Marie trembled and asked where I had been. She had been to the library and noticed I was not there.
“I just went for a walk.”
I evaded the question. Marie combed my hair and helped me change into my pajamas.
‘I wish Collen would come soon. I want to show him the forest.’
I laid sprawled on the bed, hugging a teddy bear.
‘It feels like I’m entranced.’
Am I entranced by Cedric’s honey-like smile?
‘Still… he’s suspicious, but he doesn’t seem like a bad person.’
Outside, a strong wind blew in time.
‘I don’t believe in ghosts.’
Squeak. Squeak.
The wind sounded like a human moan. It was a disturbing sound. The trees in the forest outside also rustled.
I got up from my spot, one hand holding a pillow and the other holding the teddy bear.
‘Should I sleep in Marianne’s room after all?’
Marianne would be sound asleep.
She wouldn’t get angry if I slid into bed next to her.
‘It’s really quiet today.’
The party guests had all left.
I got up from my spot.
That’s when it happened. Someone grabbed my ankle.
‘…I’
Our eyes met. Under my bed.
There was a man under my bed wearing a parrot mask.
He looked at me, half his body sticking out from under the bed. His eyes behind the mask were empty, like a ghost’s.
I dropped the teddy bear and pillow.
“Eek!”
I tried to scream. I couldn’t.
The man in the parrot mask covered my mouth. I swallowed my scream and struggled.
I’m suffocating.
His large hand was pressing on my face.
‘No! Dad! Zion…!’
I kicked my legs. Seeing me, he chuckled.
‘A strange smell. Is it anesthetic?’
Slowly, slowly… my vision was fading.
I closed my eyes.
* * *
“There are an unusual number of missing people concentrated in one period.”
Collen said, lifting his rod from the ground. He was with Zion, who had returned to the board they had visited earlier in the day.
The southern downtown at night was quite different from the day. Drunks were wandering around, and shops that only opened at night were lit up.
“Please, give me a penny, just a penny.”
Street beggars also begged without rest, as if they were calling for customers. Collen took out a silver coin from his pocket and gave it to a beggar boy.
“You can’t ignore beggars, can you?”
“It’s uncomfortable that Leticia had a hard time on the streets. I keep imagining it. That’s why I give them money to disappear from my sight.”
Zion gave a bitter smile at his words.
Collen only talked like that, Zion knew it well. But it was also true that a corner of Zion’s heart felt cold.
“When she first came, she was so skinny and small…”
“Yes, back then, it seemed like she would crumble if you held her wrong.”
Just talking about Leticia eased the atmosphere between them.
That’s when Collen noticed a boy hovering near the board.
He was as thin as a reed. The child was shedding tears from his eyes.
“What’s this about?”
Collen frowned. Zion approached the child.
“What’s up?”
“My brother and sister disappeared and the guards ignored it because we’re beggars. They said we couldn’t write it on this board.”
“Do you know how to write?”
Zion asked the child.
“No, I don’t know how to. But they said if it’s written here, they will help find people… We walked for days to get here, but it didn’t work.”
“Where are you originally from, kid?”
Collen asked.
“We’re from Count Gallian’s territory.”
Collen and Zion looked at each other at the same time.
“The places where people disappeared from the missing persons list…”
Zion took a paper map from his pocket. It was a map of the southern region.
“If it’s the 46th Street, it’s an outskirts road connected to the Gallian territory.”
“Hamun Forest is also adjacent to the Gallian territory.”
“Roel Street…”
It was directly in Count Gallian’s territory.
Collen twisted his lips.
‘That annoying guy…’
Collen touched the ground with a rod.
“I’m glad to have a reason to cause a ruckus. I hope there will be prey.”
Marie trembled and asked where I had been. She had been to the library and noticed I was not there.
“I just went for a walk.”
I evaded the question. Marie combed my hair and helped me change into my pajamas.
‘I wish Collen would come soon. I want to show him the forest.’
I laid sprawled on the bed, hugging a teddy bear.
‘It feels like I’m entranced.’
Am I entranced by Cedric’s honey-like smile?
‘Still… he’s suspicious, but he doesn’t seem like a bad person.’
Outside, a strong wind blew in time.
‘I don’t believe in ghosts.’
Squeak. Squeak.
The wind sounded like a human moan. It was a disturbing sound. The trees in the forest outside also rustled.
I got up from my spot, one hand holding a pillow and the other holding the teddy bear.
‘Should I sleep in Marianne’s room after all?’
Marianne would be sound asleep.
She wouldn’t get angry if I slid into bed next to her.
‘It’s really quiet today.’
The party guests had all left.
I got up from my spot.
That’s when it happened. Someone grabbed my ankle.
‘…I’
Our eyes met. Under my bed.
There was a man under my bed wearing a parrot mask.
He looked at me, half his body sticking out from under the bed. His eyes behind the mask were empty, like a ghost’s.
I dropped the teddy bear and pillow.
“Eek!”
I tried to scream. I couldn’t.
The man in the parrot mask covered my mouth. I swallowed my scream and struggled.
I’m suffocating.
His large hand was pressing on my face.
‘No! Dad! Zion…!’
I kicked my legs. Seeing me, he chuckled.
‘A strange smell. Is it anesthetic?’
Slowly, slowly… my vision was fading.
I closed my eyes.
* * *
“There are an unusual number of missing people concentrated in one period.”
Collen said, lifting his rod from the ground. He was with Zion, who had returned to the board they had visited earlier in the day.
The southern downtown at night was quite different from the day. Drunks were wandering around, and shops that only opened at night were lit up.
“Please, give me a penny, just a penny.”
Street beggars also begged without rest, as if they were calling for customers. Collen took out a silver coin from his pocket and gave it to a beggar boy.
“You can’t ignore beggars, can you?”
“It’s uncomfortable that Leticia had a hard time on the streets. I keep imagining it. That’s why I give them money to disappear from my sight.”
Zion gave a bitter smile at his words.
Collen only talked like that, Zion knew it well. But it was also true that a corner of Zion’s heart felt cold.
“When she first came, she was so skinny and small…”
“Yes, back then, it seemed like she would crumble if you held her wrong.”
Just talking about Leticia eased the atmosphere between them.
That’s when Collen noticed a boy hovering near the board.
He was as thin as a reed. The child was shedding tears from his eyes.
“What’s this about?”
Collen frowned. Zion approached the child.
“What’s up?”
“My brother and sister disappeared and the guards ignored it because we’re beggars. They said we couldn’t write it on this board.”
“Do you know how to write?”
Zion asked the child.
“No, I don’t know how to. But they said if it’s written here, they will help find people… We walked for days to get here, but it didn’t work.”
“Where are you originally from, kid?”
Collen asked.
“We’re from Count Gallian’s territory.”
Collen and Zion looked at each other at the same time.
“The places where people disappeared from the missing persons list…”
Zion took a paper map from his pocket. It was a map of the southern region.
“If it’s the 46th Street, it’s an outskirts road connected to the Gallian territory.”
“Hamun Forest is also adjacent to the Gallian territory.”
“Roel Street…”
It was directly in Count Gallian’s territory.
Collen twisted his lips.
‘That annoying guy…’
Collen touched the ground with a rod.
“I’m glad to have a reason to cause a ruckus. I hope there will be prey.”
