TALES FROM THE CROW (ongoing)

The Loint House

"Hey!" I was surprised when one of my friends shouted irritably and apparently he talked to me, "What are you staring at? We lose the ball!"
"Sorry." I grinned then jogged to get the ball that was kicked far out of the field towards the pine forest. From the direction of the forest, a cold wind blows over my skin. The smell of old and wet pine leaves. This is the first time I stepped across the pine forest.
"What are you doing?" a friend approached me.

Then time suddenly seemed to stop. Not a single sound was heard. The sound of my other friends, the sound of the wind, or rustling leaves. Nothing. It was strange. I turned my body and the field was empty. I gaze around. No one. Only my friend who was standing next to me, confused, just like me.

"Did they leave us?" his voice sounded more incredulous than fearful. He also looked at the empty-looking playground and houses.
"No," I replied, swallowing hard while holding onto my soccer ball. "I don't know. Are they playing hide and seek?" I asked back to him.
"It can't be..." his words were suddenly cut off because from behind us there was faint noise. Another noise. Voices like other children playing somewhere. Me and my friend looked at each other with both our eyebrows frowned. Then look at the direction where that voices came.

"Remember when..." he gulped before continue his words, "You know, our parents always said that we should never enter the pine forest. Because there is the Loint House."
I listened to him while I gazed all over the places and corners, but I was pretty sure we heard the children's voices behind the darkest area of the forest.

"Maybe they just want to scare us." I said, "You know it as well, they don't allow us to play near the forest because we might get lost and difficult for us to find a way out." I shrugged and smiled to ease him. "Oh c'mon, don't be a coward." I teased him again and punch his shoulder lightly.
"I'm not a coward." Answered him and follow my steps. "It's still bright, anyway. I don't feel like to go home yet." he continued.
I agreed with him. It was so boring at home and we had little chance to play together outside. Yet at night there was nothing else we can do other than our homework.

There is no return home.
Never.

I gasped in surprise and turned my head behind my back. I could feel my face stiffened at the same time looking all on my surroundings and all I could see just tall pine trees.
"What's wrong?" my friend asked and stopped, looked at me in confusion. Faintly I heard an unfamiliar voice amongst the trees. I couldn't catch it whether it was a woman or a man.
"No." I replied softly, "Nothing."

We continued our walk and we could hear the sounds of children play was getting closer. Even the sounds of them played happily could be heard by us. We smiled broadly at each other. There was a light lead to a path of a way out that could be seen by us. Thank goodness, because it was scary enough to be in the dark and soundless forest. Except for the strange voice, I heard a few minutes ago.

We arrived in front of a house which according to our parents, was the Loint House. This house was indeed built in the middle of the pine forest. There was a yard with only a few wild bushes, wooden fences that might have been painted in white but already looked rickety and broken in some parts. The Loint House stood firm even though it looked very old and antic. This house obviously didn't look like our house. There was no entrance to the garage, not even the shoved window. A large carved door met my gaze.
Then our attention turned to a few children who seemed about our age, looked at us, and suddenly stopped playing; stared back at us with strange looks. Their eyes looked empty, didn't surprise a bit at our presence. I noticed that their clothes were not the same as ours, they were wearing ancient and vintage-like the ones we read on history books; knee-length narrow trousers with worn socks and cabaret hat like grandpas.
With quick movements, they turned their bodies and jogged towards the door. I didn't notice a hand reaching out from the slightly ajar, told them to come in. That hand was thin and pale, it looked like a woman's hand. I didn't even hear a sound when the door opened. Those children immediately ran in and there was no more sound. But the door didn't close yet. Slowly, I saw the same pale hand to appear again and move slowly to call us. Did it tell us to come in too?

Welcome, come on in.
Our door will always welcome you.

The low voice was heard again and this time it didn't come from the direction of the forest but from the voice behind the door. Then a strange sight began to appear; other hands appeared calling from behind the door. Hands; hands I knew belongs to children. There were even an adult's hands too. From the panes of the window, appeared hands that moved stiff and strange, called us to come in. From one window to another window. All we saw were pale hands pressing to the glass and calling us.
"Hey!" my mind was distracted when there was a hard tug on my arm. I turned to look at my friend, his face turned pale because of fear. I could see the sweat drop on his forehead and down his neck, I could even feel his cold nervous hand. "This is the Loint House. Do you remember?" he croaked, "We can't go in. We shouldn't have come to this place."

Our door is always open for you.
Adorn its thin niches that were left in your heart.
Answers to the emptiness of death of times.

I tilted my head to the sky. How quickly the sun disappeared. Even the sunset tint couldn't be seen again. We both have covered under the night sky.

Our door will always welcome you.
Ready to embrace each curious hands.

"But it past dusk," I looked at my friend. "If we turn around and try our luck, it means we will pass through the pine forest again. And it won't be any different from us getting lost." I said and it seems there was indeed no other choice.

Come here, don't hesitate.
Ignore the pseudo black shadow.

"I'm scared," he said in tremble voice "Mom always said no one ever come back after going through the pine forest especially into the Loint House."
I let go off the soccer ball that was in my arm and held my friend's hand.
"We can go home in the morning. And you saw there are other kids." I assure him.
"They look weird. They are too pale, and...and they scared me."
"Come on, let's go inside." I pulled his hand lightly and he didn't resist me anymore. Just nodded his head and seemed trying to hold back his tears. We walked towards the door where a woman's hand appear stretched out for us. Moving slowly as we approached it.
"Don't worry, tomorrow we will go back home." I said again as we went into the house together. The door closed tightly without a sound.

And when the door closed,
there will be no other door to escape.

THE END

©KartikaSariMahyuddin