That night, the old house where Althea lived felt different again. Wind drifted softly through the gaps around the window, making the white curtains in her room sway slowly. Althea sat on her bed, staring at the dark corner of the room.
After everything that had happened over the past few days, she was beginning to get used to the strange things that occurred in the house. But that night, something made her uneasy all over again.
A soft sound came from the hallway.
The cry.
Althea fell silent.
“Who’s there?” she whispered.
The sound came again. This time, it was clearer, like someone was crying while trying to hold back their grief.
Althea slowly stood up. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached for the small lamp on her nightstand.
“Maybe it’s just the wind,” she muttered, trying to calm herself.
But when she opened her bedroom door, the crying stopped.
The long hallway before her looked empty. The dim light illuminated only part of the old wooden floor.
“If there’s really someone here, show yourself,” Althea said softly.
There was no answer.
Althea stepped outside. Every step made the wooden floor creak softly.
Creak...
Creak...
When she reached the end of the hallway, she saw a small door she had never noticed before. It was slightly open.
The cry came from behind it again.
Althea swallowed.
“Why do I feel like I’ve heard this voice before?” she wondered.
Hesitantly, she pushed the door open.
The small room inside was filled with old things. There were wooden boxes, dusty books, and several worn-out toys.
In the middle of the room lay a small doll on the floor.
Althea approached it.
“This doll...” she murmured.
Suddenly, the crying sounded closer.
Althea whipped around.
In the corner of the room stood the faint shadow of a small child.
Althea froze.
“Who are you?” she asked, her voice trembling.
The shadow did not answer. It only pointed toward an old wooden box beneath the table.
Then the shadow slowly disappeared.
Althea remained standing there, motionless. Her heart pounded hard.
“What’s really happening in this house?” she said softly.
Fear mingling with curiosity, Althea picked up the wooden box. It was locked, but the key was hanging near the doll from before.
When she opened the box, she found several old letters.
The first letter made her eyes widen.
At the top was a name that felt strangely familiar to her.
“Althea...”
She fell silent.
“Why is my name on this letter?”
Her hands began to tremble as she opened it.
The letter told the story of a small child who often cried in that house because they felt alone. The child was waiting for someone who had promised to return but never came.
Althea read every sentence carefully.
Suddenly, the cry came again from behind her.
This time, it was very close.
Althea slowly turned around.
The child’s shadow appeared again.
But this time, its face was clearer. Its eyes were filled with sorrow.
“I just want to be found...” the shadow whispered.
Althea felt a tightness in her chest.
“You want me to find something?” she asked.
The shadow nodded slowly.
Then it pointed toward the floor beneath an old shelf.
With great difficulty, Althea moved the shelf. Beneath it was a small carving in the shape of the same symbol she had seen before.
When she touched the symbol, the room suddenly turned cold.
A voice rang out.
“Thank you for listening to me...”
Althea looked around.
“I’ll help you,” she said softly.
For the first time, the cry changed into something calmer.
But before the shadow vanished completely, the child left her one message.
“Don’t trust everything you see in this house...”
Althea fell silent.
The message only deepened her curiosity.
If the house had been hiding secrets all this time, there might still be something she didn’t know.
And that night, Althea realized that the cry she had heard wasn’t merely a sound of sorrow.
It was a clue.
A clue leading to a great secret hidden inside the old house.