Campus Courtyard - Evening
The peaceful evening was shattered by a sound that made everyone freeze.
A laugh. But not just any laugh.
It was dark. Sinister. Echoing.
And it was coming from... Chima?
Everyone turned to look at their fierce friend. Chima was standing rigidly, her head thrown back, her mouth open in a deep, terrifying cackle that was absolutely not her usual laugh.
"MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Alice's jaw dropped. "Chima? What's... what's wrong with your laugh?"
Chima's head snapped forward. But something was different. Her eyes were glowing: a faint, eerie red. Her expression was twisted into something cruel and vengeful.
"You fools," Chima's voice came out, but it wasn't her voice. It was deeper, older, filled with centuries of hatred. "You have no idea what's coming."
Fatimah stepped forward cautiously. "Chima? Who are you?"
The thing possessing Chima sneered. "I am the one who was wronged. Murdered. Betrayed. And now... I will have my revenge!"
Matteo grabbed Naila's arm protectively. "What is happening?!"
The spirit laughed again, that same chilling cackle. "I was killed by the ancestors of that lazy girl over there!" It pointed a trembling finger at Naila.
Naila blinked. "Me?"
"YES, YOU! Your great-great-great-grandfather murdered me! Stabbed me in the back! I've been waiting for centuries to take revenge!"
Naila thought about this for a moment. "Oh. That's... unfortunate."
"UNFORTUNATE?!" The spirit shrieked. "I HAVE BEEN TRAPPED IN THE SPIRIT WORLD FOR 200 YEARS, AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS 'UNFORTUNATE'?!"
"Sorry," Naila said, not sounding sorry at all. "That's just... a lot of effort to hold a grudge. I'd be too tired."
The spirit stared at her, completely thrown off. "What... what kind of response is that?!"83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNSkmoqO5k
The spirit possessing Chima began pacing back and forth, ranting angrily.
"Your ancestor was a coward! A traitor! He promised me safety, and then he drove a knife through my heart!"
Naila yawned. "Sounds like a bad guy."
"HE WAS A TERRIBLE PERSON!"
"I mean, he killed you. So yeah. Bad."
"YOU'RE NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY!"
Naila shrugged lazily. "I mean... it was 200 years ago. I didn't even know him. I don't even know my great-grandfather's name."
Matteo whispered to Fatimah. "Is she always like this when being threatened by vengeful spirits?"
Fatimah sighed. "Yes. It's surprisingly effective."
The spirit was getting more and more frustrated. "I WILL CURSE YOUR FAMILY! I WILL BRING MISFORTUNE UPON YOU FOR GENERATIONS!"
"That's a lot of effort," Naila noted. "Wouldn't you rather just... rest? Maybe take a nap? I find naps help with anger."
"I DON'T WANT A NAP!"
"I mean, you've been dead for 200 years. That's basically a very long nap. You must be pretty rested by now."
The spirit sputtered. "THAT'S NOT HOW DEATH WORKS!"
"Oh." Naila nodded slowly. "Then I guess I don't know how it works. I'm not dead."
The spirit stared at her in disbelief. "YOU... YOU ARE THE MOST FRUSTRATING PERSON I HAVE EVER MET!"
"I get that a lot."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡib0IZn68xb
Alice was recording everything on her phone. "This is GOLD! 'Vengeful spirit gets annoyed by lazy girl!' This is going viral!"
Wony was examining Chima's possessed form with scientific curiosity. "The eye glow is very dramatic. And the voice change is impressive. The spirit has good technique."
Fatimah was trying to think. "We need to help Chima. The spirit needs to leave her body."
Matteo was hiding behind a tree. "I don't like this! Possession is scary!"
"Matteo, you're supposed to be the brave one!" Alice called out.
"I'm brave against humans! Not spirits!"
The spirit turned its attention to Matteo. "Aha! The Italian! You're the one who tried to hypnotize the lazy girl!"
Matteo froze. "How... how do you know about that?!"
"I have been watching! Preparing! And you, fool, are just as pathetic as your ancestors!"
"My ancestors are from Italy! They didn't do anything to you!"
"ALL EUROPEANS ARE THE SAME!"
"That's... that's racist!"
"IT'S VENGEANCE!"
***
The spirit was now standing directly in front of Naila, fuming with rage.
"DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THE GRAVITY OF THIS SITUATION?!" it screamed. "I COULD KILL YOU! RIGHT NOW!"
Naila looked up at the possessed Chima with sleepy eyes. "Okay. But... wouldn't it be easier to just... forgive me? And move on?"
"FORGIVE?! FORGIVE?!"
"I mean, I'm not the one who killed you. I wasn't even born. So really, you're mad at someone who doesn't exist anymore."
The spirit paused. That... was actually a good point.
"But... but I NEED revenge!"
"Revenge is tiring," Naila said. "All that planning. And executing. And gloating. It sounds exhausting."
"I WILL GLOW AS MUCH AS I WANT!"
"I mean, you can. But then what? You kill me, and then you're still dead. Nothing changes. You're still stuck in the spirit world."
The spirit opened its mouth to argue, then closed it again.
"That's... I mean..."
"And think about it," Naila continued, her voice still calm and sleepy. "If you kill me, then I'll be dead. And I'll be in the spirit world with you. And we'll have to spend eternity together. Do you really want to spend forever with a lazy person?"
The spirit stared at her.
"Because," Naila added, "I'd just be complaining about how tired I am. All the time. For eternity. You'd never get any peace."
