Child in a Shack

She got the directions of what she needed to do next. Masayuki didn’t have to ask. In fact, he saved his strength by only talking when he needed to. He took that as a bit of a challenge. The boy made a wager with himself. How long could he keep his mouth shut?

That would be the furthest from his mind, however.

Baby walked a path of tall grass. She pushed through them as she looked around. She stopped for a listen. Masayuki took a listen for himself. He wanted to ask what they were listening for but she shushed him before he could open his mouth.

Okay, okay. Jeez.

The child crouched down in the grass. She had to try and get everything right. The trick was to pay close attention and work as quickly as possible. Masayuki looked out in front of them.

What’s the up there?

The child turned her head. She lifted her head as something moving caught her attention. Masayuki looked up as his ride started to move forward. He couldn’t see it at first.

What are you looking for?

“Shhh.” She pushed more grass out of her way. Just a little bit longer. No, further. No, they were just about…

The child reached up and picked up a small stone box. She used a finger to lift the lid.

She looked up when she heard crying in the distance.

What was that?

She put her finger to her lips and stood up. Was that shack always here? She held the stone box to her chest. The door of rotting wood swung open like a decaying jaw about to fall off.

We should not go in there.

But he’s not the one in control, now is he? So they walked up to the shack. The boy couldn’t turn her back. The girl stuck her head in the doorway.

“Hello?” she whispered. The pitch black greeted both of them. Her ears trained on faint sobbing. Where was it coming from? She looked to the left and then the right.

“Hello?” the child asked again. She followed the sobbing further into the shack. She held out her hand as she slowed down her steps. Meanwhile, Masayuki didn’t have a good feeling about this. How was he discreetly going to tell her that this could be a trap? He himself took a look around. That’s when he spotted someone darting away in the darkness.

Baby, look!

The child turned in time that the stone box snapped open. A loud scream filled the air. The child covered her ears. Masayuki felt himself curling up into a ball. The room around them began vibrating heavily. She struggled to remain standing. Masayuki shut his eyes and clenched his teeth. The grew louder and then…

Silence.