The evening sun cast a golden hue over the neighbourhood, its warm glow unable to dispel the eerie feeling creeping over Marlina. From behind the curtain of her third-floor window, she observed her neighbour, Tenuksia, standing in her yard holding a silver bucket. The bucket was filled with fist-sized frogs, leaping frantically inside. Tenuksia's gaze remained locked onto Marlina’s house.
"Merilton, come here. I think something’s wrong with our neighbour," Marlina called out to her husband, who was downstairs in the kitchen.
"What is it this time, Marlina? Haven’t I told you not to meddle in their business?" Merilton’s voice came from below, but his footsteps were quick up the stairs.
"See for yourself," Marlina said, pulling the curtain slightly aside to give him a view.
Merilton approached the window and looked toward Tenuksia. The woman remained motionless, holding the bucket of oversized frogs. Her sharp eyes were fixated on their house, as if trying to pierce through the walls with her stare.
"What’s she going to do with those frogs? Cook them for dinner?" Merilton whispered. "Maybe she’s offering us a dish as a friendly gesture," he joked, patting Marlina's shoulder.
Just then, two men appeared in Tenuksia’s yard, Gaja and Melanko, her husband and son. They too stood beside Tenuksia, staring at Marlina’s house.
"Why are they looking at our yard?" Marlina asked, her unease growing.
What unsettled her even more was the movement of their mouths. The three of them were murmuring something, but Marlina and Merilton couldn’t hear a word. Si Kelabu, their cat, who had been lazily rolling on the floor, suddenly let out a deep growl and clawed at the floor aggressively.
"I don’t feel good about this, Merilton. What do you think they’re doing?" Marlina asked.
"I don’t know. But I’ll make sure we’re safe. The windows and doors are locked, right?" Merilton tried to reassure her, though his own mind was filled with questions.
Suddenly, the sound of their gate’s doorbell shattered the silence. Marlina jumped, almost letting go of the curtain. She and Merilton exchanged glances before he moved toward the door.
"Who would come at this hour?" Merilton muttered as he walked downstairs.
"Be careful, Merilton. Check before you open it," Marlina reminded him, following close behind, a mix of curiosity and fear in her chest.
Through the security camera at the gate, Merilton saw a young woman standing outside, holding a neatly wrapped cake box. She had a sweet smile, and Merilton's expression brightened.
"Who is she?" Marlina asked, trying to see the screen.
"Our neighbour on the left. Her name is Orena, she’s on the resident list. Maybe she’s here to introduce herself," Merilton replied, recalling the names from the list they received when they moved in.
"Should we open the door?" Marlina asked, still hesitant.
"If we don’t, we’ll look unfriendly. Besides, she doesn’t seem to be carrying a frog stew. Maybe she just wants to be neighbourly," Merilton said before pressing the button to open the gate.
Marlina tensed at the mention of frog stew. What if Tenuksia really did bring them as a meal?
Orena stepped in with an even wider smile. She wore a red dress that accentuated her figure, and her long hair carried a fragrant shampoo scent. Marlina watched her closely, especially when she noticed how her husband was locking eyes with the woman.
"Hi, I’m Orena. I live next door. I just wanted to introduce myself and bring some cake as a gesture of friendship," Orena spoke in a soft voice, but there was something slightly stiff about her tone that made Marlina wonder.
"Oh, thank you. We’re Marlina and Merilton. So, we’re neighbours," Merilton replied, taking the cake box from her hands. Marlina stood beside him, assessing Orena from head to toe.
"Your house is beautiful. But this area… it’s quite isolated, isn’t it?" Orena said, glancing toward Tenuksia’s house. "I like quiet places. Sometimes, places like this… hold unexpected things. I enjoy the unexpected."
Orena’s words puzzled Marlina. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to decipher the hidden meaning.
"Oh, nothing. Just that secluded places often have old stories, don’t they?" Orena smiled again, but her gaze lingered on Merilton, who was still looking at her.
After a few more minutes, Orena excused herself and left. Marlina and Merilton shut the door and took the cake to the kitchen.
"I don’t think we should eat this cake," Marlina said as they sat at the dining table.
"Why not? It looks fine," Merilton replied, opening the box. Inside was a rich, chocolate cake that looked absolutely delicious.
"I don’t know. I just feel… uneasy. Orena seems nice, but… something feels off." Marlina struggled to find the right words to explain her uneasiness. She recalled how her husband had locked eyes with Orena.
"You’re overthinking it, Marlina. Maybe she’s just being friendly. Besides, we need to socialize with our neighbors, don’t we?" Merilton said, cutting a slice of cake and placing it on a plate.
But before he could take a bite, a sudden noise startled them. Something had fallen to the floor.
Si Kelabu, who had been napping on the sofa, was now standing with its fur bristling, growling toward the kitchen door. Its voice was deep and unnatural.
"What now?" Merilton sighed, standing up.
Marlina turned to look at the kitchen door, which was now slightly ajar. She was sure they had closed and locked it earlier. She walked toward it cautiously, her hands trembling as she reached for the handle. As she shut the door, she heard something—a faint whispering outside.
"Merilton, there’s something outside. I hear people whispering," Marlina whispered, barely above her breath.
Merilton quickly moved to the window to check outside, but he saw nothing. "Maybe it’s just the wind. There’s no one out there, Marlina. Enough of this. We’re not going back to our old home, so we need to get used to this place quickly. From now on, this is our home," Merilton said firmly before leaving Marlina standing alone.
She watched as he walked away, leaving her behind. The dread that had been gripping her heart since they moved in grew even stronger. Her eyes flickered toward the cake on the table, and once again, the thought crossed her mind—
"Is everything connected? Tenuksia, Orena, Merilton… this cake? Or is it just my imagination?"