A short horror story about the mystery of a haunted house that is belong to The Loint family in the middle of pine trees.
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Welcome, come on in.
Our door will always welcome you.
Adorn the thin niches that were left in your heart.
Answers to the emptiness of death of times.
Our door will always welcome you.
Ready to embrace each curious hands.
Come here, don't hesitate.
Ignore the pseudo black shadow.
And when the door closed,
there will be no other door to escape.
Since childhood, mom always told me about the big old house surrounded by tall pine trees in the forest. The house called the Loint House because a long time ago there was a family called Loint who lived there. The house is known as the eerie haunted house. The Loints themselves, not many people know them. What I heard was that the Loint family was exiled by society because they were suspected of having the contagious bubonic plague. No one knew about their fate; die slowly in that house or even left somewhere. Many adults and children came to that place, either because they got lost or just out of curiosity. They none of them would come back, disappear into the thin air. Forgotten by time. That was how the invisible ban on the Loint's House exists.
"Remember, honey, don't play outside when sunset comes. Especially don't play too far or anywhere near the pine forest. Do you understand?"
I could only nod, though sometimes I would look far towards the top of the roof of the Loint House. The roof was grayish-black, and that was all I could see. Sometimes, I often felt curious about that house. The Loint House didn't look spooky as Dracula's castle from the book, Frankenstein's creepy lab, or a haunted house like the one in horror movies. The Loint House, it did seem mysterious and gloomy, actually. However, it gave me an odd unusual shiver of curiosity in me. I looked away quickly from the window as soon as I heard the voices of my friends shout cheerfully calling my name. Immediately, the curiosity that was in me disappeared. I ran to my room to get the soccer ball I got from Dad on my seventh birthday last year then excitedly go down the stairs. I heard Mom yelled at me from the kitchen, told me to be careful and make sure to go back home before dusk. Me and my friends went towards an empty field near the pine forest. The tree trunks stretched wide made them look like witches large hands, surrounded the fort's fence. As if to warn us that we should never cross pass them. The field where we played at was not overgrown with grass that always made us go home full of dust. We were close neighbors, even though there were only five of us yet we played a lot together. There was no other choice. Children from another block prefer to play by themselves with a box full of buttons while staring at the television. As for the children in my area, none of us have such a fancy game like that. But it wasn't a problem for us, as we enjoy playing soccer, kite, or hide and seek, which of course we would do that together.
In the middle of the game, not sure why I tilted my head to the sky and I frowned. A while ago the sky was still bright blue and now suddenly the grey clouds creep out slowly as if removing the bluish light above our heads.
"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