{Note : Word "They" is refers to the Main Character}
'In the darkness and emptiness of a deep abyss, a single speck of light emerged. It grew larger and larger, shining its light into the darkness'
They opened Their eyes, breathing slightly heavily but steadily, gazing into the blue sky. The chirping of birds welcomed, the breeze was soothing. They raised Their body, sitting on a tree trunk. Looking around, the sight of grass and several trees made Them realize once again that They were in a forest, having slept on a pile of fallen tree trunks.
"Oh come on, how long Vi going to keep sleeping? Wake up, wake up!!" A firm voice came from Their right side.
They turned Their body, glancing in the direction of the voice.
"What are you looking at me for? Want Khila to punch you? Hurry up and lift this!!!"
She was a girl about 13 years old, her long tied hair hung over her left shoulder. Wearing a long-sleeved sweater and long pants under the scorching sun, she carried a large basket of red apples on her back. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest with a sharp gaze and her pouting mouth made Them certain: Khila was angry. Then They stepped onto the ground and stood up.
Khila loosened the basket strap with her hands and placed it on the ground.
"Oh right, Hao Ken hasn't come back yet. Its so weird" Said Khila while stretching her arms toward the sky, feeling tired from carrying the basket.
"Maybe Hao already back... Ugh. Seriously" Khila continued as she sat on the log where They had just been sleeping, staring at They.
They looked at the apple basket and grasped its straps, then wore it like a backpack. Carrying the basket on Their back, They began to walk slowly, moving away from Khila.
"Tell Grandma that Khila will follow later. Be careful, Vi!!" Khila shouted warmly but firmly while waving her right hand high into the sky.
***
The sunlight began to fade, the heat no longer as intense as when They were with Khila, signaling that evening had come. Still in the forest, They walked with the apple basket on Their back, taking each step past tree after tree to deliver the apples to Grandma.
Amid Their determined steps-
"grrrrrkk..." They stomach growled loudly, signaling hunger.
They stopped and looked around, searching for something to hunt with. Spotting a branch on the ground, They removed the basket strap and set the basket down near the tree. They took a knife from inside the basket with Their right hand and picked up a thick, short branch nearby with Their left hand. They began to sharpen the end of the branch using the knife. As They focused on sharpening the branch, a presence passed through the trees and bushes some distance behind They.
"rustle, rustle" The sound from the bushes disturbed Their focus.
They had known since the beginning of Their walk that something was following Them. Not feeling threatened, They simply continued sharpening the branch.
Eventually, the branch became sharp and pointy. Still standing in place, They glanced around with just Their eyes. To Their right, They saw a shadow quickly passing through the trees. In one swift moment, the shadow entered a bush. Instantly, They threw the sharpened branch at the bush. The branch flew into the bushes.
Feeling that They had hit the target, They cautiously approached the bush, gripping the knife tightly in case something unexpected happened. Standing right in front of the bush, They parted the leaves with Their left hand. Only to find the branch stuck between the leaves. No signs of tracks or anything inside the bush. They retrieved the branch and closed the bush.
Until suddenly-
"Thud" A sound of something falling came from behind They
Startled, They dropped the branch and turned back toward the basket and found it gone. Only a single apple remained on the ground.
"Huh??" They muttered in a low and surprised tone as They looked at the apple.
They quickly ran and looked around the trees, between trunks and shrubs, continuing to search. Eventually, They stopped in front of the apple, realizing They had been tricked. From the start, the entity had only been after the basket, not They.
They picked up the apple with Their left hand, sliced it with the knife in Their right, and ate it to regain energy knowing They had to retrieve what was Their responsibility.
The sunlight had now fully dimmed, the air grew colder, signaling the end of the evening. They kept running through the forest, searching for clues about the missing basket of apples. Though Their breathing grew heavier, They didn't stop running, believing They responsibility outweighed They current condition.
While running, They saw two paths ahead. One to the left and one to the right, both leading deeper into the forest.
Between two paths, flowed a swift river. They had to choose. While evaluating the paths, They noticed something red in the bushes along the left path. They approached and parted the bushes. There They found an apple. Knowing full well there were no apple trees in this forest, it was impossible for an apple to be here, and there were no footprints. Without hesitation, They sprinted down the left path, looking around and speeding up.
"Keii... Heyy, Lakeii!!"
From They left, a voice called out.
They immediately stopped by planting Their right foot in front, turn around toward the sound.
There stood a boy, around 14 years old, shirtless with a muscular body unfit for his age, drenched in sweat and short hair. His shorts bore some cuts and his face had a few scratches. He was dragging a lifeless boar toward They. They considered continuing to search, but curiosity got the better of it.
They approached, pointing at the boar with The right index finger.
"What?" The boy stopped in front of They and glanced at the boar.
