Mystery Of Why The Universe We Created Explodes

HAVE YOU ever been afraid of something that all you did is to run and look for a safe place to hide? That's what I felt when me and Drew-my best friend - entered an abandon house. We're both fourteen when this happened.

There was a rumor circling in our town about a haunted place where no one ever tried to go into. When I said no one, it means not even a single soul tried to step on that place, their words, not mine.

I don't know where they got that exemplum when it's plainly clear coming from their mouth that no one ever been there. Who knows? Maybe the ghost sent them a letter and told them about it. We don't know.

They said, there's a ghost of a young lady carrying a lamp appeared every three in the morning and at four in the afternoon, abducting whoever children she sees. That sounds not scary at all, or so my fourteen years old self was telling me. Other kids my age avoid passing there like it's a slaughterhouse.

But not us. It even piqued our curiosity and planned on going to that place. Acting like a complete fool and thought were some ghost hunters who wanted to catch the said lady. We fearlessly go at exactly four, at the same time she appears.

Drew's excited about it, 'cause of course it's his idea. I just followed him-not just in this, but also in an uncommon situation. Wherever he goes, I'm on his tail and that makes me looked like his loyal underling.

He even brought a bag pack-food inside, especially chips, our favorite - full of other stuff. He thought of spending several hours before we leave.

Afraid someone might see us, we used the backdoor that brought us to the kitchen. With a flashlight in the left hand and a crooked stick on the right, Drew leads the way inside the house while I'm behind him holding the same thing he's carrying.

I had a bad feeling when we haven't entered the house yet but I ignored it, I trusted Drew. Even when it would lead us into perilous situation, I will still follow him - not that he'll put us both in danger, he won't do that.

Once inside, Drew put his flashlight on the old ceramic table, aiming towards him and pulls the tenuous chair near the kitchen sink to use so that he can reach the cupboard.

I looked at him dubiously, wondering what he's trying to do. He then started rummaging inside of the cabinet.

Crickets were singing their favorite piece. It's piercing loud inside this empty house that didn't help with the chills I felt. The cold air dampened my nerves that made me hold tighter to the flashlight I'm holding. I closed the zipper of my jacket, trying to constraints the algid air touch my skin.

"What are you doing?"

My voice echoed throughout the kitchen, albeit, it was already a whisper. Feels like I'm talking inside the closed bottle of bourbon.

"Just want to check if the former owner leaves something that we can use," he murmurs, too invested in what he's doing that can't even look my way.

"Nothing found yet," he said.

He jumped down from the chair, the thumped of his feet landing on the concrete floor reverberates from every corner of the room. Clapping his hands, trying to get rid of the tenacious dust clinging on his hands, he faces me and wickedly smiles.

"Thought we're just doing some ghost hunting?"

"Yeah," he said while looking at me, still grinning. "With a twist."

Through the messy kitchen, we can hear a soft voice humming coming from the empty hallway to our left, the reason we halted our movement.

The grin Andrew's wearing was now hinted with aghast. My heart's pounding loudly, too loud that I even heard it. The ceaseless blend of the sound gives me goosebumps. Every hair on my body rigidly stands.

"It's a cat for sure," Drew said dubiously.

We both know it's far from felis catus mammal he's talking about. How can a cat hum? Nope, totally not. Cats can't do that.

No idea who was he trying to convince, me or his self since the fear in his voice was palpable.

I was about to suggest we leave when the humming brusquely stops, transmuted into spooky atmosphere.

"Let's go catch that harlot," he whispered the last part and hastily lead the way again. Waving his hand, beckoning me to follow him, and so I did.

Drew believed the lady died because she brought men every night and got killed by one of them. I don't know where he got that story, but as a young dumb kid, I believed him. I always do, just like the way I believed him when we're at kindergarten.

He said rains are Jesus' pee and so I started sharing it with our classmates. The worst part was when I shared it in class. Our teacher obviously doesn't like it and exploded, giving me a piece of her mind for being sacrilegious and says it's not good blaspheming the Lord. What a kid knew about the Lord at that age? That's something you would know.

Despite the eerie atmosphere and haphazard things in the surroundings, we still continue to wander. We made it to the empty living room. Not totally empty since the patchy couch in the middle erratically stood out.

I examined the surroundings. The smell of dust was lingering in the air. That made me hard to breathe. I can find a lot of broken vase, some have words written on it. Looks like we're not the first people who's been here.

