SURREPTITIOUS
The Part 16

The policemen along with Calvin and Amadhea had arrived at the old house. Calvin showed me the secret room he was talking about. The man also showed a beach painting that he believed was very similar to the Dead Beach.

"This is indeed Dead Beach when viewed from the southwest," said police.

Calvin stretched out his hand to Amadhea. "Where's the key?"

"I don't have the key. Actually I just found this room before you and Aunt Merlin came, too" said Amadhea.

Calvin grieves. "You must be lying, you don't want to be caught if you do it, do you? If you don't want to open this room, it means you did. You're hiding all your crimes in this room."

"I told you, I don't have the key!" amadhea.

Police mediate. "We can open it forcibly if you will."

Amadhea nodded. "Please open it if it makes him happy."

The police brought a hacksaw. They cut the lock hook.

Was the room a tool shed or a room like in my dreams last night? Thought Amadhea.

Within a few minutes, the lock can be opened. They opened the door.

When the door was opened, the wind blew on Amadhea's face with the sound of the cry of a child. The girl shakes. He touched his nape. He saw the police and Calvin did not show any reaction. That meant only Amadhea heard that screaming voice.

The police coughed as dust from the room flew into the nose and respiratory tract.

Amadhea saw nothing in the room. Nothing is strange. It's just that the paint in the room is a deep red color different from the other rooms in the house that are attached to the wallpaper.

(illustration)

Calvin tries to find a clue in the room, but nil. It was just an ordinary room.

One of the policemen scratched the wall with his nails. "It's not paint, it's a crayon."

The deg!

Amadhea was reminded of the red crayons she found every day in front of this hidden room. It's getting creepy.

Not finding any evidence, the police go with Calvin. They also returned the jars and vases Merlin had taken. Amadhea put all the urns back in place. Even though there are still black stains due to the explosion.

After that, Amadhea returned to the red-painted room. He touched the wall. Right said the police. The one on the wall was not paint, but a red crayon. For a moment Amadhea was pensive and a glimpse of the crayon formed a mysterious pattern that was not unidirectional. It was as if someone was trying to write a sentence on that wall. But Amadhea could not read it.

Amadhea's gaze was fixed on a rather prominent wall. He touched. It turned out that it was the tip of the wall paper fold. Amadhea pulled him to the point of peeling. There are many insects such as cockroaches and ants behind the wall paper.

The girl attracts more. Both of his eyes widened after most of the wallpaper on one side was torn off. On that white wall were many inscriptions written in red crayons.

His feathers bristled to read what was written on the wall.

MAMA, PAPA, I'M SORRY, PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!

MAMA PLEASE DON'T LOCK ME IN HERE!! I'M SCARED!!

PAPA FORGIVE ME!!

I BEG YOU TO GET ME OUT OF HERE!! IT IS COLD AND SCARY!!!

A shadow of a child passing by the door of the room was accompanied by the sound of cheerful laughter.

Amadhea was crying in silence. "This door should never have been opened."

The next day, Amadhea went to school with a lethargic expression. He studied as he used to.

Zahra, Alinda, and Greeta seemed worried thinking about the girl's mental health.

Did Mom and Dad have kids before me? Did they lock him in that room? Or maybe Aunt Merlin and Calvin were right, if I wasn't really Mama and Papa's son? Questions swirled in Amadhea's head.

Amadhea seemed to be thinking hard. If so, who am I? No, no, I'm their real son. Even the neighbors admit it. Maybe the boy is not the son of Mama and Papa, but he is the son of the owner of the house before Mama and Papa.

But, what if the child is actually Mama and Papa's child? Why didn't Mom and Dad ever tell her?

The break clock. They went to the canteen. Amadhea remained silent.

"Do you have a problem? If you want, we'll listen to your problems" Greeta said.

Greeta nodded her head. "certain."

"Do you know a doctor who works in a big hospital?" ask Amadhea.

"His father Alinda was a doctor, and Alinda consulted her father. Are you sick?" Zahra looked worried.

Alinda nodded her head. "Yes, my father was a specialist. What's the matter? Does it hurt in the breast, stomach, or heart?"

Greeta elbowed Alinda's arm.

"Eh, sorry." Alinda shut her mouth immediately.

"I want a DNA test" said Amadhea, barely audible.

"What?!" Zahra, Alinda, and Greeta were shocked by Amadhea's words.

"It wasn't for me, but there was my family who wanted to do a DNA test. I just want to help her" lied Amadhea.

"I'll ask my father. I'll tell you later, yes" said Alinda.

Amadhea nodded. "All right, thank you, Alin."

Alinda smiled and then nodded.

"Zahra, how is your Papa? Is it healed?" ask Alinda.

Zahra nodded. "Alhamdulillah, it's healed."

"Thank God."

Zahra remembered something. "Oh, yes, Papa told me to invite my closest friends over for dinner at home tomorrow. Do you guys have time?"

"Well, when it comes to food, I'm always ready!" greeta Sahut.

Alinda elbowed Greeta's arm. "Don't you have to go to church tomorrow?"

"Yes too, yeah." Greeta looked sad.

"Yes, Greeta was left alone, yes," seduced Amadhea.

"Yes, Greeta don't come, yeah," Alinda teases Greeta.

"Yaaaah, kok, gituuu." Greeta pouting.

Zahra laughs. He pinches both cheeks of Greeta because of anxiety.

"I had bad luck last week. If tomorrow I have bad luck again, maybe Mama can grumble," said Greeta.

"Yes, we eat it a bit too bad, yes. Lunch is like that" said Zahra.

"Aaaahhh, dear Zahra." Greeta hugged Zahra.

Amadhea and Alinda smiled at Greeta's spoiled behavior towards Zahra.

The next day, Amadhea woke up early. He cleaned the house, wiped the glass, and also cleaned the front and back yard alone.

Neighbors heard the noise of a lawnmower from Amadhea's house. They saw Amadhea running her own lawn mower. The girl looked like she was riding a scooter.

The front and back of the house look clean now. Amadhea continued to cut the tendrils that spread on the fence and the fortress of her house. Some neighbors who passed by greeted him.

Amadhea smiled as she answered their greeting.

Actually I am not very diligent, but I am looking for busyness so that I forget the existence of the ghosts, the inner Amadhea.

The house now looks clean and comfortable. Amadhea wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand and entered her house. His steps stopped to see there were footprints of a small child on the floor towards the kitchen. There was also the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen.

Amadhea threw her dirty gloves on the floor. He grumbled angrily, "Why are the ghosts in this house always growing?"

...👻👻👻...

^^^19.16 | 1 September 2021^^^

^^^By Ucu Irna Marhamah^^^