Pink Palace Apartments. My new house. It used to be one big house, but then the owner died and they divided it up into three sections. There is a small one upstairs, just enough space for one person. Mr.Bobinski lived there. He’s the owner of the Jumping Mice Circus. He said I’m not allowed up there since his work is “top-secret” and only for the most honorable guests. Then there was our section. It was the main floor, then the second floor. Ours was the largest section, even though there was only three of us. Me, my mom, and my dad. The last part of the house was owned by two old performers, Miss. Spink and Miss. Forcible. They were a duo act that sang and did acrobatic tricks. The owner had her own little house to the side, where she lived with her grandson. I don’t really know much about them. The After a few agonizing hours we finally got all our boxes in the house. My parents needed to start working on their garden catalog, so my dad went into the office, while my mom stays in the kitchen, which leaves me unpacking. My parents haven’t always been the type to help me, talk to me, give me attention, etc. The two people who did were my friends, but they’re back in Michigan. So I guess I’ll have to make do by my lonesome self.

After a while I decided that I wanted to go get the garden tools. My mom packed all the boxes, so I went to ask her where they were. As I walked to the kitchen I saw the living room. There was a tiny door in the middle of the left wall. I stopped for a minute and stared in wonder, then continued on my way.

“Hi Mom. How’s the catalog coming?” I asked with a fake smile.

“What do you want Coraline? I’m busy.” My mom said with her eyes glued to the computer.

“It’s a great day for gardening.”

“No Coraline. It’s raining, there’s mud. Mud means mess. And who cleans the messes around here? Me, Coraline. Me.” She snarled at me with that awful nag of hers.

“Why did we even move here if you hate dirt?!”

“I don’t hate dirt. I hate mess.”

“Dirt is mess mom. Can’t I just please go and plant a few seeds? I wanna plant them so they make something, not just plain old rows of flowers.”

“Plain old rows are fine. We don’t need a ‘special’ garden. Your father and I already have something special enough.” She gave me a dead stare.

“It’s called artistic freedom mother” I whispered, underneath my breath as I walked back to my room. Just as I passed the living room I saw that door again. Since I had nothing to do I decided to go take a closer look at it. I noticed it had a keyhole. So of course I politely asked for the key.

“Hey mom, there’s a creepy door over here! Can you bring me the key?” I yelled. I immediately heard a groan come from the kitchen.

“Will you stop bothering me if I get you the key?”

“I raise my right hand in promise.” I responded. She went to find the key and came back a few minutes later. We unlocked the door, then slowly opened it.

“Brick!? All that for a lousy brick wall?!” I exclaimed.

“Bye Coraline” My mother snarled. Ugh, I hate that woman.

A few hours later I was in my bed about to fall asleep. Just before I dozed off I heard a little squeak. I looked up and saw nothing. Naturally, I went downstairs to check it out. There was a glow coming from the small door. I opened it and my eyes were filled with an array of blue and purple. As I started to crawl in, the door closed behind me. I made it to the other side, and I heard a light tapping. I slowly walked into the kitchen, where I thought the sound was coming from. When I arrived I saw boney fingers tapping against the marbled counter. The rhythm sounded like knives against a chalkboard.  

“Who are you?” I asked the tall woman that stood in the kitchen. Come to think of it, the house looked exactly like ours.

“Who am I? I thought you loved me Coraline! I guess not, since you left me here to rot all alone. With nobody to love, no one to hold. I can’t believe that you would do that. After all I’ve done for you, what have you ever done for me?”

“I...I...I don’t know what you mean.”

“I gave you a home. I gave you attention. I gave you my love.”

“I...um...I’m sorry?” I questioned what was happening in that moment. Who was this woman? What did I do? For once I found myself missing my mother.

“Sorry? That can’t be all you have to say. I gave you eyes to see didn’t I?! You promised me you would stay with me, love me. Yet you left, just like everyone else has.” She gave out a quick sob, and turned around. Her face was cracked, buttons for eyes.

“Eyes to see? What do you mean...I don’t understand.” She quickly grabbed my shoulder and took me to the mirror by the stairs.

“Look Coraline. Look at yourself.”

“Bu..bbb..bu”

“Buttons,” the woman cut me off suddenly, “your buttons.”

“I never noticed them before…” I quietly said to myself.

