Hein Htet Aung and Htet Htet Aye Kyaw rushed to Tala's side, concern etched on their faces. "Tala, we're here to pick you up. We're so sorry about what happened to your family," Hein Htet Aung said, placing a hand on Tala's shoulder.
Tala looked up at his friends with tear-filled eyes. "Thank you," he managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper.
Hein Htet Aung and Htet Htet Aye Kyaw helped Tala pack things up and led him outside. Tala stumbled along, his thoughts consumed by the tragedy that had befallen his family.
As they walked to Hein Htet Aung's house, Tala spoke again, his voice barely audible. "And...my father...h.. he was drowned," he said, his grief deepening with each word.
Hein Htet Aung and Htet Htet Aye Kyaw stopped in their tracks, shock etched on their faces. They had known that Tala's mother, sister, and brother had died in a car accident, but they had no idea that his father had also passed away.
Htet Htet Aye Kyaw's voice trembled as she whispered, "How is this possible?" She gazed up at the darkening sky, searching for any astrological clues, but despite her expertise, no answers came to her. Realizing that she needed proper equipment to investigate further, she made the decision to continue her search at home later.
Tala's eyes filling with tears once again. The weight of his loss was almost too much to bear.
Hein Htet Aung put his arm around Tala's shoulders, offering what little comfort he could. "We'll be here for you, Tala. We'll help you through this," he said, his voice filled with determination. Hein Htet Aung is usually a very calm, quiet and almost emotionless looking guy.
Despite his sadness, Tala is surprised to find out this side of his friend. Made him realize there was much more to his friend than he had previously thought....
The three friends continued walking to Dr. Htet's house, each lost in their own thoughts.
Not too long after, the three arrived at Dr. Htet's house. However, the doctor was not at home, as he had been working longer hours at the hospital since the passing of his wife last year.
Hein Htet Aung led Tala to his modest room, furnished with a bunk bed tucked in the corner and a bookshelf alongside a study desk. As Tala settled his belongings into their proper places, he couldn't help but think how the space perfectly suited Hein Htet Aung's personality.
"Feel free to take the upper bunk; I'll take the lower one," offered Hein Htet Aung, after lending a hand to Tala. Tala knew it was because of Hein Htet Aung's height - he was much taller than boys his age. It almost made Tala chuckle, but his sadness still lingered.
"Is this your room?" asked Tala, curiosity in his voice. "Who used to sleep on the upper bed?"
Hein Htet Aung, reverting to his usual reticent self, replied, "I don't know. But it's really old, according to my father."
Tala grinned mischievously. "Well, here I am, about to disturb your little peaceful room."
Amused by her playful remark, Hein Htet Aung asked, "Has your mood already lifted?" while eyeing Tala.
Tala grew silent, prompting Hein Htet Aung to search for something to say. However, Htet Htet Aye Kyaw, who was downstairs, interrupted, "Dinner is ready, guys!"
As the doctor was frequently occupied with work, Hein Htet Aung and Htet Htet Aye Kyaw usually take turns cooking and other chores.
As they descended the stairs, a mouth-watering aroma wafted into their noses. Following their noses, they entered the kitchen and found a feast waiting for them on the table. A large pot of hearty beef stew simmered next to a fragrant vegetable soup, and four plates of steaming rice were stacked neatly on the side. The colors and smells of the dishes were so inviting that they could almost taste the flavors just by looking at them. Two of them pulled up chairs and sat down.
"Shall we wait for dad?" Hein Htet Aung asked tentatively, eyeing the untouched dishes on the table.
"Dad called earlier to say he'll be late, so we shouldn't wait for him. He also tasked us with taking care of Tala," responded Htet Htet Aye Kyaw, as she began to dish out the food.
Tala gave a bashful smile in response, and Htet Htet Aye Kyaw quickly reassured her, saying "Don't worry, we're happy to have you here with us." With that, she started to eat, prompting Tala to follow suit.
As he tasted the food, Tala was pleasantly surprised at how delicious it was, and thought to himself, "I never knew she could cook this well. Today is full of surprises." trying to lift his own mood.
After dinner, Tala offered to wash the dishes, his voice polite and faintly smiling at the two siblings. "I'll wash them all, leave it," he said.
"Nah, you can start doing chores tomorrow. You need to rest today," Htet Htet Aye Kyaw said, considering all the hardships Tala had faced that day.
"But let me do some of it," Tala insisted.
Seeing his willingness, Htet Htet Aye Kyaw allowed him to help. Meanwhile, Hein Htet Aung washed his own dish and headed upstairs.
Noticing Tala's confusion, Htet Htet Aye Kyaw explained with a sigh, "Today is not his turn."
It was past 10 p.m., but the doctor had not returned. They agreed to sleep without waiting for him. Htet Htet Aye Kyaw locked the front door, while Tala went into the room he shared with Hein Htet Aung.
Hein Htet Aung was already getting ready for bed. Upon seeing Tala, he softly said, "Good night," but his expression was as lifeless as usual.
Tala had grown accustomed to Hein Htet Aung's personality, which was also what had piqued his curiosity and led to their friendship. "Good night bro" he replied with casual tone
Tala climbed onto the upper bunk of their bed and settled in for sleep. But just before closing his eyes, Hein Htet Aung spoke up.
"Have you tried asking Htet Htet Aye Kyaw for any clues about your case?" he asked.
Tala sat up in bed. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"This obviously isn't a normal case," Hein Htet Aung replied. "Maybe you should ask her for any interpretations since she's very good at these sorts of things."
"Ah, right," Tala said, nodding. "She's great at astrology. Maybe I can get some answers from her." Witnessing the supernatural deaths caused by the curse, Tala was already becoming more open to the idea of mystical things.
Getting no more replies from Hein Htet Aung, Tala settled back into his bed and decided to ask Htet Htet Aye Kyaw about it the next day.
Tala woke up in the middle of the night, feeling disoriented from sleeping in a different bed. He decided to take a look at the little angel statue and book that his grandfather had left him. Climbing down quietly, he opened his luggage to reveal the small angel statue, which looked sinister and abnormal with strange symbols patterned on some parts. Tala couldn't look away from the statue; he felt drawn to it.
Suddenly, the statue's head moved and looked directly at Tala. "Found the one, ehehe..." it said with a wide grin and eyes fixed on him. Tala was seized by fear and immediately threw the statue away, shouting, "Fuck you!"
He woke up in cold sweat, that was just a dream, no a nightmare.
"what's wrong?" Hein Htet Aung, who was woke up by Tala's shouting said with sleepy tone.
Tala's skin is already turning pale and quivering. He didn't reply to Hein Htet Aung but he got out of the bed quickly to check the statue in his luggage.