Our loud steps, the only sound I can hear. I looked around, taking in the environment-Drew's doing the same thing, but I know his head's in a different space - barring got to stop, when I noticed something.

There was a dark shadow in the far corner to our right. I aimed the flashlight in that direction but only saw a thick black curtain.

I drew the breath I held, relieved to see a distinct thing that I was expecting. We continued to check the room, Drew's rummaging a cabinet near the table, again.

The place was very quaint, from the rag that looks ancient to the broken chandelier hanging on the ceiling, the designs and painting on the wall. It looked like more like a madhouse than an old abandoned mansion.

Some paintings plastered on the wall are in frame, all lined up to the wall, in details. I am surprised to see a perfect good shape paintings.

Why did the latter owner of this house leaves this impeccable masterpiece when they can sell it to the museum? Surely all of this were expensive.

I study the paintings. A ship in the middle of the ocean, swinging through the raging waves with a lightning struck its deck. Seems like the artist's mind drowned in the ocean when they made it.

I drag my sight to the left side and saw three small bugs orbing a single flower of rosemary.

To the upper side was a skinny-boned stray dog gnawing at a bone, a dark shadow circling its eye. When you look through it, you'd be absorbed with the sadness that you saw in its eye. The artist did a superb job of catching the onlookers' attention through their art.

Drew was now next to me, also examining the painting wearing this mysterious smile.

I looked elsewhere to my right and saw an enormous frame that caught my attention. It was an enormous portrait of a beautiful lady; They placed it in the middle in all of other paintings.

Her eyes were round and looked alive. It felt like she's staring right through my soul. Her penetrating gaze bore into me, inveigling all my attention. I grabbed Andrews' shirt that made him squeak loudly.

"What the hell dude! Are you trying to kill me?"

I hush him down and pointed my finger to the painting and found out he's already staring right through it.

"Shit. Why does it look like she's real?"

That was the last thing I heard from him and now we're surrounded with an ear-splitting roar of silence. We're now both staring at the face of an angel-like beauty in front of us, too enceintes to move a muscle.

At first, the painting was still and looked normal, but after a moment, it suddenly started moving. We stood frozen from where we're standing. I can feel Andrew's hand clutching my shoulder. His touch was icy cold.

"Kyle," he whispered, voice stuttering. "What's going on?"

My voice wasn't also far from him.

"I don't know ."

The realization kicked in. We are inside of an abandon house where no people lived nearby and even passers are nowhere to be seen. We can easily got killed without someone to help us and our families won't find where our body would be.

This pretty much like in a scene of horror movies but you can't blame me. You'll probably thinking this way when you're in this kind of situation, though, I can see no murderer, but still.

The painting on the wall abruptly fell that frightened the hell out of us. Glass shattered on the floor and even fragments reached my shoes.

"AHHHHHH!" we both shouted and bolted outside.

Drew stumbled on the small vase along the way causes to make a disintegrate sound.

"Shit," he says, but that didn't make him stop.

Even when we're already far enough from the house, we are still shouting. Some people we passed looked on us weirdly. Some are even pissed and glared. We don't care as long as we are safely away from the imperilment of the house.

We're both out of breath when we finally reached the domain of our home, can't speak, to fixate on filling in our lungs with oxygen. I believe now, that house really haunted.

That night we sleep while our hearts still beating loudly and promised to never talk and mention it to anyone. Of course, I didn't sleep alone. Drew spends the night at our house and in my room particularly. We shared the comfort of my bed and duvet, as usual. Since he's just living next door, he can easily go home by morning.

We also didn't just promised to never talk about it but swear to never go back to that place ever again, afraid of having a chance of re-encountering the lady with a lamp. No, it suited "The lady in the portrait" well.

WE LOVE to play at the seaside, collecting some various shapes and colour of shells, and also watching the shrinking of the sun when at dusk. It was so serene hearing the sounds of the waves and the feel of sands at your heels.

That's where we end up spending our summer vacation at. It was the last time we spend the summer at our special place, in the beach house.

It was the end of our seven grades in junior year. A lot of things happened during that time. Some of our classmates did the things they usually do, staying in the safety of their room and played video game, some even travel abroad, to their relatives and visiting their grandparents but me and Drew were different, we spend our summer vacation at the beach. Which Drew said he likes the most.

