Orphanage || Story Time || Part 4

Fern stood in front of the principal with two police officers. Fern was a respected and well-known citizen, and she had used her reputation to get police officers here with her. Silence was spread in the room for a while.

Then the principal finally spoke, "Would you all like some tea or Coffee?" She was polite, but God! One could sense the bile behind it! The police officers took the offer while Fern clenched the magic stone tighter in her fist, which was hidden. 

The police officer spoke after taking a sip of the tea, "You are always very kind, Agnes. But we really need to see Iva. We can't ignore the complaints of Miss Fern he-" He stopped talking and just went still. So did the other police officer. 

Fern stared at them, then realised that they were moving but very slowly. God! Time has slowed for them! Exactly like it happened for her last time! 

"You know, if I keep pouring tea in their cups, they will keep drinking it slowly and stay like this forever. One day, they will finally get in their senses and see that they are eighty already!" Agnes said and laughed. Fern felt her blood run cold and breathe so fast that she thought she would start hyperventilating soon.

Her laugh suddenly stopped, and she looked at Fern. "Iva? Hmm, I really didn't like her. Always crying about her parents. We had to give her several punishments. She would cry through them all. Do you know how annoying it is? Punishing someone for a specific behaviour, and they do it all along the punishment."

Fern could hardly move. She just kept staring. Agnes stood up angrily, and Fern saw her shadows become bigger and bigger. Agnes looked like she would murder someone.

But then she smiled, "You know where Iva is? I used her to gain power beyond death! You sent her here to meet her demise!"

Fern stood up, "What did you do to her?! Where is she?!" She could feel herself getting furious on behalf of the poor girl. Her fear was gone as anger took over. 

"I told you. I used her. I didn't even leave behind any corpse. Now I can keep tormenting people even after I die! You know I will torment you the most. You-" She stopped talking again. Her way of talking felt mechanical. She must have sold her soul or used it up to become like this. Her gaze had no humane thing. "Tormented souls... they are helping you. Aren't they? They gave you something. They think they can defeat me?" She sounded angry now. How dare someone try to play with her?

Fern was still processing what had happened to Iva. She was too furious to control herself anymore and yelled, "Yes! I can defeat you! You think you can torment people even after death? Think again!" 

She jumped at Fern. She was the principal. They were standing in her office. How could someone challenge her here? How can someone challenge her at all? She wasn't going to tolerate such behaviour in her orphanage. She- She was burning up? All the power, all the control, all the ego....every sick, vile, evil thing about her existence just burnt away the moment she touched Fern.

Agnes didn't think at all. She knew that tormented souls had contacted Fern, but in her arrogance, she didn't once think that someone could even possess something that could hurt her, but she was wrong.

The stone was too strong for Agnes. Iva and the man couldn't use it on Agnes because the Agnes they encountered was dead and far stronger. But this Agnes, she wasn't strong enough. They defeated her. It was exactly like going back in time to defeat your enemy when they were weaker.

The curse on policemen was lifted as the fire went away with Agnes, with no trace left behind. So much power, but not even her ashes remained. The policemen had no memory of why they were here. Fern took this opportunity to correct another evil deed of Agnes. She told the policemen that they were here to investigate the orphanage, and by some miracle, they both believed her. Maybe the reason why no one ever suspected this orphanage was another curse of Agnes. And now with her gone, it just made perfect sense to investigate the orphanage.

Days went by, and the police found so many children in the orphanage who were just kidnapped. Many were taken from their parents by using manipulation or curses. The police made everything right and wiped the orphanage completely of Agnes.

Fern felt relieved. She never saw the nightmare about Agnes again. She wanted to know what had happened to the man and whether the curse had really been lifted. 

One night, she saw Iva again in her dreams. She forced herself to come into the dream instead of just watching it. She ran towards Iva and hugged her. There was no pain this time. This dream was filled with joy and beautiful flowers. 

Iva giggled, "You did it! Jason is free too! And you would never get to see the torments of Agnes!"

"Where is he?" Fern asked with a smile.

"You haven't guessed it yet? He was from the future. The time when Agnes dies a normal death, and the orphanage gets abandoned. But because she consumed me that time, she has been haunting the orphanage for decades. You have lifted the curse from thousands of people!" Iva said while jumping up and down happily.

Fern stared sadly, "What about you? Are you linked with Agnes?"

"No! I am free now! All thanks to you! But...." Iva stopped talking and looked away.

"What is it?" Fern asked in worry.

"As...Agnes consumed me completely. I need to be linked with someone. I would live in their dreams forever and would always be connected to them. and when finally they die... I would move on to the next life with them...." Iva explained.

Fern hugged her tightly again, "Would you like to be the best fairy of my dreams? I will give you all the chocolates and the flower crown, too!"

Iva felt her broken little heart swell with love. A promise, an agreement was made right then that left them with years of beautiful dreams, endless happiness and a forever feeling of being accompanied by someone they loved.