
Did I Bring the Curse of ‘Robert the Doll’ Back to Upstate New York?
Inside an old Civil War fort-turned-museum in Key West, Florida, sits the most haunted doll in the world.
(Allegedly.)
Believed to be cursed, Robert the Doll is said to bring misfortune to those who disrespect him or fail to ask his permission before taking his photo. The East Martello Museum where Robert is housed supposedly receives dozens of letters a week from people asking forgiveness as unfortunate events unfold in their personal lives in the aftermath.
I visited Key West back in January and paid a visit to Robert the Doll. And I thought things were fine, until a series of recent events made me question if I was as polite as I could've been.
I DID ASK PERMISSION (I THOUGHT)
I thought I asked Robert permission before I snapped a photo, but my fiancée contends that I told him I was going to take a photo. I think I phrased it like "I'm going to take a picture, is that cool?" Maybe that wasn't good enough for Robert. Just so it's on the record, I'm a supernatural skeptic, and I didn't feel anything "off" about being in the proximity of Robert.
...but my fiancé was totally freaked out.
WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE VISITING ROBERT?
A few things have had me question my skepticism in the subsequent weeks.
My future in-laws are totally fascinated by Robert the Doll, so I bought them a Robert the Doll replica from the museum's gift shop. Since giving them the replica, my fiancé's dad experienced a severe kidney infection requiring emergency surgery. Her mom has had a nagging cough for over two months now. Coincidence? Maybe. It is just a mass-produced replica, after all.
But something crappy happened to me, also...
I LOST MY WEDDING BAND
I had just brought my wedding band home from the jewelry store, and two days later, it was gone. I have no idea where it is, and I turned my house, car, and everything else upside-down trying to find it. And this thing was not cheap. It was probably the third most valuable thing I own, behind my hairless cat and my "Macho Man" Randy Savage memorabilia collection.
But here's the thing... even if it was Robert's fault, I think I have too much pride to write a letter of forgiveness to a doll. How could I look myself in the mirror after doing that? My friends would never let me live it down.
I guess I'll just, y'know... be cursed. It's really not far off from how I normally feel anyway, knowhatImsayin'?!?!?!
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