I opened the window and felt a cool breeze entering my room, making my lips upwards. After months of harsh winter, I gleaned the snow started to melt, leaving behind emerald green patches as a grand entrance for the lovely spring season. As I waved goodbye to my aunt who was standing in front of the door, I ambled on the way to school, picking up some lost trinkets that were buried in the snow.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1JyLnrTvl
A shiny gold ring, a large shovel which Mr Siva must have been looking for the past three months, and numerous strange objects which I would stumble on whenever the snow starts to melt. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uaMBxYabr
Bones.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiiuHzHM6J
As the years went by, my curiosity about where these bones came from began to grow as I suspected something sinister lurking in the dark forest, waiting to pounce on its victims. Whenever I asked Aunt Inara about where those bones came from, she would just shrug and claim that it was the coyote's meal but I don't believe it.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50f1JG25pe
"Bugsy," Mrs Grey called, snapping me back to reality. "Could you explain to me how do we find the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqI0hw8evh
I took a deep breath and took a white chalk from the teacher's desk, and wrote the answer. "The formula of the Pythagorean theorem is a² + b²=c² and after we find the initial answer, we have to square root it to get the final answer, which is 10."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9beKp3jPVK
"The answer is correct," Mrs Grey praised. "And can you tell me why is Pythagorean theorem is important?"576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFq6wgv2TME
"It builds critical thinking," I guessed. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkUZBc18EH
"You're close, Bugsy, but your answer is too general."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WIKeq37Ap
I pouted my lips as I sat down on my desk, flustered. Damn it! I'm supposed to be the smart one here. I feel like an idiot in this class.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5kN7pdPpW
"Can anyone explain to me why the Pythagorean theorem is important?"576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtpP1yj38x
Lisa raised her hands. "We can use Pythagorean theorem for building something."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFuyu4JzKm
"That's good, Lisa," Mrs Grey clapped in an enthusiastic manner. "Can you explain it to me?"576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYDA0kqLlA
"Let's say you're building a sloped roof. If you know the height of the roof and the length of it cover, you can use the Pythagorean theorem to find the diagonal length of the roof's slope. That way, you could cut properly sized beams to support the roof."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ628oeimIJ6
"Thank you, Lisa," Mrs Grey grinned. "Yes, one of the importance of Pythagorean theorem is to construct a building. Can anyone else explain the importance?"576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADjvxPC5yO
"It's good for navigation," Archie answered. "For example, if you are at sea and navigating to a point that is 300 miles north and 400 miles west, you can use the theorem to find the distance from your ship to that point and calculate how many degrees to the west of north you would need to follow to reach that point." 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTyu7b5vkv
The whole class erupted with applause as Archie held out his arms opened, gleaming. I rolled my eyes at him, only for the bell to ring. Now I feel like a huge idiot in this classroom. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcq6IuhD3Ci
"We'll continue our lessons next week," said Mrs Grey, hanging her sling bag on her shoulder. "Have a nice weekend."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVe94J73tuK
We walked out of the school building and ambled on the dirt road, chit-chatting. My hands were in both of my dress pockets, my brows furrowed and my lips curved into a frown. Archie beating me in class is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened in my life. I'm supposed to be smarter than him, not the other way around.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQr7r5LgN8e
"You alright, Bugsy?" asked Ferdinand, noticing my sour expression on my face. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaO14iG2As
"Can't believe I screwed up in math class," I beat myself up. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8jNF6KRxB
"You answered the question correctly, Bugsy," Naomi chuckled. "However, you couldn't apply the Pythagorean theorem in real life."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmXp31R6rX
"Thanks for pointing that out, Naomi," I groaned. "God, if only I wasn't distracted by the stupid bones I found this morning."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhx3QSMAT2B
Ferdinand let out a harsh cough, shocked by my statement. "I'm sorry, what?"576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKt8xgyv5j
"When the snow started melting, I ended up finding lots of bones."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk380NXJnrM
"Where do they come from?" Naomi questioned me. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVr7at1R7Q
"My aunt told me those were the coyote's leftover meal but I doubt it."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPL9Gz8IMIP
"Oh my gosh, another murder mystery."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFp2SyKPhR
"Sounds fun," Ferdinand squealed. "We should do this after lunch."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIryv7lT5Wc
"I agree," Naomi nodded. "I'll get us some torchlight and a compass."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkIrKpCPbI
I sighed and protested. "But you might get yourself kill."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuY8SwiyoxS
"Bugsy," Ferdinand gave me a playful punch on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Besides, we've done this numerous times anyways."
I agreed with his statement. We are a team after all, and no one gets left behind, no matter what.
