Erudition of Doyle: Volume One

CHAPTER 46: CASE VIII - THE MYSTERIOUS FRIENDS OF LITTLE SLYVIA

Case 8: The Mysterious Friends
of Little Sylvia (The Beginning
of the Investigation Chapter,
Part Eleven)

ROSALINDA

Dmitriy and I were watching the four of them playing. They were immersed in various games, and Doyle was just going along with them. Even when they played with Barbies or other games typically associated with girls, he didn’t mind—he was just having fun with the girls. He was like a big brother playing with his younger siblings. The girls didn’t question why he wanted to play with them; instead, they were happy to have him join, and it brought even more joy to their games.

"How old is that little guy?" Dmitriy asked, his gaze on Doyle. "Ain't questionin' his age 'cause he’s playin’ with 'em, but rather, it’s the way he immerses himself so completely—almost like he’s a kid himself."

"Fifteen," I replied, which made Dmitriy turn to me in surprise. "Ayaw mong maniwala? Then, ask him yourself."

"Ha?! What’s a kid doin' in Senior High?" Dmitriy wondered out loud, but I didn’t bother to answer him.

My attention returned to Doyle and Sylvia. He was asking her questions again, leaving me puzzled. Why all these questions?

"What games do you usually play with your bull and snake friends?" Doyle asked. I wasn’t surprised by his question. I had a theory, but it was still too vague to articulate.

"We always play hide and seek… in house," Sylvia replied, her voice trembling slightly. She couldn’t look directly into his eyes, and her hands wouldn’t stop fidgeting.

"Anything else? Any other activities you and your friends do?" Doyle continued his line of questioning.

"Puppets..."

"Puppets?" Doyle repeated, and Sylvia just nodded. "How did you guys play? Like, is it kinda the same as bahay-bahayan?" She nodded again, and Doyle’s grin grew wider. "So, can you share with me how you guys play it?"

"We were acting."

"Acting?" She nodded again. "Okay." But then he was distracted as the other two kids clamored for his attention. He turned to them with a friendly smile. "Yes, Alexa?"

"I wanna play with you po," she said, pouting as she hugged Doyle tightly around his neck. "My mommy and daddy aren’t here yet. I told them I wanted to play with them with my friends," she added, hugging him even tighter.

"They might’ve gotten busy all of a sudden, and maybe they can’t leave because it’s important. Try to understand them, okay?" Doyle said, trying to help her understand why they weren’t there yet.

"Okay!" she replied cheerfully, showing him a doll that instantly captured his attention. I didn’t know he had this side; I’d thought he was only mischievous, insensitive, and apathetic. But here he was, showing how gentle, kind, and polite he could be with kids.

"Look!" Lea ran toward him, bouncing with excitement. "Look, Kuya Doyle, I solved the puzzle!"

His eyes immediately focused on the puzzle she had solved, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he gently patted her head. Lea’s heart swelled with joy, knowing she had earned his praise. I couldn’t do what he was doing right now, playing with kids and having conversations with them. A lot of kids got scared when they were with me or happened to glance at me. I felt like I was a monster, and that they hated me.

While Doyle’s attention was diverted, Sylvia couldn’t take her eyes off him. Her gaze seemed to be silently asking for his attention, and she was still trembling. She glanced nervously around, as if searching for something or someone, though I didn’t know what or who. She was clearly not comfortable in this mansion.