Morning came with sunlight streaming through the gap in Althea’s bedroom curtains. However, even though the house looked normal, her thoughts were still stuck on what had happened the night before.
The old photograph was still on the table.
Since waking up, Althea hadn’t stopped staring at it. The face of the girl in the photograph continued to make her uncomfortable. There was something familiar about it, something she felt she should remember but couldn’t find in her mind.
“Who are you, really?” Althea murmured as she touched the surface of the photograph.
She tried to remember whether she had seen the photograph before. But the harder she tried to remember, the heavier her head felt.
Suddenly, there was a knock on her bedroom door.
“Althea, are you awake?” her mother called from outside.
“Yeah, Mom.”
Her mother came in carrying clothes that had just been hung out to dry.
“You look pale. Are you sick?”
Althea hesitated to answer. She wanted to tell her about the cry she had heard and the figure of the little girl who had appeared in the old room. But she was afraid her mother wouldn’t believe her.
“I’m just tired. I didn’t get enough sleep.”
Her mother studied Althea’s face for a few moments.
“If something’s wrong, just tell me. Don’t keep it all bottled up.”
Althea only nodded.
After her mother left, she looked at the photograph again. One thing had caught her curiosity. There was tiny writing on the back of the photograph, almost impossible to see.
Carefully, Althea turned the photograph over.
The writing said:
“To someone who will find the truth again.”
Althea furrowed her brow.
“What does ‘again’ mean?”
She quickly grabbed a small flashlight and headed back to the old room. Even though she was afraid, she felt she had to find the answers.
The hallway leading to the room felt longer than usual. Every step filled her mind with even more questions.
When she reached the door, she stopped.
The night before, the door had opened on its own.
Today, it was tightly shut.
Althea reached out and slowly opened the door.
The room was still just as it had been before. Dust, old boxes, and a wooden table that had begun to fall apart were all still in their places.
But this time, she noticed something she hadn’t seen before.
A small box was hidden beneath the table.
Althea pulled it out.
The box was locked.
“How do I open it?”
She examined every part of the box until she found a small carving on top.
A symbol identical to the one on the photograph.
Althea fell silent.
“So all of this is connected.”
She searched the room for something. After a few minutes, she found a small key among a pile of old books.
The key fit.
Slowly, she opened the box.
Inside were several old letters that had turned yellow with age.
The first letter bore a name that shocked Althea.
Her own name.
Her hands trembled as she opened the letter.
“To Althea in the future...”
She began to read.
“If you’ve found this letter, it means the time has come. There are many things that were deliberately hidden from you. Don’t believe every story you’ve ever heard about this house.”
Althea stopped reading.
Her chest felt tight.
Why was there a letter for her in a place no one had touched in so long?
She picked up the next letter.
It was shorter.
“She doesn’t want to hurt you. She only wants you to remember.”
Althea immediately thought of the little girl she had seen the night before.
The girl hadn’t looked angry.
She had only looked sad.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.
“You finally found it.”
Althea froze.
She slowly turned around.
Near the door stood the same shadowy little girl from the night before.
“You...” Althea whispered.
The girl looked at the letter in Althea’s hand.
“I’ve been trying to tell you for a long time.”
“Who are you, really?”
The girl was silent for quite a while.
“I’m someone who used to live in this house.”
“Why are you showing me all this?”
For the first time in her life, the girl looked hesitant.
“I want to fix something that happened a long time ago.”
“What happened?”
The shadow looked toward the window.
“There’s a secret about your family. A secret that made everyone choose to stay silent.”
Althea gripped the letter tighter.
“I want to know everything.”
The girl looked at her.
“Then you have to be ready to face the truth.”
In an instant, the room went dark.
When the light came back on, the girl’s shadow had disappeared.
But there was a new object on the floor.
An old key bearing the same mark as the one on the photograph.
Althea picked it up slowly.
She knew her search for answers had only just begun.
And inside the house, there were still many secrets waiting to be uncovered.