ESCAPE FROM THE CAVE AND BEYOND.

My body felt numb as my eyes were still stuck on the mask. It's was soo cold that l could feel my body freezing at that time. My heart started racing it way out of my body. I held my courage up and bend down to grab the porcelain mask carefully . The note which said " You broke the vow now remember " , was next to the mask. It words suddenly started to smudge..... like they don't want to be read twice.

I started to walk my way out of the cave praying that l still remember the path that l come from. I felt shadows roaming behind me as l walked away. Suddenly l had a whisper after a long time of quietness and its said " It's not over" . Those words felt like a threat to me .

As l continue my journey to rescue myself l saw something that was unexpectedly. The cave's walls were adjusting itself to let me out of it as if it's was alive and done with me . I finally saw a ray of light. It was still blurred but l could see the outside world still looks faded, as if l was still half way between two realities.

The mask on my hand felt more heavier as l walked with it farther away from the cave. I kept hearing soft footsteps behind me as l continued walking but when l turned to look , the was nothing. It felt like l was been followed by someone.

I decided to check my phone and see what time it was as the clouds became more darker . My phone started glinching , when l looked at the time it was all wrong, "It can't be two o'clock in the noon". I said to myself . "Owww no.... not at this time". My phone has no signal how am l going to know what time it is now... am soo doomed, l said to myself. I think the cave swallowed the whole signal on my phone.

I continue to walk my way out but this time l saw something strange happening with me, when l tried to blink l saw flashes of the ghost everywhere - on the tree or in reflection. I tried whispering loudly " what are you?? " but no answer come . At this time l knew for sure it was time for me to run .

I was lucky enough to have found everyone asleep at this time . I hurriedly went to my room and hide the mask in my drawer. I went to get a bath as my legs were all soaked in dirt from running. I come back from the shower just to find that the mask had vanished. It is not where l had kept it before. I started looking for it every corner of my room.

Suddenly the light started to flicker , at that moment my eyes directly went to the mirror and there it was..... stucked on it . I saw something written in faint fog " You brought her back " . I went closer and took the mask from the mirror, this time it felt different, lt was so warm - like it been waiting for me. I stared at it for so long then l suddenly felt like a pull .... a voice whispering : " Put me on " .

I did what l was commanded to do . I saw flashes of a girl running barefoot in the dark . Everything in my room started shifting " it was decaying, walls peeling, the air become so cold . Then l heard echoes of a woman singing lullaby to her baby. Then l saw a girl standing to a corner but this time she does not whisper anything but points to a small golden box .

I removed the mask fast and feel on my knees gasping , l felt something in my heart aches like part of me belongs there. I clunched the mask to my chest , my breath still shaky , the vision still echoing with the ghost hollow stare. And for the first time , l didn't feel afraid. I felt homesick.

Like something inside me had finally awakened. Something broken. Something buried.

And deep in my chest , where my heart should have been pounding in terror, all that l felt was cold ache - a whisper in my blood that said:

"You were never meant to leave ".