Jad returned to his village after being away for seven years. His childhood friend, Altair, greeted him warmly and hugged him. Then they got into Altair's car, an old, worn-out dark-colored vehicle. Jad sarcastically fastened his seatbelt and said,

"Didn't you ever think about getting rid of this junk?"

Altair responded in the same sarcastic tone,

"Why? I have no intention of changing it."

They drove for two hours until they stopped at a park next to a small food shop. Altair asked Jad to find a place to eat outside. When Jad returned, he saw Altair sitting on a wooden bench next to another bench occupied by a man in his twenties. His hair was messy, with some strands falling on his forehead, and his sharp green eyes stood out from his features. When Altair saw him, he quickly grabbed Jad and pulled him back into the car, starting to drive away. Surprised, Jad asked,

"Why did you pull me out like that? Why didn't we stay there?"

Altair stopped the car by the side of the road and said,

"The man sitting next to you..."

"What about him?" Jad asked.

"Because of him, you'll be cursed by his sister!"

Jad was shocked and said sarcastically,

"A curse? You're talking nonsense!"

"I'm not talking nonsense, you're the ignorant one!"

"What's ignorant about this?"

"You don't know the truth."

Jad lost his patience and said,

"Stop speaking in riddles."

"Alright, alright," said Altair. "That man with the green eyes is named Elias. He's 25 now, and he had a sister two years younger than him."

Jad interrupted,

"He had?"

"Yes, 'had' because he lost his sister."

"How?" Jad asked, shocked.

"You'll know when I finish the story."

"Alright, continue..."

"Elias and his sister, Iris, were in high school — she was in her first year and he was in his third. Seven years ago, on a rainy day, the villagers saw Elias carrying his unconscious sister, Iris, on his back, barefoot. She was bleeding, and drops of her blood were falling on the wet ground. There were no hospitals or doctors in their village, but there was an elderly man who could help. Elias went to him, but the old man couldn't do much because her injuries were severe. So, he took her to the city center, where they managed to save her."

Jad said,

"I don't think that's the end of the story."

Altair continued,

"When Iris woke up, they asked her, 'Why were you in that state? Why were you covered in blood?' She said she didn't remember anything. Then they asked Elias, and he said that when he returned from school, he found his sister unconscious, covered in blood, with her body full of wounds, and their parents were away on a trip."

"When they returned to the village, Iris was unusually calm, which was strange because the villagers said she had been a lively, talkative girl before the incident. But after the incident, she became strangely quiet during the day and started screaming at night, saying that a man was watching her and wanted to hurt her. People in the village started calling her crazy, and she was expelled from school. One day, Iris was home alone — Elias was at school, and their parents were at work..."

Jad interrupted,

"Did they leave her alone?"

"Yes, because she wasn't showing any strange behavior during the day, and this wasn't the first time she had been left alone."

Altair continued,

"When Elias came home from school, he found his sister had been stabbed with a kitchen knife. When the police investigated, they found Iris' fingerprints on the knife, and they closed the case, considering it a suicide. After that, rumors spread that Iris was cursed, and that was the reason behind her madness and her suicide. Since then, no one has approached that family."

Jad was shocked by this part and said as they started driving again,

"Weren't you the investigator?"

"Yes, I was."

"Then why didn't you handle the case?"

"The case was handed over to a junior investigator, and there was a more important case at the time. Also, it wasn't complicated enough to require my involvement." (Altair said nonchalantly)

They continued their journey to Altair's house...

When they arrived, Altair's mother welcomed them and prepared pastries.

Jad stayed at Altair's house for hours, but it was time for him to leave. Altair's mother said,

"There's no need to stay at a hotel, stay here."

"...I won't go to a hotel... I'll go to my house."

Altair intervened,

"Jad, no one has entered that house since your parents passed away."

"I know... but I need to stay in my house, to reclaim the memories that time stole from me."

Altair said, surrendering,

"Alright, as you wish."

Jad bid farewell to his friend and his family, then left for his house. When he entered, the lights were on, which was strange for a house no one had entered in years. But Jad wasn't surprised. He shouted,

"Dunn!"

A man in his forties, with light hair, a light beard, and some gray in his beard, appeared and said,

"Yes, sir?"

Jad pointed to a metal door at the end of a dark hallway and said,

"Open the door."

Dunn walked ahead, and Jad followed. Dunn opened the door, and it creaked as it opened. They then descended a creaky wooden staircase. At the bottom, they found a girl, her features visible in the moonlight, with green eyes like the leaves of trees, and her beautiful brown hair cascading over her shoulders. Her hands and feet were shackled in iron.

When Jad saw her, he smiled a sinister smile and whispered barely audible,

"Iris..."