Horror Short Story | The Clothesline

Shen Jing lived in a studio apartment without a balcony, so he had to hang his clothes to dry on a clothesline outside his window. When he moved in, there was an old wooden clothespin already on the line. He casually hung his own clothes, leaving the clip there. One day, when he went to collect his laundry, he found an extra piece of clothing. It was a small, white dress, like one a little girl would wear. It was hanging on the very end, swaying gently in the wind. He thought it might have fallen from upstairs and placed it on the windowsill, thinking the owner would come looking for it. The next day, the dress was back on the clothesline, held by that old wooden clip. Feeling uneasy, he threw the dress in the trash. The next morning, the dress was hanging on the clothesline again, still with the same wooden clip. This time, the dress was wet, as if it had just been washed. Shen Jing removed the wooden clip and threw it away along with the dress. That night, as he was sleeping, he heard a faint tapping sound outside his window. He pulled back the curtain to look, but there was nothing on the clothesline. Yet, the line was swaying as if someone had just jumped off it. He closed and locked the window. The next morning, when he opened the window to collect his clothes, he found the dress hanging on the clothesline. The wooden clip was holding it tightly, and the hem of the skirt fluttered in the breeze. Next to it was a small note, tucked into the clip: "If you remove the clip, I have nowhere to live. If you remove it again, I'll move in." Shen Jing froze. He looked down at his own clothes. His t-shirt from yesterday was gone, and only the dress remained on the line. He didn't dare touch anything else, closed the window, and even drew the curtains. That night, while he was showering,