62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyVXhzIVH4Playing Hide-and-Seek with My Cousins
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5cndozSVU
My name is Jayson, and this happened when I was eight years old. Our family used to live in the city, but after the factory where my father worked went bankrupt, we had no choice but to move back to my mother's province. The city wasn't an easy place for people like my parents. Neither of them had finished high school, let alone attended college, so finding another stable job there was nearly impossible.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhdqEPPHuf
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVO8rDhzd3D
I still vividly remember our arrival in the province. We traveled on a small ferry-one that, looking back, probably wasn't meant for long-distance travel, but it was all we could afford at the time.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpdBZnB7IC
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwG3qdPjcx
When we finally got off the ferry, I immediately noticed how small and weathered the pier was compared to the bustling port we had left behind. The province felt quiet and endlessly green. There were no tall buildings, no traffic, and no city noise. It had a calm, peaceful atmosphere that somehow also felt deeply lonely.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiZ5cMlcJU
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AS66SQz26
The ride to my grandmother's house passed in a blur of laughter and playful bickering with my siblings. We eventually arrived at a small barrio where only a handful of houses stood scattered far apart from one another.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAebJ8xmTA
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I spotted an old woman approaching us, and my mother later introduced her as our grandmother.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iZa0lpVRH
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My mother's family turned out to be huge, and some of the houses I saw in the barrio belonged to my aunties. Every afternoon, my cousins would drag us outside to play, which helped me settle in and kept me from getting homesick.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2otbg0Guni
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltdykdHOha
One fateful afternoon, my cousins and I were outside playing hide-and-seek. There were plenty of trees and tall grasses around, making perfect hiding spots. We were having so much fun that we completely lost track of time.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIgWtDsB9T
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEJv8CHS86
One of my older cousins decided to make the game more challenging. Usually, there was a limit to where we could hide, but this time he widened the area and pointed toward an old worn-out house far past his own home.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiIeKGm6Ls
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"That's the limit," he said.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRkMNiBYqo
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kWNfI4lIX
I immediately got excited, so when the game started again, I ran over there with one of my cousins.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kHJy9KlSH
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGe86Nq3FW
The two of us quickly searched for hiding spots. He positioned himself behind a fence while I went around the back of the abandoned house.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sDQFRyRiE
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSj73TYq8N2
I crouched low against the weathered wood, waiting for the seeker to give up. As I sat there, I noticed a small knot-hole in the wall. Curious as always, I leaned closer and peeked inside.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSxXl62euo
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCGeiLgrz5
The room was empty, just as I expected. From my angle, I could see a wooden bench rotting in the corner, and the interior door leading deeper into the house was slightly ajar. My aunts once mentioned that the family who lived there had left years ago and never returned, leaving the place to slowly decay.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8MZFPmtLv
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2Uea4Avxh
Suddenly, I heard soft footsteps from inside the house.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCvdtASUrO
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdAsbdmpAe
I giggled, thinking it was probably my cousin trying to find us. I briefly glanced toward my other cousin to check if he was still hiding behind the fence, and he was.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYobCHYwIL5
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdB4iMkt1ed
I peeked through the hole again and saw a hand slowly pushing the door open from the inside.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiqDWsuPjN
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzUUlFDzhw
I let out another small laugh before quickly covering my mouth so he wouldn't hear me. I pulled my face away from the hole, worried he might spot me first.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsU5hDQ4SlW
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpeZmYzJ94
A moment later, my cousin behind the fence whistled softly and motioned with his hand that he was moving to another hiding spot. I gave him a thumbs up before he quickly ran off to who knows where.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9aWTe1iIU
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoEewrvIxv
I went back to peek through the hole again, expecting to finally see our seeker.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCM7cdphRp
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgQatFs7Ux
Instead, I froze.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQccuexBxHH
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpCKs8lQmg
There was a leg standing directly in front of me. It wasn't moving. It just stood there silently.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirQTAOoFGe
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxy6uwn1uHp
For what felt like forever, whoever was standing there didn't even twitch.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZmB0WyHJF
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXveMgWxo39
I frowned and slowly backed away before moving toward the side window to check if I could spot our seeker outside instead.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CFo6qFRH7
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But there was nobody there.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRmvkixhwP
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPVWosvN7Y
The window had a clear view of the area around the house, yet I couldn't see anyone. The only window that overlooked the inside of the room was covered by an old curtain.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWuOL4Txyw
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevDZjH9r6E
Then I heard another thud.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCneeDlOo9F
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This time it was louder, like something heavy had fallen over.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAlDiw6SKX
I slowly returned to my hiding spot and crouched down to peek through the hole again.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiyCHGpS0f
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But this time, I couldn't see anything.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwk9VPu3pV
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It was pitch black.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwz0vpDOll
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhi7ooQlS68
I sighed in annoyance before calling out my cousin's name.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BVXu4M0X0
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoVwZ6AU4w
"Ryan, you okay?"62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtUNe8eath
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjqPy7xsFU
I rounded the house and went toward the front door. I tried pushing it open, but it was locked.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOR7meVYLhz
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHPoHkKuHl
I shoved my small body against it several times, pounding desperately while trying my best to force it open, but nothing happened.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLHmTBlARt
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEnolFd1TA
Feeling frustrated, I went back to the hole one last time.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pu7F8YmXt
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqhNlXTP1p
"Rya—"62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTEvkSfOWy
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm374XDcMRv
My heart nearly stopped.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLNI5J8za8
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPUeXD3nTU
A face was staring directly back at me.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PpsFAzlaE
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It was so close that I stumbled backward in shock.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76Kxka5odx
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDLm20QBtC
The thing wore an eerie smile stretched unnaturally wide across its face, almost reaching its ears. Its skin looked pale and wrinkled, but what terrified me the most were its eyes.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGw3StwS9sB
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They were completely black.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsdTTwoPnY
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFvPm9zcK1
My whole body trembled as I backed away from the wall. I tried to scream, but fear gripped me so tightly that no sound came out. I kept tripping over my own feet as I desperately tried to run.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡony4vqT4Oh
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After that, everything became a blur.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8GwJLsHhq
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The next thing I remembered was waking up at home.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OMtZyYgsQ
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOiKyHcaw5
My father later told me that he found me unconscious behind the abandoned house. Apparently, my cousins had already given up looking for me, and the cousin who hid behind the fence told my father where I had gone when he came to fetch us home.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6APQqI24ud
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFdlxqIIQr
I ended up battling a severe fever for an entire week.
I never told anyone what I saw that afternoon. I was too terrified they would think it was just a child's overactive imagination.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVa1zXvFa4o
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnwdln0JOk
And until now, I had never shared it with anyone.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXP2PuG2OIA
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