Human vs. Phantom

Chapter-4 Episode-3 The old hag

Chapter-4 

Episode-3

Hex bag

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Three days ago,

Somerville, Massachusetts 

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“Bad girls, talking about the sad girls

Sad girls, talking about bad girls, yeah

See them out on the street at night

Picking up all kinds of strangers

If the price is right

You can score if your pocket’s nice

But you want a good time

You ask yourself

Who they are

Like everybody else

They come from near and far

Bad girls, yeah

Bad girls, talking about the sad girls

Sad girls, talking about bad girls, yeah”

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‘Bad girls’ was playing in my air pods while my lips were humming to the song, this song plays many times a week in my house. Mostly whenever I have time to cook. My mum used to play this song while she cooks when I was a child and maybe I like it so much because of her, how she used to dance to this song. She does that every single day while cooking or cleaning. I grew up listening to this song and many others that she liked, it all became my favorites because of her. And after mom left, these songs she uses to hum while cooking food for me, make me feel somehow closer to her. they comforted me. It makes me feel as if I was not alone someone is looking after me.

The lyrics were playing in my head and in my ear, every beat, every rhythm of it is committed in my memory for years. This song helps me cook better; I feel like so. So, here I am in the kitchen chopping some vegetables for my ravioli. I was preparing it to have in my dinner, I don’t have work tonight, I am cooking dinner for myself and not get take out or hospital food. And also, I love pasta of any kind.

While coming back home from work today, I bought a pack of crab-stuffed ravioli pasta and some fresh veggies. I am gonna make ravioli in butter infused with garlic, rosemary, and lemon zest. This is my granny’s recipe. I improved it a bit from how she used to make it to my liking and it tastes more amusing now. I also like to add sauteed vegetables to it. It made the pasta look more vibrant and appetizing and it make it much healthier.  After chopping Juliennes of peppers, onion, and carrot, I sauteed it in the infused butter while the water for pasta was boiling. after the water boiled I moved on to preparing the pasta. While I was boiling my pasta, suddenly the doorbell rang. Being the only one in the house right now, I had no choice but to open the door. so, leaving the kitchen I went to see who is at the door.  

“Hmm… hmm… hmm… hmm…, yes?” I went to the door humming and opened the door. The person standing there wearing a hooded jacket, I don’t know who was it, I couldn’t recognize it. suddenly the person kicked the door open. startled by the action, I started going backward, while it was coming nearer and nearer.

“what are you doing? Leave me. Ahhh...” I screamed. The person suddenly started pulling my hair brutally. I panicked, I was scared for my life; I couldn’t understand what was going on. why am I being attacked by some stranger? Maybe I’ll die today. The pain I was feeling was getting so much unbearable for me to bear anymore, that I couldn’t help but started screaming as hard as I could. It threw my body back like I weighed nothing. The push was so powerful that my body hit the ground making a loud thudding sound. The blow from hitting the ground was so hurting that my head started throbbing like someone blew a hammer in it and the room started spinning around. I don’t know what happened after that, but I fell on the ground unconscious.

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Leaving the house of Patience Moon, the hooded stranger was walking to somewhere. Going through the dimly lighted alley of her house, the hooded person keeps walking and walking on the dark road with nothing but dark dense woods surrounding it, a never-ending dark road as if the darkness engulfed it, nothing can be seen beyond, a road where no one can be seen, the only thing you’ll find is nothing but obscurity and isolation. not a single soul was there. After about ten minutes of stepping through the road, the hooded person entered a house. the house that too lacks brightness and life. It was just as dark, obscure, and gloomy as the road to it. The house wasn’t too big but big enough for a person to live by unattached. It was even old and shabby like it needed repair but still enduring enough to protect someone from rain, sun, and snow.

