Bittersweet (English)

CHAPTER 10

A depressing place like a ghost town. Not a single soul is wandering around. I walked alone in this emptiness. Unknowingly, behind is a shadow looming restlessly.

It was gone in a flash as I slowly turned. The coldness I feel is seeping into my pale skin.

From afar, I heard windows shutter. The wind is strong. The blood in my veins is turning into ice. Are those real skeletons blooming on the trees? I step back but felt something sticky on my feet. Shivers run down my spine as I stare below. 

“Is this blood I see?” Kaye whispered eerily behind Keith’s ear.

Keith yelled as he jumped off the ground. He was breaking cold sweats while catching his breath. He crouched back to the floor when he realized it was Kaye. “My heart!” 

Kaye chuckled seeing his flushed face. His hands were shaking as he held on to the book he read.

“You were taking a while so I thought something was wrong.” 

“I’m sorry. I was just looking around when I saw this book and I got carried away,” Keith explained frantically.  

Kaye waved her hands in dismissal. “You’re good. I was just worried.”

She picked the box containing some used items. She had it stored in the shed since she barely used any of it. There were some old cloth and discolored decors. 

Keith took the box off of her hands as they started to leave the shed.

Kaye immediately locked the backdoor before coming in. Miko ran towards them to welcome their return. 

“So, what happened?” Jenny asked while her focus was on the fabrics at hand.

Keith explained the situation as he placed the box on the floor right beside Jenny.

“Now that I think about it, you do love reading,” Jenny commented despite the divided attention. She finished up sewing before continuing. “I often see you reading the books displayed in the cafe during your breaks.” 

Unable to deny, Keith just grinned timidly. He loved books! Though he only read books available in the school library. So he'd be fascinated if he encountered books of different genres. 

And it was the first time he read such spine-tingling narration from a reader’s point of view. He was scared but he couldn’t stop flipping through the pages. 

Incidentally, it was the Halloween season. He felt the night became eerie. Good thing he was spending the night. He wouldn’t want to think about those things as he walked home alone.

“Here, to calm you in this cold night, ” Kaye smiled teasingly at Keith as she placed a cup of hot cocoa on the center table.  

Halloween was next week, so they decided to decorate the cafe for the holiday. It would be the first time they participated in such an event.

They made cutouts for some decorations. They planned to add more since it would be good publicity. They even invited kids for Trick or Treat.

“Real mature, Kaye. Stop messing with Keith. We don’t want him having nightmares later tonight. Wouldn’t want to disturb the ghosts here,” Jenny added after sipping her cocoa.

Keith abruptly turned to Jenny. His eyes widened. No one laughed. Their faces remained humorless.

“Pft! Don’t worry, Keith. We were just messing with you,” Kaye messed his hair and hugged him lightly. 

“I almost believed you. Neither of you seems like a prankster.” Keith tried to break a smile. If not for the book he read, he wouldn’t be this paranoid. Would he gamble going home alone or sleep in a house possibly infested by ghosts? “But there aren’t ghosts, right?”

“Of course not! Kaye grew up here and I stay here on most occasions. Never felt those.” Jenny responded with a resounding disagreement. Then, she turned to the owner of the house. “Right, Kaye?”

Kaye didn’t respond. Instead, she looked at them with a blank expression. She stood up and took the snacks she kept on her cupboard. Only the sound of Miko anticipating a share of food was heard.

Kaye brought the basket of snacks to the low table. Keith and Jenny were still expecting an answer. 

“Don’t tell me, there’s something here?” Keith bravely asked. So many things had been running through his mind. 

“Oh, come on!” Jenny snapped. Throwing away a piece of cloth.

Kaye broke a smirk as she opened a bag of chips. “Nah. I was just kidding. I just can’t believe how childish you are, Jenny.”

The relief on their faces was amusing. Scary fiction could bring out fears. Ghosts. Demons. Spirits. But there could be other things much horrifying than those. The reality was far more frightening than fiction. Maybe she hasn’t seen it all, but her encounter with one was more than enough to traumatize her.

“Let’s change the subject.” Jenny swung her hands in the air. She took the list she made during their staff meeting. “We are pretty much done with the window decorations. Stella sure did most of it.”

Stella gave most of the ideas for the decorations. Since starting a family, she was forced to be imaginative. Handling a child and a husband was almost the same she said. 

“Yeah, she made tons. The pumpkins and bats were nice,” Keith peeked at the list. They came up with the plan for the whole store without having many expenses. They wanted to make use of whatever was available. 

Jenny dedicated herself to needlework. She made a cobweb which she plans to place on each corner. Afterward, she’d be making ghost dolls for the tables.

