Trapped in Toyland

    By Сергей Лебедев

    Trapped in Toyland cover image

    20 May, 2024

    a doll is standing in front of a shelf of dolls in a room full of shelves of dolls and dolls, Dorothy Coke, gothic art, poster art, promotional image

    Tom and Lily, siblings with a strong bond, found themselves in an odd toy shop on a rainy afternoon. The shop was full of mystery, and they were drawn to it.

    Painting your imagination...

    Tom picked up a peculiar doll, dressed in frilly pink clothes. Lily, on the other hand, found a miniature soldier doll, tough and brave-looking.

    two dolls standing next to each other in a room full of dolls and dolls on shelves with dolls on them, Dirk Crabeth, international gothic, poster art, promotional image

    Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. The lights started to flicker, and the dolls' eyes seemed to follow them. Tom and Lily felt a chill run down their spines.

    a doll standing in a room full of dolls and shelves of dolls and toys on shelves and a lamp, Alice Prin, art photography, a character portrait, promotional image

    Out of nowhere, a strong gust of wind blew, and they were engulfed in a blinding light. When it subsided, they found themselves dressed in the clothes of their respective dolls.

    two dolls are standing next to each other in a room with a fireplace and a clock on the wall, Dirk Crabeth, gothic art, a storybook illustration, dark art

    Tom looked down at his body, horrified to see himself dressed in the doll's frilly pink clothes. Lily was equally shocked, finding herself in a soldier's uniform.

    a doll with a pink dress and bonnet in a room full of dolls and dolls on shelves with dolls, Dirk Crabeth, gothic art, a character portrait, creepy

    Their bodies were porcelain, their movements stiff. They had become the dolls they were holding just moments ago. The toy shop had trapped them in a terrifying curse.

    a doll with a pink dress and bonnet is posed in front of a dresser with a doll on it, Clarice Beckett, gothic art, an ultrafine detailed painting, finely detailed features

    Despite their predicament, Tom and Lily refused to give up. They struggled to move, their porcelain bodies limiting their actions. They were determined to break the curse.

    a painting of a couple of dolls in a room with other dolls and toys on the floor and a shelf, Dirk Crabeth, pop surrealism, a storybook illustration, dark art

    They tried everything they could think of. They tried swapping clothes, hoping it might reverse the curse, but it was to no avail.

    a doll is standing in a room full of dolls and dolls on shelves with a light above it and a lamp above it, Dirk Crabeth, gothic art, a character portrait, promotional image

    Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Time stood still in the toy shop, and the siblings' hopes began to dwindle. They wondered if they were doomed to remain dolls forever.

    Painting your imagination...

    They longed for their old lives, the laughter, the fights, the joy of being human. They missed their family, their friends, their school. They were trapped in a never-ending nightmare.

    two dolls are posed next to each other in front of a shelf of dolls and dolls on shelves behind them, Dirk Crabeth, international gothic, an ultrafine detailed painting, neo-gothic

    Slowly, they began to accept their fate. They were trapped, their spirits broken. They remained as dolls, forever stuck in the eerie toy shop.

    a doll standing in a room full of dolls on shelves with a clock in the background and a clock on the wall, Dirk Crabeth, pop surrealism, an album cover, promotional image

    Their story became a tragic tale whispered in hushed tones. The cursed toy shop, the siblings turned into dolls, their never-ending nightmare. The shop remained, waiting for its next victims.