She was beyond beautiful and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. The frilly dress that adorned her body suggested that she was Southern royalty. Her tight, golden ringlets framed her cherub-like face.

My fingers itched to touch the porcelain doll, but the glass between us kept me from doing so. The price tag was the next thing that kept me at bay.

With a heavy sigh, I turned away, ready to finish window shopping. The little shop keeper cleared her throat and called out to me. "Would you like a better look?" Her voice was small and raspy.

I wanted to adore the doll, so in several eager steps, I stood in front of the lady holding her out to me as if presenting a box of jewels.

As soon as my hands touched the doll, I knew she had to be mine. If it took a loan to get her, I would do it.

"So pretty." The little woman smiled, showcasing pearly white dentures.

"Yes."

"You want?"

"Yes. But...I can't...I don't have the money."

"Hmm." Her smile wavered.

My heart fluttered at the thought of having to give her back.

The shopkeeper's smile returned along with a glint in her eyes. She offered a different amount.

"What? For real? I mean, she had to be custom made. She resembles you."

She nodded, ignoring my last comment and hunched her shoulders in excitement. "She's on sale."

"I'll take her!"

Now Jolene sat on my dresser, where my most treasured dolls were placed. She looked like a Southern queen with her loyal subjects surrounding her.

Throughout the night, her beauty and the excitement of getting such a good deal for her called to me. It would take awhile for the elation to wear off; or so I thought.

About two in the morning, odd clicking noises could be heard. Groggy and still lost in dream, I rolled over to see Jolene was not in her place.

"What the...?" I sat up to see that she was on the floor, staring at the ceiling. "How'd you get down there?" Kicking the blankets off, I got out of bed and scooped her into my arms, cradling her like a baby.

After inspecting her for any damage, she was placed back in her spot. A quick check proved that the stand was stable and held her just fine.

With a huge yawn, I trudged to bed and fell back to sleep. It seemed like only minutes before the clicking woke me up again. A glance at the clock showed that it was four. I looked to see that once again, Jolene was missing.

This time, there was no sign of her. I got up and turned the light on, still not seeing my newest prize.

Where the hell could she be?

My search turned into a frantic one before I noticed something that looked like a frilly dress peeking out of my blankets. Confused, I made my way to the bed. Jolene looked up at me once I whipped the blankets away.

"How'd you get here?" Tucking Jolene into the crook of my elbow, I snuggled with her under the blankets.

There weren't any other noises that woke me the rest of the night. It was a blissful sleep.

In the morning, the Victorian style print I had gotten a few weeks ago was the first thing I saw. A calm happiness filled my heart before a realization hit me.

That print was across the room from the dresser. If I were looking at it from the bed, it would be at an angle, not head on.

What is going on?

Bewildered, I tried to turn my head, to look around. But nothing happened.

"Ah. Good morning." The voice sounded familiar, but stronger than I remembered.

The face that swam into view was very much like that of the shopkeeper's, but many years younger. She gave me the same wide smile; no dentures in her mouth though. And I realized that Jolene looked just like her.

"I'm so glad mama got someone to buy me. I thought I'd be a porcelain doll forever." The woman reached out to me. As she lifted her arms, the print lowered.

She took this opportunity to explain the family's curse. As punishment for her great-grandmother's affair with her sister's husband, she had been entrapped in the doll; a fitting punishment since he'd given it to her.

The family had gone years thinking the great-grandmother had disappeared before finding out the truth by accident. The sister had died and her niece went snooping. All of a sudden, the niece went missing and the great-grandmother was back.

They spent their lives switching places until the woman carrying me said they had to end it. Her mama would try to sell the doll in her shop and pass the curse onto someone else. They never could get anyone to take the doll, until yesterday.

"I've been a doll for fifteen years. I have missed out on so much. Love, family, life!" Her eyes burned and her nostrils flared.

We were in the bathroom when she held me up in front if her, the reflection on the mirror showing my features on a doll face.

"But now, I get to try and have those things." Her sneer did nothing to help me feel any better. "And you get to be the porcelain doll."