"Huan, check this land area. Zari, make sure there are no people around. Tala, support Zari. Latini," he paused, looking at the well-tanned lady.
"I know what to do," Latini answered and turned away from them. The little boy, two teenagers and a young man stood up to leave the tent after having their meal.
The storm went on throughout the night. There were no strong winds but the rain is heavy enough to let the people stay indoors and postpone their activities.
When the sky cleared up the next day, the forest was gone. There instead is an unfinished bungalow with a wide empty yard in its place. Looking inside the house, no human traces can be seen but the furnitures inside were tidy and clean. In the blink of an eye, a shadow of a large, long and wavy moving object slid along the room. The house remained silent.
Back to the blacked out town, the residents woke up to the clear sky. A faint half-rainbow can be seen towards the western direction of the sky. The children started to run around their neighborhood, happy of the new, storm-free day. The smell of breakfast being served lingers in the air. Old men carrying their mugs of coffee flocked towards the road and inspected the town for any area of concern after last night's storm.
The big man with moustache all over his face brought his equally big bike out and rode out. His ticket from last night's horse race carefully tucked in the pocket of his denim jacket. Taking three big bites of a big bread bun, he gulped down his coffee and went on his way. The old lady who lives with him sent him away with a resigned look.
"Who knows if I've won this time," he smiled and revved his bike.
On his way, he passed by the unfinished bungalow and slowed down his bike. His gaze lingered on the house where the forest had been previously and wrinkled his brows.Before he could process any thought, his dark irises seemed to swirled into a void before they became clear again.
"I told them to take up residence in the town instead but they insist on living here. Tsk, people are afraid to even walk by here but this family..." His voice trailed off as he continued on his journey on his bike, his brows stil wrinkled in confusion.
Same conversation can be heard from among the townspeople.
"Alas, they really decided to live there." One old lady exclaimed while looking at the direction of the small forest.
"Hoho, I heard the children of Augusta once passed by that place and they got lost. Only one of the kids came back home. The other one has been missing since." Another pointed out.
"We'll let's hope that family can last there. That property has been on sale for the last couple of years and they are the only brave souls who bought it."
"Ah, at least that eerie place won't look bleak from afar anymore."
"You said it right. That place looks so barren from its surrounding area, it's as if there's always drought in that place. Look, the rainbow won't even land there."
They looked at the half-rainbow towards the western sky and moved their gazes towards the east where the house is situated. The sky is clear but no rainbow can bee seen.
"We'll get to see that young family again when they settle in. All the stores are here on town anyway."
They concluded their chitchat when their homes called for breakfast and so they separated and walked back to their houses. Some of them who walked the same way continued their conversation.
"They're young and new here. We should be welcoming of them." Some were excited of their new neighbor. Others were happier of something else.
"Have you seen their baby? O, he looks adorable. He even yawns prettily."
"Oh, babies are like that. Did they come with anyone else?"
"No, the couple moved here with their baby and their belongings. I think they're staying at Aurora's place. She lent her small house to them while they wait for their house to be built."
And some went on their way. One old lady walked towards a shabby house and as she walked inside, we see the familiar weirdly shaped drawings on the wall. The old lady straightened her back and sat on the same chair the young woman from last night had been sitting. She sipped her now cooled down coffee and opened one of her notes.
We see old photos within the notes but one of them was just recently taken with a film camera. The clear picture shows us the vast forest where the unfinished bungalow is currently being built.
The old lady rubbed her face with a warm towel as she looked at the photo. Her bright eyes reminds us of the young woman who lives in the same house. After cleaning up, we now see the face of the young woman still in the old lady's clothes.
She has a small, pretty face with big, bright eyes. They twinkle with each intent gaze she pours on the photo. Setting it down, she stood up to walk towards the direction of the unfinished bungalow.
A small window is set in every side of the shabby house but some were shut tight. The window that faces the direction of the unfinished bungalow is closed and fixed in place with a nail.
Carrying with her a small and rusty toolbox, the young woman got the nail off the window and opened it lightly. The fresh, cool breeze brushed past her face as she widened the window cover.
We see the young woman bent down to open her rusty old toolbox. A small flashlight is taken out with a couple of others tubes. She started tinkering on her stuff. After a full hour, she's now holding an even tinier box. She secured it in a position she felt satisfied on the window before then had it closed shut again, as if that window was never opened at all.
The young woman did it so fast nobody noticed any changes on this shabby house. Feeling satisfied, she now noticed her rumbling stomach and decided to make breakfast for herself. A piece of hard, cold bread and a cup of coffee was all it took to fill her empty tummy. Carrying her breakfast over her table, she appears to start to work on her scribbles again.
Instead she unlocked a small side of her similarly old table and we see it open to show a technology never seen in this place: a screen with a small dot is currently showing where the table's drawer should have been. The area is all green save for a dry area where the dot could be seen. The same scenery can be seen from the side of her window that she concealed shut.
Tapping on the dot, it enlarged to show us a house under construction. At this early, there are no workers yet but fleeting shadows are seen one at a time in the house. This is the unfinished bungalow the townspeople have been talking about. The young woman clicked her tongue and gave a faint smile.
"What a lucky day," she muttered in a raspy voice.