That night, the old house at the end of the street was once again shrouded in a thin mist. The wind blew softly, making the trees in the yard sway like shadows dancing beneath the moonlight.
Zelia stood in front of her bedroom window. For the past few days, she had felt like something was watching her. That feeling always appeared whenever she was alone.
"I'm sure there was something outside just now..." she whispered.
Zelia leaned closer to the windowpane. At first, she saw only the dark, empty yard. But a few seconds later, a figure appeared among the trees.
It was tall and still. The figure stood with its back to the moonlight, making its face impossible to see clearly.
Zelia slowly backed away.
"Who is that?" she asked in a trembling voice.
The figure didn't answer. Slowly, its head turned toward Zelia's window.
Zelia's heart pounded.
"What... can it see me?"
Suddenly, the bedroom light flickered. When Zelia looked toward the yard again, the figure had disappeared.
Fear mixed with curiosity, Zelia left her room. She carried a small flashlight and walked toward the front room.
"Where are you going this late at night?" a voice asked, startling her.
Zelia turned around. Her older sibling was standing behind her.
"I saw someone in the yard," Zelia replied.
Her sibling frowned. "Someone? That's impossible. No one has come by since this afternoon."
"But I really saw someone."
The two of them then walked over to the front-room window. The yard still looked empty, but something on the ground near the old tree made Zelia stop.
A footprint.
"This..." Zelia pointed toward the ground.
Her sibling fell silent.
The footprint looked fresh, as if someone had just been standing there.
The next day, Zelia tried to find out more about the figure she'd seen. She asked the locals about the old tree in her yard.
An elderly woman who lived not far away suddenly changed expression when she heard Zelia's story.
"You saw that figure?" the old woman asked softly.
Zelia nodded.
"It's been a long time since anyone could see it."
"What do you mean?"
The old woman gazed at the old house in the distance.
"A long time ago, there was someone who always stood near that tree. No one knew who they really were. But everyone who saw them always felt like the figure was waiting for someone."
Zelia fell silent.
"Waiting for who?"
The old woman didn't answer right away. She only said,
"Maybe... waiting for you."
The following night, Zelia stood in front of the window again. She wanted to prove that what she'd seen hadn't been just a shadow.
But this time, the figure appeared closer.
Standing directly beneath her window.
Zelia held her breath.
The figure slowly raised its hand and pointed toward the front door.
Then a soft whisper came from outside.
"Zelia..."
Zelia's eyes widened.
The figure knew her name.
Growing even more frightened, Zelia backed away from the window.
"Who are you?" she asked.
There was no answer.
Only the sound of footsteps slowly moving away.
When Zelia finally dared to look again, the figure had disappeared. But beneath her window now lay a small object that hadn't been there before.
An old necklace engraved with someone's name.
Zelia picked it up with trembling hands.
On the back of the necklace was an inscription that made her face go pale.
"For Zelia, from someone who never forgot you."
Zelia stared at the necklace for a long time.
For the first time, she realized that the figure she'd seen hadn't come by chance.
A great secret connected her to the old house.
And that night, Zelia knew...
Her meeting with the figure had only just begun.