Chapter 1, Part 1: The first step.

The first step to everything!

“You ready to go?” Hazim asked.
“Do you need to ask?” I smirked.

As we laughed our doubts away, me and my friend, Hazim, were standing at the foot of the hill. The rumored hill to be haunted by a spirit, an unknown spirit that kidnaps and kills people. The two of us, desperate to have some fun, we decided to go there to have study session.
“There was an abandoned building on the top of the hill right?” I asked.
“I think it's a house.” Hazim replied,
“What did you bring?” He asked, trying to psyche himself up.
“I learn Malay to fail Malay.” I joked.

Laughing out at my joke, we prepared ourselves to take the first step into the hill.

Using the internet as our only source of navigation, we ventured into the hill, the number of trees started stacking up. We were finding a path that leads up to a crossroad, after taking a few minutes of walking aimlessly, we finally found a path. Following the path, we finally found that crossroad.
A perfectly split path.
The ends are barely even touching each other.
A perfect one meter radius worth of grass blocking us from the paths and another perfect 120° that separated the paths from another.
“6 paths, huh.” I mumbled.
“Six? There’s three.” Hazim questioned, confused by my weird sentence.
“Oh yeah, I miscalculated. I'm blind, sorry.” I apologized,
“So left or right?” I asked.
“Let me check.” Hazim replied, taking out his phone.

Unlocking his phone and checking the instructions on the net, a small problem occurred.
No connection.
No signal.
No matter how many times he restarted his phone the result are the same.
My phone was the same thing, no connection and no signal.
No anything.

Pretending to tie my shoelace, I dropped a 50 cent coin on the floor before making a decision on going left.
“Left?” I asked.
“Okay.” He agreed, taking the first step ahead.

As we walked the path to our left, I dropped a one dollar coin on the ground.
We ventured into the hill, following that path. We were finding something that can lead us there, after taking a few minutes of walking aimlessly, we found a path that lead us to another crossroad.
Another perfectly split path.
With the ends are barely even touching each other.
A perfect one meter radius worth of grass blocking us from the paths and another perfect 120° that separated the paths from another.
We went in a circle, starting back at the path where I dropped my 50 cent coin. I kept the fact I used the landmarks from Hazim, I didn't want to start some unnecessary worrying.

“Right?” Hazim asked.
“Why?” I asked, thinking that he would crack a joke or something.
“Because I'm always right!” He joked.

Laughing our lungs out as we continued to venture into the hills, following the path to our right. This time I dropped a blue pen on the ground.
We were again finding something that can lead us there, after taking another few minutes of walking aimlessly, we found a path that lead us to another crossroad.
Again, another perfectly split path.
With the ends are barely even touching each other.
A perfect one meter radius worth of grass blocking us from the paths and another perfect 120° that separated the paths from another.
We went in a circle, starting back at the path where I dropped my 50 cent coin.
A circle.
We walked in a circle.
We walked in a circle two times.
Like lost snails finding our way out.

“Why is there so many split paths!” Hazim complained.
“Hazim, the was only three paths from the start.” I said,
“Look down.” I informed.

As he looked at the ground, he noticed 50 cent coin, checking the other paths, he found the one dollar coin on the first path we took and my blue pen on the recent path we took.
“So, what now.” Hazim asked, scratching his head.
“Break the cycle or repeat it.” I informed.

Scanning my surroundings, I saw something poking out of the grass, I couldn't tell what that was but I had a feeling that it was important.
“You got some candy?” I questioned.
“Yeah, you want some?” Hazim offered.
“Not now. Maybe later.” I replied.

Walking the way we came, there was no change in scenery nor place, we arrived at the same place from the same route.
All of them are circles.
Is this a divine intervention?
We're like lost snails, unable to return home.
We could tell that we're panicking.

“Don't tell me we're stuck here!” Hazim complained,
“Any ideas on breaking the cycle?” He questioned.
“One. Just one.” I informed.

My plan was to ’pop the weasel’. In other words, to remove the variable in the equation that gives us the same answer. The entire idea came to me as a gamble, since my mother was a preschool teacher, she would sing nursery rhymes at home. The idea 'pop the weasel’ came from the nursery rhyme ‘ Pop goes the weasel’ is a merry tune centered on an all too familiar children's theme: the cycle of poverty in society. But if you were to analyze the whole thing, there's only three sentences that mentions the 'weasel’; “The monkey chased the weasel” and the two iconic “POP goes the weasel”. Other than those sentences, there was never a sentence mentioning or describing about the 'weasel’. So my point was, what made the ‘weasel’ go pop?
If removing or changing parts of the rhyme bring light or shadow over this ‘weasel’ can bring this cycle to a change, then I'm willing to do anything.

“Can I have the candy? The entire packet?” I asked.
“Why?” Hazim questioned, taking out his candy.

Clearing away the grass, revealing that 'thing’ that was poking out of the grass, it was what I imagined it to be.
A shrine.
A shrine meant for a god.
Or a shrine meant for a spirit.
A stupid, dumb guy carrying carrying candy.
The answer was obvious, I was going to push my religious beliefs aside and pray to that shrine.

“Hazim, step back.” I instructed.
“Ben! Don't-!” Hazim warned.
“Don't worry about me.” I interrupted.

Placing the candy before the shrine, I clapped both my hands together and prayed.
“Please ensure me and my friend a safe trip.” I prayed.

Slowly standing up, I felt a warm breeze blowing past me. I heard it's word's, blowing to path I needed to take.
The way we came from.

“Let's go.” I said, walking to that path the wind blew towards.
“We already went there!” Hazim shouted.
“Nope. We haven't.” I informed,
“We'll reach somewhere, someplace.” I added.

Author's Note

Still new to writing
Please let me know your thoughts on this