Dear Bugsy,
The war has been too gruesome for me. Just a few battles ago, My comrades, Paul was fatally shot on his chest during the Battle of Kastreya. We’ve lost a lot of men like Paul that day. The trenches were soaked with the metallic stench of blood and the blankets were too thin to cover ourselves from the icy wind. How was it in Slaborough? Spring must be a magical time for you and your friends. I’ve read your antics with Ferdinand and Naomi and it made me and my friends cracked up. I could see Em’s English essays improving and Carter, Pearl and Kim are growing a bit too fast. I wish I’m here with you, playing your favourite song on the piano and joking around with your brother and sisters. But as a good citizen of Blanca, I must fulfil my duty to serve and protect my country for your better future.
With love,
Dad
I folded the letter I received from my father and inserted it into an envelope, placing it inside my rabbit-patterned box when I heard the door behind me creak. I turned around, only to find Aunt Inara pushing my room door slightly and slowly approaching me.
“So, what did your dad say?” she asked. “The war getting bad,” I replied. “He told me so many people are dying every day.”
“That is the harsh reality of war,” Aunt Inara sighed. “On the road to victory, so many people had to perish.”
“That is the cost the country must make,” she continued. “The way you say it, auntie,” my teeth clenched. “It sounds pretty insensitive.”
Aunt Inara snorted. “Excuse your mouth, young lady but-”
“Those people who are dying could be someone else’s spouse,” I snapped. “This war could be a waste of time and money. There were so many ways to solve a conflict through diplomacy and yet our president had to declare war against the Bowan states-”
“The Bowan states provoked our country into a war, Bugsy,” she raised her voice. “Do you think the president’s job is easy?”
I shook my head. “No, but Dad’s life is at stake. He’s not immortal, auntie. What if he gets himself killed?”
Tears welled up in my eyes as Aunt Inara sighed and leaned closer to me, wrapping her arms around me. “I don’t want Dad to die,” I sobbed. “I want him to stay here and play the piano with me, just like the old days.”
“He’ll come back once the war is over,” Aunt Inara assured me. “Your father is the strongest man I’ve known in my entire life.”
I wiped my tears and pinched my nose, wiping my snot onto my flared trousers. “What if he's not the same anymore?"
"He'll be alright," Aunt Inara sighed, as she headed towards the door. "Just try not to think about it too much."
I nodded and walked myself out the room and grabbed the remote on my table, switching on the boxed TV. A cartoon rabbit popped up on the screen wielded with a rifle. It pulled the trigger, only to bounce back, hitting his head on the tree.
I cracked myself up as I snorted, as the rabbit on the screen grew a huge bump on its head. I continued laughing at the TV screen when out of the blue, I felt a rough tug on my hair.
I looked behind me, only to find emptiness in the hall. I rolled my eyes and continued watching TV when I felt another tug again. "Em, is that you?" I asked, with my voice raised.
There were no answers. I sighed and walked into my room, with no sign of my sister. I turned around, only to bump into Carter, making me scream loudly.
"Are you okay, Bugsy?" he whimpered, biting his nails. I chuckled and kneel in front of him. 564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qpJk41BcW
"I'm alright," I said. "I just didn't see you there."
Carter nodded. "Oh, okay then." 564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdik2PG47bz
"Say, have you seen Em? I was looking for her just now."
"She went out with her friends," he replied, making my heart jump in joy. Finally, some peace and quiet from that little rat. 564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVAZXa16Zz
I gave a slight smile and lifted him up in my arms, placing him on the couch beside me. He held my arms and stared at it, rubbing his hands on my skin.
"Did someone hit you?" he asked. 564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVRh2SotTM
I shook my head. "No, why did you ask?"
I gazed at my arms and gasped. Blue-black bruises appeared and a large scratch on my legs, similar to the rabid dog's mark on the trashcan a few days ago. I got up and scavenged the pantry, grabbing a white tube.
