THE RED MASK

The Red Mask -Chapter 4-

IN the middle of the night, Abet slowly approached his sister Shola. "Sister!" He called her in a low tone.

"Hmmm, what?" Shola response in whispering voice.

"Sister, let's go," he said.

Shola suddenly got up, "You're really going, aren't you?" She said while her eyes were still closed.

"Pssttt! Sister, your voice lower might be heard by Mother and Father, yes. I'm definitely going if you don't want to come with me, Sister; I'm leaving alone now."

Shola opened her eyes,"What? Really you're stubborn."

"You know me, sister, and we talked about this last night, right? You agree. But if your mind changes, I'm definitely going. So I asked you now, are you coming or not? If not, I'm going now," he determined to go that cave.

Shola took a deep breath. "Of course, Abet."

Abet smiled, "Sister, we will also return before sunrise."

Shola can't do anything but accompany him; she couldn't leave his brother alone. "Alright." She took the knife that her father had made for her. So that he had a weapon in case someone came in with bad intentions, but her father said no one will harm them. Maybe wild animals can.

He smiles widely. "Did I already say, you can't stand me, Sister, thank you, let's go?"

The two left the hut lightly, the same way they left the tribe. When they entered the woods, the two of them walked and ran; it seemed that their feet did not touch the ground because you could not hear any noise from the dry leaves they were stepping on. Thirty minutes later, they reached the cave.

"Sister, we are here. Are you ready?"

"Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you be if you're ready?"

"Sister, I'm ready; let's get into it!" He said there was excitement in his voice.

"I'm nervous, Abet. It seems like something bad is going to happen; let's not go on." She retreat.

"Sister, we are here already, but if you are afraid, you should go back, or wait for me here; I'll just go inside. Just wait for me here at the entrance."

"I'll go with you." Shola said without hesitation that she couldn't leave her brother alone because things might be dangerous inside the cave.

"Then, sister, let's go."

They entered the cave only to be amazed at what they saw.

Shola retreated when they saw the monstrous snake, while Abet just stood there, unable to see it, with fear on his face.

"Hey! Abet!" Shola said. But he didn't hear anything, so she had no choice but to approach his brother. "Abet, what the hell, let's go out of here!" She said while holding his arm.

He just shook his hand. "Sister, I'm not leaving!" he said with determination.

"Are you going to kill yourself?" "Look at that, it's bigger than us; it can swallow us whole, so let's go before it wakes up!"

"Sister, this is good that the animal was asleep." "So this is my chance; look at that mask, oh!" He points to the top of the cave.

Shola looked up to see that Abet was attached to what looked like a face on a rock.

"Sister, look at it; it still shines even a hundred years later. Apo Lakay was right."

"Abet, don't be so stubborn, listen to me, it's dangerous, let's get out of here now!"

"No, sister, I'll take that!" His sister wouldn't stop him.

"Abet." He ignored her. "What the f**k?" she cursed.

He was really determined to get the mask; even the snake swollen him.

When Abet begins to step He stepped on a branch that made a noise. This is the reason why the giant python moved. Abet stepped forward again; he was not afraid because Apo Lakay said that those guarding the mask are only illusions; if you are afraid, you will not be able to get it, and it will kill you.

The python finally woke up and looked at Abet; it raised its body, and Shola's eyes widened at the visible size of it.

"Hsssssttt!" it sounds.

Shola stepped back a bit and said, "Geez...!"

Abet just went straight to the python to approach.

”Hsssstttt!" The snake opened its mouth as it wanted to swallow the young man.

Shola's eyes widened at what she saw. "Abet, run!" she shouted, but it was too late. The python just swallowed him alive like a chicken.

"No!" Shola screamed and untied the strap on her waist and take the knife.

"Get him out! Abet!" she shouted.

The python looked at her, and Shola backed away.

"Hsssssttt!" It crawled toward her.

There was no time for Shola to run; she just prepared herself. As the python approached, the mouth opened so that it could swallow her. She ran away from it; Shola gave the snake an attack; she hit it; Shola's eyes widen because the cut on the snake's skin instantly disappeared and she became silent immediately.

"What mystical is this? Why is that?" She couldn't believe what she saw.

"Hssssttt!”

Shola ran again; her every move was fast; she was used to running. The python chased her, and Shola stepped on a high rock. She will do anything to get his brother from the snake's stomach; she knew he was still alive inside the python. She positioned herself to defeat the python; she was ready for what she was going to do, but when the python saw her, a strong blow from his tail hit Shola.

