Chapter 43: The Conjuring Universe: Annabelle's Birth and Origin
As soon as the doll was taken out, Lorraine sensed the lingering evil on it. It wasn't particularly strong, and its owner likely hadn't awakened yet, but there were signs of it.
She touched the doll, clearly aware of the nursery rhyme.
"Can you seal this doll?"
Danny shook his head.
"The doll already has an owner."
Lorraine understood.
"Then let's take this doll back first. We will investigate the matter, but not now. If possible, I hope you can help us after passing the Church's assessment."
Danny asked, "May I ask what this is about?"
Lorraine glanced at her husband, and Ed took over, beginning to speak.
"Recently, we've been investigating a doll incident. Do you know Annabelle?"
Danny, of course, knew Annabelle. This entity was one of the cases he understood best.
"I heard that originally, a couple, missing their tragically deceased daughter, tried to use some kind of ritual to recall her soul, but the so-called daughter was actually a demon in disguise."
Ed was surprised, "You actually know."
"I've heard about the case. The Higgins doll series was very popular at the time."
Ed nodded, then began to tell the story.
"We investigated for a long time and found that the incident originated with a man named Samuel Mullins in the West. He was a renowned dollmaker, capable of making every doll incredibly lifelike."
"His craftsmanship was very popular at the time, but his daughter, Annabelle, was involved in a car accident on the highway."
"Gradually, Samuel and his wife missed their daughter so much that they even resorted to dark forces to let their daughter's soul reside in a doll."
"The uncertainty of summoning souls is great. The entity in the doll's body was not Samuel's daughter, but a malevolent demon skilled at deception."
"The demon had no name, but later everyone called it Annabelle."
"Actually, it was Samuel's daughter's name."
"This is..."
The Birth of Annabelle.
Emma had entered the living room at some point, listening intently to Ed's story with her large eyes.
Lorraine glanced at the little girl, finding her quite sweet, just a little older than her own daughter.
Danny only understood at this point. Although he knew of Annabelle's existence, he certainly didn't know the details as thoroughly as the Warren couple.
"Later, the doll disappeared, but we investigated and found that it was bought by someone and taken home as a gift for his wife." Ed paused here.
Clearly, their investigation had reached its current limit.
Lorraine and Ed felt some concern. After all, Danny was just a newcomer who hadn't even passed the Church's assessment.
They were seeking his help, and doing so might bring him danger.
"No problem, I'm very happy to help Mr. Ed and Ms. Lorraine. If you need anything, you can call me anytime."
Danny appeared very enthusiastic. Although Annabelle was dangerous, he wasn't without ideas. He just needed to make a few small preparations before the Warren couple officially began their investigation.
After all, he had limited means of dealing with demons directly.
Ed stood up and extended his hand, and Danny responded, shaking it.
"Thank you, Danny."
Lorraine also extended a hand.
"Thank you for your hospitality. Things have been so hectic recently that I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'll definitely treat you to lunch when I have time."
The Warren couple left after completing the assessment and their investigation.
They had many things to do.
Emma looked at their retreating figures thoughtfully, then turned to Danny and asked.
"Annabelle? Is she more powerful than Mary Shaw?"
"I'm not very clear on that either." Danny couldn't answer this question. After all, he hadn't encountered her yet. Perhaps one day he would be able to answer this question.
Emma's curiosity was strong, and she asked another question.
"Can that monster at your house that night beat them?"
"Probably."
Danny's tone was somewhat distracted, and Emma noticed, but she didn't ask further.
She wasn't one of those annoying children who didn't know boundaries.
As long as Danny frowned, she would stop everything she was doing to please him, whether by being quiet or acting adorable—she could do it all.
This was why Danny didn't mind the little one playing in his yard.
Emma was unnervingly well-behaved.
The matter had come to a temporary close.
On the fourth day, Jennifer returned.
Jennifer had just dealt with those annoying family matters and came back, thinking of getting intimate with her boyfriend.
But as soon as she entered, she saw the little girl in the yard and was instantly stunned.
Could this be Danny's secret daughter? Why had he never mentioned it?
Emma looked at the woman in front of her with unfriendly eyes and questioned.
"Who are you?"
Jennifer wasn't sure who this little girl was, so her tone was as gentle as possible.
"I'm Danny's girlfriend. What's your name?"
Emma eyed Jennifer suspiciously, seemingly disbelieving that Danny would actually like such a woman.
"You're not. You're not good enough for him."
Jennifer's composure broke.
"What do you know, little girl? Where's Danny?"
"Jennifer, you're back?"
Jennifer heard the voice and looked up to see Danny sitting on the second floor, relaxing in the sun.
"Who is this little girl?"
Danny: "Neighbor David's daughter."
"???" A neighbor's daughter acting so possessive in her house—Jennifer almost thought she misheard.
But when she learned that Emma really was neighbor David's daughter, she was speechless. Where did this bratty kid come from?
She immediately started trying to kick her out.
"Go play at your own house! This is my boyfriend's place!"
"No."
That one word revealed Emma's determination. If Jennifer dared to touch her, she would cry.
Jennifer wasn't one to be trifled with, and she reached for Emma, ready to escort her out.
But Emma was also very clever, slipping into the house, dodging and hiding, and even taunting her.
Jennifer was so angry that she went to Danny to complain.
Danny didn't have time to deal with the arguments and conflicts between the two.
Under the full recommendation of the Warren couple, Danny registered as a demonologist for the Church the next day.
As the saying goes, when you accept someone's help, you're indebted.
What if the Warren couple asked him for help? He couldn't just stand by and do nothing, could he?
To deal with Annabelle, he couldn't wait for supernatural events to come to him. He had to actively seek them out.
He could encounter them normally, but if he switched to a website that gathered most of North America's paranormal enthusiasts, that would be a high-incidence area for supernatural events.
There were many help-seeking posts there, and Danny planned to choose a few that he felt were suitable.
Mainly leaning toward evil spirits, demons, malevolent entities, and the supernatural side.
Even if it seemed suitable, there was no guarantee it wouldn't go wrong.
It was possible that a seemingly ordinary small matter could hide an evil powerful enough to destroy Danny completely.
Therefore, for unfamiliar help-seeking posts, he was cautious, cautious, and even more cautious in his selection.
To avoid disaster.
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