Sonia and her friends, generous at first, began to ask questions. Why did Sarah always ask for more? Why did she never seem satisfied?
But Sarah knew how to manipulate them. With a charming smile or a flattering word, she got what she wanted.
She felt powerful, admired, almost popular. Yet deep down, she knew that popularity was false, built on lies and borrowed things.
Her behavior did not stop there. Sarah began stealing small objects from the campus shops: lipstick, a hair clip, a notebook. She acted discreetly, convinced no one would notice.
Those small thefts gave her a thrill, a sense of control. She looked at herself in the mirror wearing Sonia’s clothes, a friend’s makeup, a stolen jewel, and she felt beautiful, envied.
But that feeling never lasted.
As soon as she saw another student with an elegant handbag or a new pair of earrings, her envy returned stronger than before. She compared herself constantly, convinced that others had a better life.
Mama Sarah, still in the village, sometimes received calls from her daughter. Sarah told her about university life, but mostly she talked about the things she wanted: a new phone, fashionable clothes.
With a heavy heart, Mama Sarah sent what she could, even if it meant depriving herself. She hoped university would change Sarah, but she feared her insatiable envy would follow her everywhere.
The letters she wrote to her daughter were full of love, but also warnings.
“My daughter, be content with what you have. Envy will make you lose what truly matters.”
Sarah read those letters but put them away without thinking about them.
On campus, Sarah built a reputation. Some admired her polished appearance, but others whispered: “She lives off other people.”
Her lies about being an orphan began to spread, and some students became suspicious. Still, Sarah continued, blinded by her need to possess.
She thought every new object, every new bit of attention, would finally make her happy. But the emptiness inside her kept growing.
She spent her evenings dreaming of a perfect life where she would have everything others had. That dream kept her from seeing the truth. She was drifting away from her real friends, from her mother, and even from herself.
Her heart, imprisoned by envy, pushed her to build a fragile life made of lies and illusions, without ever giving her the peace she was seeking.
At university, a new student appeared: Naomi.
She was beautiful, elegant, with a mysterious aura that captivated the entire campus. Some said she was the daughter of a rich chief. Others said she came from an influential political family.
Whatever the truth was, Naomi attracted every gaze. Her clothes were always flawless. Her jewelry sparkled, and her smile seemed to hide secrets.
Sarah was fascinated. She saw in Naomi everything she had always wanted to be. She decided to get close to her, hoping to benefit from her glow.
To her great surprise, Naomi welcomed her warmly and quickly began giving her gifts: a glossy lipstick, a bottle of expensive perfume, an elegant wig with silky strands.
Sarah felt transformed.
Each time she used those gifts, she noticed admiring looks from other students. The lipstick made her smile stand out, the perfume drew compliments, and the wig gave her a new confidence.
She strutted across campus, finally feeling at the center of attention.
Naomi, always generous, would say, “Keep them, Sarah. You need them more than I do.”
Those words touched Sarah, who believed she had found a sincere friend, someone who understood her need to shine. She spent more and more time with Naomi, fascinated by her style and confidence.
Yet something in Naomi’s behavior sometimes troubled her, but she ignored that feeling.
Naomi’s gifts became a habit. Every week, she gave Sarah something new: a bracelet, a scarf, a decorated mirror. Sarah, delighted, asked no questions.
She did not see that her already insatiable envy was growing even more under Naomi’s influence.
The other students began to gossip.
“Why does Naomi give Sarah so much?”
Some found it strange, but Sarah did not care. She felt special, chosen by someone so impressive. She did not notice that her old friends, like Sonia, were pulling away, tired of her lies and behavior.
Sarah thought only of Naomi and of what she might receive from her.
In the village, Mama Sarah grew worried. During their calls, Sarah talked constantly about Naomi and her gifts. Mama Sarah sensed something was wrong.
She wrote to her daughter:
“Beware of gifts that are too beautiful, my child. Nothing is ever truly free.”
But Sarah, blinded by her admiration for Naomi, ignored her advice. She saw Naomi as an ally, a person helping her become the woman she wanted to be.
Yet disturbing details began to appear.
Sometimes, when Sarah visited Naomi’s apartment, she noticed strange things: candles burning for no reason, whispers in the darkness, an unusual smell. But she pushed those thoughts away, too happy to receive new presents.
On campus, Sarah’s popularity grew, but it rested on an illusion. Students admired her appearance, but whispered about her connection to Naomi.
Some said, “Naomi must want something in return.”
Sarah refused to listen. To her, Naomi was a perfect friend, a benefactor. She did not see that each gift strengthened her dependence.
Her envy, already deep, was becoming an obsession. She lived only for the objects Naomi gave her, for the looks they attracted.
But deep down, she remained empty, unable to find peace.
Naomi, with her mysterious smile, seemed to know exactly what she was doing, as if she were weaving a trap around Sarah — a trap the young woman could not yet see.
Naomi was not just a student.
Behind her elegant appearance and kind smile, she was an ancient witch, an entity that fed on the vanity and envy of others. Sarah, with her insatiable desire to possess what did not belong to her, was the perfect prey.
Naomi had chosen her from their first meeting, seeing in her heart a void she could exploit.
The gifts she gave Sarah — the lipstick, the perfume, the wig — were not simple objects. Each carried a strange energy, a subtle magic that intensified Sarah’s envy while binding her more tightly to Naomi.
But Sarah, blinded by admiration, saw none of it.
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