The first thing I did after I got home from work was to look around my apartment for any trace of my favorite coffee mug or its whereabouts so I could brew myself a cup of coffee.
The place was immaculate. There wasn't even a speck of dust on the furniture. I couldn't find a single item missing.
Everything looked like it had been left untouched by anything other than myself. Even the dishes were still in their respective cupboards and no food was missing either. But then I felt a presence, I felt uneasy about this, and wondered if someone else might have come over while I was at work.
This is when my paranoia started kicking in signs of a break-in, but nothing seemed amiss. This is when my cousin, who had stayed silent up till now came out of hiding. She walked into the kitchen and said: "You know Sophia, there's something strange going on here." And she proceeded to explain how my favorite coffee flavor had disappeared, leaving behind the mug on the counter. My mind reeled.
Source
I was starting to get scared and didn't want an explanation, especially since she had yet to give me any concrete evidence. All I wanted was for my stuff to return to where it belonged, nothing more.
My Cousin, Vivian has always been a troublesome one, especially with me. I have lost count of the multitude of pranks she has played on me. Most of them have been hurtful and others funny. But when she decided to hide away my coffee, my favorite drink in the world, I had to avenge my thirst for a good drink which she deprived me of.
She thought it was hilarious that her prank succeeded.
She was so happy with herself.
I was furious. It was just too much. How could she be so heartless?
At this point, I wanted nothing but to take my revenge on her as soon as possible so she would stop her pranks. I needed to take something of hers that she liked too. I don't care what it is. Something small and precious that she would love. Something she won't think twice before losing. That way I will be able to teach her a lesson and make her understand why she should never mess with people again.
That's exactly what I did. I searched high and low through every corner of her room looking for the one thing Vivian cherished so much. The search took some time but I finally found what I sought; a pair of shoes under the couch cushion. I picked them up and examined them closely to ensure that it was indeed them. They looked new and pristine and smelled divine.
"Oh, my God!" I shouted aloud. These are beautiful and I'll make them mine!
I quickly ran to my room, snatched my phone from the dresser, and called my cousin from the sitting room. I told her not to worry, and that I would take her shoes while she keeps the coffee. But if she wanted her priceless shoes back, she has to return my coffee and pay extra funds for emotional damage.
I smiled wickedly as I said every term and condition to her until she gave in. She reluctantly agreed and we hung up the call. As I went back to her room to grab the box containing the shoes, my cousin was already there, holding onto the shoe box to take her shoes right back to her and keep the coffee too.
Oh no! This girl will never cease to amaze me with her cunning nature, I thought to myself as I watched her smile in confidence that she is winning this game. She thinks she is smart enough to beat me, doesn't she? Well let me tell you something, she's wrong.
As I tried grabbing the shoe box, she held tightly onto it and pulled it away. I knew then that this is gonna be a hard fight. So, I decided to use another tactic and asked her politely to please hand me the shoes or the coffee. But once again she refused.
Now things were getting complicated, and the situation had become more volatile, so I used another tactic to convince her. In my desperation I grabbed the shoe box with both hands and threw it across the floor, breaking it into pieces and shattering all its contents.
I watched as she whimper in pain at the sight of her damaged shoes. Now she had no choice but to surrender. But she handed me the box containing the broken shards.
I stared at her in shock and disbelief, thinking that she would surely regret this action, but she just stood there smugly with her unfazed face, smiling widely and saying, "Good luck trying to find your coffee".
But I'm a crafty one. It finally dawned on me what she likes best, at that moment I knew what would set her off and what would make her lose her cool. She was very attached to her jars of pickles. This was a perfect emotional means of torture for her.
If she lost them then I would be free. So, I walked to the kitchen counter, took my sister's two glass jar full of pickles across, mashed them into bits. Then, with a smug look, I told her to keep the rest of the coffee. And with that, she had to give in. After all, she didn't know how to deal with someone who is craftier than her.
I felt sorry for my cousin because she wasn't able to do anything against me, except be mad and sulking. Even after all that happened, she still kept her distance from me. My cousin never thought of playing any pranks on me again. And she had the rest of her pickles jar saved from being shattered when she turned a new leaf.