Sinister Gift

     Corabelle stepped into her kitchen; the scent of the candle she had lit wrapped around her like a hug. After a few hours, the aroma of her cooking still filled the air. She glanced at the clock on the stove and noticed it was nine at night. Her day had slipped past her like a running river. With a smile, she reached for her tea bags, longing for a cup to warm her body and smooth her throat.

Her fingers brushed against different flavors neatly organized in a clear tea bucket. Her hand stopped on the chamomile. She grabbed the mug her late father had given her. Her name was elegantly decorated on it with gold and blue—her two favorite colors. The cup reminded her of the many times she would share a cup of tea with her father, expressing love and laughter in her kitchen.

         As she filled her kettle and set it on the stove to heat up, she glanced out of the window and noticed it was raining as chills ran over her body. Raindrops danced on the window creating a smoothing background. Once the kettle started screaming, she took it off the stove to pour the hot water in her mug onto her tea bag. She watched as the water turned a rich amber hue. She drizzled honey into her mug as she stirred the tea.

         Corabelle lifted her cup to her lips when a sudden thunderous knock on the door startled her, causing her to burn her lip on the tea. Confusion washed over her as she glanced at her front door. Who could be pounding on my door at this time of night? She thought to herself. She slowly walked over to the front door taking a deep breath as she switched on her porch light and opened the door.

The porch light illuminated the small area around the house as she stepped out just enough to avoid getting wet. No one was at the door as she scanned the darkness to see if pranksters were lurking behind the trees. The wind whipped through her hair causing it to blow in her face. As she was about to step back into her house, a shadowy figure caught her eye lurking beside a tree in her front yard. The fading light of the moon lit up just enough for her to see that it was a person, but not who it was.

         “Who is there?” She called out as her voice trembled.

She could feel a knot in her stomach as fear washed over her. The figure remained still and unresponsive. Chill bumps formed on her arms and her arm hairs rose. Was this an intruder? She thought as her mind raced with wild possibilities each one very terrifying to the core.

“I will call the police if you don’t leave my property! You have no right to be here!” She shouted as her heart raced.

She could feel each beat in her throat as she swallowed. In an instant, a piercing scream echoed from the figure. A sound so terrifying that it jolted her soul. A womanly figure dashed toward her. Corabelle let out a scream and quickly slammed the door shut as her fingers trembled on the lock. She was able to secure the door just in time to keep the lady out.

A loud knock echoed on the door, causing her to stumble and fall on her butt. Corabelle scooted closer to the door, pressing her back against the cool of the door. Her heart was pounding so fast, she put her hand over her chest. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins as the panic set in causing her to breathe heavily.

What was going on? The question looped around over and over in her mind. Who was that woman? She thought to herself as she thought about the woman’s terrifying face. The woman had piercing eyes and a pale complexion with scars all over her face. She glanced around the room looking for anything she could use as a weapon.

She rose to her feet, grabbed a kitchen knife off the counter, and then ran back over to her door. Her hand shook as she fumbled with the lock. With a desperate twist, she was able to unlock the knob and twist the door open. The porch light was still on from earlier. The rain continued to pour down. She peered out into the stormy night and noticed no one was there. The streets were deserted. To her surprise, the woman was no longer there, as if she had vanished in thin air.

She took a deep breath and closed the door behind her. Perhaps it was just her imagination, the thought danced around in her mind. She placed the knife back on the counter and walked back over to her mug. A sigh escaped her lips as she noticed her tea had turned cold. She poured the cold tea into the sink and threw away the used tea bag. She set the kettle back on the stove to heat up once more.

While she waited on the kettle, she cleaned the counter and organized the cookbooks that were sitting next to her stove. Moments later, the kettle came to a boil, causing a scream. She quickly took it off the stove and poured the water over her new tea bag. She picked up her mug and glanced out of her kitchen window once more to make sure the woman wasn’t outside. She turned and made her way into the living room.

She switched on the TV and began scrolling until she got to the cartoon channel. Happy and animated characters danced across the screen as she tried to erase the lady’s face from her mind. She hoped that watching the show would ease her fear and calm her nerves. She found herself laughing softly as she watched the characters on her TV.

The following morning, the sweet sound of the birds woke Corabelle from her sleep. The Sunlight beamed through the curtains reflecting on her living room table and mug. She didn’t realize she had fallen asleep as she rubbed the gunk from her eyes trying to fully wake up. With a sigh, she reached for her mug, rose to her feet, and made her way into the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, she turned on the sink to wash her mug. The image of the lady’s face flashed back into her mind. She had hoped it was just her imagination. After she had washed the mug, she set it on the dry rack and made her way up the steps to shower and get ready for the day.

She picked out her outfit for the day and headed to the bathroom for a nice shower. Placing her clothes on the side of the sink, a big oversized sweater with a pair of jeans, and turned on the shower so she could warm up her water. When the water reached the perfect temperature, she stepped in as the water poured down on her. The steam began to rise as the water calmed her nerves and warmed her body.

She reached for the shampoo and poured some in her hand to lather her hair. The scent of lavender filled the air as she rubbed the soap into her hair. Suddenly the lights began to flicker. She paused for a moment and peeked behind the curtain, but there was no one tampering with the lights. She shrugged as she leaned back under the water to rinse the shampoo from her hair.

Corabelle paused for a moment as the sound of children's laughter filled her ears. The water streamed down her face; the soap blurred her vision. She rinsed the soap out of her eyes. She slowly glanced around the edge of the curtain as she searched for signs of anyone in her bathroom. Her heart started racing in her chest. The overhead light started flickering causing panic to set in as she quickly rinsed her hair.

