The Secret Society Of Esparda

1. Them

It was a long journey from the eastern capital to the town of Esparda, a journey Sami took alone.

During his long journey in his car, there were no sights that attracted him. The road was desert, punctuated by waves of dirt, he couldn't see sometimes because of it. Even his blue car was not spared from the bottom of it, which needed washing.

“I wish I could find a car wash that wouldn't damage my car like the last one,” he said, patting the roof of the car with the palm of his hand.  Then he turned to take a first look at the house he had rented.

It was a small house similar in design to the rest of the town's houses, a house made of Gardeen wood, a wood that was discovered in the year 2060 and was globally classified as the strongest wood that resists water, as it only grows from its need for the sun.

On the borders of the desert town, these trees grow. As for the land of the town, it was built on an oasis dense with trees. From what he read, the waters of the lake lie inside the forest, in an ideal location for camping.

The white front door of the single-storey blue house opened and an old man came out with a hunched back and a welcoming body language and face, heading towards Sami saying “Hello, welcome to the new  policeman.”

He shook his hand while giggling, "Aren't you a young man? I think you just graduated from the academy."

 Sami smiled, nodding his head, "Yes."

“What did you do to be punished by coming to this town?” Then the man laughed out loud in embarrassment after he found silence and a dead smile from Sami, raising his head and face to the sky, which made Sami see the row of all his upper teeth.

Then he put his hand on Sami's shoulder and pointed with his other hand towards the house, then said, "Although I sent every inch of the house to you by email, let me take you on a tour around the house."

When they entered the house, the man pointed to the brown wooden floor first

 “The floor is the same type as the house’s wood, except that the color has been preserved and has not been painted.”

Then he pointed to the living room, which contained a window into the backyard with draperies of blue velvet, while there were two off-white sofas with a table of clear glass in the center.

The small kitchen opposite the living room was elegant, made of the same type of wood, with ceramic on top of the kitchen table.

 As for the bedroom, it was also neat, with a wooden bed topped with a white mattress and a sugar-colored quilt. The old owner said at the time, “Don't worry, they have all been cleaned and arranged, you can sleep well and have peace of mind.”

When the tour of the house ended and they were in front of the exit door, Sami asked the owner, "A perfect house like this. Why was it empty for six months?"

 The old man let out a sigh and his eyes took a quick tour of the antique ceiling chandelier and said, “As I told you on the phone, the old tenant committed suicide in the bedroom.”

 “But this is not justified. Who believes in the myth that the soul of the dead person who commits suicide wanders around?! the souls of the dead move to another life.”

The man pursed his lips and nodded, "You're right. That's not the only reason. The real reason is that he knew too much and no one likes to get involved with them."

 ''them?''

The man bulged out his eyes and then laughed with an embroiled laugh and said, "But it's okay with you because you're a policeman. Policemen aren't afraid of ghosts."

It seemed to him that he meant something else, but he ignored it, he was tired and this man knew something, but he wouldn't tell him anything, something was stopping him, the fear in his eyes was clear.