Mei Li had already fallen asleep, and the whole house was quietly shrouded in darkness.
The dim moon hid in the clouds, and Julian could not see the scenery in front of him clearly. It took him a while to grope his way to the door of the house.
He was breathing heavily and his knife was not held steadily.
The door of the house was made of wood, with two layers, inside and outside, and both were fastened from the inside.
Julian tried to pry it open with a knife, but because he had no experience and couldn't see clearly, he couldn't pry open the first layer after a while.
Just when he was hesitating whether to give up, suddenly, there was a click and the bolt was opened from the inside.
Julian was startled. He thought he was discovered and turned around and ran away in panic.
He ran too fast and was in the yard in the blink of an eye. Just as he was about to climb over the wall, he turned his head unconsciously and saw a woman in a white nightgown standing by the door. Her upper body was hidden in the shadows and could not be seen clearly. She seemed to be looking at him quietly, with a pair of eyes shining in the darkness, just like the owl that had been spying on him in the woods before.
Julian suddenly became dazed and stopped moving.
He seemed confused and turned around and walked back.
The woman standing by the door stretched out her hand and opened her arms to him. The boy, with a slightly dazed look on his face, only felt that he saw his mother. His mother was not dead. His mother was standing at the door of her home, calling him to go home.
He was never an obedient child. He liked to go out and play. He was impatient to stay at home and listen to his mother's nagging, and he often disliked her.
But at this moment, he looked at his "mother" standing at the door, and felt his heart full of admiration. No matter what his "mother" asked him to do, he was willing to do it.
He walked towards the door step by step, his expression becoming more and more wooden, his movements becoming more and more sluggish, and he walked towards the pair of thin white arms, stopping and starting, and walked into the darkness.
Boom—
The knife in his hand slipped weakly and hit the ground with a dull sound.
The door closed gently, hiding his back.
Boom—
Mei Li was awakened by a dull sound like thunder. She listened in confusion, not sure whether the sound was real or a dream.
She turned over and wanted to continue sleeping, but she felt as if something was stuffy in her chest.
She stood up and walked to the table to drink some water, casually glancing outside through the window.
The moon was hanging on the edge of the clouds, clearer than before I fell asleep, shining on the garden below. There was a large clump of broom that seemed to have been stepped on and fell to one side.
Mei Li: “???” How come my broom flowers were stepped on and broken? Did an animal from the forest run into the yard
Thinking of the thumping sound she heard just now, Mei Li became alert. Could it be a thief
She had lived here for almost a year. She was wary at first, but later she found a ghost in the house, goblins everywhere in the forest outside, and a swamp monster wandering outside the house from time to time. Gradually, she became less wary of people.
Because no one came.
Cursing herself for being lax, she picked up the shovel that was in the house and pushed the door open to go out.
Mrs. Peg's door was open, but she was not inside.
This discovery made Mei Li more nervous than the possibility of a thief breaking into the house.
Mrs. Peg went out? Why? Where
She went downstairs with a shovel. The first floor was pitch black and there was no sound. She looked around the room and the kitchen but didn't find anyone hiding in the darkness.
When she reached the corner of the hall, Mei Li discovered that the small cupboard had been moved away, revealing the door leading to the basement.
She stared at the door, not sure what to do.
Could it be that Mrs. Peg had gone into the basement
Mei Li had had several nightmares about what was in the basement, so she kept her distance from the basement and didn't dare to peek in. Being too curious could get you killed.
She picked up the shovel and quietly prepared to go back upstairs to sleep. At this moment, she heard two painful groans, the sound a little out of tune.
Mei Li stopped again and turned to look at the door hesitantly. She took off her shoes and walked closer quietly. She saw a little light coming through the gap. She leaned over to listen carefully and heard more tiny sounds.
“… Please… let me go…”
Mei Li felt his eyebrows twitch when he vaguely heard this vague voice.
Shit, is there some criminal activity going on in there
Although I don't want to get involved in Mrs. Peg's secrets, it seems like there's murder going on in there?!
Mei Li, who became suspicious of Mrs. Peg because of Aunt Maggie, suddenly recalled a bad image.
She didn't hesitate any longer and opened the basement door.
It was completely different from the dark and gloomy basement she had imagined. It was more like another space. Hundreds of golden pillars stretched out, flashing a soft golden light, like a forest growing in the basement.
There were many white pebbles on the ground, and a clear and transparent pool was in the middle of the pillars. Mrs. Peg was sitting naked by the pool, with her nightgown hanging on one side. Her long red hair was wet, as if she was taking a bath, and she was holding a red apple in one hand and taking a bite out of it.
A group of daylight fairies, moonlight fairies and other unknown fairies danced around her in a friendly manner. The scene was as beautiful as a fairy tale.
Mei Li stood there impulsively, and saw the goblins and Mrs. Peg turning their heads to look at her. She couldn't help feeling embarrassed and confused about the current situation.
This... What's going on? Where's that voice I just heard? She looked around quietly again, but still didn't see anything wrong.
