On the way to the bride, the driver discovered a rattling sound from the trunk – when he opened it, everyone was stunned by what was inside…
That day, the weather was beautiful, white clouds drifted lazily across the deep blue sky. The wedding procession rolled on the small village road in Batangas, the sound of trumpets and drums, the sound of laughter and chatter echoed throughout the neighborhood. In the leading car, the bride sat shyly next to the groom, her face shining with happiness and excitement.

The driver – Ramon – had driven hundreds of wedding cars, but today his heart was still unusually light. The car was running smoothly, when suddenly from behind the trunk came a small but clear “clack-clack… clack-clack…” sound.

He frowned, looking at the rearview mirror. The sound repeated, as if something was moving in the trunk. Uneasy, Ramon pulled the car to the side. The bride and groom were still chatting with friends behind, no one noticed. Ramon got out, his heart heavy as a stone. The “clack-clack” sound became more and more urgent, as if urging him to open it quickly.

His hand trembled as he inserted the key into the lock. “Click” – the trunk opened.

He was stunned.

Inside, an ancient wooden baul lay sprawled, the lock having been undone. The lid of the trunk opened a small crack, and from there… a white hand, covered in silver bracelets, reached out, moving slightly, trembling!

Ramon screamed loudly, almost falling backwards. A faint scent of incense wafted out, mixed with an indescribable musty smell. The group of people following him heard the sound and rushed over.

An old woman in the family saw the baul, her face changed:

– Diyos ko… that’s the bride’s dowry!

The whole group was stunned. What kind of dowry is this?

The bride – Clarissa – ran over, saw the chest and burst into tears, fell to her knees

– Inay… I didn’t want to bring it, but you made me bring it!

The mother – a middle-aged woman with a stern face – then explained with a trembling voice:

“It’s a family tradition… All our daughters when they get married must bring a talisman – a sacred wooden statue in the shape of a silver hand – to pray for peace and protect their marriage. It has been in our house for hundreds of years…”

It turned out that the “ghost hand” was just an ancient wooden statue crafted by an Ifugao sculptor, so delicate that in the flickering darkness it looked like a real hand.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. But Clarissa still sobbed:

– Inay, please… I don’t need a talisman. I will protect my own happiness.

The atmosphere was heavy. The mother squeezed her daughter’s hand, her eyes torn. After a moment of silence, she nodded.

The wooden baul was reassembled, this time to stay in Batangas – forever.

The caravan continued to roll, carrying Clarissa to a new beginning – no longer bound by invisible strings

The wedding night at the small villa by Taal Lake was filled with the laughter of relatives and friends. But in Clarissa’s heart, a feeling of unease still lingered. The image of the silver hand reaching out from the baul haunted her. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the cold silver bracelets tightening around her wrists.

The newlywed husband – Miguel – hugged her shoulder, reassuring her:
– “Don’t worry anymore, Clarissa. It’s all just an old tradition. From now on, all you need is happiness.”

Clarissa nodded, but deep down, she knew her mother would not give up easily.

The family curse

Sure enough, the next morning, when they went to her mother’s house in Batangas to burn incense for their ancestors, Elena – Clarissa’s mother – looked straight at her daughter, her voice stern:
– “You can reject the spirit, but your family cannot. Do you know why your family has been safe for generations? It’s all thanks to that silver hand.”

She said that hundreds of years ago, their ancestor was an Ilocos merchant. During a sea voyage, he nearly drowned. An Ifugao witch saved him, but in return, he made him promise: from generation to generation, when the daughters of the family marry, they must carry silver hands to keep their marriages from falling apart. Whoever breaks the curse will pay the price.

Clarissa shuddered. Elena continued:
– “I have kept it for generations. If you give up, disaster will come.”

The whole house fell into silence. Miguel held Clarissa’s hand tightly, whispering:
– “It’s just superstition. I won’t let anyone or anything scare you.”

Strange signs

But then strange things started to happen.

That night, Clarissa heard a “clack-clack…clack-clack…” sound coming from under the bed, exactly like the sound in the trunk of a car. She jumped up, her heart pounding, but when she turned on the light, there was nothing but a bare wooden floor.

The next day, a sudden strong wind blew the curtain in the wedding room. On the wall, the mirror appeared a crack, imprinted with the shape of a… hand.

Maya – the little granddaughter – was taking a nap at her grandmother’s house, suddenly cried out, saying that she saw “a silver hand crawling up the window.”

Clarissa was scared, turned to Miguel. But he hugged her, determined:
– “If that hand really exists, then I will face it. I would rather believe in our love than an ancient curse.”

The truth in the baul

Unable to bear the obsession, Clarissa and Miguel decided to return to the family’s old house in Batangas to reopen the baul. This time, they did not let anyone know.

Late at night, under the yellow light of a kerosene lamp, they opened the lid of the chest. Inside, in addition to the silver hand, there was also a stack of yellowed papers hidden under the cloth. Clarissa tremblingly picked it up. It was the diary of her great-grandmother – the first woman to wear a silver hand on her wedding day.

The scribbled lines revealed the truth:
“The silver hand is not a sacred object. It was created to conceal a secret… The secret of the wealth that our ancestors had hidden away, to avoid being robbed by enemies. Whoever holds the silver hand holds the key to the treasure.”

Clarissa was stunned. So for generations, her family had been haunted by a “curse” that was only to protect… property.

Miguel held his wife’s hand tightly, his eyes shining:
– “You see? We are not cursed. We are deceived by tradition.”

Clarissa’s decision

The next morning, Clarissa faced her mother. She put the silver hand statue and the old diary on the altar:
– “Inay, I know the secret. This is not a sacred object, but just an excuse to keep wealth. I don’t need it. I want to build my own happiness with my own hands.”

Elena was stunned, her eyes red. After a while, she burst into tears:
– “Mom… I know, but I dare not say it. Because if I leave, I am afraid that the whole family will turn their backs on me. I just want you to be safe.”

Clarissa hugged her mother and whispered:
– “You will be safe, not thanks to any silver hand, but thanks to the hand of you and Miguel.”

End

The wooden baul was brought back to the old house in Batangas, locked and placed in storage – no longer a burden for the next generation.

Clarissa and Miguel returned to the villa by Taal Lake, starting a new life. That night, for the first time, Clarissa slept peacefully, without hearing any “clack-clack” sound.

In her dream, she saw the silver hand turn to dust, blown away by the wind, leaving behind another pair of warm hands tightly holding hers – Miguel’s hands.

True happiness, it turns out, lies not in any talisman or curse, but in the courageous decision to break free from the shackles of the past.