The City In The Shadows

The cold wind whistled into Mo Wen's collar, making him shiver.

He looked up, and the world around him seemed filled with darkness and cold. Then he noticed a flickering orange light on the other side of the river, like a warm hand waving at him in the night.

He paused and looked at the flyer in his hand. His destination is to cross the river and reach the place with the light.

"Are you kidding?" he frowned."The river is full of water. Am I supposed to swim across?"

But when he looked closely, he realized something was wrong—the riverbed was dry. He walked down the riverbank, mumbling,"When did the river dry up? How did I never notice?"

The cracked riverbed lay bare under the moonlight. It wasn't too wide, about ten meters. The ground was loose and dry, with dust, plastic bags blown by the wind, scattered stones, and even a rusty old bike lying on its side, as if someone had abandoned it in a hurry.

He walked across the soft ground of the riverbed, climbed up the other bank, and looked at the orange light. It was still there, quietly glowing, not far ahead.

The orange light brought back memories for Mo Wen. When he was a child, he would always see a similar light at his doorstep after school. It was left by his father, and the house would be filled with the smell of food, waiting for him to come home.

Back then, whenever he saw that light, he knew someone was waiting for him, and he had a home to return to.

But now?

Mo Wen smiled bitterly and shook his head. Whether or not the light was really waiting for him, he had to go and see.

He walked forward, not knowing how long he walked. The night seemed to grow warmer, maybe from the physical activity or the comforting light. Yet, he felt a bit uneasy—the light seemed to stay the same distance away no matter how far he walked.

He frowned, feeling a hint of anxiety, but he gritted his teeth and kept walking.

Eventually, he reached a wide lawn.

Mo Wen stopped and looked around in surprise. In this expensive city, there was such a hugh lawn, thousands of square meters wide. In the night, the neatly trimmed grass was divided by tall trees, like natural barriers. At the end of the lawn, a dark silhouette of a western-style villa stood quietly, lonely and mysterious.

"...What is this place?" he murmured, feeling puzzled."Whose estate is this? How come I've never heard of it?"

He squatted down and touched the grass. Indeed, it was meticulously trimmed, showing that someone took care of it. But in such a big place, there wasn't a single sound?

Mo Wen felt something was wrong and was about to stand up when he heard a faint motor sound around him.

"Buzz—"

The sound came from all directions, and before he could react, several irrigation water jets suddenly sprayed out!

Powerful jets of water, mixed with fine mist, shot up from all around, instantly drenching Mo Wen. He shivered from the cold, sucking in a sharp breath. The night wind was already icy, and now his clothes were soaked, making the cold feel like ice blades against his skin.

"Damn!" Mo Wen instinctively covered his head and ran towards the villa.

As he ran, he couldn't help but mentally complain:"What kind of villa is this? Watering the lawn in the middle of the night? Is it haunted by water ghosts?!"

He just hoped the villa's owner would be reasonable and let him dry his clothes; otherwise, he feared he would freeze into an ice pop tonight.

Stumbling in the night, he reached the villa's entrance, standing there wet and breathless. He noticed—

The orange light was slowly fading into the darkness of the villa.

Mo Wen frowned, feeling a strange sensation in his heart.

"Is someone holding a lantern?" he wondered, looking at the half-open door of the villa, like a silent mouth waiting to swallow whoever entered.

He hesitated.

Today was a traditional Ghost Festival.

Mo Wen had a bad feeling, but when he looked back, the city's lights were hidden by dark trees, as if completely cut off. He wasn't even sure how far he had walked or if the way back was still there.

The cold wind hit him again, making him shiver. His wet clothes clung to his skin, freezing cold, almost making him tremble. He hugged himself tightly and sneezed.

"...Whatever, let's go in and ask."

Taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself, he walked towards the half-open door.

"Is anyone there?"

Mo Wen called out loudly, his voice echoing in the empty room. But there was only silence in response. He peered inside, the faint moonlight coming through the large windows, casting twisted shadows of the crystal chandelier on the floor, like a standing shadow silently watching him.

