“This is the music box that my sister, Megan, and her daddy bought me. It can hold jewelry, and it plays music.”
She holds the music box up and opens it. It starts to play beautiful music. The students are mumbling about how it sounds.
“This is also where my friend, Beth, lives. Beth got hurt a long time ago. She tells me that some people are bad and deserve to be punished.”
The music continues to play.
Ms. Carol stands up and interrupts her. “Okay, Shawna. I believe that’s enough.”
Shawna points to the closet. “She is standing right there.”
Shawna can see Beth standing in the darkness, staring at the class.
“Shawna, it is not nice to tell made-up stories.”
She cannot understand why they don’t believe her.
“It’s not a story. Beth is real, and she is standing right there.”
Ms. Carol walks over, leans down, and says in a low tone, “That will be enough of this make-believe nonsense. Please sit down.”
Shawna jerks away from her. “No, Ms. Carol! Beth is real! She says you are a bad woman, and you deserve what you’re going to get.”
The teacher steps back, staring at her student. “There is no Beth, Shawna! Now stop it, and SIT DOWN!”
Shawna slowly returns to her seat. The box shuts, and the music stops playing.
****
Shawna is sitting in the waiting area outside the principal’s office. Her parents were called in to speak about the incident. She opens the music box and looks down at the mirror.
“I told you that she wouldn’t believe me.”
The secretary looks over at her. The phone rings. She answers the call as the door to the principal’s office opens.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Winters, for taking the time to come and speak with me regarding Shawna. Ms. Carol is worried about her having such an overactive imagination.”
Shawna stands, crossing her arms over her chest. “Beth is not imaginary! She’s real!”
Nakia stares her daughter down. “Enough. Please go wait in the car!”
Shawna tries to protest. “But, Momma!”
Her mother grabs hold of her arm. “Shawna Aisha Stevens! You better get your ass in that car, and I better not hear another word from you.”
Shawna lowers her head. “Yes, ma’am.”
As they leave the office, Brad shakes the principal’s hand. “Again, we are sorry for her behavior. We’ll discuss it with her when we get home.”
“Well, thank you. You folks have a good day.”
CHAPTER TEN
Ms. Carol is grading papers at her desk when the lights begin to flicker. She glances up at them and then at the door. Then she walks over to the door and looks up and down the hall to see if the janitorial staff is in the hallway. Shaking her head, Ms. Carol goes back to trying to get her grading done, but the lights continue to flicker.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Just then, a woman passes by the classroom door. Ms. Carol is startled by what she believes she saw. Using the light from her cell phone, Ms. Carol goes back into the hallway to investigate. When she goes to turn around, she jumps.
“Oh, Mrs. Crabtree! You scared me to death.”
Mrs. Crabtree grabs ahold of Ms. Carol, keeping her from falling.
“I’m about to lock up. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Ms. Carol pats her gently on the hand. “I need to get out of this place anyway. Goodnight, Mrs. Crabtree.”
She nods. “Goodnight, Carol.”
As Ms. Carol starts walking toward the last two cars in the parking lot, Beth follows closely behind her. Ms. Carol starts walking a little faster since it is now dark outside. Beth continues to follow at the same pace. Sensing someone’s presence, Ms. Carol takes her pepper spray out of her purse while praying no one is behind her. When she reaches her car, she turns around with the spray ready, but no one is there.
Ms. Carol takes a deep breath. “Get a hold of yourself, Carol.”
Feeling relief, she gets in and tries to start the car. It won’t start. She tries again, but it still won’t start.
“Come on. Come on.”
She tries to start the car a third time. No luck. Then Carol believes she hears what sounds like a little girl giggling, and music starts playing. When she looks out the front window of her vehicle, she sees her student’s music box on the hood. The music is getting louder. Another little girl laughs. This time, the laughter is coming from right behind her.
She looks into the rearview mirror and sees a woman in a bloody dress. She has pale white skin and long, stringy black hair. Her eyes are milky, and the right side of her head looks mashed in.
Carol closes her eyes and mumbles, “This is not real. This is not real.”
Beth leans up, stopping by her ear, and whispers, “But I am real, Carol.”
Carol screams. The car starts rocking as Beth slashes skin with her long, sharp nails. The screaming continues as blood splashes on the windows.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The clock beside the bed reads midnight. After tossing back and forth for some time, Brad sits up abruptly, looking around. Nakia is sleeping peacefully beside him. He sits on the side of the bed to get his bearings before standing up. Then he goes into the bathroom to splash water on his face. Looking in the mirror, he grabs a hand towel to wipe his face. He turns off the light to head back into the bedroom but pauses when he hears music coming from one of the rooms.
“Where is that coming from?”
As he walks down the hall, the music gets louder. He opens Megan’s door to find her asleep. A woman giggles. He turns around but doesn’t see anyone. Next, he makes his way over to Shawna’s room. The music is still playing as he opens the door. Then it stops.
She is sound asleep, but the music box is open in the middle of the floor. Brad walks
