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My best friend, Abby, mailed me a rib shed had removed during weight-loss surgery. She wanted me to make a bone broth with it, and she insisted I record a video of myself drinking it.
The thought of it turned my stomach. I posted anonymously online, asking for advice.
An anonymous account replied.
Don't drink it. It's a bone-swapping curse. She's trying to trade lives with you!
An idea sparked. I went to the butcher, bought some beef ribs, and simmered them into a rich soup. I filmed myself drinking it for Abby.
Then I took the rib she sent me and tossed it into the feeding trough at a pig farm.
The next day, I went back to check. The sow, nursing five piglets, stared at me with eyes full of venomous resentment.
...
Clara, this is the rib I had them take out for you during my surgery. You have to make a soup with it, and don't forget to send me a video, okay?~
The message from my best friend, Abby, ended with a smiling emoji.
A moment later, a package from a local courier arrived.
I opened it. Inside were two ribs, cut clean by some sharp instrument. One was still stained with blood.
A wave of nausea hit me, and I shoved the box away.
Two weeks ago, Abby had complained about her weight and announced she was getting full-body liposuction. I gently advised her to think it over, warning her about the risks. I never imagined she'd not only go through with it but also have two of her ribs removed.
I took a moment to compose myself, then texted her back.
Are you insane? You want me to make soup with your rib?!
If you want to drink it, drink it yourself! I'm not doing it!
The moment I hit send, my phone rang. The sound was shrill and insistent, like an alarm in the dead of night. Abby's smiling face flashed on the screen, and for a long moment, I couldn't bring myself to answer.
On the sixth call, my boyfriend, Leo, suddenly appeared behind me. "Clara, what are you doing? Why aren't you answering your phone?" he murmured.
I froze, about to stop him, but it was too late. Hed already pressed the answer key.
I snatched the phone and retreated to the balcony. Before I could say a word, Abby's cloyingly sweet voice drifted from the receiver.
"Clara, didn't we just talk about this a couple of days ago? We promised to be best friends forever!"
"This is a special ritual just for us. If you drink the soup, our wish will come true!"
The hairs on my arms stood on end.
I hadn't seen Abby in two months. We'd been so busy with work we hadn't even spoken in a week. What "couple of days ago"? The last time we'd talked was when she congratulated me on my "dumb luck" for landing a rich boyfriend like Leo.
The more I thought about it, the more wrong it felt.
I used an anonymous account to post on a forum.
My best friend wants me to make soup with her rib and send her a video. Is this normal?
Replies flooded in almost immediately.
OP, can you actually stomach that? Because I definitely couldn't.
I've heard of psycho boyfriends, but a psycho best friend is a new one. Is this just for clicks?
Yeah, I love a good twisted story, but if this happened in real life, I'd be shaking.
Amid the jokes and shock, one anonymous account stood out. It had posted three comments in a row.
Don't listen to her! It's a bone-swapping curse. Your friend is trying to trade lives with you!
If you do what she says, your fate and your body will be exchanged with hers!
Get rid of the ribs immediately. But you can't just throw them away, or the curse will backfire on you. Find a living creature to take it for you!
I stared at the comments, a cold sweat breaking out on my skin.
Abby and I had been friends since we were kids. We went to the same university. Wed always promised that whoever got married first, the other would be the maid of honor. Our kids would be best friends, too.
How could she possibly want to harm me?
But the voice on the phone... it was definitely Abby.
As I stared at my phone, lost in thought, Leo walked out of the kitchen holding a bowl of soup.
"You said you were hungry, right?" he said softly, setting the bowl in front of me. "I saw the ribs you bought and made a broth. Eat it while it's hot."