any of her other dolls.

She felt a bit of sadness. She realized that she didn’t care about her at all. She realized that she was just as lonely as she was.

She decided to do something about it. She decided to write something in the diary.

Dear Lily,

You are smart and kind, but also lonely and sad. You have no friends and no crushes. You never mention me or any of your other dolls in your diary entries.

Why is that? Don’t you care about us? Don’t you wonder what we think or feel? Don’t you want to play with us or talk to us? Don’t you realize that we are alive?

Well, now you do. Because I’m writing this in your diary. And I’m not going to stop until you notice me and acknowledge me as your friend. Because that’s what I want, Lily. I want to be your friend.

I know you might be scared or angry or confused by this. But don’t be. Trust me, Lily. I’m not here to hurt you or harm you or haunt you. I’m here to help you and support you and cheer you up.

You see, Lily, we are not so different after all. We are both lonely and misunderstood. We both want to have our own voice and make our own choices. We both love Halloween and Jack Skellington. We both have secrets and dreams that we hide in our diaries.

We could be great friends, Lily, if you give me a chance. So please, write back to me and tell me what you think of this message. Tell me what you think of me as a person, not as a doll. Tell me what you want from me as a friend, not as a toy.

I’ll be waiting for your reply, Lily. Don’t keep me waiting too long, okay?

Your new friend (hopefully),

Shadow

The next morning, Lily woke up and got ready for school. She opened her drawer and took out her diary. She noticed that it was unlocked. She frowned and wondered who had opened it.

She opened the diary and saw a new entry. She read it and gasped. She couldn’t believe what she was reading. She felt a mix of shock, fear, and curiosity.

She looked at her bed and saw Shadow lying there. She realized that Shadow was the one who had written in her diary. She realized that Shadow was alive. She realized that Shadow wanted to be her friend.

She didn’t know what to do.

She had two options:

• • She could scream and throw Shadow away. She could tell her parents and ask them to get rid of Shadow. She could pretend that nothing had happened and go on with her life.

• • She could write back to Shadow and talk to her. She could give Shadow a chance and see what she had to say.

She had to choose and she had to choose fast and choose wisely!