The ghost story the Thin Man remembered, like most stories from the past, began with the words, "A long, long time ago."
"A long, long time ago, there was a little girl named Lina. On her birthday, she received a doll from her parents as a present. Lina was very happy. She brushed the doll's hair, changed its clothes, and took it with her everywhere. Lina called the doll her little sister, and her parents did, too. They treated the doll like a member of the family.
"Several years passed. The doll grew old, and Lina got new toys. She tossed the doll aside and stopped taking it everywhere. Without Lina knowing, the doll ended up under the bed, where it went undiscovered for many years.
"Lina grew up, met a boy, fell in love with him, and got ready to marry him. They were moving to a new home. While packing, Lina still didn't notice the doll under the bed.
"Before long, they had a child. When the baby was born, they were both overjoyed. Lina held him all day, as if he were her most precious possession. But two or three years later, Lina became pregnant again and cast her eldest aside, devoting herself entirely to taking care of her younger child.
"It was a long time before the couple realized their eldest son was missing. When their neighbors asked where he was, they didn't know. They searched everywhere, at home and around town. They asked everyone they met, 'Have you seen our child?' Everyone said no.
"They kept searching until they reached the area near the house where Lina had once lived. An old woman told them she'd seen a girl leading their son there.
"The old woman pointed toward the house where Lina had once lived.