The journey back home had been quiet. Maria sat inside the car beside Roshan, while Cathy and Johan sat behind them. The events of the day had left everyone tired, and for a while, nobody spoke.
The road gradually became narrower as they passed through a forested area. Tall trees stood on both sides of the road, their branches stretching over the path and blocking much of the fading light.
Suddenly, the car jolted violently.
Roshan immediately pressed the brake.
"What happened?" Johan asked.
Roshan looked ahead and tried to move the car forward.
The engine responded with a deep roar, but the wheels only spun against the muddy ground.
"Wait," Roshan said. "We're stuck."
He tried again, pressing the accelerator harder.
The engine grew louder.
The car moved a few inches.
Then stopped.
Roshan tried once more, but the wheels continued sinking into the mud.
"It's completely stuck," he said, switching off the engine.
Everyone stepped out of the car.
Roshan walked around to inspect the wheels. Mud had gathered heavily around the tyres.
"I'm going to try pushing it out," he said.
Johan looked along the road.
"There might be a mechanic somewhere nearby. I'll go and look for one."
Cathy immediately followed him.
"I'll come with you."
"Stay close," Johan said.
The two of them began walking along the road, disappearing slowly between the trees.
Maria remained beside Roshan.
Roshan pushed against the car, trying to free it from the mud.
"Come on…"
He tried again.
The wheels turned, but the car didn't move.
Maria stood quietly a few steps away.
Then she heard something.
A sound.
Very faint.
Step.
Step.
Step.
She looked towards the forest.
Roshan was still struggling with the car and hadn't noticed anything.
Maria listened carefully.
There it was again.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Someone was walking between the trees.
"Roshan…" she almost said.
But she stopped herself.
The sound seemed to be coming from deeper inside the forest.
Maria slowly turned towards it.
Between two trees, she noticed a shadow moving.
She stared.
The shadow disappeared.
Maria's heart began beating faster.
She took a cautious step forward.
Then another.
The trees became denser as she moved away from the road.
She could no longer hear Roshan clearly.
"Hello?"
No answer.
Only the sound of leaves moving beneath her feet.
Maria continued forward.
The shadow appeared again.
This time, she saw it clearly enough to know that someone was there.
She slowly approached the trees.
A cluster of branches blocked her view.
Maria reached out and carefully pushed them aside.
Nothing.
She looked around.
There was no one.
Her breathing became uneasy.
She stepped forward.
Suddenly—
Someone touched her shoulder.
Maria froze.
For a moment, she couldn't even breathe.
She slowly turned around.
Her eyes widened.
"Rathi?"
Rathi stood behind her.
But she looked completely different from the confident woman Maria had met before.
Her clothes were dirty, her hair was disordered, and she looked terrified. She appeared exhausted, as though she had been running for a long time.
In one hand, she was tightly holding the same mysterious book.
Maria stared at it.
"You…"
Rathi immediately stepped closer and held the book towards her.
"Keep this with you," she whispered urgently.
Maria didn't understand.
"What?"
"Please," Rathi said. "Take this book. Read it."
Maria looked at the book and then back at Rathi.
"Why are you so scared? What happened to you?"
Rathi looked behind Maria.
Her frightened eyes searched the forest.
"They came here."
Maria's expression changed.
"Who?"
Rathi lowered her voice.
"They are following you."
Maria felt a chill run through her.
"Following me? Who are they?"
Rathi gripped the book tightly.
"They need you."
Maria stared at her.
"What do they want from me?"
Rathi shook her head.
"I don't know everything. But you have to be careful."
She pushed the book into Maria's hands.
"This will help you. Read it."
Maria looked down at the old book.
"Why can't I tell anyone about this?"
Rathi's expression suddenly became serious.
"Don't show this book to anyone."
"Why?"
"Because you don't know who you can trust."
Maria looked at Rathi in confusion.
"You're hurt."
Only then did Maria notice that Rathi had several injuries and appeared physically exhausted.
