Parts 3 & 4
Khalid stared silently at Walida as she cleaned her teeth with her eyes half-closed. When she finished, she looked up and said, “Uncle, I’m thirsty.”
Without looking toward where he thought the drinks were, Khalid reached out, his eyes still fixed on her. He grabbed a jar of yogurt and realized it was completely empty. His stomach churned, but he tried not to show it. “What’s going on? Before we even went anywhere, the yogurt is finished. Whoever is doing this to me will surely answer for it.”
Meanwhile, the bride Zarah sat waiting for Khalid to return. The smell of chicken filled her nostrils; she swallowed repeatedly. His prolonged absence annoyed her, and thoughts of Walida filled her heart with resentment. Slowly, she approached the chicken bag. She glanced toward the entrance, then reached to open it—when suddenly she heard, “Oh dear, I’m the bride chicken.”
Startled, Zarah jumped back, her heart racing. She rushed toward the section Khalid had gone.
She found Khalid squatting before Walida, coaxing her, “Walida, go to sleep. Your aunty is waiting for me.”
Walida pouted. “No, you’ll sleep here.”
Seeing this infuriated Zarah. From the doorway she shouted angrily, “Khalid, what is this? Am I the bride or is this child? Since you entered this house, you came straight to her while I sit waiting—if I’d known I’d be treated like this—”
Before she finished, Walida stood up and said softly, “Please forgive me, Aunty.”
Zarah snapped, “Shut up, little hypocrite!”
Khalid stood calmly. “Please forgive me, Zarah. Nothing else kept me here. Look at this bag.” He showed her the chicken bag.
Seeing the chewed bones made her even angrier. “So you ate everything and just showed me bones? Khalid, you’ve wronged me!”
Khalid interrupted and explained everything. At first she doubted him, but remembering what she had heard earlier, fear crept back.
Walida yawned. “Uncle, go. I’m sleepy.”
Relieved, Khalid happily took Zarah’s hand and led her to their room. Hugging her, he winked. “My love, don’t you see how beautiful you are?”
Before she could respond, they heard a whisper: “All her beauty equals a chicken.”
Startled, Khalid checked the window. “Zarah, was anyone left with the bride?”
Zarah whispered, “Only the roommate—who knows what she’s hiding.”
Khalid laughed it off and opened the chicken bag again.
Terrified, Zarah stepped back. “I heard that chicken talk! Khalid, are you sure no strange rituals were done in this house?”
He insisted it was imagination and laid out the chicken. Still uneasy, Zarah sat.
Khalid fed her a drumstick, but as she bit, the meat vanished, leaving only bone. Then she heard, “Ouch! My thigh—I’m the chicken!”
She told Khalid, but he dismissed it. She fell silent, unsettled.
Afterward, Khalid remembered a remedy his friends gave him and drank it secretly. Zarah did the same with her own charm. Khalid went to bathe, saying they’d pray afterward.
Soon, Zarah heard scratching like a chicken about to lay eggs. Looking out the window, she saw a headless roasted chicken dancing. Her heart nearly stopped as it whispered, “Let us kill and bury, then enjoy the honeymoon with my groom.”
In the bathroom, Khalid heard a voice say, “Greetings, husband of the chicken.” The smell of roasted chicken filled the air. Something touched his back. Terrified, he tried to escape, but the voice said, “Husband of the chicken, today is our joyful day.”
He protested, “I’m not married to a chicken!”
The voice replied, “You even drank medicine for our love. Soon I’ll start laying eggs for you.”
Before he could react, his towel was snatched away, and clawed fingers scraped his skin.
I’ll leave you here with the husband of the chicken—may they enjoy their honeymoon! 😂
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