Tell Me A Story

Chapter 4: The Missing Man

   All the way back home, I kept thinking over what he had said. Nobody knew about my outings. Not a single soul except... Seth. But then nobody spoke to him. My doubts about him became stronger. Or was Swit from the Coller family? My head was spinning thinking all these.

   How could he have found out that? Was he stalking me? Aargh! I was losing my mind. The moment Swit had said that, I had run away from him as fast as I could. I didn't stop running until I was sure that I was at a safe distance away from him.

   It was almost morning. That was the only fact that gave me some peace. I wished the three years we had to spend here were over. I wanted to be anywhere but here. But at the same time, a part of me wanted to stay here. Something in me told that there was more to see than meets the eye. I reached home. Unlike every night, I didn't have the keys to unlock the door. I rang the bell.

   It was a few seconds before mom opened the door. She stood there, holding the handle,looking at me solemnly. I couldn't bear it. It was the worst feeling in the world. Seeing your mom hurt and knowing that you're the reason.

   "I'm sorry, mom," I said. "I really am."

   A drop of tear flowed down her cheek. I noticed that her eyes were red. She hadn't slept. She motioned with her hands to go to her. I went.

   "Why did you do that?" She asked. Her voice broke off.

   "Let's not talk about it, mom," I said. "I don't wanna think about it. It was all my fault. I understand. I promise I won't let you down again."

   She studied me as if trying to see whether I was being sincere.

   "The last time I felt this worried was when you were food poisoned," she said.

   And then she hugged me. I drew in the warmth of her hug. The love... The care... Nothing in the world can replace a mother's love. Her hands are the safest place I could ever be in.

                               ***

   "What did you do for detention," asked a fervent Anna.

   "I dug six graves," I said.

   "Very funny," she said and walked back to her place.

   I was at school. It was math period. I was, if truth be told, pretty scared of meeting Swit. Though I didn't do anything wrong last night, I felt like I did. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into half an hour. No sign of Swit. Nobody seemed to care. Everybody was chattering about this and that. Even Jake was at another table.

   I looked over to Anna and was surprised to find her looking at me. She turned right away but glanced back at me a few seconds later. No, there was nothing romantic in that... She seemed concerned. I stood up and walked over to her table.

   "What?" I asked.

   "Nothing," she said.

   "Lie. What is it that you're thinking?" I asked in an authoritative tone.

   "Chris, what did you do for detention?"

   "I think that's irrelevant."

   "Why is Mr Swit absent?"

   "How would I know?"

   "You were with him last day."

   "So? You think I did something to him?"

   "Chris! You don't understand! I think we're all in grave danger."

   "What do you mean?" I was surprised... And scared as well.

   She didn't elaborate.

                               ***

   Mr Swit was absent the next day as well. And the day after that. Soon suspicions arose after his constant absences and I was called in for an enquiry. Supposedly, I was the last person to have been with him. I didn't tell them about digging graves. I told them I was doing math problems for the detention. Luckily, they didn't call mom or else they'd have found out about the detention that lasted an entire night. And it seemed that nobody had spotted us going to The Old Cemetery either.

   The cops were informed. As it was, Swit hadn't taken a long leave or something. Nor had he informed anyone that he'd be on leave. All these eventually led to the conclusion that he was missing. The cops searched his house which was in a route where I hadn't gone so far. They found nothing. His house was in as good a condition as ever.

   And that made me anxious. His strange behaviour on the night of detention... Going to The Old Cemetery was a mistake. I should've objected. Did something happen to him after I left? Was that place really haunted? And what Anna said that day... What is going on?

   It's not just the events that happened after I came here. Before we came here, I'd heard some tales about this place and they were not so nice. Cathy had told those tales to me. Cathy was the manager of 'Hope', an orphanage, which was established by Glory. It was she who suggested this place to mom, when it was time for mom's transfer. But few days before we moved in to here, I was in Cathy's room.

   I loved it with her. She was super cool. She would tell me so many stories and jokes that time really flew when I was around her. But that day, she wasn't her usual self. She was in a somber mood. She just sat there, looking out of the window, staring into infinity.

   And then without taking her eyes of God-knows-what-she-was-looking-at, she began her strange tales about this place. She told that there were many cursed places around here. She said that nothing would be what it seemed to be first here. She told me about The Valley of Death, a valley which is told to be abandoned. If you go there, you're sure to come across at least one dead body. And hence the name. She also told me about some other places that are alleged to be haunted, cursed or whatever.

   I've gone to those places, except The Valley of Death, and found that nothing was true. I don't know where exactly is The Valley of Death.

   After that, she began talking about The Old Cemetery but quickly stopped. She just uttered the name and told that it was the oldest cemetery of Little Falls and then she was on the floor, bad with a seizure. I immediately rang the emergency, and she was admitted to the hospital where mom worked.

   Apparently, I was the last person to have been with her and I was enquired by the doctors whether there was anything strange that I'd noticed. I'd said no, afraid that if I said the truth, that would land me in more trouble.

   But later that night, she went missing and she has not been found yet.