As she lay on her bed, she could hear the muffled conversations nearby. The doctor and the nurse were talking softly to each other. Rose slowly opened her eyes, and the sunlight coming in from the window fell directly on her face. With half-open eyes, she looked around and saw Lucy talking to the doctor. Behind her stood Hallin and John.
Suddenly, Lucy's eyes fell on Rose. She quickly came running toward her.
"How are you now? Are you okay?" Lucy began asking questions.
"Yes, I'm fine," Rose said in a very faint voice. It was difficult for her to speak, and Lucy could sense why she was speaking so softly. Rose had been trapped for so long in that closed room where it was hard to breathe. Who knows what kind of insects had bitten her hands and feet? She didn't even have the strength to say or do much.
When Lucy moved closer to Rose, Hallin and John also stepped forward. As Rose tried to sit up, Hallin laid her back down again, reminding her that the doctor had asked her to rest. Rose lay down again.
John then said, "Never go anywhere alone again. I don't want anything like this to ever happen to you again."
Rose nodded, and John gently placed his hand on her head.
After a short silence, Rose asked, "By the way, who brought me here?" She looked toward Hallin.
Hallin replied, "Lucy, you were with her, so who brought her here?"
Lucy stayed silent for a moment, then said, "Some people were passing by the cabin when they saw a few men holding weapons. They called the police, and the police brought you here."
Rose blinked her eyes a few times and then looked at Lucy again.
She asked, "Really?"
"Yes. Why would I lie?" Lucy replied.
Her trembling voice faltered, she could no longer speak. She fell silent and turned to her side, pulling her arm close before drifting back to sleep. Hallin and John remained sitting beside her…
*************************
Jackup was sitting on his bed, sketching something in his sketchbook. He was about fifteen years old. Lying on his stomach across the bed, he was deeply engrossed in moving his pencil across the page. After finishing, he closed his pen and stood up, taking it to show someone.
He walked into the next room where his mother was. Excitedly, he said,
"Mom, look, I made this! Isn't it nice?"
Henna looked at Jackup's sketch, but her face turned stern.
"I told you not to waste time on all this! You should only focus on your studies. Not once do you understand what I say. Go away, I don't want to see you right now."
Henna snatched the sketch from his hands and tore it up. Tears welled in Jackup's eyes as he left the room. He went to his own room and started doing his assignment, but as he wrote, he broke down, sobbing heavily.
Jackup still remembered that day clearly. Now, sitting on the kitchen counter, those memories came flooding back. He remembered the day when he had been sitting with his mother in front of his teacher. His mother had been talking to the teacher about his subjects. Jackup had wanted to study Arts, but his mother had enrolled him in Science instead.
He was still sitting at the counter, lost in those thoughts. As he thought about it, his eyes grew moist, and a tear rolled down from his right eye.
The tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away and got up from his place. His kitchen was directly opposite the dining table. Just beyond his room, a little to the left, there was a bedroom, and on the right side of the bedroom was the washroom. Beside the bedroom was his office where he often sat and worked.
It was quite a large house, though the ceiling design was kept simple. He was a simple man. On the left side of the bedroom there was a shelf, and on the wall next to it, a small TV was fixed. Opposite the TV stood a single sofa. The sofas were spacious and comfortable, placed on both left and right sides.
He went straight into his office. Directly in front of the door stood a table where he usually worked. Behind it was a bookshelf, packed with books, and above the shelf were ceiling lights that made the space look even more beautiful. On the right side of the table, there was a window, with a small spot in front of it where anyone could easily sit or lie down. A round rug and some cushions were placed there. On the left side of the table, some belongings were neatly arranged.
Jackup was a man who liked cleanliness, but with time, he had grown careless. He lived alone. He sat down on the chair at his desk. Suddenly, he received a call. It was Lucy on the line.
"I'll be leaving in a while," he said, and got up from his chair.
When Rose opened her eyes, it was four o'clock at night. She was hungry. But at that time, there was no one in the room. She sat up, resting her back fully against the pillow behind her. Suddenly, the door opened and Hallin came inside carrying a pot in her hands. She looked at Rose and said,
"This is warm soup I've made for you. Drink it—you'll feel a little better."
She set the pot down, removed the lid, and began feeding Rose with a spoon. Rose's body was still weak and trembling, and she could barely eat anything. Slowly, she drank some of the soup.
Hallin said softly, "We only gave you what the doctor prescribed."
Suddenly, Rose froze. Hallin noticed and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Rose moved her hand to her neck—the chain was no longer there. Her heart began to race as she looked at Hallin with suspicion. She wanted to say something but stopped herself.
Hallin quickly said, "Don't overthink. You'll find it. And anyway, what's in that chain that you keep worrying about so much?"
Rose tried to ignore her words, but drowsiness began to overtake her. It was sudden, but after a while she managed to sit up again.
"I'm feeling a bit tired," she whispered slowly.
"That's fine. I won't disturb you," Hallin replied. She stood up and left the room, saying she would return the next day.
After she left, Rose tried to get out of bed, but her legs were too weak to hold her. Using the support of the side table, she slowly moved toward a chair and sat down.
From there, she could see outside the window. The moonlight was shining directly before her eyes. She sat there, lost in thought about the chain. She could not understand what was so special about it.
"What is in that chain? Why do I keep having nightmares because of it?" she asked herself. Nothing made sense to her.
She also doubted that the police had really been the ones who brought her here. Something felt wrong. Rose whispered to herself, but she had no clear idea of what was actually happening. Why couldn't she remember everything?
All those questions kept her awake.