The spirit's face went pale.
"You'd be stuck with me," Naila said. "Forever. Complaining. Whining. Sleeping in inconvenient places. It would be a nightmare."
"THIS IS... THIS IS NOT HOW REVENGE WORKS!"
"It could be. If you want."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGDtsHzS2W
The spirit possessing Chima started pacing again, but this time it looked uncertain.
"200 years... I waited 200 years for this moment..."
"Must have been boring," Naila observed.
"IT WAS! The spirit world is so dull! There's nothing to do! No entertainment! Just... floating! And waiting!"
"You could have found a hobby."
"A HOBBY?! IN THE SPIRIT WORLD?!"
"I don't know. Ghost knitting? Haunting birds? I'm just saying."
The spirit stopped pacing. "I didn't even have a proper funeral! My body was left to rot in a ditch!"
"That's rough."
"AND I WANT JUSTICE!"
Naila nodded. "Okay. That's fair. But... what's justice, really? Getting revenge on a random girl who didn't do anything? Or finally... letting go?"
The spirit was silent.
Fatimah stepped forward carefully. "She's right. Holding onto this anger... it's hurting you more than anyone else. You've been trapped by your own hate for 200 years."
Wony joined in. "Elegant souls let go of grudges. It's the refined thing to do."
Alice chimed in. "And think of the content! 'Spirit finds peace through lazy girl's wisdom'! So inspirational!"
The spirit blinked. "This... this is not how I expected this to go..."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oHNytws56
The spirit looked at Naila, who was now half-asleep on the bench.
"You're not even scared," the spirit said quietly.
Naila shook her head. "Too tired to be scared."
"And you wouldn't fight back?"
"What would I fight with? My pillow?"
The spirit stared at her for a long moment. Then, unexpectedly, it laughed. But this time, it wasn't a vengeful laugh. It was... amused.
"You're extraordinary," the spirit said. "In 200 years, no one has ever responded to me this way."
"Is that a good thing?"
"I... I think it is."
The spirit looked down at its hands (Chima's hands) and sighed.
"I wanted revenge for so long. But you're right. The person who wronged me is long gone. And you..." It looked at Naila. "You're just a very tired girl who wants to sleep."
"That's me."
The spirit smiled; a sad, genuine smile. "I think... I'm ready to move on."
Everyone held their breath.
The red glow in Chima's eyes began to fade. The spirit's voice grew softer, more distant.
"Thank you," it whispered. "For being too lazy to fight me."
Naila smiled sleepily. "You're welcome."
"I'll... I'll go now."
"Safe travels."
"Goodbye, Naila."
"Bye."
The spirit's presence faded. Chima's body sagged, and she collapsed to the ground.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOcnoRvTQd
Chima's eyes fluttered open. She looked around, confused.
"What... what happened? Why is everyone staring at me? And why do I feel like I just ran a marathon?"
Fatimah rushed to her side. "Chima! You're back!"
"Back from where?!"
Alice was jumping up and down. "YOU GOT POSSESSED BY A VENGEFUL SPIRIT AND NAILA TALKED IT INTO LEAVING BECAUSE SHE WAS TOO LAZY TO FIGHT!"
Chima stared at her. "What."
"She's serious," Wony confirmed. "It was... surprisingly elegant."
Matteo emerged from behind the tree. "Is it over? Is the spirit gone?"
"Yes, Matteo. You can come out now."
"Good! Because my Italian nerves are very sensitive!"
Chima looked at Naila, who was now fast asleep on the bench.
"Let me get this straight," Chima said slowly. "I was possessed. By a vengeful spirit. And instead of fighting, Naila just... talked?"
"She suggested the spirit take up knitting," Alice said.
"She suggested WHAT?!"
"It was very effective," Fatimah said. "The spirit left peacefully."
Chima buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe this. I get possessed, and instead of a dramatic exorcism, my lazy friend just... talked the spirit into leaving?"
"Told you," Alice grinned. "Naila is secretly the most powerful one among us."
"She didn't even lift a finger!"
"That's what makes her powerful!"
***
The group sat around the bench where Naila was sleeping peacefully.
Chima was still processing what had happened. "So... the spirit was killed by Naila's ancestor?"
"Yes," Fatimah confirmed. "And it wanted revenge on Naila."
"But she just... refused to take it seriously?"
"Pretty much."
Chima laughed. "That's so Naila. So ridiculously, frustratingly Naila."
Wony smiled. "It's a unique defense mechanism. I'll have to remember it."
Alice was editing her video. "Okay, so I'm calling this 'The Spirit Who Gave Up Because of Laziness.' It's going to be a hit!"
Matteo was gazing at Naila with renewed adoration. "She's incredible. A spirit wanted to kill her, and she just... napped through it."
"She's been napping through life for years," Chima said. "Why would a spirit be any different?"
Naila stirred slightly. "Hmm... Matteo... can you... get me... a blanket..."
Matteo immediately stood up. "Yes! Yes, of course! Anything for you, my queen!"
Chima grabbed his arm. "Don't call her that. And don't get her a blanket! She's fine!"
"She asked for a blanket!"
"She's dreaming!"
"I WILL GET HER A BLANKET!"
"He's hopeless," Fatimah sighed.
"Completely hopeless," Wony agreed.
But they were all smiling.
Because even though a vengeful spirit had tried to destroy them, they had survived. Not through fighting. Not through magic.
Just through Naila being Naila.
And somehow, that was enough.83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQmxJNAOL8
and then Add to home screen.