It was a rare trip to downtown Micano City. Seeing that there was still plenty of time, Old John decided to take Everly around for a while.
Coincidentally, it was the weekend, and just two blocks away from the dental clinic, a flea market was open. After discussing it for a bit, the two decided to go explore the flea market and see what they could find.
American flea markets sold just about everything: secondhand furniture, vintage records, all kinds of antiques, cheap trinkets, car parts… Even just browsing without buying could be a very interesting experience. However, since most of the vendors at flea markets were immigrants and the sources of their goods were complicated, the chance of encountering fakes was high—especially antiques and secondhand luxury items, which were notorious for being counterfeited. So, if one wanted to score a bargain here, a sharp eye for spotting authenticity was essential.
Everly didn’t lack money. She was a quietly wealthy young lady. Beyond the trust fund Old John bought for her every month, the fifty thousand US dollars from Old John during the cockroach disaster in Lemot Town were entirely hers to manage.
The little rich girl, Everly, walked around the flea market once, and then squatted down in front of a secondhand furniture stall to start picking out chairs. She had grown taller, and the chair she used before now seemed a bit short for her desk. She wanted to buy a new chair to take home—maybe even a dog bed. The old dog bed at home was almost completely chewed up by Buddy, so if there was an inexpensive one here, she might as well grab it…
As she walked back and forth, examining items, Everly suddenly froze.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a somewhat peculiar wooden box.
It was an old, entirely black wooden box. The box was spherical, with eight faces, each painted with strange, bizarre patterns, making it look like some kind of uniquely crafted art piece.
In front of the box squatted a black-haired woman, resting her chin on her hand as she stared at the wooden box with considerable interest.
From the very first moment Everly saw the box, a chill ran down her spine, and a cold sweat broke out over her body. A familiar sense of danger gripped her instantly. Seeing the woman about to reach for the box, Everly quickly spoke up, her voice low: “You’d better not touch it.”
“What?” The black-haired woman turned her head, a little surprised, and looked at Everly. Her features were unmistakably Latin American.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, striking and confident, with large, expressive eyes. Her black hair was cut in a wolf-tail style, slightly curly and bouncing on her shoulders. Underneath the messy sideburns, her ears were pierced many times, adorned with over a dozen scattered silver earrings. She wore a flamboyant printed maxi dress and a simple, old-fashioned crystal necklace at her chest—her style was a contradictory mix of trendy and vintage, giving her an oddly compelling aura.
“I mean… the box in front of you gives me a bad feeling,” Everly said, giving the woman a harmless smile. “Of course, it’s just a feeling. What you do with it is entirely up to you.”
“Everly, what’s going on?” Old John, who had been browsing nearby, noticed something was off. He stood up and walked over to his granddaughter. His appearance was intimidating—tall, strong, and well-built. Despite his full head of white hair, his exposed arms showed thick muscles. Anyone with ill intentions would usually see him and think twice.
But the young woman clearly wasn’t intimidated at all.
“Hi there. I was just chatting with this young lady,” she said with a smile, winking at Everly, and gestured toward the box. “She told me that this wooden box on the ground isn’t something good.”
“Is that so… Everly, you again…?” Old John asked, trying to restrain himself.
Everly nodded.
“Miss, you might want to take my granddaughter’s advice,” Old John said vaguely, not wanting to reveal Everly’s special abilities but also unwilling to let an innocent person get into trouble. “People often say, ‘Children have the clearest eyes in the world.’ Perhaps she’s noticed something…”
The young woman laughed, revealing a pair of sharp, fang-like teeth in her smile, which made her look playful and youthful. “Yes, of course. I know the little lady means well. This is a box sealed with a malevolent spirit. Once opened, the spirit will cling to its owner, tormenting their mind with all kinds of accidents until the person can no longer bear it, ultimately driving them to suicide, after which they are absorbed into the box as nourishment for the spirit…
In the Middle Ages, these cursed boxes were often used to kill people. Later, during the witch hunts, the makers of such boxes were arrested in large numbers, and the methods of making them were destroyed. I had thought that, after so many years, such evil things would have vanished—but to my surprise, here we are, and I’ve actually found a genuine one…”
As she spoke, the woman bent down and picked up the box from the ground.