Once she had finished, she shut the water off. The bathroom was suddenly silent. The warmth of the shower stayed in the air and embraced her. With courage, she opened the shower curtain as a rush of cold air hit her in the face. She quickly snatched her towel and wrapped it around her body. As she stepped out of the tub, her bare, wet feet met her soft, fuzzy bathroom mat.

She had a confused look on her face as she noticed her bathroom door was cracked open. She was certain she had closed the door before she stepped into the tub. The house was eerie silent except for the sound of the water droplets from the shower faucet. She pushed the door open wider and looked down the hallway.

“Hello?” She called out as her voice trembled.

There was no response. Perhaps she was just talking to herself. Her mind raced with questions. What if someone had been in her house? Are they still there? She walked down the hallway, still wrapped in her towel leaving her clothes in the bathroom and a small trail of water tailed behind her as she walked. She opened her bedroom door and glanced around the room. The bedside lamp cast a glow in the room which confused her too because she remembered turning it off before heading to the bathroom.

Her eyes darted towards the closet door. She approached the door and opened it with her heart racing and her breathing heavy, but to her surprise, no one was there. She turned back to the bedroom door with a confused look still on her face. Could it be the woman from last night? Was she real or was her mind going crazy? Corabelle thought to herself. Her father’s death could be affecting her, the thought racing in her mind.

She made her way back to the bathroom so she could finish getting ready for the day. As soon as she entered the bathroom, her phone began to ring. She glanced at the screen and smiled as she noticed it was her boyfriend calling her.

“Hello my love,” she said as she answered the phone with a cheerful tone, slipping on her pants.

“Are you on your way?” He asked her as she put him on speakerphone.

“Yes, I’m getting dressed now. I just got out of the shower.” She replied as she slipped her shirt over her head.

After a few moments, she ended the call. She took a minute to gather her thoughts. The thought of telling her boyfriend what happened raced through her mind. What if he thought she was crazy? She looked at herself in the mirror when she finished putting her clothes on. She brushed her pretty brown hair and applied makeup to her face for the day.

As she made her way to her boyfriend’s house, she found herself stopped at a traffic light. It was a quiet Saturday morning; the streets were empty as everyone was still in their beds. While waiting at the light, she glanced over to her right. She was startled to see a woman standing by her passenger door. It was the same woman from last night. Suddenly, the woman screamed and pounded on the window of the door. Panic set in as she screamed and floored the gas. Who was that woman and why was she following her? The thoughts swirled around in her mind.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly as she raced to her boyfriend’s house. Once she arrived at her boyfriend’s house, she gathered her belongings and walked to his front door. She took a deep breath before walking inside. She wasn’t ready to share what she had been experiencing. She pushed the front door open only to be greeted with a “boo!” He had shouted playfully to scare her. She screamed as she threw her purse and phone on the ground.

He pulled her in for a hug as he laughed at her facial expression. “You should have seen your face.” Her boyfriend chuckled as he kissed her forehead.

“You know I get scared easily, Sebastian.” She replied as she buried her face in his chest hugging him.

He helped her pick up her things off the floor and they made their way to the living room where his dog ran over to her. His dog was an Akita pit with so much playful energy. As she sat on the couch, the dog jumped up next to her licking her arm. She smiled as she petted the dog. Sebastian approached her, holding a letter her late father had written for her. She took the letter and looked at him confused.

“What is this?” She asked as she unfolded the envelope and pulled the letter out to read.

“He asked me to give it to you after he died. I never opened it.” Sebastian replied as he sat on the other side of the dog, his sight fixed on her facial expressions.

The dog was going back and forth licking him on the arm and her on the arm with no clue of what was going on between the two. She began to read the letter out loud.

“My dearest daughter,” She read aloud as Sebastian scooped closer to her and the dog which caused the dog to jump off the couch. She continued to read the letter as he scooped even closer to her.

“If you are reading this, then I am no longer with you. I want you to know how much I love you. No words can express my deepest love for you, my baby girl. I wish I was there to guide you through the challenge life has given you. I need to express my deepest apology for what I’m about to tell you. Our family is under a curse You must take the life of the one you love. My great-great-grandfather killed her son so she cursed us. I let you live so you can be the only one to break the curse.”

As Corabelle finished the letter, she was startled by the witch standing in front of her laughing. The witch's laugh grew louder as she ran into the kitchen. Sebastian followed behind her not knowing what was going on. He couldn’t see what she was seeing.

“You are hallucinating again. Please take your medication. I’ve been trying to get you to take it for the past hour” Sebastian said as he was holding her bottle of pills.

Since the tragic accident of her parents' death in a car crash, she would have vivid hallucinations. They would haunt her day and night. Corabelle seized the kitchen knife, turned to Sebastian, and stabbed him in the throat. Sebastian grabbed his throat as blood gushed from his wound. Corabelle screamed in horror and fell to her knees as realized the witch was never real. There was never a letter her father wrote to her. It was all a figment of her imagination. The paper she was holding in her hand was her prescription.

She stood up, her mind racing with panic over what to do with Sebastian's body. An idea struck her like a flash of lightning. With trembling hands, Corabelle pulled her boyfriend’s lifeless body onto the living room rug they had bought together. She wrapped him around tightly so he wouldn’t fall out as she pulled him outside into his backyard.

She soaked him and the rug with lighter fluid as she lit both of them on fire. She was happy his neighbors were away on vacation. She watched as the fire roared to life. She quickly turned around and ran back inside Sebastian's house to clean his blood. She grabbed the bleach and began to clean.

Once she finished, she walked back outside with his clothes and photos. The air filled with smoke. She threw a photo in one by one with trembling hands. The crackling sound of the paper burning echoed in her ears. As each piece turned to ash, she felt pieces of her heart fall apart.