57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHJezoMceGPlaying Hide-and-Seek with My Cousins
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ulDNt3PXs
My name is Jayson, and this happened when I was eight years old. Our family used to live in the city, but after the factory where my father worked went bankrupt, we had no choice but to move back to my mother's province. The city wasn't an easy place for people like my parents. Neither of them had finished high school, let alone attended college, so finding another stable job there was nearly impossible.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJ35baAS26
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgjsTfFO0b
I still vividly remember our arrival in the province. We traveled on a small ferry-one that, looking back, probably wasn't meant for long-distance travel, but it was all we could afford at the time.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhAHf7oiK2
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTP00vlk7i
When we finally got off the ferry, I immediately noticed how small and weathered the pier was compared to the bustling port we had left behind. The province felt quiet and endlessly green. There were no tall buildings, no traffic, and no city noise. It had a calm, peaceful atmosphere that somehow also felt deeply lonely.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs35QbSn9IO
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoOvB0eQ04
The ride to my grandmother's house passed in a blur of laughter and playful bickering with my siblings. We eventually arrived at a small barrio where only a handful of houses stood scattered far apart from one another.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTl06YOyONw
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qHp6O9TqT
I spotted an old woman approaching us, and my mother later introduced her as our grandmother.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJmYx1881h
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMQWsYt2QK
My mother's family turned out to be huge, and some of the houses I saw in the barrio belonged to my aunties. Every afternoon, my cousins would drag us outside to play, which helped me settle in and kept me from getting homesick.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡim0G8Kfqy6
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyx9qmljN3C
One fateful afternoon, my cousins and I were outside playing hide-and-seek. There were plenty of trees and tall grasses around, making perfect hiding spots. We were having so much fun that we completely lost track of time.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrV9qeKLYxl
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh3TvYfbNyI
One of my older cousins decided to make the game more challenging. Usually, there was a limit to where we could hide, but this time he widened the area and pointed toward an old worn-out house far past his own home.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8KnYunCIy
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcY805eFIK
"That's the limit," he said.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZ7nbRCoM4
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyAuXfGHmw
I immediately got excited, so when the game started again, I ran over there with one of my cousins.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3FZUmCXFB
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPHLF8otpT
The two of us quickly searched for hiding spots. He positioned himself behind a fence while I went around the back of the abandoned house.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQVmpF8kyG
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSeUj2JBdC
I crouched low against the weathered wood, waiting for the seeker to give up. As I sat there, I noticed a small knot-hole in the wall. Curious as always, I leaned closer and peeked inside.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirapVFNViH
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbb9u4RljOJ
The room was empty, just as I expected. From my angle, I could see a wooden bench rotting in the corner, and the interior door leading deeper into the house was slightly ajar. My aunts once mentioned that the family who lived there had left years ago and never returned, leaving the place to slowly decay.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1A7KEpfix
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57kTkJT1Xc
Suddenly, I heard soft footsteps from inside the house.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV4fLut8pZE
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4NF7wL7Tb
I giggled, thinking it was probably my cousin trying to find us. I briefly glanced toward my other cousin to check if he was still hiding behind the fence, and he was.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuE3MC5EA0q
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNllcwwi1lG
I peeked through the hole again and saw a hand slowly pushing the door open from the inside.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNfF6XGnDc
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKPwGkBmd6
I let out another small laugh before quickly covering my mouth so he wouldn't hear me. I pulled my face away from the hole, worried he might spot me first.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Ia0x9jEdL
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UxwkXx5RL
A moment later, my cousin behind the fence whistled softly and motioned with his hand that he was moving to another hiding spot. I gave him a thumbs up before he quickly ran off to who knows where.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwi1Py0kUh
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXu8oPqVA1u
I went back to peek through the hole again, expecting to finally see our seeker.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTZ6ATGWo4
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE9aLcLjoig
Instead, I froze.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6pJxGobP5
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSI0D4BUvqy
There was a leg standing directly in front of me. It wasn't moving. It just stood there silently.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZA8wL7BfI6
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiFT36wCs1
For what felt like forever, whoever was standing there didn't even twitch.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bGvgBfqI4
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYf85uywVYX
I frowned and slowly backed away before moving toward the side window to check if I could spot our seeker outside instead.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9Inyueg3V
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxqOwUwGYC
But there was nobody there.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNGrOwZZMj
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9C4H0H0TEW
The window had a clear view of the area around the house, yet I couldn't see anyone. The only window that overlooked the inside of the room was covered by an old curtain.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2cmEeOHsB
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6asueMeSZ
Then I heard another thud.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAUpecY3o2
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ878W4YhSsW
This time it was louder, like something heavy had fallen over.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZslk508tU
I slowly returned to my hiding spot and crouched down to peek through the hole again.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2jqnpFuFt
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKreVvflptY
But this time, I couldn't see anything.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtTEBFYe40
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWrK7wnfGn
It was pitch black.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKrO7fq6iY
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpH0GVl82sr
I sighed in annoyance before calling out my cousin's name.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtSQuBblM7
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGj56moWT1
"Ryan, you okay?"57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRm12vqiY1
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50L10w1BZU
I rounded the house and went toward the front door. I tried pushing it open, but it was locked.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYRxmFcLxZ
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnp2ICxWxJb
I shoved my small body against it several times, pounding desperately while trying my best to force it open, but nothing happened.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggFwO9kZb4
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLLnProy7i
Feeling frustrated, I went back to the hole one last time.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6wjDQ13M5
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqDLGMdURj
"Rya—"57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NCm2NJpOS
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlH5lbcHj7i
My heart nearly stopped.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5t53p76AYg
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR13HUr4ZCf
A face was staring directly back at me.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCR6rHnnsK
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOV5lOW2SWk
It was so close that I stumbled backward in shock.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsqEvCX6bE
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFtuXeKNOQ
The thing wore an eerie smile stretched unnaturally wide across its face, almost reaching its ears. Its skin looked pale and wrinkled, but what terrified me the most were its eyes.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnODEN32msV
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn00Ei0K7va
They were completely black.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18hHn90eQi
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPkoR8nj7f
My whole body trembled as I backed away from the wall. I tried to scream, but fear gripped me so tightly that no sound came out. I kept tripping over my own feet as I desperately tried to run.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmqDiJUPc2
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJ4OsbCdKd
After that, everything became a blur.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4w6tnePhlh
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuN8aKQdn1l
The next thing I remembered was waking up at home.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlR5CCnVDA
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwdTDp4VCYl
My father later told me that he found me unconscious behind the abandoned house. Apparently, my cousins had already given up looking for me, and the cousin who hid behind the fence told my father where I had gone when he came to fetch us home.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9c0NEQYe9
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrmJvd4b2G
I ended up battling a severe fever for an entire week.
I never told anyone what I saw that afternoon. I was too terrified they would think it was just a child's overactive imagination.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMjD57J22R
57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYx3W3BLyyq
And until now, I had never shared it with anyone.57Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJU268J7O9W
and then Add to home screen.