Rahim and Karim returned to the old house after visiting the village. Now they knew the name of the strange man — Mr. Roy.
The house felt more silent than before.
Karim closed the door and said, "Rahim, I don't feel safe anymore."
Rahim nodded slowly.
"Yes. Mr. Roy can come here anytime."
Karim looked worried.
"What if he already knows about the secret room?"
Rahim said, "We must be ready."
They went down to the hidden room again.
Rahim checked the place where they had hidden the crystal.
It was still safe.
Karim said, "We should not keep it here for long."
Rahim thought for a moment.
"You are right. But for now, this is the safest place."
Evening slowly turned into night.
The house became dark and quiet.
The boys decided to stay in the house and keep watch.
Karim held the torch.
Rahim kept the golden key and the new key with him.
They sat quietly and listened.
Hours passed.
Nothing happened.
Karim said softly, "Maybe he will not come tonight."
Rahim was about to reply when suddenly they heard a sound.
Knock… knock…
Both boys froze.
Karim whispered, "Did you hear that?"
Rahim nodded.
"Yes… someone is at the door."
The knock came again.
Knock… knock…
Karim said, "What should we do?"
Rahim said, "Stay quiet."
They did not move.
After a few moments, the knocking stopped.
But then they heard something else.
A window opened with a soft sound.
Karim's heart started beating fast.
"He is inside," he whispered.
Rahim said, "We must hide."
They quickly went down to the secret room.
Rahim closed the hidden door quietly.
Both boys stayed silent.
They could hear footsteps in the house.
Slow… careful… searching footsteps.
Karim whispered, "He is looking for something."
Rahim nodded.
"Yes. He is looking for the crystal."
The footsteps came closer.
Then they stopped.
For a long moment, everything was silent.
Karim held his breath.
Suddenly, they heard a voice.
"I know you are here," the man said.
It was Mr. Roy.
Karim looked at Rahim with fear.
Rahim stayed calm.
They did not answer.
Mr. Roy laughed softly.
"You cannot hide forever," he said.
Then the footsteps moved away.
After some time, everything became quiet again.
Karim whispered, "Has he gone?"
Rahim said, "Wait."
They stayed quiet for a few more minutes.
Then Rahim slowly opened the hidden door a little.
He looked outside.
The house was empty.
Karim said, "He is gone."
Rahim nodded.
"Yes. But he will come back."
Karim said, "We cannot stay here anymore."
Rahim thought deeply.
"You are right. We need a better plan."
Karim asked, "What should we do?"
Rahim said, "We should move the crystal to another place."
Karim said, "Where?"
Rahim looked at the book.
"Maybe the cave is safer," he said.
Karim looked surprised.
"The cave? But the wolf is there."
Rahim said, "The wolf protects the crystal. That may be safer than here."
Karim thought for a moment.
"Yes… that is true."
Rahim said, "We will go tomorrow morning."
Karim nodded.
"Okay."
The night passed slowly.
The boys did not sleep well.
They were always alert.
The next morning, they quickly prepared to leave.
Rahim took the crystal carefully.
Karim took the torch.
They left the house and went toward the forest.
The forest looked calm in the morning light.
But both boys were serious.
They reached the cave.
Rahim said, "We must be careful."
Karim nodded.
They entered the cave.
The air was cold again.
They walked to the big underground room.
The wolf was there.
It looked at them.
But it did not attack.
Rahim slowly walked forward.
He placed the crystal back on the stone platform.
The crystal started glowing again.
The wolf sat near it.
Karim smiled.
"It is safe now," he said.
Rahim nodded.
"Yes. Mr. Roy cannot take it easily from here."
Karim said, "But what if he comes here?"
Rahim said, "Then the wolf will protect it."
Suddenly, they heard a sound behind them.
Both boys turned quickly.
A shadow moved near the cave entrance.
Karim whispered, "Rahim… he followed us!"
Rahim looked serious.
"Yes. He is here."
The danger was not over.
It was just beginning.