Magic Shop

19 | CLUELESS IN CIRCLES

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Detective movies, stories, novels, anime and manga. Back in the future, Dawn has a hobby of reading such stories where the cool detective unveil the truth behind a sinister crime. He loved Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christine, and Edgar Allan Poe when it comes to writing novels and its plots. However, those stories are just stories for Dawn. He never once expect he would find himself in a middle of a case or murder.

But here he Is right now.

But, my previous thoughts don’t mean that the time reset directly points on the murder. The only thing that happened was we saw the corpse.

Dawn pursed his lips as he listened to the urban stories and legend Sejin, River, and Roen are telling again. He was getting bored hearing the stories again but at all he could do was watch his friends. Dawn sighed withdrawing his gaze from the table and to his friends, putting all his thoughts behind. Thinking such matters where he only has little confidence to begin with.

He only have seven days for the time to repeat again so he needed to be alert and clear.

“The same happenings happened over and over again. Afterwards the police got involved so, they secretly patrolled the area however, they did not find anyone who was suspicious. So, since their investigations was fruitless they decided to use another method. However, after the police left, at three am after midnight. One caretakers was awake surveying the area when she heard murmurs and cries of children asking when will they go home. The called for a priest from the church however, the same thing happened over and over again and they decided to abandon the place and burn it.”

Dawn placed his left elbow above the table and use his left palm to lean his chin as he lazily looked at River telling the story again. Unlike before, he was not scared for he was already aware of what will happened.

Roen and Sejin were like before, listening to the stories as they focused their attention to every word River was saying. The atmosphere that surrounded them become heavy as if they were scaring their own selves.

 Dawn memorized the faces of his friends as he wanted to laugh at them inwardly and mock them but since he might disturb the flow of time, so he control himself and just focused on the stories without being scared.

Tapping the table with his index finger, Dawn listen and observed his friends attentively. Finally, Roen was the last to tell the story. It was a ship who appeared every three am after midnight and the people who appeared at the ship. Dawn clearly did not know how such stories spread however, he was curious enough to hear the again.

“Hey,” Dawn said, he removed his left hand supporting his head. Sejin, Roen and River looked at him with questioning gaze. Their pupils were shaking. Dawn smirked before chuckling. Sejin noticed his attitude. He seemed like a bucket full of ice was thrown over him making him shiver. He slowly draw his breath as he find Dawn’s eyes and smirk annoying. He later on forgot that he was scared of the stories.

“I feel like I was scaring myself.” He mocked himself as he chuckled at the same time he jokingly punched Dawn but Dawn was able to dodge his attack and flicked away his fist.

Having the mood changed, River and Reon were now calm. “Don’t tell me you’re all scared?” Dawn jest, his lips curling upwards as his laid his teasing eyes on his friends.

Both River and Roen coughed while Sejin was blushing. “Who told you we’re scared! We are just listening attentively not like you!” Sejin rolled his eyes. This guy… are you a woman to act like that? Dawn said in his mind.

“I’m listening,” Grabbing one snack pouch, Dawn opened it and bit the chips. “All of the stories were talking about people who disappeared. None of them appeared nor got reported that their bodies were found right?” Dawn asked his friends. Remembering the details of the stories told by his friends.  

River and Roen who like detective stories the most was now all ears to what Dawn was saying while Sejin was still acting like a teenager girl who was embarrassed.

“But, the first story from Lee Ann said that bodies were found before the train station was built.” River continued.

“Still, they went missing. All of the people involve were missing. The first case said that the people disappeared were found afterwards however after a while the people who went missing were never found again.”

“Are you telling that these three stories were connected?” River’s interest was piped. He love this kinds of talks the most. Using their brains to think and deduce things. He usually go to the library to read some detective classic books written by Arthur Conan Doyle. And whenever he had time for himself, he would read some books.

