In a city in the East of Madagascar, a house was enveloped in almost absolute silence, interrupted only by the faint humming of household appliances in the background. Nina, fifteen years old, was in her room, a space she had decorated to her liking: the walls were painted in shades of purple and white, posters of her favorite bands covered the walls, and a shelf overflowed with books and records. Her bed, against the wall opposite the door, left an open space in the middle of the room. She had closed the door behind her, savoring the tranquility that reigned.
Her parents and sister had left for the day, and her older brother wouldn't return until the evening after his tutoring session, leaving Nina alone in the house with her grandmother. Sitting at her desk, Nina lost herself in her creative world, working on a new song. Ideas crowded her mind as she wrote the lyrics, frantically scribbling in her notebook. She was so absorbed in her work that she barely heard her grandmother's familiar voice calling from her room: "Nina, darling, come here for a moment!"
The voice was weak and tinged with urgency. Nina, annoyed by the interruption, rolled her eyes. "Probably just for something trivial…" she thought. Her grandmother had fragile health and often called her for unimportant things. Convinced it was nothing serious, she shrugged it off and continued her work, forgetting her grandmother's voice. Hours passed, and the silence of the house seemed to grow heavier. Nina, engrossed in writing her song, finally got up to take a break.
She stretched, letting out a sigh of fatigue, and headed to the kitchen to prepare a snack. The calm of the house suddenly felt strange, almost oppressive. A sense of unease settled in as she made her way to her grandmother's room. Pushing the door open, Nina was struck by a sight that froze her in place. Her grandmother was lying on the floor, motionless, her face pale and silent. Nina felt a lump form in her throat, her legs trembling beneath her.
She approached slowly, each step echoing in the heavy silence of the room. The air had grown cold around her, and a wave of terror surged. "G-g-grandma... grandma, wake up!" she cried, her voice breaking into sobs. She knelt beside her grandmother's body, desperately grabbing her cold hand. Tears streamed down her face, mixing sadness with guilt. But it was too late. She remained on her knees before her grandmother's body, frozen in fear.
Her heart was pounding so hard she felt it might explode. Everything inside her was trembling, her hands icy, and her breath coming in short gasps, almost choked. Nina suddenly stood up, but her legs were so weak she nearly fell. She staggered, feeling almost dizzy. Trying to run to the phone, she tripped over the rug, almost collapsing to the floor. But she caught herself just in time, struggling to stand. She reached the phone, but her hands trembled so much she had difficulty pressing the buttons.
The phone almost slipped from her grasp, but she managed to dial her mother's number. "Mom?" she said in a broken voice, fighting to hold back the sobs. "You need to come home right away!" Panic filled her voice, each word a struggle against the tears threatening to consume her. When her mother arrived, she found Nina huddled in a corner of the room, her eyes red from crying. Other family members, called in urgency, soon arrived.
After taking the grandmother to the hospital, the scene was marked by screams and tears, but it was too late to save her. Nina's pain was unbearable. She bitterly reproached herself for not answering her grandmother's call, believing that this neglect had led to the tragedy. The funeral took place in a crushing atmosphere of sadness. Nina, still in shock, sought refuge in her room, crying in silence. Her cousin, who had come to offer support, was about to leave.
Overwhelmed by grief, Nina didn't even bother to say goodbye or wish him a safe trip. "Leave me alone, go home," she had told him sharply. Her cousin, worried about Nina's state, was distracted on the way back. A few hours later, as everyone gathered around the table to eat in a tense and silent atmosphere, the phone rang. The news fell like a thunderclap: her cousin had been in a car accident on the way home.
Nina's world collapsed once more. Guilt gnawed at her, making her believe that if she had taken the time to talk to him, he might still be alive. That night, as she curled up under her sheets, Nina sank into an even deeper sadness. The darkness of her room seemed to stretch, and every shadow seemed to harbor a threat. In her dream, a woman of enigmatic beauty appeared. She was sitting in a red armchair by a fireplace, in a dark room where the only light came from the flickering flames.
The woman's long black hair cascaded down, and her piercing eyes fixed on Nina with an unsettling intensity. Before Nina stood a small staircase of 3 to 4 steps, leading to where the woman sat. The woman, dressed in an elegant little black dress, broke the silence with a voice soft yet laden with mystery: "Nina, I have an offer for you. A power. But to obtain it, you must make a choice…" The woman's words echoed in Nina's mind as she awoke with a start, her heart racing.
The shadow of the woman and her mysterious words lingered in her thoughts, like a persistent echo haunting her. What is the true nature of this offer? What power does the mysterious woman really propose? And how will Nina cope with this new reality filled with secrets and danger? The answers will unfold in the next chapter, where Nina must face the consequences of her choices and the mysteries that surround her.
🔮 To be continued ...