That night, a silent atmosphere enveloped Marlina's house. The only sounds breaking the stillness were the hum of the fan and the soft purring of Kelabu, her cat. Marlina sat in the living room, lost in thought, contemplating her next move after what had happened with Gaja and Tenuksia.
Suddenly, Kelabu got up and walked towards the door behind the kitchen. Marlina watched it with a puzzled expression. The cat meowed softly, as if trying to get her attention. Marlina quickly stood up and followed the cat.
"Kelabu, wait!" Marlina whispered, but the cat continued walking without acknowledging her. She grabbed the flashlight and followed it down to the basement.
They were back in the narrow, long tunnel, with walls covered in moss and cobwebs. The cat chose the tunnel leading towards Tenuksia's house.
After several minutes of following her cat, Marlina finally reached the end of the tunnel, which was beneath Tenuksia's house. She opened the door slowly, and immediately her nose detected an unusual smell. The scent of incense and candles filled the air, indicating that a ritual was taking place.
Kelabu walked cautiously, and Marlina followed quietly, careful not to make a sound. She passed through a small room where she saw Tenuksia sitting in the middle of a circle of candles, chanting incantations softly. Her heart raced.
Kelabu led Marlina to another door in the corner of the basement. Marlina opened it and found a large room filled with treasure. Gold, cash, jewellery, and mysterious artefacts were neatly arranged in wooden chests and glass cabinets.
Is this another room? Marlina wondered, because the room she entered the other day was on the first floor of the house.
Marlina examined the ownership papers in the plastic baskets on the antique table. She read them one by one. All of the baskets belonged to her neighbours.
How sad... it seems all their treasures, here, elsewhere, will end up in the hands of Tenuksia's family, she thought to herself as she saw the signed transfer deeds, which had not yet been submitted to the property office for ownership confirmation.
Marlina decided to take all the documents, along with the plastic baskets filled with gold and money belonging to her neighbours. She picked up several gold bars and placed them in each of the baskets.
Take this as compensation, she thought, and placed everything into a wicker basket near the door.
Kelabu looked at her calmly, as if understanding the task being carried out by its owner.
"We need to leave now," Marlina whispered to her cat.
They exited the same way, passing the room where Tenuksia was still chanting his incantations. Marlina moved slowly and carefully, ensuring each step made no sound. Kelabu walked ahead of her.
After going through the long tunnel, Marlina finally made it back to her house. She closed the secret door carefully and sat on the living room floor, trying to calm herself. Kelabu jumped onto her lap, meowing softly, as if congratulating her for her bravery.
"I've become a tunnel thief now, Kelabu," Marlina muttered to herself.
First, moving treasures that weren't hers, nor Merilton's or Orena's.
Then stealing from Tenuksia's house, treasures that weren't even Tenuksia's or his family's.
And now, again stealing from Tenuksia's house, this time, stealing treasures belonging to her neighbours that Tenuksia and his family had stolen using magic.
Will I embrace it and steal again from Tenuksia's house? Steal for my own use? What's wrong with stealing from stolen goods?
Marlina rubbed her forehead slowly. She took the transfer deed and put all of it on fire. Then she drifted off to sleep on the floor, exhausted after "stealing from Tenuksia's house" once again.
Marlina thought about how to return her neighbours' treasures without anyone knowing. And certainly, without going through their front doors or the tunnels beneath the neighbourhood.
Marlina watched Tenuksia's house. If there was a way to get Tenuksia out of the house... Marlina's heart whispered.
If she wrapped the items, how could she get them out of the house? 28 boxes? It would create a commotion with her neighbours, especially Tenuksia.
If I take two or three boxes a day and place them in each of their mailboxes, Tenuksia's family is always watching my every move... in an instant, I'll be caught red-handed with stolen goods from their house.
What if I go out at midnight and throw the boxes into each house's yard? But it's at night when Tenuksia becomes the most vigilant, watching the neighbourhood with his sharp eyes... even then, I'll be caught.
What if I ask the birds on Tenuksia's roof... Marlina shook her head, thinking of her increasingly absurd plan. Instead of asking the birds, I might as well ask this cat... her heart whispered.
Don't think too much, Marlina, if you're caught by Tenuksia and his family, all your secrets and illegal activities will be exposed, sooner or later.
Marlina finally decided to put all the packages into a trash bag. The shoe-sized boxes, which she had written with her neighbours' names and addresses, Marlina typed them out so no one would know who wrote the address or who sent it.
Marlina placed the trash bag on the back of her electric bicycle. She prepared as if she were taking out the trash that hadn't been thrown away in a week. As she finished locking her front gate, Tenuksia suddenly greeted her from behind his fence.
"That's a lot of trash at your house, Marlina. That bag is full," Tenuksia said, gesturing toward the trash bag on Marlina's bicycle.
"My trash is overflowing, Tenuksia. I can't take it out every day, so I only do it once a week," she said, grinning.
"Be careful, Marlina. A dirty house with rotting trash is a breeding ground for demons. But what can I do, you're too lazy to take the trash out," said Tenuksia, but deep in his heart, he wondered why his magic didn't affect Marlina even though her house was dirty with rotting trash.
"Oh, never mind Tenuksia, I think the neighbourhood is full of good people. No one here practices magic to attract demons to my house," Marlina said. She pedalled her bike and waved at Tenuksia, who watched her with a scowl before walking back into his house and closing the door.