The door was opened by it with a sharp pitched creaky sound giving anyone near chill, like watching a scary cinema. Walking inside the place, it was still a bit dark with only a few lamps lit in the whole room to give light to the eye. Walking through that dark room, the person entered another, it was just as big as the first one. It was not dark as the previous one was, rather it was bright. The room was enlightened by dozens and dozens of burning candles. big dirty white candles. The wax burned bright and clear amid the dusty and dirty cabin. The place was warm and tepid from the burning flame. As the person walked in more, the vision became more and more clear. the room was mostly empty but it had a table at one corner of it touching the corner, carrying about a dozen big and heavy hardcover books which by looks, looked timeworn and a silver-colored candle stand was also there. On all the four walls of that room, there were different witchery sigils and omens drawn. Hexagrams, pentagrams, stars, all were drawn on the walls but had some other symbols inside it too, and many other symbols spread all over on the wall which to a normal person would look like a toddler trying to write for the first time. But it wasn’t a blabber. All the signs hold a special power with it. it has the power to protect and destroy.

The person walked to the table and took off its cloak and put it on the table revealing its appearance. From the power it showcased a while ago in Patience’s house, anyone would think this person to be a young and strong man with a bulky appearance and toned muscles. But when its appearance was revealed as it came to light, it was neither0 someone young nor a man. It was an old woman, maybe around sixty. She looked weak from her white and wrinkly skin but was everything but weak. throwing someone in the air with just one hand ain't something anyone can do. Especially someone who is actually old. 

Turning around she grabbed a bag from the corner, it was on the floor, and took out a brown piece of leather from inside it. Spreading it on the table, she started chanting a spell, it was in Latin. While chanting those words, she also pulls out a black cat’s bone, some dried herbs, and a talisman from the bag. She put it all on top of the leather piece, then she took out a hair strand from her pocket and she put it on top of it too. after she wrapped all the magic ingredients inside it, she wrapped the leather piece too. after she was done, she left the room with all the candles still burning.

Walking out of that shabby, old house again, she again started walking down the same dark, gloomy road. Walking down the same road, the same alley, she entered the same house, Patience’s house. It’s been around half an hour since she left after knocking her off on the ground, but there she is again on her door about to ring the doorbell. the only difference was that her face is no more hidden behind a cloth piece.

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Ring… ring… the phone started to ring, which bring back Patience to her consciousness. She opened her eyes... barely; still, hurt from the blow she took on her head, her head was throbbing. Getting up from the cold hard floor she walked with all her strength, rubbing her head to grab her phone that was in the kitchen. But as she was almost in the kitchen the call got disconnected. She took her phone from the kitchen platform and was about to dial back the call but suddenly the doorbell dinged again. This time she was scared to the core, just that ringing shook her into thinking of who could be at the door. Frightened she walked to the door, she gripped the doorknob with her sweaty hand and look through the eye hole before opening the gate to see the person at the door, ringing the bell. What she saw was an old lady with white skin and white hair standing there, carrying a faded smile on her lips. Patience relaxed as if she knew the person who was standing behind that locked door. She opened the door and let her inside. the lady stepped in, with a black leather bag with a golden chain hanging on her shoulder.

“Patience, this is for you.” The old lady said giving her the bag that she prepared earlier with all those magic ingredients.

“What is it? Did you prepare another charm for me? will it help me?” I asked her.

“yes, just keep it in your pockets or purse, or anything you carry with you always. As long as it is with you, you'll be fine, good actually.” The old lady said in her weak, high-pitched voice.

“come inside, have a hot cup of coffee.” Patience suggested in his weak trembling voice.

“some other time child, I should take a leave now. My friend is waiting for me at the office.” She said before taking a leave from there.

Getting back inside, patience put that charm in her bag, that she carries almost every day to work. Then she went to check if something was missing from her house. Finding everything fine, she grabbed an ice pack from the fridge and sat on the couch.

“damn it, who the hell was that and what did they want?” she said while she winced from the pain she felt at the back of her head.

“oh god”, she again winced in pain.

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‘Cerebrum Gelatus’  

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