10 Paranormal Stories Read online

  As Vanessa sipped the hot coffee and ate the cake, Maureen pulled up another chair and sat down. As she did, she glanced at the man in black. He only smiled at her and turned his attention to Vanessa.

  Vanessa was taking another bite of the cake when the man waved at her. “You seem to be much better, right?”

  Vanessa frowned and put the cupcake down on the table. “Better? I cannot really say so. Although I must admit that you got me there, by knowing what my favourite dessert was. So, how long have you been watching me?”

  The man shrugged. “Not more than half an hour now.”

  Vanessa glanced at Maureen in surprise. “Not more than half an hour? And yet you could tell that I was saddened by what Mark had done?”

  Maureen nodded. “Yes, he did tell me so. We were seated far off when he called my attention and told me that the man, Mark, was going to break your heart and leave.”

  “He did? But how did he do it? Was he watching us all the time?” Vanessa asked Maureen.

  Maureen shook her head. “On the contrary. We were actually discussing something else when he made the observation.”

  “So how did you know?” Vanessa asked the man.

  He sighed and shook his head. “Why don’t you do something more dramatic than waste your time and energy on irrelevant things, Vanessa?”

  Vanessa frowned. “I don’t understand you. Irrelevant things?”

  The man pointed at the cupcake table. “Just look at that cake. It’s your favourite, isn’t it?”

  Vanessa nodded. “Yes, it is.”

  “Good. Now, why did you not ask Maureen how it was made before you began to dig into it?” the man asked.

  “I don’t need to know how it is made. Do I want to become a baker or what?” Vanessa asked.

  The man clapped his hands. “Exactly my point, Vanessa. Just like Maureen here, both of you want to know how I know so many things, rather than exploiting the opportunity that has already been presented to you by my presence.”

  Vanessa glanced at Maureen before looking back at him. “Opportunity? What opportunity are you talking about?”

  “I can offer you two wishes, Vanessa. Just two wishes. Any two wishes that you would so much want to see come to pass. That is my offer to you, Vanessa,” the man replied.

  “Two wishes? Is this a joke or something?” Vanessa asked.

  It was Maureen who replied, “I thought so as well, Vanessa. But with what he has said so far about me, and now you, I think it is not.”

  “You think so?” Vanessa asked.

  Maureen nodded. “Yes. He just might be telling us the truth.”

  “I see. So you think we should take his offer, and tell our wishes to him?” Vanessa asked.

  “What do we have to lose?” Maureen asked.

  Vanessa shrugged. “You are right, Maureen. What do we really have to lose? Besides, they are just wishes. Even if they don’t come to pass, we can still live with them as some unfulfilled desires, right?”

  The man shook his head. “Wrong, Vanessa. That is very wrong.”

  “Why did you say that? Aren’t they just wishes?” Vanessa asked.

  “They are not just wishes, Vanessa. The anger and hatred that you feel inside of you will affect the way you look at men from today on. Do you really think you can have a normal relationship after what Mark has done to you?” the man asked.

  Vanessa could feel her heartbeat racing as her grip tightened on the ceramic cup in her hands. “That rogue.”

  The man tapped her wrist. “Yes, I thought as much, Vanessa. Just see the anger that you have seething inside of you. You’d better go easy on it and let go of that cup in your hands before you break it.”

  Vanessa took a deep breath and released the cup. She shot the man an angry look. “That man deserves to die and never live to see another day. He is a beast. I mean, after all I did for him, yet he could turn his back on me just like that?”

  The man nodded. “Yes, human beings are like that. Very rash, impulsive, and unpredictable. Such emotions have a strange way of controlling what happens to others around us. So, is that what you think you want?”

  Vanessa blinked. “Want? What do you mean?”

  “About Mark. You just said that he deserved to die and never live to see another day. Is that your first wish?” the man asked.

  Vanessa bit her lip. “Well, who would blame me for feeling that way?”

  “No one will, Vanessa. No one at all,” the man replied.

