Chapter 1
I’m at the supermarket when an old woman I don’t know suddenly grips my hand tightly. I instinctively shielded my pregnant belly, but she exclaimed, “Someone’s cursed your pregnancy with a swap spell, and the stillborn fetus inside you is about to start feeding off your body.”
Just as I thought she was another scammer, she added, “You should try to throw up as much of that fish you just ate as you can.”
“Fish?” I blurted out, covering my mouth in shock.
I had indeed eaten fish just moments ago, and my mind raced as I wondered how she could possibly know that. I took a cautious step back, glaring at her as I felt she was just some con artist targeting me.
Before I could say anything, she placed her hand right on my stomach, ignoring my reaction. I tried to push her away, but somehow, I could not move–it was like I was frozen in place, forced to let her bony fingers search over my belly.
“Oh my! What blasphemy! This is unbelievable!‘ she exclaimed, jerking her hand back as though burned.
Her face turned ashen as she muttered, “Whoever did this is truly vicious. Not only have they replaced your healthy baby with a stillborn, but they’re also feeding it cursed insects.”
She continued gravely, “That dead fetus will keep feeding off your body. And when it’s finally removed, it’ll take your life along with it. This is nearly impossible to undo!”
Even though I did not understand half of what she was saying, every word made my skin crawl. My mind was buzzing, and I refused to believe my baby was stillborn.
Just two days ago, I had a checkup at the hospital, and everything was perfectly fine. I grabbed her wrist in panic, my voice trembling
“What are you talking about? My baby is fine! You’ve got to be mistaken!” I nearly shouted, desperate for an answer.
The old woman shook her head, looking at me with urgent eyes. She asked, “Feel your belly
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Chapter 1
yourself. Has this baby moved at all in the past few days?”
Her words hit me like a truck, and I froze. It finally dawned on me that my stomach had indeed been unusually still lately. I had asked my doctor about it, but she had only said the baby was a bit small for my stage of pregnancy.
As a cold fear gripped me, my stomach churned violently from the stress. Before I could stop her, the old woman suddenly shoved her fingers into my mouth, gagging me.
She yelled, “Throw it up–whatever you can, now! You’ve got to stop this thing from feeding off you any further!”
My whole body jerked as I retched. I tried to push her away, but her grip was impossibly strong. Finally, I vomited onto the floor, gasping as I noticed streaks of blood and clumps of something black and unidentifiable in the mess.
I was horrified, but her next words sent a chill running down my spine.
She explained grimly, “Whoever did this used a highly poisonous spell from Mandoville. They’ve been feeding the curse with their own blood.
“Once the time was right, you both ate it. That’s when the swap happened–your baby was replaced with theirs.”
“R–Replaced…” I mumbled, my head spinning. My knees went weak as I stumbled back, almost losing my balance.
I finally realized the gravity of the situation and burst into tears. “What do I do now? Please tell me!”
The old woman sighed heavily, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. She said, “After they swapped their baby into your womb, they left the curse active.
“They’ve been feeding you cursed food to control the stillborn inside you. That baby now listens to them, not you.”
Her piercing gaze locked onto mine as she warned, “Be careful of whoever gave you that fish. That’s the person who cursed you.”
My heart sank. The person who had brought me the fish was not a stranger–it was Vanda Watson, my sister–in–law and obstetrician. She had been my best friend before I married my husband, Hector Watson.
Vanda had handled every single one of my prenatal checkups since I got pregnant. Moreover, she was also pregnant herself, at the exact same time as me.
Not only that, but her husband was also from Mandoville. I recalled how she had taken a trip back to visit her husband’s hometown after finding out she was expecting.
As I recalled the bits and pieces of the past, I could not help but become suspicious. Was it
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really just a coincidence?
My face turned pale, and I started dry–heaving again. The thought was too horrifying to process. Could Vanda really have done this to me?
Nonetheless, this was my baby, my child. There was no way I would let anything happen to it. I did not want to believe it, yet I could not ignore the fear creeping into my heart.
I stumbled to my feet and headed straight to the hospital to confirm if any of this was true. Just as I was leaving, I hesitated and turned back to the old woman.
“If I need to find you again, how do I contact you?” I asked desperately.
She pulled a small red envelope from her pocket and pressed it into my hand. She said, ” My number is inside. Call me if you need help.”
I opened the envelope as she walked away, finding a handwritten phone number and a strange yellow triangular charm folded neatly inside.
I shoved everything into my bag, said a rushed goodbye, and flagged down a cab.