"What happened to you?"
Rathi looked towards the trees again.
"They kidnapped me."
Maria's eyes widened.
"What?"
"I was taken by someone," Rathi whispered. "I don't know where they kept me. I only know that I somehow escaped."
She looked terrified.
"But they're searching for me now."
Maria's grip tightened around the book.
"Who?"
Rathi didn't answer.
She simply stared into the forest behind Maria.
Her breathing became faster.
"They're close."
Maria slowly turned towards the trees.
Nothing moved.
The forest was silent.
Rathi looked back at Maria.
"Please…"
Her voice trembled.
"Keep the book with you."
She paused.
"And don't let them find it."
Maria suddenly stopped Rathi before she could leave.
"Wait!"
Rathi turned around.
Maria held the mysterious book tightly against herself.
"How did you get this book?" she asked.
Rathi remained silent for a moment.
Maria continued, "When you gave me this book at the shop, I brought it back to the hostel and kept it safely inside my cupboard. I never gave it to anyone. I never even took it out again. Then how did you get it?"
Rathi looked at the book in Maria's hands.
"I came to the hostel to see you after I heard about Nick's death," she said quietly. "But you weren't there. I searched for you because I needed to speak to you."
Maria listened carefully.
"When I went into your room, I found the cupboard. That's when I realized you had kept the book there."
Rathi's voice became more serious.
"You don't understand the importance of that book, Maria. You don't know what it contains."
Maria looked down at the old pages.
"What do you mean?"
"Whatever has been happening around you…" Rathi paused. "It is connected to this."
Maria's expression changed.
"To this book?"
Rathi nodded.
"If you read it carefully, you may begin to understand the truth. You may find answers to things that have been confusing you for a long time."
Maria stared at her.
"But why are they following you?"
Rathi looked towards the trees.
"They found out that I was trying to help you."
Her voice trembled.
"They don't want me to help you."
Maria stepped closer.
"Rathi, I'm sorry."
Rathi looked at her.
"I didn't believe you that day," Maria continued. "When you told me something strange was happening around me, I thought you were like those people who frighten others and then ask for money. I thought you were trying to deceive us."
She lowered her eyes.
"But I was wrong."
Rathi remained silent.
"Now I believe you completely," Maria said. "I don't know what is happening around us anymore. Nick is dead. There are things I can't explain. I've seen things that I still don't understand."
Her voice became emotional.
"Please help us."
Rathi looked at her with a mixture of concern and sadness.
"You have to be careful."
"I will be," Maria said. "But you said someone kidnapped you. You escaped from them, and now they're searching for you. You're not safe either."
Maria took another step towards her.
"So come with us. Come home with us. We'll keep you safe."
Rathi immediately shook her head.
"No."
"Why?"
"This isn't the right time."
Maria looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Rathi glanced towards the road.
"We don't have enough time to talk about everything here."
Then she heard something.
A distant voice.
"Maria!"
Rathi froze.
Maria turned towards the sound.
It was Roshan.
"Maria!"
His voice was getting closer.
Roshan had finally noticed that Maria was no longer near the car.
"Where did she go?" he called.
He began searching around the roadside, looking between the trees.
Maria turned back towards Rathi.
Rathi looked frightened.
"You have to go."
"Rathi—"
"Please."
Maria held the book close.
"Come with us."
Rathi shook her head.
"Not now."
Roshan's voice echoed again.
"Maria!"
Rathi stepped backwards.
"Please be safe."
Maria stared at her.
"Rathi…"
"I'll find you again."
Before Maria could say anything else, Rathi suddenly turned and ran into the forest.
"Rathi!"
Maria took a step after her.
But Rathi was already disappearing between the trees.
Maria could hear her footsteps becoming fainter.
Then nothing.
The forest swallowed her completely.
Maria stood frozen, staring into the darkness where Rathi had vanished.
"Maria!"
Roshan's voice came from behind her.
