Horror Short Story | Birthday Gift

Shen Li's best friend gave her a music box made of wood, with an exquisite ballerina carved on the lid. "Happy birthday," her friend said with a smile. "I found it at an antique shop. The owner said it was one of a kind." Shen Li liked it very much and placed it on her bedside table. After winding it up, the music box played an unfamiliar melody, and the ballerina began to spin slowly. That night, she dreamed of a little girl sitting by her bed, playing with the music box. The girl looked up. Her face was as delicate as a porcelain doll, but her eyes were two black holes. "This is mine," the girl said. "Your friend stole it." Shen Li woke up with a start. The music box was still playing, and the ballerina was still spinning. But she clearly remembered that the music box had already been unwound before she fell asleep. The next day, she asked her friend. The friend hesitated, then finally admitted she bought it from an old toy store. The owner said it was the last one, and the original owner didn't want it anymore. "Which owner?" "The owner didn't say. He just said it belonged to a little girl who lived nearby a long time ago." Shen Li felt a chill run down her spine and wanted to throw the music box away. But every time she threw it away, it would return on its own, placed on her bedside table, wound up, playing its melody. On the fifth night, she dreamed the girl was sitting on her chest, holding a small knife. "You threw me away four times," the girl said. "Each time you threw me away, I carved a cut on you." Shen Li looked down and found four shallow scratches on her arm, as if made by fingernails. "The fifth time," the girl said, raising the knife, "I'll carve your face to look like mine." Shen Li woke up screaming and rushed to her bedside table, clutching the music box to her chest.