A blessing or a curse

Everyone from around the city gathered placing their bloomed lotuses in the pond that surrounds the gigantic golden statue, soon there were thousands of beautifully bloomed flowers that surrounded her statue elegantly floating on the water. The pond was so big that even if everyone in the city placed a lotus in it, it still wouldn't cover the whole surface area of the pond.

It is a tradition to place the flower on the water. It is said that when you place a flower in the water it signifies a wish you hope that would be granted by the goddess herself. Based on tradition, one must not place more than one flower due to it signifying greed. Therefore each person is only allowed to place a single bloomed flower in the water.

"Guys. let's go and place our flowers now before it gets too crowded," Racquel suggested to the two boys following behind her.

"Yeah, I don't want to be pressed against any sweaty old men." Orchid continues.

"Hehehehe, you know you like it." Alek mocks Racquel. In return, she kicks him in the shin getting a loud moan in response.

"You..." he complains as tears start dripping down his cheek slowly.

"Alek are you okay?" Orchid reaches out to check if he's okay, but just as he was about to touch him Racquel pulls him away.

"Come on Orchid we need to give the goddess our wishes." Before Orchid could say anything in response, Racquel pulls him her way.

"Damn, that girl..." Alek curses whilst pressing down on his shin.

As the two moved closer to the statue, Orchid felt even more uncomfortable, he got more and more anxious like something bad was getting closer to him. He didn't like the feeling at all and wanted to run as far as possible from whatever the source of this bad omen was. Racquel notices this and tries to comfort him.

"Orchid' what's wrong. Why are you so jittery?"

"Don't you feel that weird something?" Orchid responds

"Weird something?" she asks truly confused, about what he was saying

"I think we should leave Racquel, I don't think it's good that we're here."

"Something just doesn't feel right about it."

"Orchid!" Orchid's mom shouts

"Mom?" Orchid looks back. He sees his whole family standing together all three of them with a lotus in their hands waiting for their turn to place it in the pond. Just as he was going to answer back to her, a loud sound was heard behind him.

"Orchid what's wrong with the statue?" Racquel asks with her voice quivering in fear.

"Statue?" Orchid looks at her before realising the statue she meant was of the goddess herself, a purple glow started to shine all over the statue from head to toe. Her eyes became black as an abyss. Orchid was stunned looking at such a majestic statue turning into something so frightening.

"Racquel...RUN!" Orchid pulls her away

"MOM!"

"DAD!"

"RUN!" he shouts to their direction waking them up from their trance like state as they too were stunned looking at the statue turn into something so unbelievably scary.