After the storytelling sessions, the children's mind soon was filled with new horror that would cripple their sleep.
The deepness, and the profoundness of the story, although it maybe the tale of a fool or an old man, had it's meaning that the children never knew.
Soon the people of Splinter met the sun setting, as the children sets out to finally settle down in their homes, to warm up from the night's torturing cold.
"Jin, come with me for a second"
Old man Gren said as he tugged on Jin's sleeves.
"No way, Old man"
"JIN!"
Although Jin's denial was just a joke, never would he have thought that it would have angered the Old man. Although the Old man would always be pissed off at me, at the very atleast it was in a joking and light manner.
Jin was now inside a small shack of the Old Gren, that was deprived of light.
Jin was guided to sit down in a chair, as the Old Gren pulled his seat from the chair and also took his seat.
"Old man, I know your old, but don't try and drag me down to the grave with you"
Jin said as he now felt the crippling coldness the night was letting out.
'Bear with it'
Soon the Old Gren spoke in whispering tone as his voice lingered around room, as the voice was soon robbed by the darkness.
Seeing the weird actions the Old man was doing, although weird he also noticed something creeping, as the atmosphere soon gradually became silent. The old man lit up a match.
'This is creeping me out, old man'
Jin tried to lightened the mood, but also kept his voice down, trying perceive what the old man's trying to do.
Seeing the actions of the child, Gren couldn't help but admire the sharpness of the child's observation.
'Jin, when is your birthday?'
Noticing the weird atmosphere, and given a question that isn't well suited in it. Jin now knows the old man was trying to say something.
'June 3'
Jin kept his voice as low as possible, knowing that this is the first time the old man has given such a serious face.
The match soon ran out of wood to burn and has finally died down, and causing Jin to not clearly see his sorroundings, only the table where his hands is rested.
'I will keep my words as few as possible'
Jin nodded once hearing this.
'At the celebration they will come'
'Remember everything is a lie, the light grants them ability to hear and see'
'But despite this keep your voice low, even in the dark, as monsters lurk, in and outside of your house'
Jin gave the sweating old man a questioning look, telling the old man, to explain what he was trying to say.
'Recall all the stories I've told, as this will help you'
"Jin! Where are you!?"
The voice of his father outside broke the previous atmosphere, as the old man lit up a lamp, atop the table.
"Jin is right here!"
The old man yelled at his father outside, after a minute his father came to send him back to his home.
"Welcome! Father of Jin!"
The old man Gren was soon back in his previous demeanor of a friendly old neighbor.
Though why would the old man call my father without his name? Jin deeply thought as he soon found himself home. As he was contemplating atop his bed, he caught a glimpse of a sillhouette, looking at at figure it was coming out of their house, Jin got out of his bed and walked towards the window.
"What are you doing?"
"Ahh!"
Jin was shocked as his heart started to repeatedly beat faster, he looked behind him and stumbled behind the window.
"Jeez! Come on don't scare me like that, Mom!"
It was his mom who bend her bend her face forward to his eye level, staring wide at him with her black eyes. She smiled at him and cracked her neck.
'crack'
"Hahaha! but I knocked"
"More importantly, why are you not asleep yet, don't you wanna grow up?"
The Mom soon straightened her body and cracked her neck again.
'crack'
"Oh I was just excited about my birthday, hahaha!"
"Oh yeah! where is Dad going?"
"And what's wrong with your neck, Mom?
"Do you need a massage?"
Jin knew that the man who came outside from their house was Dad, but why would he go out without even a torch, or with thick clothing, these kind of questions, Jin omitted.
The woman squinted her eyes and smiled more deeply.
'crack'
"Oh it's just some stiff neck, a good sleep, would get rid of it"
"As for your father, guess he's been found out, huh?"
Mom tilted her head as she bent her body forward, going from an eye to eye level, then cracked her neck.
'Crack'