As a child, my family did not have much money. We did have money for a house a decent food, but receiving gifts was a rare occasion. That is why when my dad gave me a gift to my fourteenth birthday I was surprised.
It was a small wooden box wrapped with a red string. As I opened it I revealed a pair of small, rusty scissors that looked like they are hundreds of years old. It had something written on it with a handwriting I didn’t recognize: “Use it when the time comes” . Which was a little strange, but I didn’t think too much of it and just thanked him, but I decided to take the box with me wherever I go, just in case.
Moving forwards 23 years later, I went camping with my wife and 6-year-old daughter. It was a beautiful forest, the only sound that could be heard was the wind’s whispers. As we were setting up our camp, my daughter came to me and said “Daddy, my stomach aches”. I told her it was ok and that she should just try to forget it, and she did. As it was getting darker and we were preparing to sleep, I noticed my daughter had a dark mark on her left arm. I asked her what it was, and she has no idea. I asked her mother, and she didn’t know either. Strange. We decided to wait until tomorrow morning to see if she gets any better.
But that night, I couldn’t sleep. I could feel the presence of someone that is not my daughter or wife. I could feel their breath on my throat and hear them walking across my tent, but every time I turned to look around, there was no one. I decided I better just go for a walk. I took my backpack with me and my earbuds began walking around the forest, enjoying the night’s view. While walking a felt like something was shaking in my bag, I opened it and discovered a wooden box wrapped with a red string. I didn’t remember what it was at the time, but when I opened it I realized. I put it back in my backpack with a smile on.
I decided to go back, and when I reached our tent I have found my daughter staring at me. I asked her why she isn’t asleep, no response. When I touched her she was ice cold, which really scared me. I tried waking up my wife with no success. That’s when my daughter said “It’s too late now”, in a deep voice that I have never heard before. Her eyes turned black and she began tearing blood. I took out the wooden box from my backpack, opened it and said to my daughter that I love her one last time, as I slashed her throat open with the scissors.
I never told anyone about this. I told my wife it was a wolf that attacked her, and she took my word for it. I gave her a hug as she was crying on my shoulder.
Couple of years later me and my wife decided that we want to move on with life, and we had a son. He was the best son I could ask for. In his 14th birthday, I looked him in the eyes with pride. I saw a lot of myself in him. When it was time to give our gifts, I went over to my son and gave him a wooden box wrapped with a red string. It read: “Use it when the time comes”.