Since Drew's parents just bought and owned a two storeys beach house, we went there and stay for the rest of the summer, bringing a different and new kind of plan on how we are going to waste most of our time. Most of it was Drew's suggestions, obviously.

His top most pick was snorkeling. We discover snorkeling when we saw it in one of the poster ads on the street. Drew, as being himself, wanted to try it and asked permission from his parents.

I don't know how we can do that when we don't even know how to dive or swim, but I concurred and followed him. But to our great disappointment-I merely felt it than Drew - his parents opposed to the idea.

There were still my parents whom we haven't asked yet, and that's what exactly he's thinking. Pulling my hand and dragging me along, to plead my parents to talk his over it but just got disenchanted when the first word they said when they saw us was no, waving the phone to our faces, letting us see the call they had from Drew's parents.

They said we're still kids to do that thing. How can sixteen years old still kids to our parents was imponderable to imagine.

We threw in the towel of the ideas of snorkeling, like chucking our favorite cookies in the trash, and waited till we turned eighteen. The inevitable moment we expected finally comes.

"Did you bring my googles?" I asked Drew.

We are on the rocky side of the beach, the part where it's hidden. Drew says he doesn't want to do his first time snorkeling in the eye of other people.

He wants to know if he's not doing it awkwardly since we're still going to practice on how to dive, he don't want people to see if he was.

He's taking off his shirt and jeans while I'm doing the same. Plastering a smirk on his face, he looked at me after he finished undressing. Lifting his arms, my googles on his grip, he waves it in a circular motion.

"Of course," he's trying to contain his laughter and I don't have any idea why. "Here. Come and get it."

Suddenly, he put it inside his blue fitted shorts, to his bulging crouch. I can feel all the blood go straight to my face.

Throwing his head back, he laughs loudly when he notices my crimson cheeks. I don't know if Drew's doing this because he's just making fun of me or because he enjoys making me uncomfortable, but I know I don't have the balls to feed his jest. I gather my shirt and jeans, then threw it in his direction.

"Asshole," I said.

His guffaw echoed throughout the rocks, making the poor seagull scared and flew away.

We're both looking at the dancing wave of water from the edge of the rock, the deepest blue water shouted danger. It was deep. Drew clutch my hand and looked my way. He's smiling, but I can sense the terrified emotion he tried to conceal.

"Ready?" he asked. I nodded my head, don't trust my voice to speak.

"Okay. I will count from one to three and we'll both jump."

Again, I nodded my head.

"One."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, filling my lungs for much needed air.

"Two."

I squeezed Drew's hand and felt him squeeze back. A different and certain feeling hit me when I felt his strong grip.

"Three."

Like in cue, we synchronically leapt from the ground and felt the raging air touch my heel. A powerful impact hit my skin, then a cold water swallowed me whole.

Deafening silence surrounds me when my body was completely under water. But the forceful grip Drew did in my hand didn't loosen up a bit.

WE DID so many things in the past weeks. Exhausting, sure, but it was all worth it. Doing it with Drew was more than enough to dent the weariness.

Making recent memories to relive, doing some things we thought were fun, and visiting most of the local restaurants here wasn't enough for the entire month of staying here. Sadly, it's time for us to go home.

Smiling, I looked back at the beach house while it slowly turned small in sight while the car was dragging us away from it-Drew's dad on the wheel.

I can't wait to create another memory next summer with the person sitting next to me-as stupid or pathetic as this sounds-I can't imagine spending my summer without Drew. Hopefully, a new good and felicitous memory.

I pulled my gaze to my right and found him sleeping peacefully. He's leaning his head on the window. It's obviously uncomfortable, by the looked of it.

With all the care I can muster, I put his head on my shoulder. With Frank Sinatra's Days of Wine and Roses on the stereo and the warmth of Drew's body beside me, it soon enveloped me with darkness.

I'm lying in my bed, quilt in a tight grip, while staring at the ceiling, counting every second that passed since Drew gone for his date. He could be here, with me, playing video game but he asked Melissa out instead, his girlfriend.

They started seeing each other for almost a month now and it's also a month now that Drew and I didn't hang out; we met, sure, but didn't spend a long time together.