Maria quickly turned around.
Roshan was approaching through the trees, looking worried.
"Where were you? I've been searching everywhere for you."
Maria looked back towards the forest.
Rathi was gone.
Only the trees remained, standing silently beneath the darkening sky.
Maria lowered her eyes to the book in her hands.
For the first time, she wondered whether Rathi had been telling the truth all along.
And if she had—
then whatever was written inside that book might be the only thing capable of revealing the truth.
Maria slowly walked back towards Roshan.
He looked at her with concern.
"Where were you? I was searching for you here and there. I couldn't find you anywhere."
Maria didn't answer immediately.
Roshan's eyes suddenly fell on the book in her hands.
He frowned.
"What is that?"
Maria looked down at the book and held it closer.
"The answers to all our questions are in this book."
Roshan stared at her in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'll tell you everything," Maria replied. "I'll explain how I got this book."
Before Roshan could ask anything else, they heard voices coming from the road.
It was Johan and Cathy.
They were returning with a mechanic.
The mechanic immediately went to the car and examined the wheels. After working for some time, he managed to free the car from the mud.
The engine was started again.
Everyone helped push the car until it finally came completely out of the muddy area.
Once the car was ready, they got inside and continued their journey home.
Roshan drove from the front seat, with Maria sitting beside him. Cathy and Johan sat in the back.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
The forest slowly disappeared behind them.
Then Cathy noticed something in Maria's hands.
"What are you holding, Maria?"
Maria turned around and showed her the book.
Cathy's expression changed instantly.
She stared at it in disbelief.
"Is this… that same book?"
Maria nodded.
"Yes."
Cathy leaned forward.
"How did you get it?"
Maria took a deep breath and began explaining everything that had happened.
"Rathi came to me in the forest."
Cathy's eyes widened.
"Rathi?"
Maria nodded.
"She was frightened. She looked like she had been through something terrible. She gave me this book and told me that I needed to read it. She said the things happening around me were connected to this book."
Cathy listened carefully.
Maria continued, "She also told me that someone had kidnapped her. She escaped from them, but they're searching for her now. She said they discovered that she was trying to help me."
Johan listened silently from the back seat.
Cathy looked worried.
"Where is she now?"
Maria looked out through the window.
"She ran into the forest."
Cathy immediately looked at her.
"You left her there?"
"I didn't want to."
Maria's voice became quiet.
"I actually asked her to come with us. I wanted to bring her somewhere safe. But she said it wasn't the right time. Then she heard Roshan calling me and suddenly ran into the forest."
Cathy sighed.
"You should have brought her with us. If what she said is true, she's not safe."
"I know," Maria replied. "I tried."
Cathy remained silent for a moment.
Then she looked at the book again.
"So this is the same book we found at the hostel?"
"Yes," Maria said.
Johan finally spoke.
"What exactly are you two talking about?"
Roshan glanced at them through the rear-view mirror.
"I've been hearing all this since we left the forest, but I honestly don't understand anything. What is going on?"
Maria looked at Cathy.
Cathy nodded.
They had no choice now.
They began explaining everything to Roshan and Johan—the strange events surrounding Nick's death, the mysterious man in the forest, the strange occurrences surrounding Jenifer's death, Rathi's warnings, and the mysterious blue-eyed woman who had appeared in their lives.
Roshan listened carefully.
At first, he looked confused.
But as they continued, his expression slowly became serious.
"So you're saying all these incidents might be connected?" he asked.
"We don't know for certain," Johan replied. "But there are too many strange things happening for us to simply ignore them."
Roshan remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he nodded.
"Whatever is happening, I'll help you."
Maria looked at him.
"You mean it?"
"Yes," Roshan said firmly. "If you're trying to find the truth, I'm with you. I won't leave you to deal with this alone."
Johan nodded appreciatively.
"Thank you."
Roshan continued driving.
Maria looked down at the book.
Her fingers slowly tightened around its worn cover.
