The Paranormal

Returning to the young boy in the opulent room, he was sweeping the carpet with a broom and collecting the dust with a dustpan.

The chandelier was turned on dimly, and the curtains were entirely open, letting the sunlight in.

But the overall light in the room was not enough.

The place was somewhat bright and dark, so it was hard to see clearly. However, the young boy did not mind and was not uncomfortable, so he continued cleaning the room.

He had picked up all the books and arranged them neatly on the bookshelf. The crumpled papers were in the trashcans, and the fixed bed was covered with smooth rocks.

And the rocks occupied nearly the surface of the bed and were arranged in straight lines, horizontally and vertically.

The room appeared cleaner than before. But some rocks were still on the carpet.

While the young boy was cleaning, he hummed a certain piece of music.

"Hm mm mh m mh-m hmmm-m.

Hm m mh… hmmm-hm-m.

Hm mm m mh-m hmmm m hm.

Hm m mh… hmmm-hm-m."

While he was humming, the door's lever handle slowly went down and up.

The door was opened.

It entered the room gently and quietly, then came to a halt halfway through. Because of the brighter light that entered the room from the outside, the young boy noticed it.

When he turned around, he saw the door open.

"Huh? Did someone open the door?" he was perplexed.

He went to the trashcan to drop off the dust from the dustpan and headed out of the room. He investigated the ends of the hall and discovered that it was empty. He looked forward and saw a door on the other side.

"Did he want his broom and dustpan back?" he said.

It took him some time to decide, but he went to the door.

However, as soon as he stepped away from the entrance of the door, the room he was in gradually darkened as if the curtains were being drawn.

When he got to someone's door, he knocked and inquired, "Hello, do you want your broom and dustpan back?"

"Huh?" a male's muffled voice sounded confused in the room and said, "Leave them inside, beside the shoe hanger. Thank you!"

"Okay," the young boy replied as he opened the door and entered. He continued, "You're welcome."

He entered the living room and set the broom and dustpan next to the shoe hanger. He then exited, closing the door, and proceeded to his door, which was closed.

He entered his room and shut the door, making the room even darker than before.

"Hm," he said, putting his hands on his hips and looking at the curtains.

He walked up to the curtains and spread them out.

However, the sunlight had diminished, and he saw droplets of rainwater outside the window.

The weather shifted drastically.

But the forest lessened the intensity of the rain that the kingdom was experiencing a drizzle.

"So, it's raining," he said as he viewed the kingdom getting wet and rained.

He enjoyed it for almost four minutes, but he had work to finish, so he turned around and spotted the remaining rocks, many beneath the bed's corners.

He went and grabbed them in his hands, then laid the rocks on the bed one by one.

While he was working, the door slowly and quietly opened again. This time, the door was ajar, and he recognized it because of the strong light streaming in from outside.

He turned his head and noticed a little girl, who looked like Evi, peering out from the corner of the door.

She just displayed half of her slanted head, five fingers on the wall, and shoulder. Her face was expressionless, and she did not blink as she stared at the young boy.

They just stared at one other for a time, saying nothing.

The then young boy continued to place the rocks on the bed and pick up the remaining rocks.

But every time he went around the room, the little girl moved to look at him.

And only her face, fingers, and shoulder were visible.

Nine minutes later, the young boy finished his work, and he did not look at the little girl throughout because he was concentrating on cleaning the room. So, without breaking a sweat, he looked and greeted the little girl.

"Hey," he said.

The little girl remained silent and stared.

It puzzled the young boy, who titled his head at the same angle as the little girl, and asked, "Do you know where R'Lo'e and Popped are?"

She did not respond.

Half a minute later, he said, "Is that a yes or no?"

Again, the little girl did not respond.

So the young boy went to her.

As the young boy approached the little girl, she progressively moved aside from the corner of the door. And when he was a few meters from the door, she went away.

No footsteps or any sound was made by her.

The young boy held the handle and stared at the doorstep. He was thinking of something, and it was troubling him.

But he closed the door.

He was perplexed by what had occurred and went into deep thought. He remained motionless, holding the handle and staring at the dividing line between the door and the wall.

Eventually, he walked away and forgot everything because he could not explain it.

When he walked a few meters away, the door opened ajar and silently again.

The young boy noticed the lights ahead of him, so he turned around to see the door.

The little girl, however, was nowhere to be found.

"He… Hello?" the young boy said hesitantly, but he was not nervous or afraid.

He waited for a few seconds, and there was no response, so he returned to the door, assuming someone was standing in front of it.

When he arrived, he opened the door and found no one at the doorstep.

"Huh?"

He walked out of the room, checking his right first, and said, "Hello?"

The hallway was empty, so he turned to his left and continued, "R'Lo'e? Popped?"

He saw a woman walking in his direction, so he paused, glancing right and left to double-check.

His expression looked confused, and he stared at the wall in front of him, moving his eyes randomly while pondering.

And the door behind him was slowly closing.

"What's happening?" the young boy said as he turned around and saw the closed door.

He did not notice anything and reached for the handle.

When he tried to open it, it was locked.

"Huh? Did I lock it?"

He sighed and took a step back from the door.

"Well, this is not my room, anyway. I'll try to find R'Lo'e and Popped and head back to the taverin."

He walked away from the area and went to the woman walking in the hallway.

He asked her, "Excuse me, do you know where R'Lo'e and Popped are?"

The woman paused and thought as her eyes moved around.

She answered, "I'm sorry, I do not know them. Maybe the next person will know."

"Okay, thank you," he said and left ahead.

The woman turned her head and said, "You're welcome."

They continued their walks, and the young boy roamed the castle aimlessly, calling for R'Lo'e and Popped and asking anyone he met about their whereabouts.

Twelve minutes passed, and Xevmal walked to the hall where the room kept the young boy.

"I wonder how he is doing?" he said in excitement.

When he approached the door and opened it, he was astonished to find that the door was locked.

"W-what?! The room is locked?!" then he realized and said, "Oh wait, the room is locked."

So, he sat and rested his back against the door, waiting.