That Stupid Doll

This looks like something out of a painting, she thought.

The sand lined the sea like fairy dust, the pebbled surface of the water slowly swaying from one side to the next, reflecting soft ripples onto the sides of ships. People appeared once in a while, and maybe it was the open sky sprinkled with soft clouds, or the gentle sound of waves lapping onto the shore, but despite the world slowly spinning into chaos, everyone seemed to be suprisingly…calm. Shoulders relaxed, mind as still as the tranquil view in front of them, unconsciously appreciating this pocket of space seemingly moving slower than their fast paced lives. 

But still, the girl continued to stride aimlessly along the shore. Her hood was up, covering her figure with a hue of grey, overcoming the vibrant blue the fabric once was, a long time ago. Her hair was down, eyebrows drawn and as tense as the constant thoughts and miseries burned bright within her mind. She stared at her already sand-soaked shoes, fixating on one single thought in her mind: ‘God I hate that stupid doll’.

It was that doll, the one with the horrendously spiky teeth and zero-shaped eyes, ‘Labubu was it called?’ her mind burned even more with just an image. That doll is everywhere. Posts online, close friends, not-so-close friends, people-I-knew-but-didn’t-know-me strangers and everyone in the category anyone could fit in—‘This doll is like a virus’, she thought. 

But it wasn’t just that doll that fueled her fire, no. It wasn’t simply an overrated ‘trend’ roaming around the internet’s every corner — but a tool people used as another layer to their thick curtain of achievement and happiness. Every time, it was a stab in the heart, a statement, fleshed out under all the layers of social media comparing people’s abilities and lives, just through a picture of that stupid doll. 

She felt her hood become more worn by the second. 

Acting as her own grey curtain to hide behind. 

Just as she reached the end of the shore, where the sea closed off into a curve leading to concrete, the soft breeze seemed to gently tilt her eyes upwards. Maybe it was the view of the sparkling ripples spanning across the ocean, and maybe it was the ambling clouds across the sky, but the girl took just one moment to listen to the wind and look up. 

In front was another girl. She was just about the height of her waist, with two pig tails sprouting out of her head and stubby pearls flashing as she smiled. 

She was also holding a doll. 

This doll was just a simple doll, nothing special. Stringy yellow-dyed hair with a hot pink dress, button eyes and sewn in mouth. But this doll was clutched so dearly with real happiness in her eyes as her other hand held her fathers. They strolled down the shore just like any other pair of strangers. 

Maybe it was the vibrant blue bow ties stuck in her hair, or the ordinary doll, but the girl took off her hood and breathed in the beautiful and real day the rest of her way home. 

Writer – Stephanie Lin
Editor – Sophia Oblefias
Artist – Marianna Wang

–July 2025–