A short story –
Ring…ring…
The sound of a bicycle bell echoed through the slightly overcast morning. The air was cool against the skin, even though it was summertime.
“Morning, James! Out for a warm-up?” greeted Mr. Paul cheerfully, passing by on his old bicycle while waving a hand.
“Good morning, Mr. Paul! Yes, just enjoying this bright morning. Be safe out there!” James replied, still jogging and maintaining his rhythm.
Usually, James was accompanied by his two close friends, Rai and Josh. But today, they were nowhere to be seen at the usual corner of the street, where they typically started their jogging route.
…
“Right or left?” he thought, approaching the intersection.
The right path was their regular route — winding through the outskirts of town, mildly busy with morning activity.
The left path was longer by about two miles, rarely traveled, but offered a beautiful view with tall, shady trees. However, it wasn’t well-suited for jogging or biking.
“Let’s go left,” he decided, glancing at his digital watch. It was still early, and he had plenty of time. Why not take the longer route?
…
The road was lined with lush trees, their leaves blanketing parts of the uneven path. It was a bit dangerous, but undeniably scenic — sunlight poured through the gaps of leaves and branches, lighting up the trail below. Ten minutes had passed without him realizing it.
Ahead, a few abandoned houses came into view. Overgrown weeds filled the front yard of one 90s-style house, with windows flanking each side of the entrance.
“Such a waste, just left behind like that,” he thought, glancing at one of the houses.
But then his steps froze.
From afar, he saw a curtain move slightly in one of the windows, then stop.
Not quite believing it, James squinted, narrowing his eyes, staring only at that window — waiting, curious.
“Did I really see that?”
Suddenly, the dark blue curtain moved again — this time accompanied by a soft thudding sound.
Tok… Tok…
Instantly, goosebumps covered James’s skin. Without realizing it, his body had turned and was already running — fleeing the sight behind him.
“What…? This early in the morning…?” he whispered, not daring to look back, only sprinting forward.
…
That afternoon, while playing an online game with Rai and Josh, James remembered the strange event and shared the story with them.
“Hey, I just remembered something. You know that longer jogging route we always avoid?”
“The one with all the trees?” Josh asked.
“Yeah, that one. I went there this morning and saw something weird.”
“You know there are abandoned houses down that way, right?”
“Yeah, I remember there were a few, why?” Rai responded.
“Well, they’ve been empty for a while, right? But this morning, I saw a curtain move in one of the houses,” James explained.
“Are you high? Hahaha… That place has been deserted for years,” said Josh.
“No, man. I didn’t believe it at first either. But I stopped to look again — and it moved.”
“And I just ran for it, Hahaha.”
“Stop joking,” Josh said, the mood suddenly tense.
“Let’s just check it out now,” Rai said calmly.
Silence followed for a few seconds.
“Come on, it’ll be fun. I’m bored anyway, we keep losing this game,” Rai added.
“James… Josh…? Still there?”
“Hmmm… okay,” Josh replied.
“As long as we’re together, I don’t mind. I’m also curious about what I saw,” said James.
“Alright, see you guys in thirty minutes at the intersection,” Rai said, ending the chat.
…
When they arrived in front of the house James had seen that morning, they waited to see if the curtain would move again.
“James, you sure it’s this one?” Rai asked, pointing to a large, weathered window.
“Yeah, that’s the one,” James confirmed, puzzled.
A moment later, the curtain moved — this time they all saw it.
James instinctively shifted his stance, ready to run. Josh flinched and stepped back.
But Rai took a step forward toward the window.
“Rai… Rai…” James whispered.
“I want a closer look,” Rai replied.
Without realizing it, James and Josh followed him closely, eyes scanning the area thick with wild grass.
“Weird,” Rai muttered, observing the path ahead.
“What’s weird?” Josh asked.
“These plants look like someone walked through here recently,” Rai said, noting the flattened grass leading straight to the door.
As they neared the window, Rai scanned the surroundings and aimed a flashlight — he’d brought it from home — into the room.
“Hello…?” he called softly.
Unconsciously, Josh placed his hand on James’s shoulder, and James held onto Rai’s from behind.
Then a soft, clear sound reached their ears:
Tok… Tok…
James and Josh froze, their skin crawling.
But Rai, ever the bold one, reached for the door handle and tried to turn it.
“It’s not locked,” he whispered to the others.
The door creaked open slowly, light slipping into the dark room. Rai pointed his flashlight around — damp, empty.
Until the beam fell on something near the window.
A young girl, about eight years old, wearing a blue dress. Her hands and feet were tied, her mouth gagged with a cloth, sitting on a chair.
Her tired, teary eyes met Rai’s.
He approached carefully, glancing around as James and Josh hesitated at the door.
“Are you okay?” Rai asked gently, starting to remove the cloth from her mouth.
The girl weakly nodded, lowering her head.
“Guys, get in here — quick!” Rai called out. “I found something.”
They rushed in, eyes adjusting to the dim room, fixated on the small figure Rai was trying to free.
“Who is that, Rai?” James asked, stepping closer.
“Josh, do you have water? Give it to her — she looks dehydrated,” Rai instructed, pointing to Josh’s pocket.
“Here,” Josh handed the bottle to Rai, who offered it to the girl.
James pulled out his phone and quickly dialed 911.
“Hello, 911?”
…
Not long after, a team of police and medics arrived with full equipment. They rushed into the house and began checking on the girl.
According to the police, she had been missing for two days — last seen at a playground just three blocks away. They had found no leads — until now.
James, Rai, and Josh gave their story, helping police piece together what had happened.
…
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