As for Kaye, she and Stef were going to come up with treats for the kids. Or some seasonal items for Halloween. They already had the concept, she just needed to finalize it so they can add it to the menu once they started decorating.

Initially, it was only her and Jenny’s plan to spend the night at her house. But when Keith heard, he volunteered and pleaded to join. 

After a short break, they returned to their work. Jenny showed Keith how to make the ghost decors. She then assigned him to stuff it before handing it to her for a stitch.

“Ohhh.. Miko,” Kaye gasped seeing Miko biting the ghosts Jenny made. 

Kaye struggled as she grabbed him away from the poor souls. He seemed to be enjoying himself destroying Jenny’s handiwork.  

“Never mind. Just give him one to play with,” Jenny said in a cool tone. She could make more. No loss here. 

Kaye sighed. She dragged Miko to his bed with a ghost toy trapped in his mouth. She was about to take a seat beside Jenny and Keith when they heard a knock. The sound was faint, it can barely be heard. But the silence around the house made it evident. 

Kaye glanced at her clock. It was past ten in the evening. She walked towards the door to check.

Behind her, Jenny and Keith exchanged glances. With their prior conversation, it was hard not to think about scary stuff. If it was an earlier time, they wouldn’t mind. The timing was suspicious. 

Jenny gulped and ran after Kaye. “Don’t open it.” Her door didn’t even have a peephole for them to check. “Do you usually have visitors during these hours?” 

Kaye furrowed her brows. Looking confused at Jenny’s direction. “Duh! There are no ghosts here.” Somehow, she understood considering their previous conversation.

“Ghosts aren’t the only subjects of horror stories. You should know that better than I do,” Jenny whispered with emphasis.

Well, Kaye loved reading and watching those types of stories. But this is ridiculous. In all her years here, she never felt any hostility in the house. Neither in the whole town.

Kaye and Jenny locked eyes. Keith behaving instinctively hid behind the couch and grabbed something for defense.

Still contemplating on opening the door, another knock resounded. It was louder this time. Like someone got mad on the other side.

“Who’s there?!” Jenny shouted. Trying to sound as intimidating as possible.

No answer. Instead, the knocking sound grew impatient. Kaye, on wit’s end, took the doorknob. Jenny stopped midway turning the knob.

“What the heck! Are you going to open it or not? It’s cold out!” 

A familiar voice shouted behind the doors. This time, Kaye unlocked the door. Mykel came in warming his hands. He looked lightly dressed in the middle of the cold weather.

“What’s taking you so long?” Mykel snapped as soon as he entered. He wasn’t able to continue his rage when he noticed the scene he just came in. 

Jenny was on the floor relying on the drawer for support. She kept taking deep breaths clutching her chest. Keith stood beside the couch shivering while holding on to the candle holder for dear life. 

“What happened here?” Mykel asked in confusion. Miko jumped towards him wanting to play. He rubbed his soft white fur then walked to the living area. He turned to Miko, giving him a treat. “Here boy.”

Kaye told him everything over a cup of hot cocoa. Mykel roared with laughter upon hearing the story. He ridiculed Jenny for being a true example of an adult. 

“Oh shut up.” Jenny retorted in annoyance. “Why are you here anyway? And dressed lightly in a cold night.”

“Well, it was just a block away so I didn’t think of dressing. I got a text from Kaye you guys were spending the night so I invited myself to help,” Mykel raised his chin. Looking so proud of himself for contributing to the betterment of the world.

“Disgusting.” Jenny threw a ghost toy at Mykel. “Making excuses like an adult. Just ask her to date you already.”

“Date? Who?” Keith’s eyes lit up in curiosity. He was concentrating on the work that he missed a few words. As far as he knew, both ladies were single. They spent most of their time at work. Only a few adults he met were like them. It’d be worth celebrating if they’d be happy in love, too.

“Work, work. Your hands stopped moving, Jenny.” Kaye pushed a box of art supplies to Jenny. She wanted to change the subject desperately. Didn’t want to feel awkward all of a sudden. She turned to Mykel who just gave her an innocent smile. “If you wanted to help, grab something to work on.”

Unknown to Kaye, Jenny noticed the obvious sidestep. Truth be told, she had been suspicious since they returned. They might be able to disguise it with their civil image, but their eyes were saying otherwise. Sure they may have fooled others, but not her. A person who equally spent years beside them. Observing them. It was easy to understand. However, her only question was why?

She did ask Kaye once but she laughed it off. Clearly, they were hiding something. Years passed and she grew impatient. None of them opened up. Her suspicions started to falter. Was there nothing to worry about at all? Was she just overreacting? Her imagination perhaps?