Everly and Old John immediately stepped back in unison, preparing themselves to leave at the first sign of danger.
“Oh, don’t worry. It’s a trap box. The spirit inside can’t get out unless it’s opened,” the young woman said, smirking mischievously. She then turned to the vendor. “Hello, how much is this box?”
“300 dollars.”
The wolf-tail-haired woman’s eyes widened. “What? Didn’t you hear me? This is a box sealed with a malevolent spirit. One slip-up and it could bring disaster to whoever owns it. I’m willing to take it off your hands—you shouldn’t just… ask for 300 dollars right off the bat!”
The vendor, an elderly lady with fashionable silver curls, set down her knitting needles. Peering through her thick glasses, she gave the young woman a deadpan look. “As you said yourself, this is an antique from the Middle Ages, a genuine item, extremely rare. Asking 300 dollars is hardly unreasonable.”
“100! There’s a malevolent spirit inside!”
“300. This is the real deal.”
“150, really, I can’t go higher than that.”
“300. It’s a rare, one-of-a-kind piece.”
“Damn it… how about 180? That’s enough, right?”
“If you’re sincere, 280.”
“…”
Everly watched, wide-eyed, as the scene abruptly shifted from a creepy, supernatural moment to a full-on, down-to-earth bargaining showdown. A bead of cold sweat rolled down her forehead, leaving her speechless.
She exchanged a glance with Old John. He shook his head, so she turned away, deciding not to get involved. But to her surprise, the wolf-tail-haired woman had been haggling for so long that she shamelessly came over to Everly, clasped her hands at her chest, and begged like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Kind little lady, I really need that box. Could you lend me some money?”
Everly: “…”
Was this even human language? How could she ignore a grown man like Old John and instead chase after a minor girl to borrow money?
Everly turned her head, refusing to respond, but the woman was persistent. Seeing Everly dodge her, she changed direction, pressing her palm to her cheek, looking pitiful. “Just lend me a little… only 100. That’s nothing for a young lady like you… Actually, I’m a fortune-teller, very skilled in Mayan astrology. Lately, misfortune has been following you, young lady, maybe…”
“Hey! That’s enough! I’m calling the police!” Old John’s face darkened like iron. With his thick, bear-like frame, he stepped between them, blocking the wolf-tail-haired woman.
Fortune-teller? Mayan astrology? That was something Everly had never encountered before.
Behind Old John, Everly grabbed her grandfather’s arm to calm him down and stopped him from getting angrier. At the same time, she peeked out from behind his arm, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. “You can do fortune-telling?”
“Yes,” the woman said, “whether it’s tarot cards, astrology, or a crystal ball, little lady, you can pick whichever you like.”
Everly asked again, “Why do you want that box?”
“Oh, naturally, to keep it safe, so that no one who doesn’t understand what’s inside accidentally buys it and becomes food for the spirit.”
The wolf-tail-haired woman answered seriously, but Everly wasn’t easily fooled. “How am I supposed to believe you?”
If the woman bought the box with the intention of harming someone, then lending her money would make Everly an accomplice.
“Oh, I can’t exactly prove I’m a good person… In that case, why don’t you buy the box yourself, little lady? I can tell you’re a good person and wouldn’t misuse the spirit’s power. Don’t worry—as long as you don’t trigger the mechanism on the box, it’s quite safe.” The wolf-tail-haired woman shrugged, giving up.
Everly waved her hands repeatedly. There was no way she was going to buy such a hot potato. In her view, dangerous things like this were best kept far away.
The wolf-tail-haired woman scratched her head, making her wolf-tail hair even messier. “Ah, this is tough… How about this: I take the box, and little lady, you keep my contact info. You can come check on it anytime—does that work?”
