the Kids, part II.

the kids are playing in the patio all day long. once the bell rings. all the kids nervously run back inside the church. Paco follows the other kids.

the cafeteria is in the shape of a cabin outside of the main building. it is big enough for all the kids to each inside. there is nothing inside aside from the wooden tables and chairs. Paco eats a potato soup with bread. the other kids eat with happy smiles.

there is some sadness painted in Paco's face. he is reminded of the fact that he used to eat meat every single day. now he thinks about his dead parents. Paco tries to remember the last time he saw either of them. it is sad and hurtful.

Marta sits down next to Paco. she smiles at him. she is curious about the world outside of this orphanage in the middle of nowhere. she wants to know about the world. the wonders and mysteries that hide behind fairytales. the world she may never know.

Marta is bright and excited about the outside world. Marta starts to talk about her favorite books and all the stuff she learns thanks to those books.

Paco listens to everything the girl has to say. he mostly ignores her words as he is more focused on the sound of her voice. he blushes as he doesn't know what to say. maybe he is falling in love with a girl who seems to be older than him. in his mind Paco apologizes to the daughter of the bread maker as she is no longer the girl on his heart.

Augustin and Remo sit down in front of them. Agustin looks around making sure there are no adults around of them before he starts to tell adult jokes. he laughs like a maniac as he is the only one entertain by his own dirty humor. 

Remo is a serious kid. he slaps Augustin. he also orders his friend to stop with humor that can sound blasphemous in the presence of the lord. Remo is reading a worn-out old brown book that is about to fall apart. Remo tells his friends to be watchful of their words.

as the four kids are talking and sharing their likes and dislikes. a girl that resembles Remo walks by with a serios face. she makes eye contact with Remo. the girl in question makes a comment that sounds more like criticism against Remo. the girl turns around and leaves.

"Ignore her. that is Romelia, my twin sister. there are factors that creates distance between us. we may be of one same bloodline, and we are rivals." comments Remo.

"Fator? what is that. moving on, is there a reason why there is no one playing outside at this hour. all the other kids seemed scared as soon as they heard the bell." said Paco.

"Oh? nobody told you? the forest is haunted. they say an old witch used to reign over this territory and she was the fountain of all evil. even after she was slaughter by a hero of light. it is believed that she cursed the forest in her final breathe." said Augustin.

"Was it a witch? I was told something different. I was told it was a walking skin." said Marta.

"You mean a Skinwalker? you were also told to be demons and an evil ghost. no one is sure. but there is something evil living in the forest." said Remo in a serious tone of voice.

"So, the forest is curse." Paco thinks aloud.

nobody speaks out. there is complete silence. Paco is unsure if he should believe such no sense as his father would always remind him that fiction is fiction. and then again, his father is no longer walking among the living to correct that statement. 

Paco keeps forming friendships with the other kids. there is a total of forty-two kids in the orphanage excluding him. Paco starts to think that the idea of being happy in there isn't as foreign as he suspected in the beginning. things are turning quite nice.

as the moon had replaced the sun a couple of minutes ago. all the orphans are told to go to their rooms to sleep. as Paco is walking in the corridor. there is a conversation among the adults taking place in which they mention something about Padre Benedicto's past. Paco doesn't have the chance to listen to the whole conversation.

Paco keeps walking. he gets inside a dark room. there are some dusty beds. in one of the beds by the window lies down a kid with his eyes covered by a bandage. the kid in question introduces himself as Marcelo the blind kid. Paco gets inside. slowly he gets closer to the blind kid who seems to be friendly. Paco sits on the border of the bed.

"Don't mind me. I may be blind, but I am great with my hands. the only thing I asked of you is to describe the moon for me. my dad used to do it, back when he was alive." said Marcelo in a monotonous tone of voice lacking any form of emotion.

"It is bright. blue with a hint of white. it is pale, beautiful and lonely."

"Thanks, I appreciate the help. I feel more at peace now. I can finally go to sleep knowing that the moon is as peculiar as always." said Marcelo with a genuine smile.

it didn't take long for the blind kid to fall asleep. on the other side Paco struggles to keep his eyes close as there are too many things in his mind. he thinks about the things he heard about the priest and the orphanage. he thinks about the cursed forest. the myths.

it starts to rain out of nowhere. there is a severe storm shaking the roots of the orphanage almost pushing it to fall. there are strange noises coming from outside. there are shadows of beasts coming out of the forest with sinister intentions.

Paco starts to sweat cold from his bed. he tries to close his eyes. the random noises start to sound like monstrous voices calling for him. the shadows start to take the shape of a big bad Wolf waiting to tear down houses of wood or bricks. there is something neither human nor animal on the opposite side of the window observing him. the only thing that Paco can see are two bright neon yellow eyes staring at his soul.

the claws of the night threaten with keeping the soul prisoner in constant fear. the touches of the wind are the perfect detail to add to the fear factor. the cold weather increases the sensation of something inhuman standing outside.

Paco freezes in horror behind his bedsheets. his sweat becomes cold. his eyes are fixed on the shadow like figure on the opposite side of the window. his ears pay special importance to the strange noises that sound so unnatural. the beast calling for him.

Paco can't move. he can't act. all he can do is stay there as fear controls him. there is something inhuman disturbing him. something as simple as breathing becomes complex. his heart is beating so fast it feels like it is about to blow up. Paco can't move. he tries to look away as he turns his head towards the opposite side. his eyes fixed on the wall. Paco tries to reclaim control of his own distorted senses.

"Knock. knock. open up the wooden door little porky." said a voice that sounds too firm and intimidating to be a whisper. a malicious voice that comes from the opposite side of the window claiming control of the situation.

Paco takes a crucifix from the wall. and holds the crucifix firmly with all his strength. the boy begins to pray loudly. he keeps his eyes close as he ignores the entity. unsure if that is real or a product of an interesting imagination. Paco accepts the fact that ignoring it won't do him any favors as it feels dangerous. extremely dangerous.

after praying for what feels like an eternity. Paco opens his eyes nervously. it was gone. as if that thing was never there to begin. Paco sighs in relief. tears fall from his eyes. there is always something morbidly intriguing about the supernatural and unknown, but that is completely different from feeling in absolute danger by something unknown.

that night, every minute after felt endless. it took some time for Paco to finally fall asleep as intense was his experience with fear. and as things can't get any worse. Paco wasn't the only kid that night who experienced something scary. some kids weren't able to sleep as even something as simple as sleeping felt as a danger to their existence.

on the distance a pack of wolves stand starring at the orphanage. there are blood and saliva all over their mouths and claws. the wolves in question return to the forest.