As the sun set in the west, Fang Xiaogui gathered all his classmates in an alleyway on the street.
The six of them hid behind a telephone pole, their heads peeking out one by one as they stared intently at the door of a red house not far away.
Wang Linlin whispered, "Will this really work?"
Yuan Xiaolang chimed in, "If the Witch finds out we're scheming against her, will she make us copy homework again?"
Zhang Dayu muttered, "I don’t want to copy homework."
Song Xiaohua shot a glance and said, "Fang Xiaogui, your plan better be foolproof. If we all end up on the Witch’s bad side, you’re taking full responsibility!"
Fang Xiaogui glared back, "Of course my plan is flawless!"
With that, he shoved a timid boy forward. "Li Mumu, go!"
Li Mumu didn’t want to go, but under the expectant gazes of his classmates, he had no choice. He swallowed his fear and slowly shuffled forward.
Xia Miao was pondering what to eat for dinner when she heard a knock at the door. She walked over and opened it, looking down to see a tiny boy standing there.
Li Mumu’s dark eyes were glistening with unshed tears. He tilted his head up, clearly intimidated by Xia Miao’s fearsome reputation. After a nervous sniffle, he finally managed to say, "Teacher Xia… I—I lost my key. I can’t open my door. Can you help me find it?"
Xia Miao crouched down to his level. "Where did you drop it?"
Li Mumu pointed in a direction. "Over there."
Xia Miao nodded, changed her shoes, and closed the door behind her as she followed Li Mumu to search for the lost key.
"The Witch is gone—charge!"
At Fang Xiaogui’s command, the kids dashed forward.
They scrambled up to the second floor in record time, slipping in through a window. Once inside, they muttered among themselves.
"The Witch said in class today that she’s almost finished preparing the test papers."
"They weren’t in the office, so she must’ve hidden them at home."
"But where would the Witch hide them?"
During class, the Witch had also mentioned that the test would cover basic material. If they failed, she’d have to call their parents to the school.
As if they were scared of their parents being called in—what a joke!
The Witch had smirked. "If your parents don’t come to school, I’ll just have to visit your homes instead."
The kids shuddered at the thought of the Witch badmouthing them to their families.
No, they refused to let that happen!
So they decided to take action—they would steal the test papers.
Fang Xiaogui took charge. "Split up! Song Xiaohua and Zhang Dayu, search the first floor. Wang Linlin and Yuan Xiaolang, check the second floor. I’ll look in the attic!"
With their assignments clear, they scattered to their designated areas.
Song Xiaohua and Zhang Dayu wandered around the first floor when she suddenly rubbed her arms. "I feel like someone’s watching us…"
Zhang Dayu shrugged. "Really? You’re probably just nervous. The Witch lives alone—there’s no one else here."
Song Xiaohua decided she must’ve imagined it. Then she noticed a slightly ajar door, the dark slit practically inviting them to peek inside.
She grabbed Zhang Dayu and pushed the door open with a creak.
The two children stepped into the dim, curtain-drawn room, their eyes darting around.
Song Xiaohua tripped and fell with a thud. Zhang Dayu quickly crouched beside her. "Xiaohua, are you okay?"
Song Xiaohua winced in pain. "Something tripped me!"
But when they looked back, the floor was spotless—nothing was there.
At that moment, Song Xiaohua spotted a strand of black hair under the bed. Her eyes lit up. "I knew it! The Witch is always so irritable—must be hormonal. Look, she’s losing hair! She’s gonna go bald soon!"
She grabbed the strand, and Zhang Dayu joined in, pulling at it. But the hair kept stretching longer and longer—until they yanked out an entire furry head.
The head was deathly pale, as if it had been lifeless for a long time.
Then, its eyes snapped open, and its mouth stretched into a wide, grotesque grin.
Song Xiaohua’s head burst open like a crimson flower.
Zhang Dayu’s body sprouted tiny tentacles, stiffening like raised fur.
The two children screamed in terror, clutching their heads.
Upstairs, Wang Linlin and Yuan Xiaolang heard the commotion and exchanged glances.
"Why are they screaming so excitedly?"
"They must’ve found something!"
They rushed toward the stairs—only to freeze at the sight of a tall, slender figure standing below.
Draped in an oversized yellow raincoat, its hood concealed its head. Water—or was it blood?—dripped onto the floor with a steady drip-drip. Its black-nailed hands radiated a chilling aura.
Wang Linlin and Yuan Xiaolang gulped nervously.
The figure turned, revealing an empty void beneath the hood.
It had no head!
"AHHH—!"
Yuan Xiaolang and Wang Linlin’s tails tangled together as they clung to each other, shrieking in unison.
Meanwhile, Fang Xiaogui in the attic was too engrossed to notice the chaos outside.
The walls were lined with weapons of all shapes and sizes, their gleaming metal surfaces making the dull blade in his hand look like trash.
Heart racing, he reached out to touch one of the blades—when an eerie whisper filled the air.
"Xiaogui… Xiaogui…"
Fang Xiaogui spun around, searching for the source, but saw nothing. Yet from the corner of his eye, a shadow flitted past.
"Xiaogui… Xiaogui…"
His scalp prickled, goosebumps rising all over. "W-Who’s there? Show yourself—I see you!"
A cold gust swept in from behind.
Fang Xiaogui whirled around—and came face-to-face with a ghastly, cracked visage.
"GHOST!!!"
He bolted, crashing into walls and twisting his neck in his panic, not even noticing the pain.
The last rays of sunlight vanished as night fully descended.
When Xia Miao returned, she found the children tumbling out of her house in disarray—each deformed in some bizarre way, wailing and crying for their mothers about ghosts.
She approached them kindly, bending down to inspect the pile of terrified kids.
But when they looked up, they were met with another horrifying sight.
Xia Miao’s face was illuminated from below by her phone’s light, her long hair cascading around her. The backlight distorted her features, making her expression unnaturally twisted.
Her lips curled slowly as she murmured, "Are you all okay?"
"AHHH—GHOST!!!"
The kids scrambled to their feet, tripping over themselves as they fled in every direction.
Xia Miao straightened up and glanced back.
Li Mumu, who had been hiding nearby, shuddered before turning tail and running for his life.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance and reached out her hand. The man, who had somehow crept closer without her noticing, hunched his back and bent forward, presenting his shaggy head right under her palm.
Xia Miao gave it a pat and scoffed, "A bunch of brats, thinking they can take me on."
Then she asked, "Did you keep my test paper safe?"
E Gui opened his maw wide, plunged a hand into his mouth, and dug deep into his throat. After some rummaging, he pulled out the test sheet—along with a few other hidden treasures.
Packets of Oreo biscuits came clattering out, and he scrambled to catch them before Xia Miao could snatch any away, hastily stuffing them all back in.
Pretending not to notice his little stunt, Xia Miao took the test paper and ruffled his hair again. "Good job."
He raised a hand to cover his mouth, his inky black hair trembling as he let out a low, eerie chuckle—"Heh heh heh."