We stepped inside the forest, holding each other's hands for assurance. Surrounded by the enormous pine tree with thinner snowy cushion, the frost that sprouted on the flowers began to fade as a few marigolds bloomed and danced merrily. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8WzuXBV2m
After picking up a trace of bones, we headed north of the woods, hoping to find more answers. As the rays of the sun began to grow dimmer, I suddenly stopped on our track as I felt a chill around me, making my friends bump into me from behind. I opened my legs a little wider to avoid falling on the rocky path. "What's wrong, Bugsy?" Ferdinand gave me a puzzled look. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSd64eMUV6
"I don't know," I shook the head. "I know it sounds strange but I swear to God I'm telling the truth."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXdnyhRcwE
"Did you see something horrible?" wondered Naomi. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrH1AL4xxTi
"I don't even know what's going on."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzVPClPwhw
Then, a luminous glow appeared in front of me, making my eyes squint. "The will-o-the-wisps."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWUABE8FRgD
"Hey there, little fella," he waved his hands. "We're kinda lost and it would be kind of you to lead the way for us."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHdcXikqmC
In a flash, the wisps paved us a path and urged us to follow them without hesitation. "Looks like our journey begins," said Naomi, adjusting her bag. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLCeIIDf98
Following the trail of the will-o-the-wisps, all three of us formed a human chain which I led. The surrounding of the forest turned cold as the colour of the trees turned jet black and all the flower beds vanished in front of our eyes. Our site grew foggier as we climbed the rocky hill, filled with cracks and ruined buildings. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm9319k5If
As the trail of the wisps stopped, the fog cleared up, revealing an enormous cave. Naomi headed towards the right side of the cave and picked up a coyote's skull, to my disgust. "Does anyone have a camera?" she asked. I took out a small camera from my pocket and took a picture of Naomi holding a coyote's head. "Did you take it?"576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRKu07M1lu
I nodded. "Please remind me to get the pictures processed at Ms Blyton's."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfNqemnQzn
Naomi gave me a thumbs up and switched open her flashlight, signalling us to enter the cave. Taking my first footsteps inside the gloomy cave, my jaws dropped as I saw millions of bats squeaking, covering their eyes as Naomi flashed her light towards them. Ferdinand placed his hands on the brownish stalagmite and asked me to photograph it. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2s05A6rqXb
On the cave's wall, I saw a painting, depicting a group of men and women farming on a ranch with livestock inside around the gate and a cornfield beside them. Naomi shone her flashlight upwards and saw a man cooking another man, leading us to a small transformation of a man morphing into a giant spider.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrGzoYTq0N
"It reminds me of the story my mom told me," Ferdinand stated. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsS0IKY4oB
"What was the story about?" I asked, turning to him.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lPtgS8cu2
"There was a man who was lost in the forest, so one day when he was starving, he saw another man, and then he cooked and ate him for dinner."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTm8IgffAc
"Disgusting," Naomi commented. "Then what happens?"576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1zit7ZyXw
"For days, fur appeared all over his as his thirst for his own kind grew, making him grow extra legs and extra eyes."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgD8w7aWhg
"So he became a spider?"576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ZURsEJWtq
"Not just any spider," Ferdinand specified. "The man became a crypt spider, a giant, man-eating spider."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97zonH87Bu
I shivered. "I don't think I want to meet this crypt spider."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wMfilkIAM
In a moment, a large shadow loomed over me, revealing a giant, fur-coated spider. Its bloodshot eyes stared menacingly as it drooled blood from its claw-shaped mouth that dripped on the cave's floor. I swallowed a huge lump of saliva as we walked backwards, only to stumble on a stalagmite. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9KOrQR29x
The crypt spider shrieked at our faces, and we bolted out of the case, with the arachnid creature tailing us from behind. As we ran down the hill, I felt a sharp pain on the left side of my abdomen as my left leg began to ache, slowing me down. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlsRS36EfOB
Out of the blue, the spider pounced on me from behind and I fell on the muddy ground. Tackling the spider's leg with both hands, it pushed itself towards my face and tried to bite me with its long fangs, only to miss several times. As I exerted all of my strength against the spider, one of its holes squirted white liquid on my legs, gluing it together. I attempted to push the cobwebs apart only for the spider to be kicked by Naomi. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsD0pCpKeD
Ferdinand lifted me like a bride and ran, leaving Naomi to fend off the spider with her martial art skills. I watched as she kicked the spider's arm and punched one of its legs, making the spider scream. As she was about to jump on the spider's body, the arachnid creature bit her hand, provoking Naomi's kick on its mouth. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDo4r5K7IU
Holding the hands that were bitten, she soon caught up with us and urged both of us to hurry, only to find ourselves at the edge of the river bank. I panted as I saw the spider landed and cornered us by the river. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrLzkyUk7S
"I think we should jump," I panicked. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qlGEh0XMq
"Are you mad?" Ferdinand shouted. "We'll die of hypothermia."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1D4R5e7Zpd
"Well, spiders can climb trees, so we don't have any choice and besides, cold water will kill those spiders anyways."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtsoC32pap
In a flash, we splashed ourselves in the deep, icy river and closed our eyes. Holding our breath, we prayed for the crypt spider to leave while enduring the freezing cold water. 576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvVqvotGmA
A few minutes passed and I bobbed my head out of the water and sighed in relief as there was no sight of the spider. We climbed out of the riverbank, shivering. Our teeth rattled as we hugged ourselves while walking back home from the forest at dusk, with our bodies lusting for the heat source.576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApudSTfTkR
When we reached Ferdinand's farmhouse, we stripped our jacket and lied in front of the fireplace, to Mrs Ong's dismay. She rushed to the kitchen and prepared us warm water, lecturing all of us for being careless. "You know jumping in water during the cold water could kill you," she scolded. "You guys should've known better."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2qTruMlv3
"It won't happen again, mom," Ferdinand pleaded. "I promise."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBABMZRPvva
As his mother walked upstairs, Naomi lifted the sleeves of her pink shirt and glanced at her wound, wrapping it around it with her handkerchief. "At least we're safe and sound," she assured us. "And that's all it matters."576Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aX5HMe8N6
