End Journeys
Go Back to Bed's
Thomas and Ruby and Tim in Ruby's lap sit on a wooden chair. At the table there are already roasted yams and water for them.
"What are you doing here?" ask the woman.
The forty-year-old woman found them on the edge of the forest at dawn. The woman took them to rest in her hut.
"We are looking for a way home" replied Thomas.
"To get out of here you stay straight from where I found you earlier" said the woman.
"You've helped us. It would be best if we introduced ourselves first" Ruby said kindly.
"Thomas, Ruby, Tim," the woman pointed at them one by one.
They were surprised and wondered why the woman could find out their name.
"I'm Miranda" the woman shook hands with them.
"Mother, where's my yam?" a child's voice came from a room.
"Come here" cried Miranda.
A boy of his age with Tim shyly appeared before them.
"Hello" said the boy.
The team seems happy because he now has a playmate.
"Deliver, here's my son. His name is Andy" Miranda said.
Tim and Andy shook hands timidly.
There they ate yams together. They tell each other but Thomas and Ruby do not say that they were kidnapped, but reason that they were lost while walking. The team that started to get sleepy again did not listen to what her brother was talking about and slept in Ruby's arms.
"Tim let's sleep with Andy in his room" Miranda said.
Thomas and Ruby drive Tim to Andy's room. There Andy had prepared an empty place next to him so that Tim could sleep.
The mattress looks good even with an expensive brand bedcover. Similar to what was in the hut where Ruby lived before they escaped. Only the outside of the place looked old and not sturdy but the inside contained items that were quite luxurious for a hut.
Tim fell asleep with Andy. Miranda goes into her room and Thomas and Kylie enter a room that Miranda had pointed out earlier.
"Sleep baby" Ruby said.
Thomas hugged Ruby who was already very sleepy. Then they fell asleep for about an hour and woke up because of the very cold air.
"It's cold" Ruby said.
Thomas kissed Ruby's lips and rubbed her back.
"Honey," whispered Ruby.
"It's okay" replied Thomas quietly.
They had just fallen asleep the third sun was about to rise from the eastern horizon.
"Knock knock" said Tim at their doorstep, but Thomas and Ruby did not wake up even though the sun was high.
The team went and played with Andy in front of the shack.
Not long after, Ruby woke up and put on her jacket. He wakes up Thomas who is still in deep sleep and leaves the room followed by Thomas.
The first thing Ruby did was check on the whereabouts of Tim. He sees Tim and Andy playing until Miranda suddenly tells the boys to come in.
"Hurry in!" with a slightly snapping tone but with a panicked face Miranda told them to enter.
The children just obey. Andy told Tim to just follow.
"What's wrong?" ask Ruby.
"My feeling wasn't very good today. You guys just stay over until it's completely safe" Miranda said as she walked towards the kitchen.
In Ruby's heart wondered, where did Miranda know that there was danger targeting them. Does he know the true events that Thomas, Tim and Ruby were kidnapped.
Many other things raged in Ruby's mind. Andy and Tim went into the room and played in the room.
"Eat. I'm cooking this," Miranda served fried fish with sambal and kettle.
"Don't hesitate. Think of me as your mother" Miranda brought two plates to the children's room so they could eat while playing.
Miranda's back at the table. There they talk a lot.
"What did you guys do this morning?" miranda asked suddenly while holding back a laugh.
Thomas and Ruby who heard that were greatly shocked and blushed in embarrassment.
"You didn't close the door very well. It was me who closed the door when you were sleeping" Miranda explained.
"Oh, thanks. Sorry to bother you," Ruby said softly in embarrassment.
"It's okay. Reasonable. Eat your food" said Miranda.
They eat with gourmand. Ruby helps Miranda wash the dishes while Thomas takes care of the children.
"I want to have a serious conversation with you and your lover later," Miranda said after finishing the kitchen work.
"Okay" replied Ruby briefly.
Ruby then goes to where Thomas is and says that Miranda wants to talk.
They both went to Miranda's room.
"Sit down" Miranda let them sit on her bed.
"What do you want to talk to us about?" Thomas was very curious.
"I know you've been kidnapped" Miranda said.
Thomas and Ruby were shocked.
"Sorry we lied. But how do you know?" ask Ruby.
"My son and I are going through the same thing" Miranda said.
"I don't understand. Why do they provide good facilities for us? Cell phones, good food?" Ruby was looking for answers to the questions that had been bothering her all along.
"By carrying a mobile phone even given the power bank will be easier they track our whereabouts. And sorry, my phone turned off this morning because they seemed to know where you were" Miranda explained.
"Why don't they tie us up? And Kylie." Ruby looked sad.
"I'm sorry for my daughter, Ruby," Miranda said.
"Daughter? Your daughter? ask Thomas in a slightly high tone.
"Actually I live well. I work at a bank.." Miranda started telling stories.
He was a bank employee with a high salary. Having two children, Kylie and Andy, she and her husband raised them well. The kids turned out to be quite accomplished. When Miranda's husband dies, Miranda is devastated and ignores Kylie, who begins to act. And Kylie ends up working with the people who kidnapped Ruby and Thomas. Ruby is in charge of finding prey to be kidnapped and after that others who will carry out their duties. Kylie is there because she occasionally visits Miranda and Andy to say she stays because if Kylie fails to get the prey then her family is the bet. Kylie did that because she ran out of money while running away from home. It was raining heavily, the quarrel between Miranda and Kylie happened because Kylie was insolent to Miranda. When he runs out of money he meets someone and recruits him to work together.
That's the answer to Ruby's question. Why Miranda, Thomas and Ruby are given good facilities when they are kidnapped is none other than because Kylie feels guilty. Because there is no one else he can victimize, Ruby is forced to be targeted by Kylie because Kylie does not want her mother and sister to be hurt.
"So she wants to stop?" ask Thomas.
"really. But he continues to be under threat" Miranda replied.
And your cell phones, please turn them on. Miranda.
"Why? Isn't danger?" Ruby was astonished.
"It's safe. Kylie called me earlier," Miranda said.
"But why are they kidnapping people?" Thomas began to wonder again.
"Actually the person who told Kylie and her colleagues was a bit mentally ill. He likes to see people scared but will not hurt his victims. Just staring at his victim who was crying in fear while laughing wickedly. At least that's what Kylie told me. But sometimes if the victim was a woman, she would strip him naked but not touch him" Miranda added.
Thomas spontaneously hugged his lover. Their conversation ended and they spent time with the children.
"But what did Miranda mean earlier that we had to stay the night? And he also told us to turn on the phone?" ask Ruby slowly. Ruby felt a strong enough feeling that their existence in the Miranda residence was actually more dangerous to their safety.
"Later afternoon when Miranda picked the vegetables we ran away" Thomas said.
"Why? Miranda's a good man, "Ruby wants to know more about Thomas' plan.
"Honey, actually.."