Blessed-Cursed Chest

BERITA LAINNYA - 14 April 2022

Blessed-Cursed Chest

Mrs Barthilow had twelve children, 6 boys and 6 girls. Mr Barthilow has passed away a few months after the youngest was born. Mrs Barthilow had to work harder on their farm to support her family. All the boys helped her on the farm and the girls worked in the house. This morning the sun shone brightly and Mrs Barthilow went to the farm to harvest their potatoes. She took her hoe and swung it to dig the soil. ‘Tuc!!!!’… Suddenly her hoe hit on something harder. “John! I think there’s something harder over there” Mrs Barthilow screamed to his oldest son. “What is it, mom?” “I don’t know.” Mrs Barthilow and her son dug deeper and deeper. “Mom, it’s a chest!” They put the chest up to the ground and tried to open to see what was inside it. However, it was locked by a bunch of chains. The oldest boy went to their garage and picked up a small axe and smashed the lock. But it was useless. The lock still hung in there. They wanted to give up for some moment, when John noticed something written at the bottom of the chest. “Water plus wish equals blessed but water plus curse equals cursed? What does that mean?” ask him confused.

“Hold on, uhh.. Maybe we should put it in the water first and let’s see what will happen,” Mrs Barthilow assumed. She asked the boys to call the girls from home to join them and brought her a bucket full of water. The girls joined and heard her explanation about that mysterious chest. After that, they put the chest in the water. At the first five minutes, nothing happened. They waited for a while but the chest couldn’t be opened.
"Ahh.. this weird box is just wasting our time, I guess..” the oldest girl, Emily grumbling. Suddenly, the chains unlocked by itself. And there were lots of papers in it, contains full of wishes and curses. Some people asked their parents to live healthy and happily. The otherwise, some cursed them to die. Some people wished for happiness and wealth, while some wished for simplicity and freedom. What makes it more unique was they could see who wished all of these. Mrs Barthilow could see it clearly the name of their ancestors. Even her own mother wrote it, about her children. She wished her to have lots of children and could survive by her own. Then she knew that it had come true, the wish granted it. Soon she asked her children to write down on a piece of paper about their wish. She wanted to see their lists first before they put it in the chest box.

“No, baby stop!” shouted Mrs Barthilow. The youngest, Emma, put her wish first without her permission. Mrs Barthilow got panicked, rushed to picked up again that list. But suddenly, the chain locked again by themselves. Someone looked like a gin showed up, it was so horrible. But the more they take a look at him, he looks like Mr Barthilow ’s face! “No way! You must be kidding me- Emma, tell me honestly what did you write?” asked Emily while shaking her small body. Emma saw her mom next to her and chuckled a bit. “Mommy, I know you miss Daddy, so I wish Daddy was here..” She said softly. Mrs Barthilow got speechless. She looked at that gin by the eyes. Tears dropped like a light rain, and she started to touch him. However, she couldn’t feel him. It was like touching the air. It was a bit saddening because she could see him clearly but she couldn’t touch him. But she didn’t care any of it because she missed him so much. I miss you so much, how have you been? As you can see, I am alright here with our children. You know it’s hard to survive here right? So why did you leave me alone? I am tired with lots of stuffs and I need to carry on huge responsibilities to feed our family. I really wish you can help me. She literally made a whole speech in her mind, but she didn’t say any of it. “I miss you, love.” said Mrs Barthilow simply. The gin was sobbing a bit, but it seemed like he couldn’t speak. He told his feelings by the eyes. It was such a silent moment. It has been a long time since he died yet he showed up out of a little chained chest. It was such a bless for them. Day to day passed by. Mrs Barthilow ’s family lived a happy life with the new gin. Even though he couldn’t speak at all or helped them at all, they felt happy because they could see their father’s face in him. What makes it weird was only them could see him. Neither their neighbors nor their other family members could see him. That is why, when Mrs Barthilow and her children spread their story, nobody could understand them. People started calling them weird-delusional family because they “hallucinated” a lot. Several years later, their children became successful. They had their own farms and markets, and things changed a lot.

They started thinking only about themselves and were greedy at everything, especially money. Of course they did not forget that chest, because they were the one who asked to have billions of money, to the chest. Mrs Barthilow owned a big penthouse in the middle of the town. Yet she kept the chest in a secret bunker. Only her who knew where it was. But then, she died because of sickness. Their children tried to take her inheritance as much as they could. They started making appointments with the lawyers to discuss about it. Emily remembered that there was a chest that can guarantee her wish to come true. She searched for it everywhere in the house, and she founded it. She stole it and brought it to her room. Then, she made a huge mistake. She wished all her siblings disappeared so she could have all of the inheritance. In the morning, she woke up. She saw herself on the water, floating. She kept swimming but there were no islands, no fish either. Only her and water. Then, she remembered her wish to make her siblings disappear.

She screamed and yelled, asking the chest to bring back her into normal. But nothing happened. She looked up to the sky, it seemed a bit foggy, but different unlike the sky in general. She realized it was a replay, a replay when the chest was buried and found by Mrs Barthilow at the very first place. The ground was dug and her brother, John, put the chest on the ground. Emily saw her mother being confused about what it was. It was so detailed, like watching a documentary scene of the chest. It looked like the chest had its own eyes. She reflected herself. After all of this time, they always asked wishes to the chest, without doing anything. And they got what they wished. She should’ve learnt from her ancestors, other people who cursed their parents. They might be ended up not good, like her. One tear dropped and followed by the others. “No, baby stop!” shouted Mrs Barthilow from the sky. It was when Emma put her wish first without her permission. But then, the chain locked by themselves. She heard someone with unclear voice, “No way! You must be kidding me- Emma, tell me honestly what did you write?” It was her sister, Emily. “Mommy, I know u miss Daddy, so
I wish Daddy was here..” Emma was floating on the water. She couldn’t stand her mixed feelings of guilty and
dilemma. Now what should I do? I might be trapped her for life. Also.. I miss them already. I miss my old self.

By VICTORIA ELNATHAN SYMPHONY

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