The cards clattered onto the table.
Hamilton took a deep breath. "I'll send people to look for him immediately!"
Theodore looked up and shot Hamilton a cold glare. Then he stood up and strode towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Hamilton asked, rushing after him.
"My son is missing. Where do you think I'm going?"
Hamilton was at a loss for words. "I will give you a full account of this matter."
As the night wore on, Penelope and Natalie grew increasingly worried. Although they had reported it to the police and a search was underway, finding two small children in such a vast city was incredibly difficult.
Hubert held Kristin's hand tightly. They were lost, wandering further into a secluded area where they hadn't seen another person for a long time.
Kristin was terrified but held back her tears.
"Are we never going to find Mommy again?"
Hubert stopped and turned to hug Kristin.
"Of course we will. We just need to get out of this alley and onto the main street. Then we can get a cab home."
"Mommy said not to take unlicensed cabs."
"Right. We'll find a regular taxi."
"Will there still be taxis this late?"
"If there aren't, it's okay. We can find a 24-hour convenience store or a police station."
After comforting Kristin, Hubert took her hand and continued walking. In truth, he was scared and lost too, but he couldn't show it.
As they battled their inner fears, they suddenly saw two dark figures ahead. They were tall, like tree monsters, completely shrouded in black with no visible faces. They were moving towards them, accompanied by a gust of eerie wind...
Kristin's voice trembled with fear.
"Get behind me!"
Hubert tried to stay calm but accidentally bit his tongue.
Kristin quickly hid behind Hubert, who took a defensive stance.
As the two dark figures drew closer, they seemed to shrink in height, and their faces slowly came into view...
"Hey, you two little things really know how to run. You had us searching for half the night."
The ghostly figures could talk...
Hubert was contemplating whether to run when one of the figures crouched down. When he was at eye level, Hubert finally realized he was a person.
Seeing the small face that looked so much like Natalie, Hamilton felt a wave of irritation.
"Why do you look so much like your mother?"
Kristin's eyes filled with tears, but she didn't dare to cry out loud.
"Are you going to dig out my eyes and my heart, and boil my flesh and bones into soup?"
"What on earth?"
"Can you knock me out first? I'm scared of pain."
Hamilton looked at the tearful, chubby, soft little girl in his arms. He had an urge to poke her cheek to see how it felt, a feeling he never had with Queena.
"Hmm, you're so chubby, you must have a lot of meat. Enough for a big pot."
Kristin let out a small whimper, barely holding back a sob.
"Can I call my mommy?"
"What would you say to your mom?"
"I have to tell her I love her, many, many times, because she won't be able to hear it anymore."
"Alright. I'll let you make the call before you go in the pot."

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