In the dead of night, one of the children could no longer suppress their desperate desire to escape. Perhaps it wasn’t just a longing for freedom but a surrender to despair, a near-suicidal yearning to end everything.

‘The red door is dangerous. Let’s not go in yet and see what happens.’

Despite this unspoken agreement among the children the previous day, this child gave in to their impulses. Quietly, they crept while the others slept, moving toward the red door.

Their heart pounded wildly, sweat dripping down their temples. Was this anticipation or anxiety? They couldn’t tell.

And then, they …