Horror Short Story | Clothesline

Shen Jing's rented studio apartment had no balcony, so he had to hang a clothesline outside the window to dry his clothes. When he moved in, there was an old wooden clothespin clipped to the line. No one had removed it. He casually hung his own clothes, leaving the clip as it was. 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 at the very end, swaying gently in the breeze. Thinking it might have fallen from upstairs, he placed it on the windowsill, expecting the owner to 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 into the trash. The following morning, the dress was hanging on the clothesline again, still with the old 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 soft tapping sound outside his window. He pulled back the curtain to look, but the clothesline was empty. Nothing was there. Yet, the line itself was swaying, as if someone had just jumped off it. He closed the window and locked it. The next morning, when he opened the window to collect his clothes, he found the dress hanging on the clothesline. The wooden clip held it tightly, and the hem fluttered in the wind. 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 next time, 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. He closed the window and even drew the curtains. That night, while he was showering,