  “He is a beast. I mean, do you know how many nights I lay awake just thinking about how the future was going to be with him? All the things I had to do just to support the relationship. And now he could do this to me?” Vanessa said.

  The man nodded. “Yes, I fully understand, Vanessa. I don’t need the details. I already know everything. So that would be your first wish. What else do you wish for?”

  Vanessa toyed with her cup. “I don’t know. Maybe I would like to be on the beach somewhere, you know? Relaxing with some very handsome, wealthy superstar celebrity who is now dating me.”

  The man smiled. “That is a perfect choice. Getting rid of Mark and then off to a vacation with a rich celebrity boyfriend, right?”

  Vanessa nodded and snapped her fingers. “Exactly. Those are the most pressing wishes I have right now. But they are just wishes, aren’t they?”

  The man nodded. “Yes, Vanessa. They are just wishes, which are about to come true.”

  CHAPTER 3 Vanessa suddenly burst out laughing. Maureen was startled and quickly glanced at the man in black. Vanessa noticed their looks of disapproval and struggled to control herself. “I’m so sorry. But you really cannot blame me. I mean, you both have me really believing in all this wishful thinking. You both really got me there, and I just cannot believe that I fell for your pranks.”

  The man glared at Vanessa. “So you still think this is a prank?”

  Vanessa nodded and turned to Maureen. “Of course it is. Isn’t it so, Maureen?”

  Maureen shook her head. She hesitated before replying, shooting a quick glance at the man in black. “I don’t think it is a prank, Vanessa. He seems to be sure of what he is saying.”

  Vanessa turned to look back at the man. The smile had suddenly left her face and she was more solemn. “I see. So it is for real?”

  In response, the man stretched out his hand. “Give me your smartphone.”

  “My phone?”

  “Yes, Vanessa. Give me your smartphone right now,” the man said.

  “Which smartphone are you referring to?” Vanessa asked.

  “I am referring to the smartphone that is inside your bag. The one which has a brown-coloured leather flip cover, and on which you have a picture of the Eiffel Tower as a screen saver,” the man replied.

  A look of bewilderment came over Vanessa. Immediately, she reached into her bag and brought out her smartphone. It had a flip cover that was made of brown leather. As she flipped open the cover, the screen came on, revealing a colourful picture of the Eiffel Tower.

  “How did you know so much about my phone?” Vanessa asked.

  The man held out his hand. “Just pass the phone to me, will you?”

  “But what do you need my phone for?” Vanessa asked.

  The man shook his head. “I have some wishes to grant to you, don’t I?”

  Vanessa glanced from Maureen to the man. “And you need my phone to grant the wishes?”

  The man withdrew his hand. “Okay. Fine. You seem not to trust me enough to be in possession of your phone.”

  Vanessa was still holding her phone. She bit her lip and waved it around. “It is not that. I just have so many details on this phone. I really wouldn’t like for anything to happen to it. I am sure you understand what I mean.”

  The man nodded again. “Yes, Vanessa. I understand that you have a problem with trusting someone who already knows so much about you.”

  “No, it is not about trust. Look, can we just get this over with? Either do what
you say you would do or simply let me be alone,” Vanessa said.

  The man now placed his two hands on the table. “Look at your phone. What do you see on it, Vanessa?”

  Vanessa glanced at her phone. “What else is there to see? There is nothing on it, except for my screen saver. Am I to expect a call or a message?”

  The man shook his head. “No, not a call or a message. A live feed.”

  Vanessa frowned. “A live feed? You mean like a video or something?”

  The man nodded. “Yes. Like a video playback.”

  Vanessa looked at her phone again. After a while she shook her head. “No. I am sorry, there is nothing like that. Are you sure of what you are saying?”

  The man closed his eyes and raised his two hands upwards, as if he was carrying an imaginary bowl. Both Maureen and Vanessa glanced at each other as he continued to hold his hands in the air. He suddenly opened his eyes. “Look again, Vanessa. Look into your phone.”