"Ahhh!" She shouted, she jumped up, and she was going to hit the sharp stone walls. Shola became alert.

When he landed on the stone wall, even though she was hurt, she didn't let herself fall; if she had, maybe her bones would have been crushed. So she grabbed what she could hold on to. What Shola was holding was the mask.

"The Mask?"

"Hssssttt!" the python crawled up to her.

Shola didn't think twice; she pulled the mask.

When she took it, she stared at the handle. It was beautiful to look at, as if it were living blood with its crimson color.

Shola lost the snake in her mind, and it disappeared when she had the mask in her hand.

"Sister, Shola!" Abet called.

"Abet?" She looked around to find the python. "Where is it?"

"Who, Sister?"

"The python."

"Get down from there, sister."

Shola looked down, thinking, "How is she going down now?"

Abed read it. "Sister, jump!"

"What? "I'm going to jump; do you want me to die, Abet?"

"Sister, you have the mask in your hand." "Why don't you try what it has?"

Shola looked at the mask. "Are you for real?" "I might jump and break my bones if you're fake."

"Do it, sister!" Abet shouted.

Shola took a deep breath, then jumped. "Ahhh!" she screamed with her eyes closed.

She landed right in front of Abet. Shola felt herself first because there was no sound when she fell. She slowly opened her eyes. The smiling brother what she seen. "Abet?"

"Am I right, Sister?"

"Yes, that's right! "Oh, here's the mask, we got it, let's go home," she said to his brother and handed him the mask she was holding.

He nodded. "That's yours, Sister; you got it."

"I don't need it, so it's yours." "Oh, take it, Abet." Shola put the mask in her brother's hand.

when Abet's hand touched the mask. "Ouch!" he screamed.

"Why? "What happened, Abet?"

"Sister, the mask was hot and burned me." He was blowing his palm.

"What, it's not hot; why don't I get burned?" She was amazed.

"That mask is yours, Sister."

Shola raised the mask and twisted it around. "What do you have, huh?" She said then the mask suddenly flew in his face. "Ahhh!" she shouted.

"Sister, Shola, what's going on with you?"

"Ahhh! Ahhh!" Shola tries to remove it, but it sticks to her face more and more. "Ahhh, Bet, help me remove it, Ahhh!" Shola felt that the mask was absorbing her veins.

"Ahhh!" After Shola's last shout, she lost consciousness.

"Sister, Shola." Abet attended her immediately.

What the two didn't know was that the one hour they spent inside the cave was equivalent to one day outside.

"Apo Lakay, do you know where they went?" "They have been gone for two days," Anig said worriedly.

"I don't know, Anig."

"Abet is close to you, Apo Lakay. "Didn't he say that he and Shola were going?"

Apo Lakay shook his head. They were in that conversation when someone shouted toward them.

"Apo Lakay, Apo Lakay!"

"What is that?"

"The cave, Apo Lakay, it's disappearing!"

Apo Lakay and Anig looked at each other.

"They were in the cave, and they got the mask," Apo Lakay said happily.

"Amina," Anig called to his wife.

"Why, Anig?"

"Come, let's go to the cave; Abet and Shola will be there."

Everyone in the tribe, even young people, came to see the cave.

"S-sister, wak..." Abet couldn't continue what he was going to say and was amazed at what he was seeing.

"What's happening?" He looked around him. In front of them was a waterfall, and Shola was lying on the rock. They were in the middle of the water.

"Apo Lakay, look." Anig said. Because the cave wasn't there anymore.

"Our tribe is free, Anig." Apo Lakay knelt down and prayed in gratitude.

"Abet, Shola," called their father and mother.

"Father, Mother, you are here!" Abet shouted when he saw his parents.

Anig supports his wife, and they go to where the two are.

"Father, I'm sorry, sister Shola is still unconscious," Abet said immediately.

They all looked at the girl wearing the mask.

"Hmmm!" Shola muttered as she slowly regained consciousness.

"Sister, Shola." Abet held her arm.

Shola woke up after seeing Abet. She suddenly choked on him.

"Shola, my daughter, don't." Amina's said.

Her gaze turned to her mother. Shola stood up and suddenly strangled Amina.

"So-Shola!"

Shola looked at her eyes and she sees something in Amina's eyes.