It was almost two in the morning, and the group of youngsters was still awake.
The courage test that year took them to a nearby cave where they had to grab a candle from an altar left deep inside it. The cave was damp, smelled weird, and eerie sounds echoed in it. Some vowed they were murmurs, others thought they were giggled, and a numbered few even felt as if they were observed.
"I swear to the Heavens I saw a woman! She was smiling at me!" One of the girls recounted her experience that had made her run out of the cave and collapse in front of the others, forgetting all about the candle and the test.
The ones who had already finished their test were a bit skeptical. Those who had yet to enter were somewhat afraid to enter. Once everybody finished the test, no one else saw the woman the girl claimed to see.
"Maybe you were too afraid and hallucinated seeing her." One of the older teens comforted her.
"Maybe..." She compromised, to not ruin her relative's experience. She was the only one who saw her, after all.
However, for a second, she thought the woman was her great-grandma, the matriarch of the family nobody knew. What made her doubt that thought was the fact that the woman who appeared in front of her had a cute and round face, not the sharp and elegant features as the woman in the photo.
With no concrete answer, she forced herself to forget about the matter.
What she didn't know was that out of all grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she had the same doll-like face as Rei. Judd never favored her, but he always tended to smile more gently at her.
The group of teens chose a small clear to camp, one not that far from the house as there were still many animals around, and they didn't want to have an accident. The group of sixteen youngsters between the ages of 14 and 21 chatted about many things: school, places, women, men, food and so on.
As the night grew darker, the younger ones got sleepier. The older ones sent them to bed to rest. Only a few remained by two in the morning, the once rambunctious conversations turned into hushed ones.
"I really thought I would be grounded my whole life after my dad knew about him. I think he's the strictest dad in the world." One of the older girls said after recounting the time her father caught her and her boyfriend kissing outside her house.
They had had a date and her boyfriend had insisted in walking her home. When they kissed goodbye, they were caught by her father.
"That's because you don't know my mom! I swear she buys new things to throw at me whenever she gets angry." Ja Ryung said a bit helpless.
"You are a lost cause Ryungie." The eldest of them all said, making everybody laugh and Ja Ryung pout.
"Wait, shh, shh." He said all of a sudden, and the rest kept quiet. "That's... a piano?" The faint notes of a piano reached their ears. Almost at the same time, they all turned their heads to the house. In it, there was only one person capable of making the piano sound like that. "What's grandpa doing this late at night?"
They enjoyed the beautiful melody for a moment. It was the first time hearing him play! And they were completely mesmerized by the sound.
Without saying a word, they walked back to the house, excited to see him play in person. Their steps came to a sudden halt when they heard a cello playing together with the piano.
Ja Ryung frowned, immediately searching for Eadwyn. As far as he knew, Eadwyn was the only one who played the cello in the family. Ja Ryung found him behind him. Who was the one playing, then? A chill ran down his spine and his stomach dropped when he recognized the melody.
It was the same opus he played the day before.
The fear he was hit with wasn't due to the fact that it was the same melody, but how it sounded. Same notes and same chords, yet this one felt like a mix of everything in life, every experience, every feeling, every person met, every word said and finally a farewell.
His heart raced, almost jumping out of his chest. His feet got on the move, and he ran to the house. The other teens calling at him. The rooms in the house were lit, and the doors were opened, showing the adults who enjoyed the melody. Could nobody hear the hidden message?! He desperately thought.
Their expressions turned confused when they saw an alarmed Ja Ryung running towards the room down the hallway. Confused, they followed the teen, just to find him banging at the door.
"Grandpa! Open the door! Grandpa, please!" He pleaded in front of the door. It couldn't be opened no matter how much he turned the knob.
"Ja Ryung, what's wrong? Your grandpa is just playing the piano," said one of his aunts behind him. Another uncle tried to calm him down and drag him away, but he paid no attention to their words and violently threw his uncle aside, creating a great commotion.
"Please grandpa, don't do this! Don't play it! Grandpa!" He begged on the verge of tears. Unwillingly, his mind was filled with all the memories together with his grandpa. He pushed the door with his shoulder, wanting to push it down, but it was for naught. Everybody else looked at his actions stupefied, even his mother.
One of the twins started loudly crying, followed by his other twin. Their mom startled and went to sooth them.
Ja Ryung's begging and banging became louder. Everybody around him was concerned over what was going on with him and why he didn't want his grandpa to play. They were totally oblivious of the sound of the cello. The other teens were either holding back their tears or openly crying at that point.
All reminded of their time with their grandpa.
"Grandpa!" His last scream choked when the last chord played was followed by a deafening silence. The door opened on its own with a creak, and the scene before the people near the door made them gasp.
In front of them, there was the faint silhouette of the young man in the photo above the mantel piece together with a woman they couldn't recognize. They were holding hands and smiling at each other. The total devotion and love with which the young Judd was looking at this person hinted them that she must be the woman in the photo back in the living room, the mother of two, the grandmother of a few and the great-grandmother of many.
The face was different for some reason, yet there was only one woman the old man loved with all his heart: Rei Faez.
"Grandpa."Ja Ryung let out in a whisper. Judd Faez smiled at his family for the last time. His silhouette then disappeared together with hers, who also beautifully smiled and waved at them as a greeting and farewell. Her eyes lingered in her aged children and mouthed an 'I love you' to them.
With their disappearance, the inert figure of the 93-year old body was uncovered, peacefully laying on the ground between the piano and the cello.
A smile was on his face.
It wasn't until late that morning, after everybody had calmed down once they realized their father, grandfather, great-grandfather had passed away, that they noticed the letters directed to each and everyone of them on the little table in the corner of that room.
All written and signed by Judd and Rei Faez.