The amputated fingers of the Other Mother's shattered hand squirmed beneath the rock at the bottom of the well. They rose, dragging themselves by the fingertips to rejoin and connect to what could be scavenged of the hand. The resurrected hand reared up, wiggling its fingers, testing the air around it, before pulling itself from beneath the rock.
'Come back to me...'
The hand ripped a hole in the fabric containing the rock. It reached its slender, needle like fingers up to the thread on which the key to the door of the Other World was looped around and pulled gently.
'Bring it back...'
The hand snipped the thread and curled its fingers around the top of the dark key. Slowly and nimbly, it began to scale the wall of the well.
'Yes... Come back to me...'

Far away, in the darkness of the lounge in Coraline's home, the door began to bulge and move. A shrill scream emitted from the green mist circling the frame and its tendrils snaked out into the room. They swirled upwards, reaching for the portrait of a young, dark haired girl in a yellow raincoat with a black cat, and stroked her smiling face. The paint crumbled and fell away,...

Coraline screamed. Two gleaming buttons stared up at her, a menacing smile sewn across the doll's face.
"Get away from me! Why?! I had gotten rid of you weeks ago!" Coraline cried. Footsteps echoed in the corridor and Coraline's door was thrown open.
"Coraline? What's all this screaming about?" her mother snapped. Coraline stood up, shaking, holding the doll at arms length and threw it at her mother.
"Get rid of it! Burn it, fry it, just make sure it NEVER comes back!" Coraline demanded fearfully. Her mother gave her a quizzical look and sighed.
"You woke me up in the middle of the night over a stupid DOLL?" she asked rhetorically. Coraline nodded sheepishly and stared at the ground, rubbing her arm. Her mother sighed once more and ushered her daughter to her bed. She shut the door tightly and walked off down the corridor to the kitchen. Coraline wasn't satisfied until she heard the sizzling and smelt the burning of fabric. She smiled.
The next day, Coraline felt shivery. She woke up to find the whole house frosted over. Snow carpeted the floor and icicles hung from everywhere. It was the middle of summer!

Heart racing, Coraline took another step forwards. She had to act calm despite the torrent of horror washing down on her. The button eyed army advanced on her and she screamed...
Panting, Coraline woke up.
'Just a stupid dream!' She complained silently. It was midnight, trees freaked and moaned in the wind and Coraline was sure she heard them whispering. 'Just my imagination run wild, again." she reminded herself.
Slowly, careful not to make any noise as she tip-toed across her bedroom, Coraline slipped from her safe point and closer to the tunnel to the other world.
'Coraline... Come back...'
That was it. Something was definitely whispering. Not the trees, but the door. Ghost chants echoed eerily into the bedroom as Coraline pressed her head to the door. Something cracked. She gazed down in horror. Before her lay a doll. That doll.