They met at our junior year end party. Going to party was so not my and Drew's righteous deed but Simon (who hosts the party)-one of Drew's basketball teammates-contends that lot of hot girls would be there. It was his obnoxious loud voice that made Drew coincide, of course, dragging me along.

The two of us are talking near the rowdy group of guys at the corner-the night was still early, yet it makes me want to go home already-when I noticed an auburn headed girl look at Drew. He didn't notice her 'cause he's too focus on imbibing the contents of the two red cups in his hands.

"Remind me again why did I agree going here tonight?"

He's not much of a drinker, I know that, one more cup and he'll losses in on his lethargic state of existence. Good thing I'm in charge of driving.

I know it's silly to think that three cups of alcohol can fuddled a person's consciousness, but, hey, it was the first time we had gone to a party with tons of burning liquor furnished everywhere.

"May I remind you as well that I told you, ditch this party, but you didn't listen 'cause you wanted to try going out like a normal teenager even though our parents were against with the idea of us partying?" I said.

That's right, we did all the talking we can just for them to let us go to this lame party. It took us hour pleading before they give us the green-light with Cinderella-like rule, go home before 12 or they'll be locking the door.

"Looks like someone's not enjoying the night," he said in a singsong.

"But I do."

We both looked toward where the voice comes from. It's a girl (the one I'm talking about with an auburn hair) extending her hand towards Drew, offering a drink. She's pretty, sure, but I don't like the purple lips she's wearing.

I almost open my mouth, about to say Drew has had enough alcohol in his body, but he elbowed me and takes the drink from her hand.

"Thanks," he said, cheeks burning.

They started talking and I don't want to be intrusive, so I excused myself. Going to the kitchen, passing a grinding vast throng, to get a drink. Pop-rock music was blasting, smell of sweat, alcohol and cigarettes girdling around. I made it to the kitchen, good thing it wasn't full of people, and open the fridge. Half of the fridge was occupied by beers and other alcoholic drinks, it's a relief to see some space for soft drinks. I grab one and started drinking.

Half through my drink I felt my phone vibrated. I fished it out of my pocket and saw Drew's text.

Let's head home. I'm riding at Melissa.

I go outside, albeit, I didn't know who's this Melissa he's talking. We got home that night, separately.

By morning after my early run I go to their house but got shocked when I saw the same girl from last night, wearing Drew's shirt. They're eating breakfast when I entered.

I declined Drew's offer to eat with them and said I had a lot of things to do. He looked at me dubiously but didn't question and let me leaved. The truth was, I really don't want to see them acting like a newly wed at breakfast.

The girl didn't leave his side ever since and got vexed when they let their relationship at the open, as boyfriend and girlfriend, good for them. Not me, though.

A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. "Honey, your Dad and I will be doing groceries. You want us to buy something for you?"

"Vanilla ice cream, mom."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, mom. Thanks."

"Sure, honey."

I heard her steps retreating. Maybe some vanilla ice cream can help me dissipate the doldrums I'm feeling. I can't believe my summer would end up like this, alone.

What am I supposed to do? I inhaled sharply and grabbed the bolster then throw it away, it landed on my closet, the reason it opened.

Since Drew found himself a girlfriend, surely he's going to spend the whole summer with his girl, why not? She's his girlfriend after all. He haven't tell me of our plan yet or maybe there's no plan at all and that leaves me here alone, with nothing to do.

I need to create a plan, maybe read a book. Hell, no. I'm not going to sit my ass here for the whole summer reading my mother's favorite book. Nope, not happening. God, that would be boring as hell.

I diverted my gaze towards my open closet and saw the blue short I always used everytime we gone swimming. Abruptly, I stood and grab my gym bag and stuffed it inside and all the things that needed. Grabbing my phone, I texted mom and told her I will be gone for an hour and got out of my room.

Once outside, I strode towards my bicycle, checking if it's in a good condition. It was almost a year the last time I used my bike. When Drew and I gone trailing on the wilderness mountain near his grandparents place.

I leapt on it and pedaled to the direction of the closest public swimming pool, where I practiced to swim. As soon as I arrived, I parked my bike and immediately got inside.

Drew never gone here yet. I mentally wrote and put it on the top list of things I wanted to do this summer, bringing him here.

Good thing the place wasn't full of people, I can stay here longer than I planned. There are still goers but not much, though. I marched along a course leading to the locker room and quickly changed into my swimwear.