Everly thought for a moment and decided it was acceptable.
For one, this fortune-teller, called “Rebecca,” didn’t give her any bad vibes.
For two, if she were truly a villain wanting to use the box to harm someone, she wouldn’t openly talk about the fact that it contained a malevolent spirit.
For three, Rebecca seemed straightforward and didn’t appear to mind whether Everly bought the box or not.
And, anyway, it was only 100 US dollars…
Rebecca let out a loud, “Yes!” and jumped up from where she was standing.
“I’ll go get the money. Little lady, could you please watch over this box for me?”
With that, the wolf-tail-haired woman motioned to Everly and Old John to wait a moment, then quickly ran to a nearby fortune-telling stall. She greeted a girl dressed like a gypsy and reached under the table, where crystal balls were displayed, to pull out a black backpack.
“Honestly, this box is way too expensive. I’m willing to spend this much… I really am dedicated,” she muttered as she carried the bag back to Everly, unzipped it, and started rifling through a pile of crumpled textbooks for her wallet.
Everly’s sharp eyes caught a small card sticking out from the books. It had a photo of the wolf-tail-haired woman, and next to it was the emblem of a well-known local “diploma mill” university in Micano—a so-called college that even dogs wouldn’t bother attending. So, this fortune-teller was actually a college student, and at that… low-tier local university?
Everly’s image of the wolf-tail-haired “mystic expert” shattered completely in her mind.
Still, as she had promised, she lent Rebecca the 100 US dollars.
“Thanks, little lady. And thank you, sir. Can I exchange contact info with you? I’ll pay you back later,” Rebecca said.
“No need. You’re doing a good deed, consider this 100 dollars as my contribution to exorcising the evil spirit,” Everly waved her hand. For various reasons, she and Old John were extremely careful about protecting personal information. Even when filling out patient forms at the dentist, most of the information was fake. For something so trivial, there was no need to reveal more than necessary.
“You are truly so kind and generous! Your God will definitely bless you!” Rebecca exclaimed dramatically, then enthusiastically added, “Would you like a reading at my little stall? I’m very accurate!”
Everly shook her head again. Although she had basically ruled out Rebecca being a villain, she still politely declined any fortune-telling. After all, in some movies, disasters always seemed to follow these kinds of superstitious activities.
She decided it was best to let her interaction with the wolf-tail-haired woman end at the 100 US dollars loan.
Rebecca looked a little disappointed. She thought for a moment, then rummaged around in her backpack. Finally, from an inner compartment, she pulled out a semi-transparent plastic bag. Inside was a flattened, dried toad, its body covered in strange symbols she couldn’t decipher.
Rebecca shoved the bag toward Everly. “This was a protective charm my mother gave me when I left home. Take it—it’s like a bonus for the 100 dollars you lent me… Remember, absolutely remember: if you ever feel something’s wrong with yourself, burn it to ashes and drink it with water.”
“What?”
What did she mean by “feel something’s wrong”? And drink it with water—this thing? Burn it to ashes and drink it? Who would do that? That was disgusting!
Everly wasn’t keen on accepting this strangely eerie gift.
Rebecca, unusually serious, didn’t back down. Her usual playful smirk vanished. She stared calmly at the girl, held up a finger to her lips, and slowly shook her head. “It’s watching. I can’t say too much… When the time comes, little lady, you’ll understand. Take it, I won’t harm you.”
“‘It’? Who is ‘it’? What do you mean by giving me this?”
Everly felt that something was off. She grabbed Rebecca’s arm, wanting to ask more, but Rebecca gently twisted her body free. It was strange—despite Everly being a child, her grip was surprisingly strong. Yet Rebecca just slipped away as if she were oiled; the corner of her garment that Everly had held slid right out of her hand.
“Little lady, you must remember my words~”
Once free, Rebecca grinned, showing her sharp, white fangs. She waved at Everly and Old John, then happily clutched the freshly acquired 100 US dollars, skipping over to the vendor to buy the box.
“…”