“Mommy, that doll is looking at me again,” the mother thought her child was joking, and the next day she rushed her child to the hospital: The truth that followed made her shiver…
In a small house at the end of a quiet alley in the suburbs of Quezon City, Marites lives with her 6-year-old daughter, Lira. The house is old but always filled with the laughter of the mother and daughter. Lira is a lively, imaginative child who loves to draw and talk to herself. But recently, she has started to act very strangely.

The doll that Lira pointed to had long black hair, sparkling button eyes, and a smile skillfully sewn into the fabric. It was a gift that Marites bought for her daughter at a provincial market in Pampanga a few months ago.

“Lira, anak, manika lang ‘yan, hindi siya makakatingin. Imagination mo lang ‘yan. Sige na, matulog ka na,” Marites stroked her daughter’s hair, reassuring her.

Lira nodded, but her eyes never left the doll. That night, Marites heard a soft whisper from her daughter’s room. Thinking she was talking in her sleep, she paid no attention. But the next few days, things got stranger.

Lira began drawing pictures in black and red: a girl with pitch-black eyes standing next to a doll that looked exactly like the one on the shelf. The lines were drawn hastily, as if drawn in fear.

A week passed, and Lira had trouble sleeping. She cried in the middle of the night, saying:

“Mama, sabi ng manika huwag akong matulog…”

Worried, Marites put the doll in the closet, hoping her daughter would forget. But the next night, Lira screamed:

“Mama! Nandito siya! Nasa ilalim ng kama!”

Marites turned on the light, looked under the bed – only to find a few old toys. But the next morning, when she opened the closet to get her clothes, the doll was lying neatly on the shelf as if it had never been put away. A cold chill ran down her spine.

Then tragedy struck. One evening, Lira suddenly collapsed, her lips purple, her eyes wide open, looking at the doll and whispering…
Mama… sabi niya… sumama raw ako…”

Marites panicked and took her child to the hospital in Makati. The doctor diagnosed Lira with asthenia, with signs of seizures of unknown cause. Lira was kept for observation.

While sitting by her child’s bedside, Marites recalled the market where she bought the doll. The seller was a strange old woman with a cold gaze. She only said: “Espesyal ang manikang ito… siya ang pumipili ng may-ari.”

At the time, Marites thought it was just a sales pitch. But now, she began to have doubts.

She asked a journalist friend to investigate. A few days later, the friend called back, his voice full of tension:

“Marites, that market is not normal. Rumor has it that there are many items associated with ancient rituals. Manika mo… baka hindi simpleng laruan.”

Marites shivered. Back home, she examined the doll. When she cut open the seam on its back, she was stunned: inside was a small lock of hair tied with red thread, along with an old piece of paper with the name ‘Lira’ written in shaky handwriting.

She immediately sought out a famous shaman, Mang Isko. As soon as he saw the doll, his face paled:

“Ito ay kulam, isang uri ng anting-anting para itali ang kaluluwa ng bata. Kung hindi masisira ang sumpa, unti-unting manghihina si Lira.”

He told her to take the doll to an old temple in Bulacan for a ritual to exorcise her.

During the ceremony, the doll was placed in a circle of salt, surrounded by red candles. The atmosphere was heavy, and Marites felt someone whispering behind her. Suddenly, the doll caught fire. In the flames appeared a blurry figure of a woman – the same face as the one Lira had drawn.

“Tiya Rosario…” Marites whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. It was her distant cousin who had once been jealous of her family and had sworn revenge.

The figure screamed in pain before disappearing with the flames. The doll turned into ashes.

After the ceremony, Lira gradually recovered, no longer having nightmares. Marites decided to move away from her old place. Before leaving, she visited her mother’s grave in Antipolo Cemetery, whispering her thanks for protecting her granddaughter from afar.

In her new home, Lira returned to being a cheerful girl. One night, The child suddenly asked:
“Mama, mahal ba ako ni Lola kahit hindi ko siya nakilala?”

Marites hugged her child, smiling:
“Oo anak, mahal na mahal ka ni Lola. Lagi siyang nasa tabi mo, kahit hindi mo siya nakikita.”

In that moment, a gentle breeze blew by, carrying a gentle warmth, as if the love and protection from the deceased mother were still present around the mother and child.