03/08/2026
THE BOY WHO LAUGHED AT AN OLD WOMAN'S CURSE β EPISODE 2
The laughter slowly faded.
Even Chinedu's friends, who had been mocking the old woman moments ago, suddenly became quiet.
There was something strange about the way she looked at him.
Her tired eyes held no anger...
Only pain.
She wiped the tears from her face and spoke in a calm voice.
"My son... one day, you will understand that making fun of another person's suffering is not a sign of strength."
Chinedu rolled his eyes.
"Oh, spare me the speech!" he said with a grin. "I'm not afraid of old stories."
His friends laughed again.
The old woman took a deep breath, lifted one trembling hand toward the sky, and whispered,
"Since you find another person's pain amusing... may laughter never leave your mouth, even when your heart is crying."
A cold breeze swept through the village path.
The birds that had been singing suddenly flew away.
For a brief moment...
Everything became silent.
Then Chinedu burst into louder laughter.
"Is that all?" he mocked. "Thank you! I love laughing!"
His friends clapped and walked away with him, still making jokes.
Behind them, the old woman quietly picked up her heavy bundle of firewood and continued her lonely journey home.
She never looked back.
As the sun disappeared behind the trees that evening, Chinedu couldn't stop laughing about what had happened.
He had no idea...
..that before another sunrise, the old woman's words would begin to come true.
To be continued...