"This is for the party, laaa... Don't tell me you forgot? You know, your farewell party. You're leaving tomorrow, right?" The boy lightly punched They chest with his fist.
Suddenly, They remembered tonight was the party for They. Needed to retrieve the apples quickly, believing they were tied to the party. They turned and immediately ran off, leaving the boy behind.
"Hahahaha, eager much huh?" The boy continued walk and dragging the boar.
***
The sun had completely disappeared, replaced by the full moon. Cold night air and wind enveloped as They walked through the dark forest as if it were They second home. They were used to this. What weighed Them down was not the forest, but the guilt from Their carelessness.
Reluctantly, They walked back to Khila's Grandma's house.
After some time, They emerged from the forest and arrived. A large bonfire greeted Them. Several familiar faces sat on logs around the fire.
"You know what happened earlier? Thats..."
"Ugh, I'm not sleeping tonight for sure"
"Mhhmmm..."
"....."
The lively chatter filled the emptiness inside They, but it couldn't erase the mistake They had made. They walked closer, hiding Their emotions. They saw Khila quietly staring into the fire, her face showing concern, holding a bowl of soup.
Hearing approaching footsteps, Khila glanced toward the sound. She smiled and stood.
"Oh my, you took so long Vi. The soup's going cold." With soft tone, Khila gently offered the bowl of soup to They.
They took the bowl. Khila sat back down and They sat beside her. They vision start to blurry, exhausted from all the energy They spent just with little food.
Khila looked at Them, worry on her face.
"Vi, are you-"
"YOOO CONQUEROR OF WORLDS!!! Kei oh Kei, what were you doing in the forest? Looking for girls??" Khila's words were cut by the shirtless boy from before, now sitting beside They, forcing They body to shift closer to Khila, nudging her slightly.
"Mhmm... Don't say that, Mish. When you say things like that, it breaks someone's fragile heart. Right, Hao?" Said a girl to Khila's left, smiling with closed eyes while sipping warm soup.
"Like I care. When is this over? There're tons of mosquitoes out here, you know!" Shouted Hao Ken from atop a log near the fire, trying to sleep, still wearing his long sleeved sweater.
The shirtless boy was Mish.
"Oh, hahaha sorry Khila, I didn't mean it, I swearrr. Just blame Miyori for that" Mish said teasingly, wearing a mocking smile on his face and glancing at Khila over They shoulder.
Khila glared sharply at Mish, her cheeks slightly red.
"W-What are you even saying, idiot!!" She shouted while grabbing an unburned firewood stick, standing up.
"Didn't get beat up enough by the boar? Want me to beat you too, HUH??" She pointed the stick at Mish's over They head
"Mommy I'm scared... huhuhuu... Keii help mee.." Mish whimpered mockingly, covering his face with his hands and curling up behind They arm as if seeking protection.
Amid the noise, They quietly sat and ate They soup, trying to regain energy. But They mind was still haunted by the mystery of the missing basket.
"Could one of them be involved? But why was there no trace at all? Not even birds could've taken it so quietly. And that speed... it was unnatural..." They said nothing aloud but They mind was full of chaos, trying to solve the puzzle.
Logic after logic played in They mind, until-
"Haha... So noisy tonight... You guys are enjoying this? Here, the apple juice is ready." Khila's Grandma stepped out of the house, holding a flat wooden tray in both hands. On the tray were coconut shells filled with apple juice.
"Apple? How..." They whispered in low tone.
***
The moon had risen high above the sky. The cold wind blew as everyone slept near the still-burning fire. Mish and Miyori slept together near the bonfire on banana leaves with blankets, their necks and feet wrapped in cloth. Hao Ken finally fell asleep on a log, wearing his long-sleeved sweater. Khila remained beside They, her head resting on They arm.
Elsewhere, They were still awake, staring at the empty coconut shell in They hands. Still thinking about the same thing, not realizing how long They had been awake.
"The apple trees are far from here. Only Khila was assigned to get the apples, and I was the one carrying the basket. Could this be yesterday's stock? Impossible. There were no apples here before we left"
They mind tried to process it all, denying any illogical explanations.
"You're not sleeping... It's past midnight already..." Said Grandma Shila softly, walking from behind.
They glanced at her and gently shook Their head. Returning Their gaze to the coconut shell in Their hands.
"Where did you get this apple, Grandma Shila?" They asked with doubt, voice soft and polite, eyes fixed on the shell.
As if doubting what They said, Grandma Shila stared at They with widened eyes.
"What are you talking about... You're the one who delivered it...You brought the basket of apples... placed it in front of the house, and went back into the forest... I saw you Vi" She said softly, pointing at her house wall with her right index finger.
Her words hit They like a rock. Their mind went blank, filled with a void.
In a low, stunned voice, They looked at her and said:
"What??"