(one month later...)

 

Lena had spend so much time for the past four weeks to decorate her house. She repaints Richie's room blue, decorate the kitchen and fill it with kitchen utensil, do gardening which makes the garden more lively, she also buys new furniture, a simple but cozy one. As far as she see, she likes her new lives so much now.

"Why are you smiling?" Hans voice makes her surprised and almost drop a bowl.

"Woa, be careful..."Hans chuckles a bit.

"You makes me surprised." Lena grumbles.

"Haha.. okay, I'm sorry, my bad." Hans kiss his wife's forehead."Morning."

"Morning." Lena smiles then look at Hans back. "What is that?"

"Hgn...?"

"That thing on the table?" Lena points at the pack on the table.

"Ah, Winnie just came by and give it as a gift."

"Gift?"

"Yeah, she's just got back from her hometown and bring that." Hans explains.

Lena reaches out the gift and open it. It's a beautiful wooden photo frame.

"Tell her thank you, It's lovely. I'm a bit reluctant to accept this actually, since Kendalls family has already given us much."

From a month ago when Hans introduced her to his friends, Kendalls is the most friendly to her. John and Kenny are nice persons and Richie has already be friend with their daughter Winnie who happens to his senior in school.

"Hey, we're not the one who asks so it's okay." Hans smiles and take the frame from Lena's hand.

"Where's Richie? You doesn't bring him with you?"

"No, when I look in his room, he still sleeps, so..."

"Hans, you can't let him like that." Lena walks to the stair. "It's been a week since he did this. If we let him do this, he will not appriciate the time God has given him in the future."

Hans laughs, "Hey, you sounds like my grandma."

Lena only shakes her head, ignore her husband's comment and walk upstair.

"Richie!" Lena calls him when she arrived at the last stair. Silent. No answer from Richie's room. She starts to fell annoyed. She walks fast and open Richie's room. That room is completely dark. The sunlight can come in since Richie hasn't opened the window.

"Richie." Lena calls again, but still no response from her son. She grumbles and enter the room. She walks carefully, not to step on something, which will make Richie so mad, and finally stumbled by the tip of Richie's bed. Damn it, it hurts, She curses the bed in a very low voice.

Lena see the curve of the blanket on Richie's bed and touches it.

"Richie, wakes up! it's already 7 a.m. and you're still here." Lena shakes that curves. It moves a bit but it stops again.

"Ugh, RIchie, you can't..."

"Mom."

Huh?!

Lena turns around and see her son stands near the door.

"What are you doing in my room?"

"Richie?"

"Hm,,, you can't see me because it's dark?" Richie answers her directly.

Lena gets off of the bed. She looks again on Richie's bed. The curve has gone. There's only a blanket on the tip of Richies's bed.

What was that just now?

"Mom, are you alright?" Richie turn on the light and approach Lena.

"I...I'm...okay."Lena's still abit confused but manage to lead her son out of the room.

"Where were you just now?"

"Oh, I was just from the bathroom. Wait," Richie turns back. "Buble! come here kitty!"

A cat rushes from the darkness and jump to Richie. "Okay, come on, Mom"

When Lena sees that she feels relief. It must have been Richie's cat that she touched a moment ago.

"Richie honey, from now on, you can't let buble come in to you room. It's not good for your health."

"Eeeeeehhhh...I can't do that!!!"

"Well, you choose, your morning snack or buble?"

"Haaaaahhhhh, no, Mom, you can't do this to me!!!!"

"I just did, honey. Now, hurry up, your father awaits in the dining room." Lena walks downstairs and ignore her son's complaint.

Lena cleans up the table when they finish eating breakfast and comes with Hans to the front door. Richie walks fast to the school bus that picks him up and don't even say bye or kiss her.

"Byeee." Lena says and waves her hand.

Hans looks at the bus then looks at her. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, just little bit mad of something's silly."

"Okay." Hans smiles and hugs Lena. "I'm going then."

Lena stands outside until she can't see Hans car anymore then go inside. Lately, she just realized something,,,

When no one's home, this house feels so empty. At the beginning, she didn't notice it, maybe it's because she's so busy decorating the house. But now, after she has less and less work to do in the house, she starts to feel it. Almost every day.

Lena sighs. She breathes in and decides to cotinue writing her story. It's been a month since she wrote the previous chapter. Instead of sitiing in her room, Lena spends the day writing in the living room while switching on the TV, even though she dosn't watch it.

The sun almost sets when Lena stop her writing. She looks out to the garden and see the twilight. Then she hears the front door flew open and close.

"Richie?" Lena calls her son.

No reply. She just hear the foot step runs upstair.

"Richie." Lena calls again. Still no reply. She hears the door upstair open and close quite harsh.

Lena goes upstair to Richie's door. She starts to feel annoyed by her son's attitude.

"Richie, open the door." Lena asks him in front of his door.

Silent.

"Richie, open up. If you don't open it up, I'll open it and when I come in I'll be very mad at you." Lena starts to threaten him.

Still silent.

"Richie, since when did you become so naughty?!........." Lena opens the door and stops. Richie's room is still as dark as this morning. She still doen't open the curtain and the window.

"Richie, you hear me?!" Lena raises her tone. Still no reply.

"Richie...I..." Lena starts to step in.

"Mom, I'm home." a sudden sound stops her step. For a moment, Lena thinks that she's just imagining thing, but she's not because she can hear Richie's vioce again calling her name from downstairs.

"Mom!!! Where are you?"

Lena walks out pretty fast from Richie's room and run to her son.

Richie stands in the living room and looks at her. "Where were you, Mom? I've been calling you. Don't you hear me?"

"Did you get back home just now?" Lena asks his son.

Richie nods fast. "Mom, I'm hung...Where are you going?"

Lena ignores her son. She grabs the knife from the kitchen and runs upstair. If it's not Richie then who was that just now? Was it a robber?

She slowly approches Richie's room and enters it while searching for the swith button.

"Who is that?" Lena shouts. Even she can hear her voice tremble.

"I swear to God  that I'll call a cop and sue you if you still don't want to get out."

No reply.

Lena finally find the swith button and turn on the light. She looks around the room. No one's there.

She looks around every room in the house but still find no one. Did that person manage to run? but when Lena checks out every window in every room the house, it's still locked up.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Richie feels a little bit afraid. He grabs Lena's wrist.

Lena puts down the knife and hugs her son.

"It's okay honey. It's okay. I'm just not felling well, but it's okay."

Lena tries to calm her self and richie, but she knows, deep down inside her heart, she feels something is wrong with this house...