By the third day, April noticed that the wind chime did not tinkle during daytime but only at night. It would stop tinkling when dawn approached.
That night when the clock struck twelve, tinkling sound started to fill the room, followed by what it seemed like someone was humming along with the tinkling. It was charming at first but later chills started creeping down her spine. April drew the blanket over her head and plugged her ears. It was getting creepier by the minute.
Then April involuntarily started to dance, swaying in a trance. She would put on a long white flowing dress and dance. She could not stop moving till dawn when the rooster started crowing. That continued every night and made April very exhausted the next day. She tried pulling down the wind chime but it did not seem to break off. There seemed like a force resisting the pull. As each day passed by, April felt like she was taken over by another person.
One day, there was a knock on the door and April was greeted by an old, frail woman. She recognised her as the lady from the antique shop.
“Hello, can I come in?” asked the old woman.
“Errrr…. ,” answered the puzzled April.
Before April could utter anything, the old woman stepped into the house, almost making April fall down.
“Aren’t you looking for a solution to your problem?” questioned the old lady.
“How do you know about it?” April responded.
“It is actually a curse from the past. If you return the wind chime, the problem will never end. It will find its way back to you.”
“So what can I do?” April asked.
“If you agree, I will help you get rid of it once and for all,” the old lady told her.
Eager to get it done, April asked,“When can we start?”
“Now,” the old lady stated with boldness.
© autumnB