I plunged on the cold water and did lap after lap. The only time I stopped was when I needed air, rising to the surface, and swam again. After a countless lap, my muscle started to protest so I took a break and sit at the edge of the pool.

"Nice swim."

I looked at my side and saw a guy, same height and build as Drew, standing. His face wasn't familiar, I assumed he's new here.

He's smiling, gentle and friendly, not to be rude so I smiles back. My face turned red, I didn't knew someone's watching me swim, I'm not used to it.

"Thanks," I said.

I study his face, strong features and reddish-brown irises highlights his great beauty. When I cast a glance in his eyes, I found it already staring at me.

His intense penetrating scrutiny burrowed under my skin, making all the hair on my body erect. I looked down and caught myself gaping in his taut abs, it was glistening with chlorined water.

My flushed face turns even redder. Looking away, concerned lest being caught staring, to lessen the heat in my face. I heard him laugh and felt him sit beside me.

"Rhys," he said, offering his right hand.

"Kyle," I said and gladly accept it.

"Cute name. Suit you well."

"Thanks."

"Do you come here more often?"

"Sometimes, when I'm bored."

We did a last lap and talked some more, nothing in particular. Just some random questions and answer like a normal stranger do.

"Do you live here?" I finally asked the question that keep bugging me the entire time we talk.

"Yup," he said. I can see a sad emotion crosses his eyes when I asked him. "But I'm staying at my grandparents."

I attests the emotion I saw when he smiles sadly at me. I didn't pressed the matter, he doesn't want to talked about it. I know, I can feel it.

"I haven't seen you here before."

"Oh, yeah. About that," he laughed, rubbing his nape. "I go to Sta. Monica high school and obviously, it's in a different city. I live there at my Aunt. I'm just here for the summer."

I nodded my head but I noticed that he never mention his parents even once. I didn't asked him about it, though, and just shrugged it off.

We said our goodbyes when it was time for us to go home and promised to meet here again but both laughed when we're heading the same way.

Hauling and dragging my bike beside me, we traipsed the way towards our street.

When we made it to our house, we bid each other goodbye, it was a real goodbye this time. He gently held my shoulder and squeezes it before he walks away. I smiled, it looks like my summer wasn't boring after all, I guess.

"Where have you been?"

I turned around and saw Drew sitting in our front porch steps. His expression spoke hostility.

"Gone swimming," I scrupulously replied while lifting my gym bag to justify what I said. He trudge to my direction and stop right in front of my face.

"Without me?" he asked incredulously.

"But you're in a date with Melissa," I said.

"Yeah, right. 'Cause a simple message would hurt. You should've texted me and I'll be there in an instant. We swear to spend our summer together, remember?"

"Then what about Melissa?"

"We. We'll be there in an instant."

"But I don't want to interrupt your date with her," I almost shouted.

"Wait, are you upset I got myself a lover and you didn't."

I hope he's right. I hope I was upset because I haven't got myself any lover but that's not the reason at all, never been the reason. I wanted to shout I'm jealous but I cant.

"Of course, not!" I said instead.

"Who's that guy?"

"What guy, Drew?" I am spent and I don't want to spend the remaining energy I had arguing with him, but I've known Drew, he's stubborn as hell. He won't let me slip everytime we had an argument.

"Don't play dumb with me Kyle. The one who fucking touch your shoulder like you're some precious gem he's scared to break. Is he your boyfriend?"

If I didn't known him that long, I would probably thought he's jealous, but no, I knew him better to assume.

"No. Damn it, Drew. Can we please stop this?" I don't want to finish this conversation and end up sleeping tonight knowing we're not in good terms.

"Okay, fine," he stomped past me towards their house without looking back.

He was always like this when we're fighting and when I told him we need to stop. Stubborn and puerile was not enough to describe the way he acted.

I hastily followed him then grabs his arm.

"What now, Kyle."

He paused but didn't face me. I moved in front of him and looked him in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Drew," I gave my very hardest to looked like I really am sorry. "I will bring you there next time. Promise."

He cursed under his breath and met my gaze.

"Tomorrow at nine, brunch at Charlie's," his face broke into a smile.

The smile I used to see and made my heart beats faster, faster than a running horse.

"And we're good. Now move, you're in my way," he added.

A deep chuckles escaped from his throat when he passes my side. I go back and entered our house still smiling, up until the safety of my room.