He never aspire to be a detective but the coolness of one’s person when they are in the side of justice always bring him chills and satisfaction. This was his only hobby. It always helped him whenever he felt like giving up because life was hard and he can’t let down his guard because he was the eldest.

“No,” Dawn chuckled as he shook his head. “I just noticed how their plots were all the same. If ever the legends we’re true, I am curious why they need that much people. If we’re going to think further, it seemed like the person who was responsible make it sound like he need people so he could sacrifice them.”

“Like those cults?” River asked.

“Yes, aren’t they popular on this generation? Like bow down so that you could be save.” Dawn said as he reminisced those cults that were popular back in the past. He once encountered them in their house preaching. He once asked which god they were promoting but the only thing they told him was, the one who saw his worthiness and decided to up lift the throne. Since Dawn was a Christian, he never really believe in those kinds of stories. Dawn knew that they used to scam people by their faith.  

Sejin rolled his eyes as he saw the smug on his friend’s face. He felt irritated all of a sudden. “So you think you’re cool now?” He said mocking Dawn. Dawn just laughed. Irritating Sejin even more. “Why am I not? I am always cool, Sejin.”

Sejin looked so disgust he was even gagging himself. “Eww.”

“Speaking of which, there are many stories were people disappeared.” River said while Sejin was pulling Dawn’s hair. “Ugh, stop acting like a sissy girl!” Feeling irritated, Dawn flicked away his hand again.

Roen ignoring the two, he said to River. “They are true stories?”

“No, apparently it’s just rumors and legends and they were exaggerated. However, the police warned me not to wander around because some people went missing for a day or two.”

“They were never found?” Dawn’s attention was focused now on River completely ignoring Sejin.

“No, they returned two to three days prior but something was weird.”

“What is?”

“they don’t have any memories to the day they were missing and after weeks they returned to normal like nothing happened. First the police ignored it since the people came back without any injuries, but now they were investigating since the corpse we found last week was one of the people who went missing.”

“What!?” All the three of them blurted out.

“The police told you this?” Sejin said.

“No, it’s one of the customer here in the store.” River answered.

“How did that customer found out?” Dawn was the one who asked.

“that customer was connected to the body we found, he was his brother.”

“Why did he told you that?”

“I don’t know too. I just told him not to worry and take care.”

“Take care? Are you his mother?” Sejin teased his friend once more however he already knew how caring his friend for he was basically the mother and father of his siblings. He just wanted to lighten up the mood. River scoffed at him. Sejin laughed out loud.

“It’s curtsy for customers!” He emphasized.

“Yes, yes.”

Upon this information, Dawn was once again drawn to why the time lead him to this conversation. He clearly was still confused and he felt like he was running in circles making him frustrated again.

“Should we visit the haunted house again?” Having no more options, he suggested to his friends to visit the haunted house again.

Sejin who clearly was still afraid and was just trying hard not to show his fear almost jump. “Are you saying we go back?!” He shouted. “That house was so creepy and there were so many bugs! I feel like puking because of the rotten smell there!”

“Rotten smell?” He asked. If he remember clearly he did not smell something like that before.

River nodded answering Dawn’s question. “there were a certain room that smelled like a rotten rat. Since the smell was so bad, we did not explore it.”

“I see.” Dawn said he was getting more and more curious as time passed.

“Should we visit it again? Aren’t you all curious?”

“We’re much curious of your change you know. You’re not the type of person to head towards danger and inconvenience after all but now you’re even suggesting we visit it? You’re the one one who wanted to leave the place last week, if I remember.” Roen said as a matter of fact as he observed more of Dawn’s odd actions.

Dawn faked cough as he smiled. “I’m just curious. Curiosity is not always that bad. Let’s invite the rest and let’s head there before River’s shift.”

“So we’re going to explore it in the morning?”

“What else? You’re the one who slapped me to the face that I don’t like danger so we will all be going tomorrow afternoon. It’s much more safe. So, are you all in?” Dawn once again convince his friends.

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