A LETTER
A LETTER
Owen placed a hand on Mason's left shoulder, his voice laced with concern. "What happened, Mason? What can't be real?"
Mason turned to his friends, his face pale. "Are you all seeing what's written on the wall?"
Luna frowned. "Written on the wall? What are you talking about, Mason?"
Mason pointed behind Luna and Sophie. "That wall. Look carefully."
All of them turned their heads, expecting something unusual. But there was nothing extraordinary—just the usual scribbles, curse words, and crude drawings that students had been making on the school walls for years.
Owen and Lian exchanged glances before turning back to Mason. "You mean… this graffiti? Mason, this has been here forever," Owen said.
"Yeah, I've seen it before. It's all over the school," Lian added.
Luna and Sophie nodded in agreement.
Mason's breath hitched. His heartbeat quickened. He had seen something else—something terrifying—just a moment ago. And now, it was gone. How was that possible? His mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening.
Luna stepped closer, concern evident in her eyes. "Mason? Are you okay? What exactly did you see?"
Mason shook his head, unable to explain. "Meet me in the school garden at 5 PM. I need to tell you something important."
Owen crossed his arms. "Why not tell us now?"
Mason hesitated before answering. "Because this is bigger than you think. Just be there."
The seriousness in his voice silenced any arguments.
"Okay," they all agreed.
Mason turned to Owen and Lian. "Let's go home."
They all left for their houses. Since it was a holiday and no classes were scheduled, they had time to relax. But Mason couldn't shake off the unsettling feeling. He had seen something real—something terrifying—and now, it had vanished.
To distract himself, he picked up the Suzan Book, the mysterious novel that had no listed author or publisher. He read it over and over, three times in total. But no matter how many times he flipped through its pages, the eerie feeling didn't leave him.
---
The Meeting in the Garden
At exactly 5 PM, Mason arrived at the school garden with Owen. The others were already waiting under the large banyan tree.
Sophie leaned forward. "Alright, we're here. What's this all about?"
Mason took a deep breath. "Sit down. This will take a while."
The group settled under the tree's shadow, watching Mason expectantly.
"Okay, speak up," Lian urged.
Mason looked at them, his expression unreadable, and tell them the whole story what had happen in his dream and said "Last night, I had a dream. But it wasn't just a dream—it felt too real"
Luna raised an eyebrow. "You called us here… to tell us about your dream? Well you are telling us the story of Suzan book."
Owen added with a chuckle, "And you even memorized the book line by line?"
Mason shot Owen a look. "Listen to me first."
Owen sighed. "Fine. Go on."
Mason nodded. "In my dream, I saw everything that happens in the Suzan Book. Every event, every level, every death. But the weirdest part? The characters in the book weren't just random people. They were us."
The group exchanged glances.
"What do you mean?" Sophie asked cautiously.
Mason's voice dropped. "I saw us inside the game. And in my dream, two of us died—Sophie and Lian."
A silence fell over the group. The wind rustled the leaves above them, but no one spoke.
Mason continued. "And that's not all. This morning, I saw something written on the school wall. It wasn't normal graffiti. It was something else. Something connected to the book. But when I pointed it out… it vanished."
Luna's face paled. "Wait… in the Suzan Book, something is also written on the wall before the events begin."
Mason nodded. "Exactly. That's why I called you all here. Something strange is happening, and I don't know what it means. But we need to be careful."
Lian leaned forward. "If what you're saying is true, then why hasn't anything happened yet? According to the book, we should've seen an invitation by now and been teleported to the jungle."
Mason frowned, deep in thought. "I don't know. Maybe something is delaying it. Maybe it works differently in real life. But I do know one thing—we need to stay in contact. We don't know when or how things will start."
Owen nodded. "So, we make a private group. If anyone sees anything strange, they report it immediately."
"Agreed."
With that, they formed a secret group chat and left for their homes.
For the next few days, nothing strange happened.
The group chat slowly became inactive. Days turned into weeks. They started to forget.
Then, the school announced the start of their vacation. Everyone left for their respective homes.
Fifteen days passed.
---
The Letters Arrive
Mason sat in his room, completely relaxed, playing on his PS5. By now, he had almost forgotten about the entire incident. Life had gone back to normal. No strange dreams. No mysterious messages. No whispers in the dark.
Until his mother called out.
"Mason… Mason! Come here!"
Mason sighed, pausing his game. "Coming, Mom! One second."
When he walked into the living room, his mother held out an envelope. It was plain, with no sender's name or return address.
Mrs. Dursley frowned. "This letter is for you. But it doesn't say who sent it."
Mason took the envelope and studied it carefully. On the front, in bold, black ink, were two simple letters and numbers: 'SJ01.'
Mason's breath caught in his throat.
His hands tightened around the letter. Without another word, he bolted toward his room, locking the door behind him.
His phone vibrated.
A string of notifications flooded in from the 'dead' group chat.
Owen: "What the hell is this? I got a letter. No address. Just 'SJ03' written on it." (Attached image)
Luna: *"Same here. Mine says 'SJ02.'" (Attached image)
Lian: "I got 'SJ04.' What's happening?" (Attached image)
Sophie: *"And mine says 'SJ05.'" (Attached image)
Mason stared at the messages, his heart pounding. The numbers were in sequence.
SJ01. SJ02. SJ03. SJ04. SJ05.
One for each of them.
Mason's fingers trembled as he turned the envelope over. There was only one way to find out what was inside.
He took a deep breath—and tore it open.
To be continued…