A group of goblins surrounded Mrs. Peg, whispering and pointing at her who had suddenly barged in. Mrs. Peg, who was naked, stared at her indifferently, as if she was looking at a pervert who had mistakenly entered someone else's bathhouse.
Mei Li: "… Sorry, I heard some strange noises. Please continue washing."
What's wrong with Mrs. Peg? She stays up all night and takes a bath in the basement. She doesn't eat anything during the day and she secretly eats apples at night. How come she doesn't know that there are so many goblins living in the basement
Is she a witch
It seems that there are still too many things in this world that she doesn't know.
Mei Li silently turned around and walked back, closing the door to the basement.
After she closed the basement door, the beautiful fairy-tale scene in the basement slowly faded and changed.
—
The "apple" Mrs. Peg held in her hand turned into a bright red heart;
The clear pool of water turned into a bright red pool of water that exuded a fishy smell;
Hanging on the nightgown was Julian's body with his chest cut open;
And those lively fairies had now become shriveled specimens with miserable deaths, hung in the air by silk threads, staring at Mrs. Peg with their bulging, unwilling and resentful eyes.
Julian's body hanging on the side was dripping with blood, and the blood was dripping into the pool. As the blood was lost, Julian's young face gradually aged.
Mrs. Peg casually scooped up the bright red pool water and used it to wash her hair, and her gradually dry hair slowly regained its former glory.
She finished eating the "apple" in her hand, her lips turned red, and her body, which was so weak and thin that it was almost as thin as paper, became a little plumper.
At dusk, the setting sun dyed the sky golden, and a figure hurriedly ran down the path.
Mei Li saw it from afar while standing on the hillside in front of her house. She looked out for a while and saw the figure waving at her. Then she confirmed that it was Hesha.
It was almost nightfall, and she shouldn't have been here at this time.
"What's wrong, Hesha, why are you running here now?" Mei Li asked puzzledly, having a bad feeling.
"Julian is missing, Mary, did you know?" Hesha asked anxiously.
"What?" Mei Li grabbed the apron in her hand and guessed, "Julian is missing. Are you looking for him? I'll go with you to check."
It seems that the situation is very critical. If not, Hesha would not have come here at this time.
Hesha hurriedly stopped her, looking anxious, "Meili... you'd better not go over there."
Mei Li's heart sank, and she suddenly understood. She and Julian had just had an argument, and now Julian, who had repeatedly accused her of being a witch, was missing. This situation was not favorable to her. This was not a world that valued evidence and law.
"Is he really missing? Is he hiding somewhere?" Mei Li's first reaction was that Julian was hiding on purpose to frame her, but then she remembered the cry for help that seemed like an illusion last night.
She thought she was hallucinating at the time, but the more she thought about it, the weirder it seemed, and she couldn't explain why.
Now, her mind shuddered, and she suddenly realized that the voice seemed a bit like Julian's.
She was unfamiliar with Julian and wasn't sure, which only made her feel more and more uneasy.
Seeing her unhappy expression, Hesha grabbed her hand and said quickly, "Uncle Bruce has been looking for Julian all day but couldn't find him. Then he remembered Aunt Maggie's matter. He and many people in the market have agreed that if Julian is still not found tonight, they will bring people here to search tomorrow!"
"They are so excited that they might do something extreme."
Mei Li's eyelids twitched. If there was really something wrong with the basement as she thought, then her fate was almost predictable - she might be burned to death, or beaten to death with sticks.
"I'm here to remind you to be prepared. You must be careful." Hesha was still worried about her sincerely.
Mei Li glanced at the house behind him. The sun was about to set, and the last ray of afterglow shone on the wall. The golden color faded, leaving a trace of blood-like residue, which had some ominous meaning.
She grabbed Hesha and led her out of the room, holding her shoulders and saying, "Hesha, listen, go back now, don't go out at night, and never come to see me again!"
Seeing her solemn expression, Hesha was a little frightened by her seriousness and had to nod.
Mei Li touched her head and said, "Good girl, go back quickly. Be careful on the road. Remember what I said. Don't come to see me again. I will be fine!"
Hesha ran away holding up her skirt. Meili stood on the hillside and saw her figure chasing the last rays of sunlight. She felt indescribably heavy in her heart.
She did not return to the garden, but walked towards the swamp in the forest. She wanted to take another look at the basement, but before that, she had to find the swamp monster first. With him around, she would at least feel more at ease.
Hesha walked quickly forward, and was about to pass the low white stone wall when suddenly someone called her from behind.
It was Mary, she had caught up again.
"Meli? What's wrong?" When Hesha saw her waving at her and asking her to come over, she paused, turned around and ran back.
"Hersha, I feel scared. Can you stay with me all night?" Meili looked at her pleadingly. "We are friends. Will you stay with me?"
…
The last sunset disappeared completely.
Hersha walked beside "Mei Li" and was led by her into the garden house, disappearing into the dark doorway.