"This…" she said quietly, "is connected to everything."
Cathy looked at her.
Maria's eyes became filled with determination.
"Nick's death. Jenifer's death. The strange things we've seen. Rathi. That mysterious woman…"
She paused.
"The blue-eyed lady."
The car became silent.
Maria stared at the book.
"We need to find out who she really is."
Johan leaned forward slightly.
"And we need to know why she has been following us."
Maria nodded.
"We need answers to everything."
She held the book tightly against her chest.
Then she looked at the others.
"I believe all the answers are in this book."
The car continued down the dark road.
Nobody spoke.
Maria kept her eyes fixed on the mysterious book.
For the first time, the four of them were united by the same purpose.
They were going to uncover the truth.
But none of them yet knew what they would find when the first page of that book was finally opened.
By the time they reached home, it was already night.
Roshan parked the car outside the house, and everyone got out. They walked inside together, carrying with them the strange tension that had followed them since their encounter in the forest.
Silane had already finished most of the cooking. She was moving between the kitchen and dining area, arranging the food, while Henry sat at the dining table helping her with the final preparations.
When Maria, Cathy, Johan, and Roshan entered, Henry looked up.
"Come and sit down," he said.
They all took their seats around the dining table.
Henry looked at Maria with concern.
"How are you feeling now, Maria?"
Before Maria could answer, Cathy smiled.
"She is much better now. Dr. Robin examined her today. She said Maria is recovering well, and from now on, she can slowly stop taking the medicines."
Henry's face immediately relaxed.
"That's good to hear."
Silane, who was standing nearby, smiled as well.
"I'm glad you're feeling better, Maria."
Maria nodded.
"I'm feeling much better."
Silane began placing the food on the table.
Then she noticed something in Maria's hand.
"What are you holding?"
Maria looked down.
The mysterious book was still in her hand.
Before Maria could explain, Silane reached out and gently took it from her.
"What is this?"
She turned the book over, examining its old cover.
Something about it seemed familiar.
Silane stared at it for several seconds.
"I've seen this book somewhere before…"
She frowned, trying to remember.
"I don't know where, but…"
She slowly opened it.
The moment she saw the pages, her entire expression changed.
She froze.
Her fingers stopped moving.
Her eyes widened.
For several seconds, she didn't say a word.
Then the book slipped from her hands.
It fell onto the floor with a heavy sound.
Everyone at the table immediately stood up.
"Silane?" Henry rushed towards her.
She didn't answer.
She was staring at the book on the floor.
Her face had gone pale.
A few tears slowly gathered in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
Henry placed his hand on her shoulder.
"What happened?"
Silane finally looked at him.
Her voice came out as a frightened whisper.
"Henry…"
He looked at her.
"It is…"
She struggled to speak.
"It is that same book."
The room became completely silent.
Maria stared at her.
"What?"
Silane didn't answer.
Henry slowly bent down and picked up the book.
He opened it.
The moment he saw the pages, his expression changed too.
He became completely speechless.
He stared at the book as though he had suddenly been confronted by something he had spent years trying to forget.
Maria looked from Henry to Silane.
"Dad?"
Henry didn't respond.
"Mom?"
Silane remained frozen.
Maria's confusion quickly turned into suspicion.
They knew this book.
They had recognized it immediately.
"How do you know this book?" Maria asked.
Neither of them answered.
Maria stepped closer.
"Where have you seen it before?"
Silane looked at her, but fear was still visible in her eyes.
"Maria…"
"How did you know about this book?"
Her voice became more urgent.
Cathy, Johan, and Roshan exchanged confused looks.
They had never seen Henry and Silane react this way.
Maria turned towards Henry.
"Dad, what are you hiding from us?"
Henry looked away.
"Please…"
"No!"
Maria's voice trembled.
"You recognized it the moment you saw it."
She pointed towards the book.
"You knew something about it before you even opened it."
Henry remained silent.
"Please tell me!"
