2. Moving Day

Istanbul 2019

With her right hand dragging her large luggage and her left hand lifting her carry-on one, Arsia walked up. Sweat started running from her forehead. She also began to lose her breath.

Then Arsia paused to take a breath. She just put her luggage on the street. While wiping her sweat using the back of her hand, from the side of the road Arsia looked at the way in front of her that was still going uphill. Just looking at it was enough to make her feel even heavier. But it was Istanbul. Uphill roads were so common there.

Having had enough of her rest, Arsia lifted back her carry-on luggage. She continued her steps. It only took three minutes on foot then she would arrive at her new place.

'Come on, Arsia! It's just a little more!', she encouraged herself.

The sound of the wheels of her luggage grinding on the street was heard breaking the quietness of the area. Apartments were towering but as if there was no one living there. Quiet. She was the only one on the street at the time.

Arsia didn't care about that. Although Istanbul was indeed a big city, if you entered the residential part of the population the atmosphere was the opposite.

The situation in her previous flat was also the same. She could only feel the life after entering it. The sounds of life came whether from the sound of neighbors coming in and out through the main door or from the activities Arsia and her two roommates did there.

After passing through a row of apartment buildings, there was a fairly large vacant land overgrown with grass. Her new house was placed right after that vacant land.

In front of the house, a young man was waiting for her. The man immediately ran over to her when he saw her arrival. He was her new landlord named Yıldıray.

"Why did you come late?" protested Yıldıray while taking Arsia's large luggage. "Give me that too," he asked for the carry-on one.

Arsia looked at Yıldıray's hurry in confusion. This was for the first time she met a landlord who was pressing his tenant to move to his house quickly. Even, she shall move that day. Moreover, Yıldıray didn't really care if the rent would be paid properly or not.

"Come on, hurry up!" Yıldıray called her.

Arsia who was silent in her place ran immediately. She was still amazed by her new landlord yet she had to hear something annoying again from him.

"I have to go as soon as possible. Can you go a little fast?!" Yıldıray protested as soon as Arsia was able to adjust their steps.

"Stop nagging! Didn't you see that I'm here now?" Arsia shouted. She also lost her patience with him.

'Handsome but has no ethics!', Arsia cursed inwardly.

Hearing Arsia shout at him, Yıldıray turned his face to her quickly. His pair of blue eyes narrowed. From his glazing, it was clear that he was getting annoyed at Arsia. But he didn't say anything. Arsia, who had been preparing for an argument, restrained herself. But still, she murmured inside.

'He's the one who's wrong yet he's the one who's irritated!', her inner voice talked.

They walked in silence. Earlier, Arsia wished to have some chit-chats with her landlord but now she was just discouraged. On the way there, Arsia even thought to thank her new landlord for his kindness related to the rent cost. But now she just forget it.

"Behave well when you're here," Yıldıray said after putting down Arsia's luggages. They just arrived at the house.

"Don't worry," Arsia replied.

Yıldıray handed two keys to Arsia then. "This one is this house key. It doesn't really important. But the other key is the more important one. Don't lose it. If you need to, you can hang it around your neck," he said with a set tone.

"This key?" Arsia raised a gold-colored key with a unique engraving on the key head.

"Yes, yes, that one!" Yıldıray replied impatiently. "Ok, I should go now. Remember, you can lose this house key but not that golden one," he pointed to the golden key.

Arsia frowned at her landlord's strange words. Then she stared with confusedness at the golden key in her grasp. Looking for its uniqueness besides its beautiful shape.

"What is this key--" Arsia hadn't had time to finish her sentence because her landlord just already left. "Eee..." she tried to call him.

Yıldıray turned to her. "Remember! Don't lose it!" he said the same warning.

Arsia looked at Yıldıray's back and then at the key that she was holding in the air. She was wondering what was that key for. Understanding that she wouldn't get the answer by then, Arsia shrugged and slipped the key into her trouser pocket.

