62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtJ9NvLrGOPlaying Hide-and-Seek with My Cousins
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtB3Wfx7YV
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7XUEfcZUZ
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOennTH8JRQ
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWe8KbFe2Ou
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmg1ohNvwM
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnxzT9WLEM
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48XNV8cJhI
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwBIQcRvT6
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BkjQgKETO
I spotted an old woman approaching us, and my mother later introduced her as our grandmother.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPv7PGzOeMh
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNpiYprBPh2
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oaQDUmuKj
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1xNXBHPEI
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfEKovHxjI
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoR5Hz7k2a
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XCOpSQojg
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3TfITlXCz
"That's the limit," he said.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ubSvMDqpD
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0yYbFSGG0
I immediately got excited, so when the game started again, I ran over there with one of my cousins.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1saRIgs6Tz
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnotxgyd1R
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mt1Qx7hRT
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuL4KS3j9ap
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgppkMNOkKp
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfKuAYeDnN
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqXzgHRcLk
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FInePSk2b
Suddenly, I heard soft footsteps from inside the house.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvoJQLvlZr
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwa2pAggs3W
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XcH6LynLP
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYe6bcWipX
I peeked through the hole again and saw a hand slowly pushing the door open from the inside.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwe85afjx1J
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ipoZkHM9S
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bqbF4eDSe
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbFTA1TzMJ
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPdEH1zxkV
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Vn93xNGJC
I went back to peek through the hole again, expecting to finally see our seeker.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOV6d4zCFjr
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsXwhYtLMZ
Instead, I froze.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPFSz9a1qN
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJm84QKfcDE
There was a leg standing directly in front of me. It wasn't moving. It just stood there silently.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95SfMUX35W
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1e8WAfaMfX
For what felt like forever, whoever was standing there didn't even twitch.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiQIsZCZCc
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8r8oVc2rjQ
I frowned and slowly backed away before moving toward the side window to check if I could spot our seeker outside instead.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEDXaDLjaD
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxMsPHZpaM
But there was nobody there.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLy5YKSCNg
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kFZ79YDqU
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDowJn6IUQ
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXR3pttFa7
Then I heard another thud.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LFxa5wBFE
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AlVT6wIeF
This time it was louder, like something heavy had fallen over.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPabQIKlhq
I slowly returned to my hiding spot and crouched down to peek through the hole again.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9jVF4D2lf
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGOTyk2pei
But this time, I couldn't see anything.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqwcQFAjHH
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxU1FzS04T1
It was pitch black.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnbZ01brAv
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNiO1ztT3y
I sighed in annoyance before calling out my cousin's name.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1l1Mlr6xR
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnKx6QW6i0
"Ryan, you okay?"62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYE50qnI2B
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAECacP7WUI
I rounded the house and went toward the front door. I tried pushing it open, but it was locked.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaxBdiqmp9
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lmT55pxAH
I shoved my small body against it several times, pounding desperately while trying my best to force it open, but nothing happened.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKENUIqGno
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjGuUtzuKR
Feeling frustrated, I went back to the hole one last time.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyv6hnmJyYB
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmI74AAghX
"Rya—"62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcAP9Auq20
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68wEYodQLI
My heart nearly stopped.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWshEbMjrS1
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2p3zV5x0Nk
A face was staring directly back at me.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGZAX4yh9p
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CUQYWfxRj
It was so close that I stumbled backward in shock.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOwBcHZsoK
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblcbPAQKfE
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gRtFBlC7L
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uNyAIafQx
They were completely black.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqS99kOgyRY
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1jtevfDzy
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3jhToI7tW
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSew2HaLOzp
After that, everything became a blur.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMofoYKpjT
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaLoEHlHv2
The next thing I remembered was waking up at home.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZucSs144dB
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlluU0WHk3N
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ249RL9SeGB
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSg5OpolkC
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.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrjaZ9Valg
62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohst7Mr3qP
And until now, I had never shared it with anyone.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniBMFrkxW2
and then Add to home screen.