The Return to Koroya

24 December 2022, it was 6:00 a.m., when Marcus, that adventurous and intrepid young man, returned. He had finally returned after a separation lasting ten years to his village, the village of Koroya, that region which carries within its folds black lines full of mystery and excitement.

His wife Maryam awaited him, that tender woman who possessed a vast heart, indeed a world full of warmth. No sooner did the villagers hear her name than they remembered her, for they had given her the name "the Angel Wife," and for the intensity of her beauty and the whiteness of her heart everyone loved her, but her heart belonged to Marcus.

The young man entered the house and greeted his mother Hind, and signs of longing and nostalgia were drawn upon both their faces. His mother was afflicted with a chronic illness, for that malignant disease which had drained thousands of souls had taken up residence within her.

"Sit down, my son, and rest, and relieve yourself of the hardship of your journey; I will bring you some tea and some juice," Hind said in a voice that sounded helpless and aged.

No sooner had Maryam begun to prepare the tea than Marcus insisted on refusing:

"Today I have a new adventure; I want to explore one of the strange places that has caused a stir in this village. Yes, I want to enter and search for that Abandoned House of which it is said that whoever enters it will never return again."

Both his mother and his wife were shocked by this news, and signs of fear and collapse were evident on their faces.

"Do you realize what you are saying, my son? Listen to me, I know you are a strong young man who loves adventures, but there are limits to everything," his mother said in a voice reeking of fear.

Marcus cut her off, saying:

"But I heard from you that my father Salim is lost, missing since I was born; perhaps he entered that ill-omened house."

His mother and his wife realized there was no way to stop him, for he was a persistent young man who listened to no one's advice.

Marcus left the house around 10:00 a.m., after he had prepared his gear and Maryam, his wife, had prepared food for him. He left with a smile upon his face, searching for that cursed house, for that house does not appear on world maps because of its extreme danger and the mysteries that revolve within it.

Marcus began asking the villagers about how dangerous that place was; he asked his friend Jaafar, then Faithrib, then Luqman, and some people and elders he did not know, but to no avail, for everyone he asked looked at him with a sudden look of terror and denial as if they were hiding from him what they did not want to say.

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