Dreams and Shadows

It was midnight.

It was the quietest time in the Southern Suburbs. The light had gone out in every house. Even cats and dogs were nowhere to be seen on the streets. Except for the cold glow from the street lights, the town was immersed in silence, as though it was frozen in the night.

The dark clouds in the sky had blocked off the crescent moon. Only a small glimmer leaked through the gap between the clouds. The half-veiled moon barely sprinkled its scarlet light on the roof of the Hao Family mansion with a fuzzy and illusory texture.

A burst of fluttering sounds suddenly broke the silent night, which had seemingly solidified forever. The clouds in the sky seemed to retreat at once. The bright moonlight trickled from the clouds, and under the moonlight, a swarm of bats descended.