CHAPTER 3: THE LAKE BEHIND THE HILL
I didn't throw away the sandals.
I didn't dare.
I was afraid that if I threw them away, "it" would come all the way here to take them back.
I locked myself in my room for the entire day. The door was locked with both bolts. The window was shut tight too. I pulled the curtains and turned off anything that could be seen from outside.
I put the red sandals in a plastic bag, tied it shut with three knots, and shoved it deep beneath the wardrobe.
I thought that would be the end of it.
But around midnight...
The plastic bag began to swell.
Very slowly.
It swelled... then deflated.
Swelled... then deflated.
As if something inside was breathing.
I sat frozen on the bed.
Eleven o'clock at night.
I didn't dare sleep. The room light was on. YouTube was playing at full volume. I even turned on music on my phone to drown out every sound around me.
But I could still hear it.
Scuff... scrape...
Scuff... scrape...
That familiar sound came from the yard outside.
Then it began circling my room.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
On the third lap, the sound of the sandals stopped right outside my door.
Knock... knock... knock...
I held my breath.
A hoarse voice rang out from outside.
"Give me back my sandals..."
My entire body went ice-cold.
I clapped both hands over my ears and screamed:
"I DIDN'T TAKE THEM! THEY'RE NOT MINE!"
Silence fell outside.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then a hoarse laugh rang out.
"Hee... hee... hee."
And then it vanished.
I curled up on the bed, too afraid to move.
Midnight.
My phone suddenly vibrated.
An unfamiliar number.
I stared at the screen for a long time.
I didn't know why, but I had the feeling that if I didn't answer, things would get even worse.
With trembling fingers, I tapped answer.
"Hello...?"
No one replied.
There was only the sound of water.
Gurgle... gurgle...
As if someone were submerged in a very deep lake.
I pressed the phone against my ear.
Then a woman's voice rang out.
Very softly.
Very close.
"Come down to the lake..."
I went rigid.
"Give it back to me..."
Click.
The call ended.
I threw the phone onto the bed and ran straight out to the balcony.
It was pitch-black outside.
Weak moonlight spilled over the road behind the single-story rental building.
And behind the hill...
The lake was still there.
Pitch-black.
Still.
But something was floating in the middle of the lake.
A red speck.
I rubbed my eyes.
That couldn't be...
It was the sandals.
The red plastic sandals were bobbing in the middle of the lake.
They slowly spun in circles on the surface.
While the real sandals were still inside the plastic bag beneath the wardrobe.
I screamed.
Without thinking, I ran downstairs.
The entire boarding house was pitch-black.
Not a single door was open.
No one asked me what was wrong.
Only Mrs. Lan was sitting at the gate.
She held a broom in her hand but wasn't sweeping.
She was just sitting there.
As if she'd known I would run out.
When she saw me, she sighed.
"I knew it."
I rushed over.
"Ma'am... ma'am, you knew that thing was in the lake?"
Mrs. Lan didn't answer right away.
After a while, she finally nodded.
"She drowned there."
I swallowed.
"Who?"
"The girl in the last room down the row. A few years ago."
"But... where's the body?"
She looked toward the hill and answered,
"They never found it."
The night wind blew past.
Leaves rustled.
She continued:
"They only found the red sandals."
I looked at her.
"Then why is she haunting me?"
Mrs. Lan's gaze dropped to my feet.
"Because you're wearing her sandals."
I looked down at my feet.
The red sandals...
She said:
"I heard those were her favorite sandals. She'd bought them not long before she died. Even after death, she still refused to let them go."
My throat felt parched.
"What do I have to do now?"
Mrs. Lan stared at me for a long time.
Then she opened the cloth bag beside her and took out a handful of salt and three incense sticks.
She shoved everything into my hands.
"Go to the lake."
I stood there stunned.
"Now?"
"The longer you wait, the harder it'll be."
"But... what if it does something to me?"
Mrs. Lan looked me straight in the eye.
