Miriam

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

"Please, child, give it back. It's a gift from my husband."
"But it's beautiful. I want it. Give it to me."

An early example of the Creepy Child trope, this short story by Truman Capote was first published in 1945. It follows the mental decline of a divorced woman named Miss Miller as the titular character, a Creepy Child and Oracular Urchin of some magnitude, slowly destroys her life by stealing her possessions, forcing her to buy her things, and eventually forcing her to let her move in together. The story has a very ambiguous ending, with the reader left unsure about what Miriam really is, and this had made it a favorite on the school discussion circuit.

Tropes used in Miriam include:

Mrs. Miller stiffened and opened her eyes to a dull, direct stare. "Hello," said Miriam.