Maria's eyes filled with confusion and fear.
"How is this book connected to me?"
Silane looked at Henry.
Henry looked back at her.
Neither of them spoke.
Maria continued asking.
"How do you know this book?"
"Why are you scared of it?"
"What happened before?"
"And why did you say it was the same book?"
Her questions came one after another.
"Dad, please tell me!"
Henry finally looked at Maria.
His expression was filled with fear.
But still, he said nothing.
Maria stared at him.
"How is this book related to me?"
The dining room fell silent.
Cathy, Johan, and Roshan stood nearby, completely confused.
They had come home expecting an ordinary evening.
Instead, one old book had changed the entire atmosphere of the house.
Maria looked at her parents again.
"Please…"
Her voice became quieter.
"Tell me the truth."
Henry looked down at the book in his hands.
Silane wiped the tears from her face.
Neither of them answered.
And Maria realized something that frightened her more than anything Rathi had told her.
Her parents knew about the book.
And whatever they knew—
they had never told her.
Henry stood silently for a long moment, holding the old book in his hands.
Maria kept staring at him.
"Dad… please. I want to know the truth."
Henry looked at Silane.
Silane's eyes were still filled with fear.
Henry slowly pulled out a chair and sat down.
"What I'm about to tell you…" he said quietly, "is something your mother and I promised ourselves we would never speak about again."
Maria sat opposite him.
Cathy, Johan, and Roshan remained nearby, listening carefully.
Henry placed the mysterious book on the table.
"This book was part of something that happened a very long time ago."
He took a deep breath.
"Before you were born."
The room became completely silent.
Henry began.
"When your mother and I were young, we lived in a small village. We knew each other from those days, and eventually we married. We were happy together."
Silane looked down.
"But there was one thing we desperately wanted."
Henry's voice became softer.
"A child."
Years passed.
They waited.
They hoped.
But nothing happened.
People around them began asking questions. Some offered advice. Others blamed fate. Slowly, Henry and Silane began losing faith that they would ever become parents.
"We prayed for years," Henry said. "But eventually, we stopped believing that anyone was listening."
It was during that period that two strangers arrived in their village.
Their names were Ash and Raven.
They were a married couple who had come to the village with their two children.
Their son, Grendle, was only two years old.
Their daughter, Gore, was still a baby.
They approached Henry and Silane and asked if they could rent a house.
Henry and Silane agreed.
They gave them a house to stay in.
At first, nothing seemed unusual.
But after a few days, strange things began happening.
Henry started noticing unfamiliar objects around the house.
Strange symbols.
Burned candles.
Unusual markings.
And sometimes, late at night, he could hear chanting coming from inside.
Henry became suspicious.
One evening, he confronted Raven.
"What exactly are you doing in that house?"
Raven looked at him calmly.
"Why are you asking?"
"I know something strange is happening there."
Ash stepped forward.
"This is our business."
"No," Henry replied angrily. "It is happening inside my house. You cannot do whatever you want there."
The argument became heated.
Henry finally told them they had to leave.
But Raven suddenly said something that changed everything.
"Why should we leave when we can give you what you want?"
Henry stared at her.
"What are you talking about?"
Raven looked towards Silane.
"You want a child."
Silane became still.
Ash stepped closer.
"We can help you."
Henry immediately shook his head.
"I don't want anything from you."
"You have already tried everything else," Raven replied.
Henry said nothing.
Raven continued.
"There are rituals that can bring what you desire."
Silane looked at Henry.
At first, Henry refused.
But desperation has a way of weakening even the strongest decisions.
After years of waiting, something inside him slowly changed.
Eventually, he convinced Silane to accept.
The ritual took place at night.
Ash and Raven prepared the hall.
Candles were placed throughout the room.
Their flames cast strange moving shadows across the walls.
In the centre of the room was the old book.
The same book that now lay on Maria's dining table.
Raven opened it carefully.
The pages looked old and worn.
She stopped at a particular page.
