Cursed ✔️

70. The Box

He brought his head back to its normal position with his eyes directly in the line of the stairs. He saw a girl who appeared to be around 13 or 14 years old with something in her hands coming down while she hummed softly.

"You must be John," The girl with cute pigtails, wearing a bright yellow dress with small patches of dirt here and there which John thought she must've got from playing in the dirt said.

"How do you know?" John asked back.

"Skylar told me about you and your friends." She replied innocently.

"Oh, so must be her sister. She was just thinking about you," John said with a smile.

The girl smiled back and extended her hands from her side revealing a small box that she handed over to John. "This is for you,"

John took it and looked down at it. It was a caramel-colored box with steel latch in front. At the center of the box, on top, there was a weird, hybrid looking animal symbol. It kind of spooked him out a bit.

"Thank you, but-" he was about to ask the girl about what was the box about and why she gave it to him. But when he looked up from the box, that girl was gone. He looked around surprised but he couldn't see her anywhere.

Maybe she must have gone to her sister.

He thought still hearing Skylar's faint voice in the background.

I guess I was a bit lost checking this box that I didn't even notice her going. But why did she gave it to me? What's inside?

He thought as he gave the box a little shake. A rattling sound came in return. He shook the box again and the rattling sound came again. He got curious as to what could be inside that he opened the box using the latch. To his surprise, the box was empty - completely empty with only a mirror piece on the roof of the lid inside. He turned the opened box face down towards the floor and shook it again. But nothing fell down either.

Weird, if this is empty, what caused the sound?

He held the box normally and saw his reflection in the mirror and adjusted his hair still waiting for Skylar and her sister.

He was looking in the mirror when suddenly he saw someone in the mirror behind him wearing the same shirt as him. He moved a bit to his left - still holding onto the mirror, - and slowly moved the lid backward to get a clear view of who was standing behind him.

When he saw who was there, he sat there in utter shock and racing heartbeats. He was looking at himself. The person behind him wearing the exact same clothes as he was John himself! He saw himself staring at him. With a shaky grip, he saw himself walking towards him. He wanted to move or even wanted to turn around to see if he was hallucinating. But he was too scared to see himself behind him. How was that possible? How can he see himself? There were two Johns that his two eyes could see in the mirror. He forced to shut his eyes believing that it must be a dream.

This isn't real. It's only in my head.

He kept repeating it over and over again with his heart pounding in his chest. When he slowly opened his eyes, the second John stopped midway but he was still behind him.

He continued staring in the mirror but that John wasn't moving - he was just staring at him - a cold and dead stare. His breathing elevated. He wanted to call Skylar or that little girl for help, but he was way too paralyzed to say anything.

Suddenly he felt a presence to his left. He looked in the mirror. John who was behind him was gone. Is he the one who is beside him now? Or is that someone else?

Gulping a knot of fear, he gathered what little was left of his courage and slowly turned around with his head trembling.

It was what he was fearing for right from the start - the horrifying melted rod faced man!

He screamed and saw the lights fading away as the box slipped from his hand and hit the ground with shattering sound of the mirror inside.

Hearing John's screams, Skylar came rushing. "John? John?" She screamed as she shook John who was lying unconscious on the sofa.

When no response came back, she went to get a glass of water. She sprinkled some on John's face and after a few seconds, she breathed in the air of relief as she saw John moving.

John slowly opened his eyes as Skylar help him get up.

"Take this," Skylar said extending her hand with a chocolate bar between her fingers. "it'll help."

"Thanks," John said weakly and accepted it.

"What happened? I heard you screaming." She asked when she sensed that he was feeling a bit better to answer.

"I- I - That- That - box." He pointed to the floor.

"What box?" She looked at the ground where he was pointing at. She looked around too but saw nothing like a box or anything. "I don't see anything."

He made a confused face as he looked down - there was no sign of any box or not even the shattered pieces of the mirror which he was sure that he heard when the box slipped from his grip. "How's that possible? I swear it fell here! Didn't you hear the sound of glass breaking?"

Skylar shook her head. "You must be dreaming, John. There's nothing here."

"No, Skylar, I know it was real - everything was real. Your sister gave me the box and - "

"Hold on, what are you talking about? My sister? You mean to say that she gave you whatever box you are talking about?"

John nodded still confused with the disappearance of the box.

"Are you kidding me? How can you see her? She's 650 miles away from here with my parents. Besides I was on the call with her. Then who did you see?"