THE DAYS STARTS

Life is unpredictable. Every one has good and bad childhood but for me it was a dark childhood. Let me tell you about my childhood story.

My name is Alex. I'm an 11-year-old orphan who lost his parents at a young age. I was adopted by an old man named Henry Kolkiwn, a famous doctor in our town. However, Henry has a tragic past—he lost his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in an accident. He loved his grandson dearly, and their deaths left him lonely and withdrawn. He rarely speaks.

It’s been a month since I started living with Henry. Sometimes, he seems suspicious and behaves strangely. He doesn’t let me go outside to play with my best friend, Kevin Lolpik. There are also rooms in the house I’m not allowed to enter, which makes the place feel more like a prison—dark and lonely. Still, Kevin sometimes sneaks in when Henry isn’t home, and we play together.

As usual, Henry prepared dinner and barely said a word. After dinner, he brought a warm glass of milk to my room. I didn’t feel like drinking it, so I pretended to take a sip and spat it out after he left. Later, he returned to my room, and I pretended to be asleep. After he left, I began to hear strange voices. I gathered my courage and decided to investigate.

I followed the sounds to Henry’s room and slowly opened the door. To my shock, there was no one there—but I could still hear loud screams and cries. I searched the room and discovered a secret door hidden beneath the mat. I hesitated to open it, but I can hear the sound more clear and louder. Fear overtook me. I ran back to my room and hid under my blanket, trembling.

In the middle of the night, Henry entered my room again. He sat beside me and began chanting strange words. I don't know why but I was unable to move a muscle, I was just pretending to be asleep. After a while, he left. I was relieved but also exhausted and eventually drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I was still shaken by the night’s events. It was already 7:30 AM, and I had to get ready for school. As I left the house at 8:30, I glanced toward Henry’s room and saw him standing at the window—his face filled with fury.

At school, I couldn’t stop thinking about the last night. I wasn’t paying attention during the lecture, just staring at the blackboard without blinking. My best friend Kevin noticed and called my name: “Alex, Alex, Alex.” He walked up to me and finally shouted, startling me.

Kevin asked, “What happened?”

I replied, “Nothing. Just feeling a little low.”

Eventually, my homeroom teacher noticed my strange behavior and suggested I go home and rest. As soon as I heard the words “go home,” my body started trembling, and anxiety took over. I suddenly fainted in the classroom.

I was taken home by our office clerk, Mr. Krill Koflin. When I woke up, I was already in my bed, and the time was 11:59 PM. Strangely, its lots silent then ever. I felt tired, and my eyes soon closed again.

A few hours later, I felt a strange sensation on my arm, but I was unable to open my eyes or move. Then I started hearing someone screaming: “Help! Help! Please leave me!” I was terrified—completely frozen. Eventually, the screaming stopped. Fear and exhaustion wore me out, and I fell asleep again.

I woke up around 6 AM and couldn’t find Henry anywhere. But in his room and in the kitchen, I saw several large black bags. I was curious and went to open one—but just then, I heard Henry’s car outside. So I quickly ran back to my room in fear.

Henry rushed into the house, locked his room, and then entered mine. He said, “wake up you are getting late for school. You can play with your friends till 8:00Pm".

I was shocked by his sudden change in tone.

As I was about to leave, Henry added, “I’ll be going somewhere today, so don’t come home until 8:00 PM.”

I didn’t know why, but those words made me feel uneasy. Something inside me whispered, *“Whatever happens, don’t go home until 8:00 PM.”*

At school, my homeroom teacher, Mr. Jovik Saldrom, asked, “How are you? Feeling better?”

I replied, “Yes.”

Then he asked, “Do you know when Mr. Krill Koflin left your house yesterday?”

I said, “I don’t know. When I woke up, it was already 11:59 PM.”

Mr. Jovik said, “Okay. Because since yesterday, Mr. Krill has been missing. His wife called the school, asking if they have any information regarding Mr Krill”

I immediately recalled the screaming I had heard the night before. But I didn’t mention anything— about last night because I was afraid .

After a few hours, I was called to the principal’s office. Inside were two police officers, Mr. Jovik, and the principal.

“Are you Alex?” one of the officers asked.

I replied nervously, “Y-yes, sir.”

“We need you to take us to your home so that we can enquire and try finding some clues. And We’d like to ask a few questions regarding Mr. Krill’s missing.”

I froze. The room went silent. I could hear my heartbeat, my breathing, and the ticking of the old wristwatch my mother gave me before she died. Anxiety gripped me like a noose.

Mr. Jovik stepped in and said, “Please don’t take Alex right now. He’s not well. Let me go with you instead.”

Something inside me snapped. I shouted, “No!”—so loudly it startled everyone.

After a pause, I took a deep breath, gathered every ounce of courage, and looked up.

“I’ll take you to my home,” I said.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***