Three hours of train ride was neither a long nor short journey. The moment the train stopped, Arianne immediately stood up with her backpack, feeling eager to get off. Tiffany followed closely behind her. “Hey, slow down! You still have a little one in your tummy!”
It was almost noon when they reached a small, dilapidated town based on the address. This was where the letter was sent. The entire town was lifeless. Aside from a few elderly people tottering along the streets, they didn’t really see any energetic young people around.
The economy of the town was bad so the young people were mostly working in the surrounding cities, leaving only the elderly behind.
After making several enquiries, they finally arrived at ‘Mr. Sloane’s house’. A two-story house that was so run down that it looked inhabitable greeted their sights. The front door with overgrown weed was left ajar. It seemed like no one had lived here for a long time.
Arianne couldn’t shake off the bad feelings in her heart. The envelope looked aged and the letter wasn’t freshly written. Perhaps it was only sent out after a very long time?
It was at this moment that an old lady with graying hair came out from next door. Tiffany went up to her and asked, “Granny, is there a Mr. Sloane living in this run down house…?”
The old lady thought for a moment then said, “Not around anymore for a long time. No one has lived here for three years. I’m not sure if his last name was Sloane since he’d never spoken to anyone. I heard he had a terminal disease, so he’s probably dead now? There used to be a couple living here with their child. The lady passed away first, and no one knows where the child went. The house was left vacant since then.”
Arianne’s heart sank. “Granny, are you really sure? Someone recently sent me a letter from this address...”
The old lady started getting impatient. “I don’t know, I don’t know. In any case, no one has been in or out of this house for a few years now.”
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