"Return the sandals to her. Apologize. Burn incense for her."
She paused, then said softly:
"After that, run back."
"Don't look back."
1:00 a.m.
I stood in front of the lake.
The wind blowing off the water carried a strong, fishy smell.
There wasn't a single person around.
No cars.
No barking dogs.
Only the sound of water lapping against the shore.
Gurgle... gurgle...
I stood several steps from the water's edge, my hands shaking so badly I couldn't light the incense.
Finally, all three incense sticks were lit.
White smoke drifted low in front of me.
I scattered the salt on the ground.
Then I looked toward the middle of the lake.
The red sandals were still there.
They were floating.
Still spinning in circles.
I took the plastic bag out of my backpack.
"Ma'am..."
My voice trembled.
"I'm sorry."
There was no answer.
"I didn't know they were yours."
The surface of the lake remained silent.
"I'm giving them back to you..."
I lowered my head.
"Take them and don't follow me anymore."
I shut my eyes and threw the bag into the lake.
Splash!
The bag hit the water.
Slowly, it sank.
I let out a sigh of relief.
But right then...
The red sandals in the middle of the lake suddenly stopped.
They weren't spinning anymore.
Then...
One of them flipped upside down.
The other slowly flipped over too.
As if an invisible foot had just slipped into it.
I stood frozen.
Waves began to ripple across the lake.
Gurgle... bubble...
A dark shape appeared beneath the surface.
Then a head slowly rose out of the water.
Long hair.
Soaking wet.
Clinging to both shoulders.
It wore a blue raincoat.
I took a step back.
"Ma'am...?"
It raised its head.
But there were no eyes on its face.
No nose.
No mouth.
Only a deep, bottomless darkness.
A voice rose from beneath the surface of the lake.
"Too late..."
I couldn't breathe.
"I'm wearing the sandals now."
The head tilted to one side.
"Now..."
A deathly pale hand slowly emerged from the water.
"It's your turn to wear me."
It lunged toward me.
I screamed, turned, and ran.
I didn't dare look back.
Behind me, water splashed wildly.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Then...
Scuff... scrape...
The sound of sandals.
It was running along the shore.
Faster than me.
I ran until I could no longer feel my legs.
All I knew was that I had to get to the boarding house.
The gate was right in front of me.
I charged inside, slammed the gate shut, and ran straight up to my room.
Click!
I locked the door.
Click!
I bolted it again.
I leaned against the door, gasping for breath.
My heart pounded so hard my chest throbbed with pain.
Outside...
There wasn't a sound.
I looked at the clock.
1:17 a.m.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Thirty seconds.
Still silent.
I began to think that maybe I'd escaped.
Until...
Knock... knock... knock...
Three knocks rang out.
I froze.
I didn't need to ask. I knew who it was.
A voice came from right on the other side of the door.
"Thank you..."
I covered my mouth with my hand.
"Thank you for giving my sandals back..."
A stretch of silence.
Then the voice broke into laughter.
"But the sandals are so wet..."
Click.
The doorknob slowly turned.
I backed up against the wall.
"My feet are so cold..."
The light in the room began to flicker.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Click.
The light went out.
The room sank into darkness.
I heard water dripping onto the floor.
Drip... drip... drip...
Then the sound of plastic sandals.
Scuff... scrape...
It was in the room.
Step by step.
Slowly.
Scuff... scrape...
Coming closer to the bed.
I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled the blanket over my entire body.
The sandals stopped right beside the bed.
A drop of cold water fell onto my forehead.
Plip.
I didn't dare open my eyes.
A freezing hand slowly gripped the edge of the blanket.
And pulled it down.
Little by little.
Then a voice whispered right beside my ear:
"Go to sleep..."
I trembled.
"Someday..."
That icy hand rested on my ankle.
"...you and I can trade sandals."
I opened my eyes.
And beneath the bed, I saw...
A pair of feet wearing the red sandals...