  Vanessa glanced briefly at Maureen before she looked down at her phone. Almost immediately, she gasped and dropped the phone. Her face was now a mask of fear as she began to move away from the table.

  Maureen reached forward, with the intention of picking up the phone. But a firm hand held her back. It was the man, stopping her from picking up the phone on the table. “Don’t pick it up. It is not your phone,” the man said.

  Vanessa was shivering with fright as she sat in her chair. “What did you do? What did you do to my phone?”

  “Nothing. What did you see?” the man asked.

  Vanessa seemed to muster some courage. She came closer to her phone and peered into it again. As she watched it, her expression changed from fear to confusion. Maureen glanced back at the man. But he was just calmly watching Vanessa, as if he was watching a boring programme on television.

  The intrigue and suspense was too much for Maureen to bear. She got up abruptly and came to Vanessa’s side. She noticed that Vanessa took no notice of her presence. She was too engrossed in watching whatever it was that was occupying her attention on her phone.

  Maureen turned her attention to the phone on the table. As she did, she could feel her insides begin to recoil and she let out a gasp.

  On the phone, a video was playing. But this did not seem to be a video recording. It appeared to be a live action film.

  In it, Maureen could see a man hanging upside down from a tree. He was swinging and struggling to get himself free. But the more he struggled, the more it became obvious that he was firmly stuck. His two feet had been tied together at his ankles, and a long rope was used to suspend him just inches from the ground.

  Both Maureen and Vanessa saw him struggling. Suddenly he stopped and turned to look directly at them, as if staring into the lens of a camera. His face was white with pure fear as he looked around. It was as if he was searching for something.

  And then Maureen and Vanessa heard it as well.

  It was the unmistakable sounds of an animal, snarling and growling. And then there was another. And then another. Soon, there were so many snarling and growling all at once. And they were coming closer to the man who was hanging upside down.

  Vanessa suddenly jumped up and pushed the phone to the man in black. “No. Make it stop. This is not what I wanted. Call those things off. Let Mark down from that tree, now!”

  The man glanced at Maureen before turning to calmly gaze at Vanessa. “But it was your first wish, wasn’t it, Vanessa? It was you who wanted Mark to die at all costs. So there you have it. What better way to die than to die by being mauled to death by a pack of wolves?”

  Vanessa gasped. “Wolves? But how come? Mark just left here not long ago. How did he end up in that place, all tied up, and surrounded by wolves?”

  The man chuckled to himself. “My dear Vanessa. Maybe the right question should have been how I could get that recording to your phone. And now you think I have control over what is going to now be Mark’s fate?”

  Vanessa was now sobbing all over again. “Please, I beg you. Let Mark go. I don’t want him to die.”

  “But you did. He broke your heart, remember?” the man asked.

  Vanessa shook her head. “No. I forgive him. I don’t want him to die. I did not mean it.”

  The man shook his head. “But you wished it, and even said it out loud for me to hear. And I have granted it to you.”

  Vanessa’s tears increased. “Please stop it. Call off the wolves. Please!”

  The man pushed the phone back to Vanessa. “It is too late, Vanessa. Your wish has already been granted. Take a look. I am sure this is going to be the most interesting part.”

  Vanessa refused to look. But Maureen was pushed by curiosity. She peered into the phone and what she saw made her body freeze. The man was still hanging upside down. There was a lot of commotion going on. He was being attacked by several huge wolves which were tearing at his body from different directions, ripping off flesh and body parts effortlessly.

  Mark was not screaming. He could not because his throat had already been severed by one of the wolves. All that remained of it was a deep gash from which hung loose, bloody flesh.

  Maureen held her mouth. Mark was blinking at her. He was still conscious as the wolves continued to maul him. Eventually, one of them grabbed a hold of his neck and tore it loose from the body. The last thing Maureen saw were the lifeless eyes of Mark gazing back at her as the wolf ran off with his head.

  At that point, Maureen fell on the floor and threw up. She held her stomach as she continued to vomit on the floor. Some couples and visitors in the restaurant began to murmur amongst themselves while she was vomiting.

