It was Jenny's birthday that night. Unfortunately, I had a big quarell with her that night at the party. Finally, I decided to leave and walk home by myself. Jenny's sister, Karla fetched me from the bus stop opposite my apartment earlier that evening. Somehow, I didn't want to stay long enough at the party just to wait for a ride home.
That night was so unforgettable, the sound of the leaves rattling in the wind sent shivers down my spine. As I walked down the quiet road heading to the main road of Lake Street, I noticed that it started to drizzle. I pulled up my hood and zipped up my jacket, hoping to get home before it started to pour. Meanwhile, an icy cold wind started to blow and the trees cast their long shadows along the pathway making them look like branches of monsters alive.
The main road was also deserted. I had the fear of darkness and quiet streets. Biting my lower lip, I decided that it would be better to take the other lane where street teens would roam with their skateboards. Anything was better than walking down the main road which somehow, would lead me straight back home.
Somehow, I realised that the other street was also deserted and everyone must be asleep. There was no wonder since it was passed midnight and even night kids needed to attend school the next day. I quickened my pace as the fear of being alone started to grip my soul and a part of me regretted arguing with Jenny over a small issue such as who was to date the new boy, Tommy this Saturday night.
However, it started to pour. Lightning flashed across the sky and I noticed that there was a huge bangalow with a porch just around the corner. Not knowing what to do, I decided to take shelther at the porch since the gate was wide open. As I made my way to the porch, I noticed that there was a white poodle wagging its tail and giving me a friendly bark. It was cute and despite how I dislike dogs, I began to feel welcome. Suddenly, a girl wearing a white dress came out of the house. She was surprised to see me standing in the porch, shivering due to the rain. She smiled, "Are you alright? You seemed to be caught in the rain. You shouldn't be out alone during this time of the night." I smiled and felt my teeth starting to chatter. "I was walking home and it started to pour. If you don't mind, I would like to take shelther and will continue my journey later." Somehow, the girl said, "Well, please come in. It's cold out here." I was taken aback but decided that it wasn't comfortable standing outside so I decided to enter the huge bangalow.
The bangalow looked new but somehow, there was something strange about the interior decorations. Everything was black except the walls, which were painted white. Even the lamps and lights were black with an orange glow. The girl invited me to sit on a black sofa nearby. "My name is Adriana. My dad, Juriel is upstairs reading his newspaper." She handed me a clean towel and also some clean clothes. "Please take a bath and have some coffee before you leave." I was touched. "Thanks. My name is Candice. I'll be fine just facing the bonfire." There was a bonfire and it was something unusual here at Malaysia.
A man came down the stairs holding a newspaper, he was smoking a pipe. He wore black pyjamas and looked tired. He had black rings around his eyes. However, he was smiling when Adrianna introduced me. "Welcome, Candice. We seldom expect guests around this hour since its past midnight." I politely smiled. "Well, i attended a friend's party and decided to come back early but it started to rain so I saw your house..." "We love your company, no trouble at all." Juriel interrupted me as he sat on a sofa and switched on the television. Finally, nobody spoke and I realised that it was nearly 3 a.m. I stood up in a hurry and nearly knocked down a black glass table near the fireplace. I apologised. "I'm sorry but it's late and I need to get home." Adrianna led me to the door saying, "Do come back tomorrow. We really love visitors besided... we need some help." "Help?" What Adrianna said startled me. However, she led me to the door saying, "Please come back tomorrow midnight if you can."
She walked me back to my apartment. I was grateful to have some company on the way back home. I didn't promise her that I will return for a visit but somehow, deep down inside of me; I felt that I wanted to go back to help the father and daughter with something... I don't know.
As I reached home, mum was asleep and my sister, Cassey was still playing video games in the living room. Cassey was waiting for me. She gave me a sleepy look. "Look who's back! Do you realise how late it is. You made us all worried including Jenny and Karla. Jenny called once you left without a word. We wanted to call the police but a person is only considered missing after 24 hours." Cassey who was a fan of CSI started to blurt out everything the police would do to search for a missing person. I shrugged. "I'm sorry. I had an arguement with Jenny and... I'll call her now." Cassey rolled her eyes saying, "Such childish behaviour!" She continued with her video games as I tried to call Jenny and explain everything. However, all I received was her voicemail. I threw my phone on the bed and decided to get some sleep before I finally decided not to go back to the strange house or passed by the road anymore.
