Mysterious painting

It is half past twelve, and Queen's Nine Street is in chaos with constant honking and quarrels over parking. Cars occupy both sides of the road, even in no-parking zones. Some traffic cops are counting the fines collected, smiling broadly. This chaos stems from an offer at Twilight Galleria Mall. Most of the town's women are here with their bag carriers—husbands, boyfriends, or brothers. The same goes for Mrs. Falcavin's family. Mrs Falcavin went to her friend Amanda's house with her son and daughter. They came to the mall for shopping, leaving Amanda's husband, Kevin, at home. Kevin pretended to have diarrhoea and is currently enjoying a football match with a bucket of chicken and a Coke in his hand.

At Whalekin Fashions, Anna twirled in front of a middle-aged woman and asked, "Mom, how is this?"

"Gorgeous, dear!" Mrs. Falcavin replied with a kind smile. Her brother, Aiden, was leaning against a pillar in the shop, texting his girlfriend, Neil.

"Mom, can I take it?" Anna asked.

"No, your budget is finished," Mrs. Falcavin refused.

"Please, Mom, please!" she pleaded.

"Ask your brother if he's willing to compromise some of his budget," her mother replied.

Anna went to Aiden. "Aiden, can I use some of your budget money, please?"

Aiden looked up from his phone. "Why?" he asked. "You know I plan to spend my entire budget on buying the latest AI Gaming console ."

"I know! But I really like this gown. Please! You are my sweet brother, right? Can't you make a little sacrifice?" she coaxed him.

"Absolutely not! Don't you know the price of the latest AI Gaming console? I can only buy it with my whole budget. And didn't you already buy a gown at the previous shop?" Aiden was firm.

"Fine! Then I'll go and tell Mom what you and Clea were doing last week at our house..." Anna threatened.

"Okay, fine! But no more talk about Clea or what you saw that day." Aiden interrupted quickly.

"But I want two more dresses!" Anna bargained.

Brother and sister stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Deal! But remember the condition," he stressed.

"Don't worry, I have a good memory." She winked at him and went to select two more dresses. He was successfully blackmailed by his younger sister. He didn't want their mother to know he had a girlfriend and what they had done at his home. His sister might become a bloodsucking capitalist! he thought.

He didn't have time to regret his decision, he had an important task to do. He went to a melanin-skinned, chubby woman who was browsing a rack of free-size long tops. Just like Mrs. Falcavin, she had a gentle and kind look.

"Aunt Amanda!" he called.

She turned. "Yes, Aiden?"

"Aunt, do you know any antique shop nearby?" he asked.

"Antique shop? Why?" she responded.

He looked around to make sure no one else was listening. "Don't you remember tomorrow is Mom's birthday? I plan to gift her an antique," he whispered.

"Oh, God, is it tomorrow? She didn't talk about her birthday. Whenever I asked, she changed the topic," Aunt Amanda said.

"You know, Dad went missing that day. Since then, she hasn't celebrated her birthday," he said sadly. "But I'm determined to surprise her this time."

"Good son! Two blocks north, there's a shop... I can't remember the name, but it's next to a flower shop." She took some money from her purse. "Take it! Antiques are expensive."

"Sorry to refuse, but I intend to buy it with the money I earned," he politely declined.

"You're a good son!" She was emotionally touched. "But can I loan you my car key? You know I can't bring the gift here," he asked.

She rummaged through her handbag and found the key, then handed it to him. "Put it in the trunk, and don't try to drive it! You don't have a license," she warned.

He nodded, took the key, and walked towards the exit.

He finally arrived in front of the antique shop next to Floral Point, which Aunt mentioned - History Dungeon. He pushed the door and entered, greeted by the smell of dust and old things, accompanied by the sound of a bell. It was a small shop, but densely packed with antiques. A skinny old man sat behind the counter, leaning back in his chair with his legs on the counter, eating a burger.

"Hello?" Aiden called out, but there was no response. He approached the counter, waving his right hand in front of the old man's face, but the man continued eating as if no one was there. "Is he Deafblind?" Aiden thought, turning to leave.

Suddenly, he heard a sound: "Croak...Croak."

"A frog? Where?" He looked around but saw nothing. "It must be my imagination," he thought, and he was about to leave. Then he felt a gentle, cold breeze that refreshed him despite the heat. He looked around again but saw no windows, air conditioner, or fan. The temperature in the shop was high, making the cold breeze seem impossible.

He followed the chill air and stopped in front of a large painting, about six feet, four inches tall. It was a realistic painting of a forest. The trees were tall, with trunks so wide that it would take two people to fully hug them. Birds were flying in the distance. As he stared at the painting, something gave him goosebumps. The dots that looked like birds were getting bigger, and the trees appeared to sway in the wind. He felt cool air coming from the painting.

 A premonition hit him. He turned to leave, but a strong suction force pulled him into the painting. The old man in the store continued to sit there as if nothing had happened.

A thin woman entered the shop. "Uncle Roe!" she called, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Lisa, you've returned?" the old man asked.

"Yeah! Thanks for watching the shop. Did any customers come?" she inquired.

"No!" he replied, fumbling on the desk to find his glasses. He finally found them and put them on. He stood up from his chair and walked toward the exit.