The Abandoned Swing

Chapter 11

After having snacks and drinks that Maria brought, Alby took the empty dishes and glasses down. Maria gave him water and glasses in case they needed them.

Alby entered his room and locked it once again. They opened the diary to continue reading. There was no entry for next few days. The next entry was :

08-06-2017

I am sorry I had to leave you for few days. My dad took us suddenly to his sister's house. It seems that mom knew the plan and had packed enough clothes. We had just gone out to the town and then went straight away to Aunt Sara's house. Nothing much happened there. It was more boring over there. Aunt Sara has two children and both of them are away. She lives alone.

She is actually my dad's cousin and not his direct sister. I have seen her only once or twice in my life. But yesterday night when we got back, I heard my dad talk to my mom. I know eavesdropping is bad but I had to know what's going on.

Dad was telling mom that he was behind a case that was really crucial for his career. Mom seemed to be frightened and dad was like this happens when you are working with the police force.

I don't know what's happening. But I have a bad feeling deep inside. I just wish the days would go by sooner so that I can start my school.

They turned the page to see another entry.

09-06-2017

Hi Diary,

I thought today would be another peaceful day. But I never had a terrible experience like today.

Dad went to work early in the morning. I didn't see him. He had left even before I woke up. Mom seemed to be trying to add some extra security measures. Whenever I was around she tried to cheer up. But I could see the fear behind those smiles.

It was around noon time when the door bell rang. Panic could be clearly seen on my mom. But she gathered enough courage to open the door. And there stood that man with the scar and his friend. They were back again. But this time I clearly saw that they had guns in their hands.

They just pushed my mom and came inside. The tall man with the scar spoke mostly. He told mom that dad was getting himself into dangerous waters. And if he didn't back out, we all would have to face the consequences.

It was then that he noticed me. He walked up to me. I wanted to run but didn't want to leave mom alone. He lifted my chin up using the gun. My mom's face was filled with horror. He then walked back to mom telling that he didn't like to take innocent lives. But he wouldn't have any choice if he were forced to do so. Saying that he left our house.

I felt paralysed and couldn't move even after they left. My mom came and hugged me. She cried for sometime and then tried to remain strong for me.

Dad hasn't returned yet. So I am going to go down and sleep with mom. I just came to tell you what happened today.

Goodnight for now.

The next few pages seemed to be glued together. They tried to get it but the pages wouldn't come apart without being ripped. There was no point in doing so.

The entries that followed seemed to be normal. The fear of those men seemed to have disappeared. Life had got back to normal for the little girl. She spent most of the time on the swing. It seemed to be her favourite activity. She enjoyed the breeze and the birds that visited the trees. She had even spotted rabbits. She also spent time by helping her mom by arranging her things. Whenever she tried to help in the kitchen, her mom would send her off. But she noticed that she was seeing her dad rarely. When she asked her mom, she replied that he was very busy and had lots of work to do. This makes him come home very late and leave for work very early. Her mom promised her that her dad would finish this task which he was doing in a few days.

They just turned pages and went through them. Suddenly the ink on one of the pages was smeared by tears.

Ryan read the entry aloud.

20-06-2017

My dear diary,

The nightmare isn't over yet. The two men came back again today along with another man. They asked for dad. Mom tried to tell them that he is away due to his work. They just weren't listening. They were just looking around. Suddenly one of the men took out his gun and pointed at us. He told us not to move. The other two men went inside. Noises could be heard. Drawers were being opened and shut. It looked like they were searching for something. After a while, they stormed back into the living area. It was evident that they hadn't found what they were after.

They screamed at mom and told her that it was time to pay for what dad has done. I didn't understand. My dad was working for the police and how could that be a bad thing. They were talking about some evidence he had collected. He told her that this would be the final warning and chance that they are giving. They pointed the gun at her temple and I thought they were going to fire. I screamed and then they pointed the gun to my face. The man with the scar told me that if I loved my dad and wanted him around I had to tell him to stop this and return the hard drive. They left after that

Dad hadn't come for two days now and mom was acting as if that was normal. Now I realise that dad isn't coming home for a purpose. Was he afraid of this men and hiding somewhere? No my dad wouldn't do that. Did he think that if he didn't come home these men would leave us alone? I don't have answers.

I am going back to mom. I don't want to spend more time away from her. She has no one other than me now for comfort. See you tomorrow.

" Look at the date. This was written 2 days before her death." gasped Airin.

They quickly turned and saw that there was only one more entry left in the diary.

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