Unscrewing the cap, I squeezed an ointment on my arms and legs when the room felt chilly around me. My teeth rattled as I wrapped my wounds with a bandage, exhaling a misty breath. I placed the ointment and bandages into the pantry and hurried back to the living room before my vision turned black.
My head felt heavy as a high-pitched sound rang in my ear, prompting me to cover both my ears when the door opened, revealing Grandma, clad in her plain dress and apron. Carrying a tray full of cups, she placed it beside my bedside table, handing me a cup of warm water.
"What happened?" I asked, sipping on my drink.
"Don't you remember?" her eyebrows arched lower. I shook my head. "You tried to attack us."
I let out a violent cough as I plopped my cup on the tray. "I'm sorry, what?
"Your brother heard you cussing in front of the pantry," she explained. "When he asked whether you're alright, you slapped him in the face."
"It can't be," I denied, avoiding Grandma's stares. "I would never slap my little brother."
"He even said your voice sounds unusual," she continued.
"What are you saying?"
"For a few moments, you sounded like a grown man."
I froze and stared at Grandma with both my eyebrows raised. With my hands over my mouth, she patted my shoulder, reassuring me. "Everything will be alright, Bugsy. It'll be over soon, I promise."
Later that night, my pajamas were drenched in sweat as I tossed and turned in my bed, shutting my eyes tightly. I buried myself underneath my blanket and shut my eyes tightly, hugging my stuffed rabbit next to me when I felt goosebumps around my body.
The air around me reeked like a rotten onion as I felt something heavy laying on top of me, breathing. I lay on my bed, finding myself unable to move. I opened my mouth and not a single sound came out. My heart palpitated as my legs were shaking, hearing it breathe on top of me.
"Oh Lord," I prayed in my head. "Please protect me from evil. Amen."
As hours passed, the rotten stench gradually disappeared as my arms were loosened, making me lift the blanket off me. I looked around me and saw my sister Em, who was sleeping soundly.
My eyelids felt heavy as I stared blankly at the plate of bread and butter pudding, yawning. My aunt gave me a concerned look as she placed her fork on her plate and squeezed my hand.
"Don't feel like eating?" she asked. 564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5j9Fhd3jV
I nodded. "For some reason, I felt nauseated looking at food."
"I've made an appointment with Mr Hathale due today," Aunt Inara clarified. "So you'll be skipping school for a few days."
I groaned in frustration. "Do I have to skip school?"
"I've just called Mrs Wood this morning and told her you were sick."
"But it's boring at home," I complained. "I want to see-"
Before I could finish my sentence, my visions turned black. I heard screams all over me.
My eyes unravelled as I scanned the whole room, only to find both my arms were bound at the side of my bed with a cloth. Aunt Inara and Grandma gazed at me for a moment, before squeezing me into a hug, sighing in relief. "I thought we lost you."
"What happened?" I asked, looking at Mr Hathale, who was untying me. 564Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcLTzKQpyl
"You were possessed by a malicious spirit," he answered, putting a bin next to my bed.
I raised one of the eyebrows and tilted my head sideways. "Where did that spirit come from?"
"Your sister told me you went to the farm with her," Mr Hathale said, sitting on the chair. "You picked up a small, round bell from there, am I correct?"
"It appeared in my pocket when I got back home," I told him. "I don't know how it got there."
"That farmhouse once belonged to a man named Jud. To the rest of the town, he was a hardworking man, but he was a serial rapist who preyed on young girls your age."
"What happened to him?" my eyebrows furrowed.
"When townsfolk found out, he swore that his land will remain his and slashed his throat."
"What about the bell?"
"We managed to get rid of it, so you don't have to worry about Jud anymore."
I stared at the wall of my room as Mr Hathale got up and thanked my aunt and Grandma before leaving our house. I walked to the kitchen and gulped down a glass of water when Aunt Inara entered. "Promise me you won't go to the farmhouse again?" she laid out her pinky.
I curled up my pinky with hers and glanced at her, nodding. "I promise, auntie. It won't happen again."
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