  One of the waitresses ran to where Maureen was kneeling on the floor. “Maureen. Are you okay?” she asked.

  Maureen shook her head. She was feeling dizzy and nauseated. “I think I am going to be sick.”

  “But you were fine a while ago. What could have happened to you?” the waitress asked.

  Images of Mark being mauled by the wolves flashed through Maureen’s mind again. She shook her head vigorously, as if trying to wipe them away.

  “Maybe it was something she saw,” someone said. Both the waitress and Maureen looked up. There, seated in the seat, was the same man in black. He was smiling broadly as they both looked at him, the other waitress with confusion, Maureen with fear.

  “What she saw?” the other waitress repeated.

  The man in black nodded. “Yes. You know, like when you decide to see something that is not just disgusting, but that you were previously warned not to look at.”

  The other waitress was still confused. She turned to look at Maureen on the floor. “What is he talking about?”

  Maureen shook her head. Suddenly, something occurred to her. She looked back at the table where the man was sitting. There was no one else at it except him.

  Maureen looked around the restaurant, as if searching for something. Or someone.

  The other waitress tapped her shoulder. “Maureen. What is it? What are you looking for?”

  Maureen did not reply to her. Rather, she turned her gaze to the man in black. “Where is she?”

  The other waitress frowned. “Where is who?”

  “Vanessa,” Maureen replied. “Where is Vanessa?”

  The man smiled again. “She had two wishes, remember? She should be on her way to her vacation already.”

  “Vacation?” Maureen repeated.

  The man nodded again. “Yes. Wasn’t that her second wish? To be on a vacation with some rich celebrity. Yes, that was it. You know that I don’t forget such things so easily.”

  The other waitress shook Maureen’s shoulder again. “Maureen, what is he talking about?”

  “But how can you send her off just like that? She just witnessed her boyfriend getting mauled by wolves!” Maureen said.

  The man shook his head. “You seem to be getting things confused, Maureen. First off, it was her exboyfriend. Remember that he had dumped her unceremoniously. We both saw it happ
en. Secondly, the vacation was her second wish. And you know I am mandated to grant all of her wishes, no matter what happens.”

  “Wishes?” the other waitress repeated.

  The man in black nodded. “Yes. Wishes, my dear. That is what I do. Would you like to make a wish?”

  The other waitress looked away from him. “Please, I am not in the mood for any jokes, mister. As you can see, my colleague here is not feeling well.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I am going to be fine,” Maureen said, getting up.

  “Are you sure you’ll be fine?” the other waitress asked.

  Maureen nodded. “Sure. Let me get a mop to get this mess all cleaned up.”

  The man in black waved at Maureen. “Wait, where are you going?”

  “Did you not hear what I just said to my colleague here? You don’t think that wishes would clean up my vomit? Or do you?” Maureen asked.

  The man smiled. “Well, if it is what you wish for, it should. But maybe you don’t want to waste such an opportunity on a mundane issue like cleaning up, would you?”

  Maureen did not respond to him as she hurried off.

  A little while later, she returned with a bucket and a mop. After cleaning up the mess that she had made, she wiped some sweat off her brow and stood up.

  “Finished with the cleaning?” someone asked.

  Maureen was startled. She turned to see the same man in black. He was still alone. Vanessa was still not there with him.

  “Wait. What did you do to Vanessa?” Maureen asked.

  “What did I do to Vanessa, or what did she wish for herself?” the man asked.

  “But you can’t grant such wishes,” Maureen said.

  “And what makes you think you can question my duties, or even the choices that people make?”

  Maureen was exasperated. She searched for what to say but nothing would come to her mind. “So, that is it? You grant wishes, right?”

  The man nodded. “I am waiting for you.”

  Maureen frowned. “Waiting for me?”

  “Yes, Maureen. Before this slight distraction, you were about to wish for a change in your life, remember?”

  Maureen bit her lip. She looked at the mop in her hands and glanced around at the restaurant. “Did I want a change in my life?”