The Mysterious Journals

"Dear you, Sophia.

I'm thrilled to feel your presence here. You and Richard are the key. I know that you can find everything that's missing in this house. I'm sure you can get through it all. If you encounter my family, please hide immediately because they don't like other people in this house.

Search for everything about me. If you succeed, you'll find the path you're looking for."

My name was mentioned as if the letter's author knew me and Richard. My heart raced, and I didn't know how to react. It was too surprising. I quickly tucked the letter inside my blazer and started looking for Richard. It then struck me that the letter didn't reveal the author's identity.

I searched for Richard in another room on the first floor. I had visited several rooms, but I couldn't find him. I began to tremble as I looked at all the items covered with white sheets, and a strange atmosphere seemed to permeate the room. I continued looking for Richard with growing anxiety and restlessness.

"Richard!" I began to shout his name with a trembling voice. I thought he might be playing a prank on me by hiding. He had a playful side.

There was no answer.

I shouted again as I walked up the stairs. My hand gripped the banister tightly due to my nervousness. "Richard, this isn't funny! I don't want to play games! You must be hiding to scare me!"

There was still no response. I began to feel increasingly anxious, especially after reaching the upstairs area, which was pitch dark. I swallowed hard, my doubts about entering the darkness growing. But I had to find Richard quickly. I turned on the flashlight on my phone and started looking for the light switch.

I found it and turned on the lights on the wall. The second floor appeared to have mostly bedrooms. I called for Richard again until I reached a large room where someone grabbed my hand. I flinched, feeling like my heart was about to leap out of my chest.

I tried to figure out who was grabbing me and was relieved to find that it was Richard. He placed his hand over my mouth, and I ended up in a position facing away from him. Then, he whispered in my ear, making me slightly ticklish, "Sorry for pulling you in so tightly, but we need to hide."

I immediately understood his meaning. The family who had written the letter might have seen Richard and become angry. I checked my watch, which read 10:10 PM. Time was passing quickly. In this position, I could feel Richard's breath, which was also slightly labored, and the scent of his cologne permeated my senses. We were hiding inside a large wardrobe.

The sound of footsteps made the atmosphere even more tense. I held my breath and could feel Richard's warm hand covering my mouth. The footsteps suddenly stopped. I released Richard's hand and whispered, "Is it over?"

Richard quickly shook his head. "Not yet. Don't come out. I can sense that someone wants to open this wardrobe."

We both fell silent for a few moments until we heard the sound of footsteps moving away from the room and the sound of a door being closed and locked. I breathed a sigh of relief. However, Richard still seemed uneasy. I reassured myself and slowly opened the wardrobe door, my hands trembling. Richard's hand helped me open it.

As the wardrobe opened, we cautiously stepped out. Richard immediately went to the door and tried to open it, only to find that it was locked. He then looked at me and said, "What do we do now? It must be uncomfortable for you to be in the same room as someone you just met."

Richard was very attentive to my reactions and feelings, and I began to see him as a kind person. I had to admit that he had a sweet face, with a tall and elegant nose, and a deep, thoughtful gaze. His brown hair was now disheveled, and his cologne scent had suddenly imprinted in my memory.

Richard approached me, giving me a sideways smile and said, "Instead of answering, the woman in front of me just stared at me. Am I really that captivating?"

A blush spread across my cheeks as I heard his teasing, and I quickly turned away to hide my reddened face. "Hmm, I... haven't thought about what we should do now. Because the door is securely locked. We can't find out anything about it."

"About it? Who?" He raised an eyebrow, implying curiosity.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you about this letter," I handed him the letter. He furrowed his brow as he looked at the letter now in his hand and began to read while sitting on the edge of the bed.

I then removed the white sheet covering the nightstand next to the bed to look for clues, opened each drawer, and collected the papers inside. I sat on the bedroom's carpet and aligned the papers. Leonardo. That name caught my attention. I also found a black and white photo of a man. Who is this? I didn't see him in the family photo.

I stood up, opened the white sheet covering the other nightstand, and found a journal in the drawer. I sat back down in front of the papers I had lined up on the carpet.

"How could this person know us?" Richard sat next to me. I turned to him.

"I'm not sure. Could he possibly be related to your family?" I asked him in return. He seemed thoughtful.

"Hmm, I'm not sure.

You've aligned these papers like a detective," he said and chuckled. I laughed and shook my head.

"It seems like we've been assigned to be detectives here," I joked.

"You're right," he laughed while picking up one of the papers and began to read.

"This Leonardo seems to be a General, right?" He guessed after reading the letter signed by General Leonardo. I compared the handwriting on the letter he held and the one in my hand. It was identical.

"It seems the one who wrote the letter to us is Leonardo. But why would a Veteran ask for our help?" I pondered. Richard then said,

"Let's look for more clues. For some reason, I feel more enthusiastic now."

Richard searched for more clues in the large wardrobe where we had hidden earlier. Meanwhile, I read his journal.

"September 21, 1911.

I've just been adopted by Nolan Family. I feel incredibly honored to become part of the Lieutenant Nolan family. I live in their grand house, and it's delightful to see him provide a room just for me. I've never had a place of my own before.

They say they want to raise me to become a Lieutenant like him in the future. I have much to learn to prepare for it."

Leonardo was adopted? Then who are the people in the family photo? Were they the Lieutenant's family who adopted him? I continued reading on the next page.

"December 30, 1911.

New Year's is just around the corner. But why do I not feel happy at all? Perhaps it's because my aunt suddenly arrived at Nolan's residence. They all came, saying they were my family and demanding to live with me due to our blood ties.

I'm furious. They don't remember how they dumped me in an orphanage. I don't know how they found out that I was adopted by Lieutenant Nolan,

considering his residence is so far from theirs."

I could imagine the feeling of someone who had been abandoned and was suddenly returning to take advantage of them. It must have been frustrating, anger-inducing, and indescribable. I felt irritated while reading his journal. Richard had finished searching for clues and sat down next to me with some photos. We continued reading the papers until we both dozed off on the bedroom's carpet.