The Truth Hidden in the Mysterious Cave

However, nobody had anticipated that Randy's disappearance was merely the precursor.

Three days later, the second man disappeared without a trace. It was Bob.

We hadn't found Randy in the past three days.

People in the village panicked, fearing they would be the next ones to disappear.

I ventured into the village fields to carry out my chores when, from afar, I spotted Joseph and David huddled together in evident distress.

Abandoning the hoe, I cautiously walked across the field, edging towards the rear of the slope where Joseph and the others were huddled in conversation.

I moved with utmost care lest they should catch sight of me.

Joseph, glancing around nervously, stammered out,

"David, Randy's vanished, and now Bob too. Are we next on the list?".

David spat on the ground with a grim look.

"All the men in the village have gone. It's them who should panic first."

David continued,

"Since you can't turn back now, why not have a few more rounds of fun? I think those two just didn't follow the rules and stayed overnight."

Joseph was still a little scared, but it seemed like the things in the cave had momentarily disarmed him. He nodded in agreement.

The two of them went their separate ways. When night fell, I saw Wilson sneaking out to the cave again.

Intrigued, I swapped into Joseph's clothing and quietly tailed him to the cave.

From a safe distance, I observed Wilson standing guard outside the cave. It appeared that every villager who approached had to hand him something before being allowed to enter.

"Does this cave require tickets now?" I wondered.

Wilson knew everyone in the village. With my disguise as a man, I couldn't sneak in.

I quietly approached the grass next to the cave and leaned to one side to listen to what was happening inside.

A feminine voice echoed, soft and harmonious, retaining its charm even amidst the screams.

"Isn't it said that women are never allowed to enter the cave? Why is there a woman's voice?"

I frowned and wanted to get closer, but I accidentally touched the grass beside me and made some noise.

Wilson noticed the commotion and walked over.

I was so anxious that I sweated profusely. My mind flashed back to the time when my mother was discovered near the man's cave. Upon her return, she bore the brunt of my father's wrath, left bruised and battered. Repeatedly, I vowed never to venture near that cave again.

"Squeak squeak squeak."

At the critical moment, a few mice ran past me.

When Wilson saw the mice, he let go of his doubts and continued guarding the cave entrance.

I patted my chest in shock, secretly grateful to the mice.

"Here, here..."

Sophie squatted in front of me and greeted me quietly.

It turned out that Sophie had secretly placed those mice.

I shushed her and motioned for her to continue observing. Sophie made an OK gesture.

On the way, neither Sophie nor I dared to move for fear of attracting Wilson's attention.

It wasn't until my legs went numb that I saw men coming out of the men's caves one after another. Joseph was in the crowd with a satisfied look, and his belt was loose again.

Wilson was the last to leave. After the men left, he entered the cave alone.

Ten minutes later, Wilson came out of the cave with the things that the men had given him and turned to go home.

I rubbed my sore legs. I wanted to sneak into the cave and see if there was really a woman there.

At the critical moment, Sophie grabbed me and motioned for me to look back.

A man came back. It was David.

Before he went in, he muttered, "It's not worth it? It's not my turn yet. I need to reclaim something."

I looked at Sophie in confusion, hoping she would explain, but I didn't expect to get a shock.

"If I knew, why would I sneak out at night."

Sophie was David's fiancee. Their fathers had discussed letting them get married when they grew older, so Sophie was particularly curious about why David came to this cave every night.

I made a face at Sophie in response.

"What should we do now?"

Sophie clenched her fists. She wanted to break in, but she didn't dare. In fact, I didn't dare either.

It's not that I've outgrown my curiosity; it's more like the fear instilled in me by those childhood beatings has lingered, making me hesitant to act as an adult.

"It's almost dawn. If we don't go back soon, we'll be like when we were young."

I saw that David did not look like he would come out soon. I could only barely exchange glances with Sophie. Our eyes were filled with unwillingness.

Just as we were about to take our first step towards the cave, we encountered an unexpected hurdle – David.