You decided you might have a warm bath to help with the situation. You slowly dragged your feet across the floor to the bathroom. As you approached the door, your heard the bath water splashing onto the floor. The sound of yapping returned. Your heart was racing, you didn't have any pets or animals in your house, so you didn't understand why you heard the sound of puppies. You slowly edged closer and closer to the door, and the sound became drowned out by the sound of the water splashing. You rested your hand on the door and slowly pushed the door open, and it ereely creaked as it did. What you saw was beyond comparison to what was outside on your house.

Charms were littered all over the bathroom, every tile was pasted with small pieces of paper with the word 'Gilraen' written on them. The only light was provided with three small candles dotted around the room, the same ones as the ones outside. The wax was dripping all over the floor, drying as crusty droplets on the tiles. You could see a hunched figure over the bath tub, water pouring over the sides, leaving a pool of water around the figure's legs. The wrinkled arms were elbow deep in the water, the tendons tensed as if they were holding down something. Your knees grew week and you fell to the floor in a hard 'thunk'.

"...Welcome home, ________. You must be hungry. I bought some delicious manju. Let's eat them together when I'm done, okay?" the old woman said, almost too kindly. "Okay, _______?" She turned to face you, with and creepy grin spread across her face, her eyes never leaving yours. You could feel all the blood drain from your face, leaving you a pale mess on the floor.

You managed to process a few words before you felt completely light headed. "What... are you doing...? Grandma...?"

"Oh this? This is... a good luck charm. So that we won't be struck by Gilraen's curse. So that our whole family can be happy... A good luck charm... These animals will be cursed in our place. I do feel a little sorry for them, but it is important to protect everyone... It can't be helped." Your grandma's eyes widened at you, still not leaving your eyes. "______?... Get the next cage for me please."

You didn't realise that right beside you was a stack of cages from the local pet store, each with a small kitten or puppy locked inside. The were pressed against the back of the bars trying to get away from the end of their life before them. You stared at the cage closest to you, with a small ginger kitten with large blue eyes inside. It arched its back and hissed as you stared at it, cowering in the back left corner of its prison. "Get it please, ______..." your grandma coaxed. You slowly lifted the cage, the small animal tumbling around in it as it tried to escape. Your grandmother curled her boney digits around the cage to recieve it. As you let go, you walked backwards out of the room. Once you got to the doorway, you dashed for the telephone. Your grandmother, however, just sat and chanted some sacred words:

"In this consecrated place, I humbly worship... and offer this to thee, o great Gilraen..." The crate rattled immensly as the animal inside wimpered. "...humbly, humbly, I plead. I express my sincerest grattitide and thy vast generous blessings..." She immursed the cage in the water, the bubbles erupting to the surface of the creature's final breath. The bubbles stopped, and the kitten bobbed to the top of the cage, and slowly sank to the bottom, resting on the cold, hard steel of the cage, along with many others. 

You grabbed the home phone and smashed the buttons to call your mum. 

"MOM! MOM! MOM!"

"_______? What's wrong!? What happened!?"

"Mom... It's grandma! She has these puppies... all these puppies in the bath tub... they're all dead in the bath tub...!"

"_______! RUN! It's not just us! All of our older relatives...! THEY'VE GONE CRAZY! RUN!" Your mother slammed the phone down, leaving a low drone in the phone. Tears erupted from your eyes, and you heard footsteps thump towards you.

"______. It's all right now. It's all right... Don't worry. ________..."