The Old Man's Chest [Weekly Short-Short Note]

"…Are you not afraid of me?"

A strange old man is standing next to an antique chest I received from a friend who runs a recycling business.

Well, I suppose that's what he meant when he said he'd give it to me for cheap because I have a sixth sense.
Honestly, it's hard to call it a lovely piece of furniture, but—he doesn't seem to have any malicious intent, and above all—I can strongly feel the deep affection he has for this chest.

"You understand, don't you?"

The old man's expression brightens up instantly. Even though he's a ghost.
Then, he stares at me intently again and says this.

"Yes, if it's you—I would be very happy if you could use this chest for a long time to come."

The next day, I reported this to my friend.

"It seems I've been taken a liking to by the old man who owned it before."

At that, my friend suddenly starts to panic.

"No, a man has never been the owner of that chest... The woman who owned it first was being stalked for years, and when she came home to find the stalker had broken in and was rummaging through that very chest... they got into a struggle, and as a result, both of them..."