The House at the Edge

As I exit the room, closing the door behind me, I take a moment to collect myself. The incident with my sister has left me feeling unsettled and a bit shaken. I decide to head back outside to continue helping my father with the cleanup and to check on my mother as well.

We done cleaning house at the same time the arrival of the truck with new furniture. It's fills me with excitement and anticipation. However, I find it strange that the driver has left the furniture outside the house, making me and my father had to lift it inside on our own.

Despite the inconvenience, I decide to focus on the task at hand, helping my father bring the new furniture into the house.

Later, as me, my mom, and Alice go to the nearby supermarket to purchase food ingredients for dinner, me opt to walk instead of taking a car or a taxi, as the supermarket is not far away.

Despite Alice still not feeling quite well, she stubbornly insists on tagging along with me and my mother to the supermarket. Her determination to join us is either a sign of her strength or her stubbornness…..OR perhaps a mix of both.

As me and my mother are shopping in the supermarket, I notice that some people around us are giving me and my family strange looks and appearing….fearful?

Their reactions make me feel a bit uneasy and uncomfortable, but I try to ignore it and continue with my shopping.

While we continued to shop, I can't help but eavesdrop on conversations between nearby shoppers. I pick up on whispers about our house being rumored to be cursed, with the well behind the house being the source of the curse. This revelation leaves me wondering if there's any truth to the rumors.

I listen intently, the whispers and rumors painting a chilling story about a mother who allegedly threw her own daughter down the well and how the curse affects new residents by claiming one of their children as a replacement.

My mother dismisses the story as mere nonsense, but as I remember the unpleasant smell coming from the well and Alice's strange behavior, I can't help but wonder if there's more to it than mere superstition.

My thoughts keep drifting towards Alice. I can't shake off the memory of her strange behavior near the well and how it seemed like she was in a trance-like state. The rumors and whispers I overheard about the well being cursed and claiming a child as a replacement only serve to deepen my worry about Alice's safety.

As me and my mother continue through the supermarket, a stranger approaches us and asks if we are the new residents of the house with the well.They then give a warning, cautioning mother to take careful care of her daughter.

My mother ignores their warning and continues with the shopping, but I can't help but wonder about the significance of their warning, especially given the rumors you've been hearing.

While walking back to the house, there was a hunchbacked old woman approached us, she said "don't go back to the house or you will lose you daughter".

As we walk back from the supermarket, carrying the groceries, we come across a hunchbacked old woman who steps out of the shadows and approaches us. In a cryptic and ominous tone, she warns us, "Don't go back to the house, or you will lose your daughter." The words hang in the air, leaving me feeling uneasy and concerned about what she means.

My mother, being dismissive of the old woman's cryptic warning, reassures us and Alice not to pay any mind to her nonsense. Alice, visibly shaken, clings to our mother as us leave the old woman behind. As we continue walking back home, the old woman's warning is still fresh in my mind, adding an extra sense of uneasiness to the journey back.

Upon reaching home, I notice that the new furniture has been delivered and placed inside. Due to the absence of any existing furniture in the house, my father suggests that I temporarily share the room with Alice as renovations need to be done in her designated room. Although the idea is not my favorite, I reluctantly agree, understanding the practical necessity.

After finishing the task of arranging the new furniture, the family gathers together for dinner.

As I all sit down to eat, I decide to bring up the topic of the strange occurrences from earlier that evening. I recount the whispers and rumors from the supermarket, as well as the warning from the hunchbacked old woman. As I share my story, I notice father's expression growing more serious.

For a brief second, it seems as though his features distorted, almost as if His FACE…. wasn't…

The momentary shift was subtle and fleeting, but it leaves me feeling unsettled….

My father tries to downplay the rumors and superstitions I heard by dismissing them as the unfounded beliefs of village people. He suggests that they are simply a way for those who lack proper caregiving skills to shift the blame onto something else. He believes it is ridiculous and asks me to disregard these rumours.

After supper, I feel pleasantly full but also weary from the events of the day. I head to sleep along with Alice in our shared room. As I lie in bed, reflecting on the conversations and experiences of the day, I still can't shake off a lingering sense of unease.