Horror Short Story | The Washing Machine

When Chen Cheng moved into his new place, there was an old washing machine on the balcony. The landlord said the previous tenant left it, that it still worked, and he could throw it out if he didn't like it. He tried it once. The washing machine ran fine, but the spin cycle was unusually loud, like something was banging around inside. He didn't think much of it and kept using it. One day, while doing laundry, he opened the lid to take his clothes out and found an item of clothing that didn't belong to him. It was a little girl's pink dress, wet. He figured the previous tenant must have forgotten it and casually tossed it in the trash. The next day, doing laundry again, the dress reappeared. This time it was hanging on the washing machine lid, half-dry, as if someone had taken it out to air. Chen Cheng felt a chill. He stuffed the dress into a plastic bag and threw it in the large dumpsters downstairs. That night, he did laundry, and the spin cycle noise returned. It was especially loud this time, shaking the whole machine. He opened the lid— The dress was inside. But this time it wasn't wet; it was dry, neatly folded, placed on top of his most expensive shirt. He picked up the dress and found a note in its pocket: "Thank you for washing my clothes. But you threw me away three times, and I'm very sad." Chen Cheng put the dress back in the washing machine, closed the lid, and didn't dare touch it again. The next morning, he opened the washing machine. The dress was gone. Inside were only his clothes, all washed, spun, and folded, stacked neatly within the machine. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was over. That evening, preparing to shower, he opened his closet to get his pajamas. Hanging inside the closet was the pink dress. It had gotten bigger, now fitting him perfectly. He froze. Slowly