Then she looked at Henry and Silane.
"Write the name."
Henry frowned.
"What name?"
"The name you would give your child."
Silane hesitated.
She looked at Henry.
Neither spoke.
Then, slowly, they wrote a name.
Maria.
The moment the name was written, Raven closed her eyes.
Ash began reciting unfamiliar words.
The candles flickered.
One after another, their flames seemed to bend despite there being no wind.
Silane held Henry's hand.
The chanting continued.
The shadows on the walls appeared to move strangely around them.
Henry began to feel uncomfortable.
But he didn't stop the ritual.
He wanted a child.
That was all he could think about.
The ritual eventually ended.
Days passed.
Then something happened that neither Henry nor Silane could believe.
Silane discovered that she was pregnant.
For the first time in years, their house was filled with happiness.
They believed their prayers had finally been answered.
They forgot about the ritual.
They forgot about Ash and Raven.
And most importantly—
they forgot about the book.
Months later, Silane gave birth to a baby girl.
Maria.
Henry smiled as he remembered that day.
"You were the happiest thing that ever happened to us."
Maria listened silently.
"But we didn't understand what had really happened."
Henry's expression slowly changed.
"One afternoon, your mother was in the kitchen."
Silane looked away.
"I had just returned home," Henry continued. "I walked inside and asked her…"
"Where is Maria?"
Silane immediately looked towards the room where the baby had been sleeping.
"I thought she was there," she said.
Then her face changed.
"I kept her here."
She rushed towards the bed.
The baby was gone.
Henry stopped speaking for a moment.
Maria's eyes widened.
"What happened?"
Henry swallowed.
"We searched everywhere."
Silane ran from room to room.
Henry searched outside.
Neighbours joined them.
The entire village soon learned that the baby was missing.
People spread through the streets searching.
But there was no sign of Maria.
Until someone remembered Ash and Raven.
The villagers began to suspect them.
They rushed towards their house.
It was already late at night.
The house was strangely quiet.
But when the villagers reached the entrance, they heard chanting from inside.
They forced the door open.
What they saw made everyone stop.
The room was filled with candles.
Ash and Raven were standing inside.
The old book was open.
And Maria was there.
The ritual had begun.
The villagers immediately understood that something terrible was about to happen.
Ash was holding a large ceremonial sword.
Several villagers rushed forward and stopped them before anything could happen to the baby.
Maria was taken away and carried safely outside.
Henry and Silane arrived shortly afterward.
Silane immediately took Maria into her arms.
She held her tightly and cried.
Henry could barely speak.
The villagers were furious.
Ash and Raven were restrained and taken outside.
The village elders decided that they had to be punished for what they had done.
Their actions had terrified the entire village.
Ash was executed by hanging, while Raven was tied to a tree and killed by the villagers through a violent act of punishment.
Grendle and Gore were present and witnessed the aftermath.
The memory of that night remained with everyone who survived it.
But Henry and Silane could no longer stay.
They had lost all trust in the village.
They were terrified that someone connected to Ash and Raven might return.
So they left.
They took Maria with them.
They abandoned the village and eventually made their way to Los Angeles.
Henry looked directly at Maria.
"That is why your mother and I came here."
Maria sat completely still.
She looked at the book.
Then at Henry.
Then at Silane.
"So…"
Her voice trembled.
"This book…"
Henry nodded slowly.
"It was there that your name was written."
Maria stared at the cover.
"The name Maria."
Silane's eyes filled with tears.
"We thought that ritual had given us our child," she whispered. "We never understood what they really wanted."
Maria slowly reached towards the book.
Her fingers touched its old cover.
"And now this same book has come back to me."
Nobody answered.
The room seemed colder than before.
Henry looked frightened.
"Yes."
He paused.
"That is what scares me the most."
Maria looked at him.
"Why?"
Henry's eyes remained fixed on the book.
"Because we left that book behind all those years ago."
He swallowed.