“That’s because you left me Coraline. The moment you left you forgot. No one could ever love you as much as I. Your parents never will. I love you Coraline, I always will. Why can’t you see that?” There was a few moments of silence before she turned back to go up the stairs. Still not completely sure what was happening, I stayed by the mirror. I saw myself standing there, buttons and all. If she gave me these eyes then why had I not noticed them before? Then it hit me. Everything she said was real. I left her. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I ran for the door and sprinted as far as I could before a collapsed on the ground. At my feet there was a small grey-blue bird. I sat up slowly and noticed that there was a pigeon.

“Hey hot stuff. By any chance are you single?”

“Oh. Um...well....yes.” I managed to stutter.

“Well then, how about we go catch Spink & Forcibles show.”

“Well, I’m not really in a place for a relationship right now.” I stated awkwardly. The pigeon sighed and explained that it was probably for the best, since he was kinda in a relationship with an Alpaca at the moment. I stood up and asked the pigeon what his name was.

“Bubbles, Playboy Bubbles.”

“Oh?” I said. I looked around the setting of where I was. There was the house, then the forest. Nothing else really. The garden was on my left, then nothing to my right. The sky was dull, no clouds were above me. Just a dark black sky of nothing. I figured staying in one place wasn’t the best idea. I took one more look around, then started to walk further away from the house. Just then something stopped me.

“How dare you leave me again! After I just got you back into my grasp. You know I love you Coraline?!” It was her. The woman from before. I picked up Bubbles and threw it at her. I guess I should have asked if he was ok with it, but nevermind that. Bubbles chirped and suddenly there was a flock of pigeons pecking at her face.

“Well isn’t that nifty.” I cheered politely. I continued away from the house. As I walked I sang a song to myself that my dad had always sang.

“Oh, my twitchy witchy girl I think you are so nice, I give you bowls of porridge and I give you bowls of ice cream. I give you lots of kisses, and I give lots of hugs, but I never give you sandwiches with bugs…” Suddenly I fell.

“Mr. and Mrs.Jones. I’m afraid I have some bad news. About your daughter, Coraline.”

“Yes?”

“She has Schizophrenia.” My mother closed the book with a harsh clap.

“And that Rapunzel, is why we never go through creepy doors. Got that dear?”

“Yes Mother” I chimed. I guess living up here in a tower isn’t so bad. I mean, I have my puppet, Pinocchio. Sometimes I wish that he was an actual person. I’m so lonely up in my tower. My mother had left the room, so I threw myself over my bed and began to sob. That works in other stories, so why can’t it in mine? I knew a guy once. His name was Flynn. He was so hot, he made ice cream melt (wink). We we’re married for about a month before he heard that his childhood friend, Aurora, was under a stupid curse. Then he took over my castle and sent me back here to live with the woman who kidnapped me. At least I wasn’t totally alone with Mother Gothel, there were a few mice around. Apparently their human friend ditched them for Prince Charming. What kind of name is that? I bet he’s just as ugly as that stupid duck I found by the pond. Just thinking about him makes me want to puke. Ugh, my life is so boring. I wish I could live like the princesses in those stories. I’m sure I would pass a test with 20 mattresses and a pea. I’m the most sensitive girl there is. I’ve read too so many stories about princesses and their “happily ever afters.” Finally I got to read about something interesting today. I felt for that creepy woman in the story. Coraline left her to rot all alone by herself. I’m not alone completely, but it feels like it sometimes. I sat up on my bed and noticed a small doll with button eyes that looked almost exactly like me. I stopped to think for a moment, then all the sudden the window of my tower turned into a beautiful array of blue and purple. I climbed onto the window sill and went towards the light. There was an opening at the end, so I slowly walked towards it. When I reached the end, I walked through into what seemed to be exactly what I had just left. You can’t just walk away from something and come back to it, right? There was my bed, a table with chess set up in the left corner, and a puppet on the ledge. Then I heard a small sound off in the distance. The sound was almost like knives against a chalkboard. When I began to get closer the sound began to get in perfect rhythm. One after another, five in a row. I saw a woman standing there, she had her back turned to me.

“They say even the proudest spirit can be broken with love.” The woman said in a hush tone.  I inched forward towards where she stood. She continued speaking just as quietly as before.

“I knew you’d come back. I knew you loved me.” She said almost as is she was afraid.

“I...I don’t know who you are.” I stuttered in a scared voice.

“After all Rapunzel, you know I love you.”

Fin.