Arsia also began to carry out her moving chores. She began by moving one by one of her luggages into her room.

At first, she grabbed her big luggage. Arsia put it on the carpet, close to the side of the bed. Then she moved to get her carry-on one. That was when something surprised her. So surprised Arsia even squeaked.

"Hey, it's me," the innocent voice of Yıldıray heard.

"Didn't you leave earlier?! Why do you come back again?!" Arsia grumbled while touching her chest, trying to calm herself down.

Ignoring Arsia's anger, Yıldıray handed her a small glass bottle. "My friends will visit. When they come, give them this. They will come by two persons, a son and a father."

Arsia received the bottle. Again her landlord made her confused because of his oddity. Before she could ask anything, that man had already disappeared from the place.

Just like before, Yıldıray's movements were very fast. Arsia was after him. In only seconds, that man was already near the vacant land while Arsia had just reached the terrace of the house.

"Hey!!!" from the porch Arsia shouted calling Yıldıray. But as if he didn't hear it, that man didn't respond. Arsia was so sure that he would be able to hear her voice clearly.

"You freak!" Arsia shouted annoyed.

Unable to bring that man back, Arsia entered the house again. She continued the chores that had been delayed because of that odd landlord of hers. Arsia put the small glass bottle that was given by him on the table in her room.

Arsia began to pull out her clothes. She grouped them by color before organizing them into cabinets. What a boring job!

If only her best friend Nadia was there, she would have done the job for her. Nadia liked to arrange clothes in the wardrobe and she was skilled enough to do it in a way that would make it aesthetic. Contrary to Arsia who prefers physical activities.

Arsia yawned. It had only been a while since she had done her job but her body already felt very tired and sleepy. Probably because she had to prepare for her move started from this morning so her energy was so low now. Finally, Arsia closed her large luggage and took it to the corner of the room along with her carry-on one. She decided to sleep.

***

Arsia didn't know how long she was asleep but it was getting dark out there. But that wasn't the reason why Arsia woke up. She felt something move above her head. Quickly -- before Arsia could reach her consciousness -- something was pulling the blanket over her face.

Arsia widened her eyes. Between being shocked because the blanket was exposed and shocked to find a tall black shadow standing right next to the bed. Then Arsia's scream became a single sound that spread throughout the house.

"GHOST!!!" she screamed as she pulled her body from her bed. Then with a single pedestal, Arsia jumped down from her bed and landed in front of the bedroom door. She was almost flying, tho.

Behind her, the shadow was momentarily motionless before finally following her. No, no... It was chasing for her! Yes, the ghost was after her!

With fear running through her, Arsia ran into the living room and repeatedly recited the verse that she remembered. At first, she hit here and there. Soon her eyes were getting used to the darkness. Arsia searched where the light switch was located immediately.

"Don't you dare to come closer!" she shouted in the empty air. She kept looking straight and also at the wall that was on her left side.

"Stop screaming!" a heavy voice replied.

Hearing that, Arsia stopped moving. 'That ghost gonna get me!', she thought frantically.

Soon, the living room light turned on. Arsia didn't know which is better for her at this moment. The darkness? Or the light?

There, two men stood in front of her. They were close enough to catch her.

"Today's ghosts are not afraid of lights," Arsia murmured. Her body was indeed petrified but her eyes -- which widened in fear -- couldn't stop looking at those men-like ghosts.

First, her eyes fell on the man standing on the left. Arsia began to spoke again to herself, "That one is short, fat, and old."

Her eyes then moved to the man standing on the right. "That one is tall, gorgeous, blond, and green-eyed."

Arsia was stunned for a moment after saying it. Her gaze remained fixed on the last man she saw. "Should Turkish ghosts be this hot?" she asked herself.

"Miss, we're not--" the old man was just about to explain. Unfortunately, he didn't get his chance.

Arsia fell in her place. She fainted. And that good-looking ghost was the last thing she saw.