"We believed we had escaped from everything connected to it."
He slowly looked at Maria.
"But somehow…"
His voice became barely audible.
"It found its way back to you."
Later that night, Maria and Cathy went to their room.
Maria couldn't stop thinking about everything Henry had told them.
Ash.
Raven.
The ritual.
The book.
And the name that had been written inside it before she was even born.
Maria.
She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the book.
After a moment, she reached for it and opened it.
The pages were filled with strange drawings, unfamiliar symbols, and descriptions of rituals that she couldn't understand. Some of the illustrations were disturbing enough to make her immediately turn the page.
Cathy noticed the expression on her face.
"Maria, please don't read that."
Maria continued staring at the pages.
"You're already worried about everything that happened. Reading this now will only make you feel worse."
Maria slowly closed the book.
Cathy walked over and gently took it from her.
"Give it to me."
She carried the book to the cupboard, placed it inside, and closed the door firmly.
"That's enough for tonight."
Cathy returned to Maria and sat beside her.
She put an arm around her and hugged her gently.
"Don't think about all these things now. I'm always with you."
Maria looked at her.
Cathy smiled softly.
"Now please sleep. You've been through enough today."
Cathy stood up.
"I'm going to my room. Good night."
She turned towards the door.
"Cathy…"
Cathy stopped.
Maria looked at her with tears beginning to gather in her eyes.
"Thank you."
Cathy smiled.
"For what?"
"For standing with me."
Maria wiped away a tear.
"You aren't my family biologically. But you are my real family, Cathy."
Her voice trembled.
"Thank you for everything."
Cathy's expression changed.
For a moment, she couldn't speak.
Then she walked back towards Maria.
"You are everything to me too, Maria."
She sat beside her again.
"I've been with you since childhood. I still remember those days when everyone in our class would hurt me because I was brought up in an orphanage."
Maria listened quietly.
"But you were the one person who stood beside me."
Cathy smiled through her emotion.
"From that day, you were never just my friend."
She gently held Maria's hand.
"You became my family."
Maria's eyes filled with tears again.
"So don't ever ask me for thanks. And don't apologize for needing me."
Cathy gave her a reassuring smile.
"Whatever happens, I'm here."
Maria nodded.
Cathy gently helped her settle down.
"Now stop thinking about everything and get some sleep."
Maria hesitated.
"But I'm still thinking about Grendle and Gore."
Cathy looked at her.
"I keep wondering what happened to them after that night."
"We'll find out," Cathy said firmly.
"You promise?"
"I promise. If there's something we can discover, we'll find it."
Maria finally nodded.
Cathy smiled.
"Now sleep."
She stood up and walked towards the door.
"Good night, Maria."
"Good night, Cathy."
Cathy switched off the light and stepped out.
She closed the door behind her and began walking towards her own room.
The house was quiet.
Everyone else had already gone to sleep.
Cathy walked slowly through the dim hallway.
Then she stopped.
Something had caught her attention.
At the far end of the hallway, a shadow seemed to move.
Cathy stared.
Nothing.
She waited for a few seconds.
The hallway remained completely still.
"I'm just tired," she whispered to herself.
She continued walking.
After a few steps, she glanced back.
The hallway was empty.
Cathy quickly turned away and entered her room.
She closed the door behind her.
For a moment, she stood there quietly.
Then she shook her head, trying to push the thought away.
"Nothing happened."
She changed and lay down on her bed.
She pulled the blanket over herself and closed her eyes.
But sleep didn't come immediately.
The image of Maria's book kept returning to her mind.
And somewhere else in the house, behind a closed cupboard door, the old book remained untouched.
Or so Cathy believed.
The house slowly fell completely silent.
Outside, the wind moved through the trees.
A branch brushed against the window.
Cathy opened her eyes for a moment.
She looked towards the window.
Nothing.
She closed her eyes again.
The night continued.
And inside Maria's room, behind the closed cupboard door, the book waited silently in the darkness.
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