The hall was empty, dead silent, and cold. In the corner stood a lonely grand piano, like a ghost forgotten in time. He knocked on the door again and called out, but still, no one answered. Frowning, he reached out to touch the heavy velvet curtain by the door, his fingers trembling slightly—the thick dust fell quietly, floating in the moonlight like wandering ghosts. It seemed no one had lived here for a long time.

A sense of unease crept into his heart. Mo Wen sighed and was about to leave when—

"Dong—"

A piano key suddenly sounded, clear and abrupt, as if an invisible hand had pressed down on the cold black and white keys.

Mo Wen stood frozen in the middle of the hall, lighting up his phone and pointing it towards the dark corner. A mouse crawled out from the piano, having obviously turned the expensive instrument into a playground.

Mo Wen breathed a sigh of relief, but he still didn't know whether to enter or leave. The staircase in front led to the second floor, and below seemed to be a long corridor with several rooms in the darkness.

"Is anyone there?" he shouted again, but still, no response.

Suddenly, the smell of food wafted from deep within the corridor, making him sniff the air unconsciously.

"It smells amazing!" he thought to himself.

Cold, tired, and with an empty stomach, he was drawn towards the dark hallway. Using the light from his phone, he discovered that the corridor was unexpectedly long, with not just rooms on either side but branching hallways leading who knows where.

The floor seemed to be covered with a dark red carpet, but the wooden floorboards beneath appeared rotten, creaking with every step, like something out of a vampire legend.

The aroma of food grew stronger as he turned a corner, coming from the next hallway. Seeing the hallway continue to twist and turn, he was unsure whether to keep going. He gently pushed a closed door beside him, but it didn't budge.

"If I keep going, I'll get lost," he warned himself, deciding to go just one more hallway. As if responding to his thoughts, a dim moonlight streamed from a half-open door around the corner.

It was a guest room with a slightly open door. In the center stood a heavy round table with two European-style chairs, and a teacup on the table, half-filled with tea that rippled as if it had just been picked up and set down. He touched the cup—it was cold, but seemed to hold a faint warmth, a mysterious sensation between hot and cold, as if disconnected from time.

Yet, a TV in the room's corner flickered with static. Did someone really live here?

"Is anyone home?" Mo Wen noticed his voice trembled a bit. He wondered, if vampires lived here, would they answer him?

Mo Wen felt scared and retreated quickly, but the enticing smell of food ahead seemed to lure him on. His steps grew heavy, his stomach growled louder with hunger, and as he turned another corner, the aroma seemed to come from the corridor's end.

He was now completely disoriented, but fortunately, he found himself in a kitchen. This large kitchen had no door. Under the moonlight, the room's center featured a grand kitchen island with pots of various sizes hanging above, casting shadows on the floor that looked like little round-headed monsters. Modern kitchen appliances lined the walls, including a rice cooker, its indicator light glowing red in the darkness, releasing a tantalizing aroma.

Mo Wen tried the light switch by the door. The ceiling light flickered briefly before going out again. A vintage-style lamp on the wall lit up with an orange glow, finally bringing back a sense of light.

He quickly approached the kitchen table and opened the rice cooker. Warm steam billowed out, and the aroma made his stomach rumble louder. The glistening fat from the cured meat, the familiar smell of soy sauce and green onions brought back a homely feeling… but a subtle unease crept into his mind—the food looked too perfect, as if it had been waiting just for him. He hadn't noticed that the rice cooker wasn't even plugged in.

His eyes were now fixed on the tempting dish of cured meat fried rice. He convinced himself,"I'll just eat a bit and then pay for it. At worst, I'll work a few days to make up for the food."

Just as he picked up the bowl of familiar and delicious fried rice, Mo Wen felt a sudden chill behind him. Turning around, he saw a vague shadow in the dim hallway light, as if silently watching him. In that instant, the whole world seemed to freeze, and his heart raced.

"Who? Who's there?"