The Curse

The Dream

Well, nobody seemed to have an idea on how to open the box, so all of them came downstairs - someone was at the door . It was Jillian . "Hey , mum called...." she began, panting" What's that?" she said pointing at the box .
                              "Oh nothing . You were saying?"

                              "What was I saying? Oh yeah , mum called to say that dad and she had to go on an urgent business trip and they won't be back till Wednesday." Jillian had a gleeful smile on her face."That means we will be alone at home" she said rubbing her hands. 
                              "Tut, tut," said Filip , pretending to be stern " I will be at home to keep an eye on you. If you are naughty , I will dish out a punishment in the time out chair."
                              Jillian stuck out her tongue at him . " But can we have a sleepover tonight? Please, please, please,please?" she said , showing her puppy eyes . The puppy eyes were reserved only for special occasions like this . Filip laughed out at her childishness . Jillian knew this meant a yes . She squealed and gave her brother a bear hug . " I am calling over Sophie and John," she called out as she dashed upstairs . She lay on her bed , thinking about John . Oh, what a wonderful , dashing guy ! She would do anything to have him in the sleepover . And she began to fantasize about John and herself . She gazed dreamily towards the ceiling . She met John two years ago at school . John had just moved into her neighbourhood  . He was having difficulty navigating around the school , when she decided to step in . Gradually , they became great friends until their friendship spiralled into a relationship . It was a magical 4th of July . They had gone to the slipside park together . And that was where John had confessed his love for her . Oh, it was a fairy tale come true for Jillian! They had their first kiss and Jillian remembered it as if it were yesterday . Her thoughts were interrupted by her twin, who was standing in the doorway . He had a sly grin on his face . "What do you want?" asked Jillian , groaning and turning over. Jackson came in and sat down on the chair . " I know why you invited John over . You want to spend time with your boyfriend so badly, don't you?"
                             This infuriated her . " Get the hell out of here!" she screamed throwing a pillow at him . It missed him, and he went away , cackling. Jillian could feel hot tears roll down her eyes. What did it matter if she invited her boyfriend over? Why did he always behave in this way? As it is he was too immature and stupid to impress a girl. Thoughts like these raced through Jillian's mind . Finally she decided that it was a wastage of a good mood to ponder over her brother's words and dropped off to sleep . She had a strange dream . She dreamt that their house had been whisked away to a place far , far away . It was a queer place, with huge grass growing in front . She saw a jungle in the distance . It was deep,dark and mysterious jungle. The tress all looked the same - with overgrown branches and creepers. She was alone in the house. She called out for Filip, her parents - but no response . It was chilly and a breeze was blowing . She went over to close the windows , shivering in the wind which stabbed her like a knife. Just as she came down, someone rang the doorbell . "Who can it be?" she wondered as she reached for the doorknob. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks . Somebody had tampered with the security system! Was it a burglar then? As she peeked out through the window, her worst fears were confirmed. A man in a strange hoodie was standing outside . His face was hidden from view and he was brandishing a knife. Moving back from the door, Jillian looked around for her phone . " I will dial 911," she thought to herself . But her phone was nowhere to be found . "Where is that goddamned phone?"she screamed to herself as she flung cushions here and there in search of her phone. But all in vain. The knocking became louder and louder until it seemed that whoever was outside would break down the door. Scared, Jillian hid behind the couch and shut her eyes . She could hear the door being broken down and someone walking in . She held her breath, trying not to make a noise.  Suddenly she had the queerest feeling that someone was in front of her, breathing on her shoulder . She was perspiring heavily even in that cold weather. Mustering up her courage, she opened her eyes . A chill ran down her spine - A creature with the most gruesome face was standing in front of her . Blood dripped from its mouth . Its eyes were red . Big , untidy locks of hair fell over its face.  It had arms and legs like a human being , but then , it definitely wasn't a human .  Jillian went numb with fear. She couldn't even call for help - although she felt like screaming her lungs out . As odd as it may seem, the creature disappeared as it had come . Jillian heaved a sigh of relief . But what was this sharp pain that she felt down below in her stomach? Looking down , she had the biggest fear of her life . A knife was stuck to her stomach and blood was gushing out. She was sitting in a pool of blood - her own blood. She felt dizzy - she felt as if life was being sucked out of her body . Finally, she could take no more and she slumped to the ground.