Three days after the reading of the will, Nara stood in front of an old bus that had stopped on the narrow road leading to the village.
The rain had stopped an hour ago, but the sky was still gray.
She got off carrying a large bag and a small suitcase. In her right hand, she still gripped the house key the notary had given her.
The key marked 12.
Nara stared at the road ahead.
The village was far quieter than she had imagined.
Only a few villagers' houses stood far apart from one another. The village's main road was still paved, but the farther in she went, the more the road turned into wet dirt.
There wasn't a minimart.
There was hardly any traffic.
Even her phone signal was beginning to disappear.
An old man who had been sitting near the bus stop watched her.
"Looking for someone, kid?" he asked, raising his umbrella.
Nara gave him a faint smile.
"I'm going to Grandma Sari's house."
The man immediately fell silent.
His expression changed.
"Grandma Sari, whose house is at the edge of the village?"
"Yes."
The old man looked at Nara's suitcase, then back at her face.
"You're her granddaughter?"
Nara nodded.
"My name is Nara."
Several seconds passed.
Instead, the man took a step backward.
"You shouldn't come here alone."
Nara furrowed her brow.
"Why?"
"That house has been empty for a long time."
"I know."
"That's not what I mean."
The man lowered his voice.
"When night falls, don't stay there."
Nara was about to ask another question.
But the man had already walked away.
All Nara could do was stare after him in confusion.
After a few minutes, she continued on her way.
Grandma Sari's house was much farther from the center of the village than she'd expected.
The farther she walked, the fewer villagers' houses she saw.
Large trees began to line both sides of the road.
The air felt colder.
Then, after passing a bend, Nara saw something in the distance.
An old iron gate.
Beyond it stood the same large house as in the photograph.
Grandma Sari's inherited house.
Nara stopped.
For a while, she simply stood there.
That strange feeling returned.
The house felt familiar.
Too familiar.
As if her body remembered the place even though her mind did not.
She opened the gate.
Creak...
The rusty iron hinges let out a long groan.
The house grounds were overgrown with weeds. Several vines had already covered the side walls.
But something made Nara stop.
The grass along the path to the front door looked flattened.
As if someone had just walked over it.
Nara swallowed.
"Maybe a village worker," she murmured.
She tried to calm herself.
Then she walked toward the door.
She inserted the key marked 12 into the lock.
Click.
The door opened.
A damp smell immediately greeted her.
Nara turned on her phone's flashlight.
The main room was much larger than it had appeared from outside.
The ceiling was high.
The old furniture was still in its place.
A large wall clock hung in the middle of the room.
Its hands had stopped at 3:13 a.m.
Nara stared at it for a long while.
That uneasy feeling began creeping into her chest again.
Then she took the photograph out of her bag.
The photograph of herself with Grandma Sari.
The photograph with the mysterious little girl on the second floor.
Nara slowly raised her head.
Her eyes followed the staircase to the upper floor.
The staircase was dark.
Too dark.
Even though the afternoon light was still coming through the large windows.
Nara drew a breath.
"Later."
She set her bag down in the middle of the room.
Then she walked toward the kitchen.
But after only a few steps...
Knock.
Nara stopped.
The sound had come from upstairs.
Knock.
This time, it was clearer.
Like someone was knocking on a door.
Nara stared at the staircase.
"Who's there?"
There was no answer.
She waited.
Silence.
Nara tried to smile nervously.
"Probably the wood."
She started walking again.
But when she passed the dining room, her steps halted once more.
There was a long table with twelve chairs.
Nara counted them without realizing it.
One.
Two.
Three...
All the way to twelve.
She immediately remembered Grandma Sari's message.
Never count the number of rooms.
Nara looked away.
Then another sound came from upstairs.
Knock... knock... knock...
This time, three times.
Nara slowly turned her head.
At the end of the upstairs hallway, a door that hadn't been visible before...
stood slightly open.
And through the crack in the door...
she could see a little girl's eyes watching her.