MYSTERY IN THE COTTAGE

( by Judith Borja, ADM3- PRIZE PRIZE) 

MYSTERY IN THE COTTAGE

Every 9th of every month, it happens. Several strangers come to a cabin, stealthy, creepy, wearing long beige trench coats and red hats. Some carry backpacks. Others simply carry bags. I always wonder why so many people gather in that small hut, in a forest in the middle of the night? If you wonder how I found out, my house is one of the closest to the forest.  One day I was walking with my dog and my best friend, John, and we decided to go there, tired of the unbearable noise of the city.

As soon as we walked in, we felt that strange feeling in our stomach. We ignored it and kept walking. "It's getting late," I said, "A bit more, I see something interesting there. Something interesting in this town, Lily! What if it's a video game shop? Or better yet... a knick-knack shop!"

I thought about telling him that that was impossible for obvious reasons, but I didn't want to take away his illusion. That's when we saw them for the first time, about fifty men, entering that hut. By my intuition, I hid behind one of the huge pine trees. I looked at John, he was gawking at the movements of the strangers. One of them, with the darkest eyes I have ever seen, smiled at him. I didn't think twice about dragging my friend behind the tree. "Exaggerated" he muttered. "Shhh" I whispered back.

And today, after spying on their movements, I developed a strange penchant for uncovering that mystery, but I'm no Sherlok. I have only discovered that they meet on the 9th of every month, go into the hut, and 90 minutes later, come out with empty backpacks and bags, and after another 90 minutes they return with full, heavy backpacks and bags. After another 90 minutes they come back with backpacks and bags completely full and heavy. Are they thieves? I think to myself, sitting at the roots of the tree that keeps me guessing.I'm getting sleepy, I should go. They're taking too long to come back. But then, I hear noises, gunshots, screams. Fear sticks in my throat, I stand up quickly in the dark, watching all the strange men running away, some cursing, some laughing. One of them, passing close to me, crashes into the tree, screams in pain and gets up to continue running. His rucksack falls next to me. Curiosity kills me more than the sounds of distant gunfire, this is my chance! I open it, feeling the zip cold and a little damp. What my eyes see makes me go crazy.It was my best friend's head, full of blood. I scream like a madwoman, throwing the backpack, now I'm really running without a care in the world. I dodge all the men, adrenaline rushing through my veins and it's the only impulse I have to keep running, as I see everything blurry, tears blurring my field of vision. A root appears in the middle of the ground, making me stumble. The pain is horrible, but I still find the strength to get up and look for a foothold.A white-gloved hand offers to lift me up. 

—Hi, Lily. He smiles, the same dark-eyed man who smiled at my best friend last month.