Chapter 5
Edward Quan ·
At our New Year's Eve dinner, there was Uncle.
Auntie.
Grandma.
My older cousin Yiming.
And me.
No one mentioned Mom.
We ate and laughed, talked about my schoolwork and the Spring Festival Gala that was about to start, then teased Yiming about when he'd finally bring a girlfriend home.
...
Suddenly, Uncle's phone rang.
“Hello?”
“What?”
“Okay. I'll be right there.”
His expression changed as soon as he hung up.
“Mom.”
“Third Sister's gone missing.”
“The nurse saw her this afternoon when she changed her medication.”
“But when they checked just now, she was gone.”
I felt nothing when I heard it.
To me, this was hardly surprising anymore.
Grandma hurriedly set down her chopsticks.
“Quick.”
“We'll split up.”
“Second Son, go to the hospital.”
“I'll check Yiyi's apartment.”
“Fang Yi, stay here.”
“She might come looking for us.”
Fang Yi was my aunt.
Our apartment was too frightening.
I couldn't bear to let Grandma go alone.
“Grandma.”
“Let me come with you.”
She looked at me and was silent for a long time, as though weighing the idea.
I was scared.
But she'd said that woman was at least still in my mother's body.
I was worried something might happen to Mom too.
And Grandma was old.
If something went wrong...
“You'd better stay here.”
“Don't come.”
“Don't worry.”
“I'm still healthy.”
“I'll be fine.”
Grandma lived in the countryside and was highly respected in her village.
Whenever there was a funeral, people invited her to lead the rites.
She was always telling us about one taboo or another.
I'd never believed any of it.
I'd always thought it was ignorance. Old-fashioned superstition.
But after everything I'd experienced, I understood.
Science couldn't explain everything in the world.
Who could explain what had happened to me?
For the first time, I put all my hopes in Grandma.
Maybe she was the only one who could solve this.
Grandma and Uncle left.
Auntie and I cleared the table.
“Yiyi, leave it to me.”
“Go and watch TV.”
“It's okay.”
“Let me help.”
“It makes me feel better.”
Once we finished, we sat on the sofa watching the Spring Festival Gala and waiting for news.
Then Auntie's phone rang too.
“Okay.”
“Okay.”
“I'll be right there.”
She hung up and turned to me.
“Your uncle wants me to take his ID to the hospital.”
“They need it for the paperwork.”
“Okay.”
“You go, Auntie.”
“I'll stay here.”
She went into her room, came out with her things a few minutes later, and left.
I went on watching TV and cracking melon seeds.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.
My hand stopped.
I looked up at the door, holding my breath.
I didn't dare speak.
Then Auntie's voice came from outside.
“Yiyi.”
“I forgot my keys.”
“Your uncle wants us to go and pick up Grandma.”
“She's not feeling well.”
I let out a breath.
For a moment, I'd thought...
“Okay.”
“Auntie.”
“I'll come with you.”
Worried about Grandma, I jumped up and opened the door.
Auntie turned away and went ahead, hurrying me along.
“Come on.”
“Don't keep her waiting.”
I rushed after her.
...
Outside my apartment, “Auntie” took out a key and opened the door with practiced ease.
I ran inside.
“Grandma!”
“Grandma!”
The apartment was dark.
I was so anxious I forgot to turn on the light.
I just kept calling.
No one answered.
Bang!
The door slammed behind me.
“Yiyi...”
“Did you miss Mommy?”
A familiar voice.
The lights came on.
Grandma wasn't there.
And the voice behind me wasn't Auntie's.
Slowly, I turned.
My legs went weak, and I dropped to the floor.
Behind me stood “Mom.”
She was wearing Auntie's clothes.
Her hair was pinned up the same way.
She tilted her head and gave me a crooked smile.
“I told you...”
“You'll always be my daughter.”
In the end, I'd come back to this apartment.
I'd been so worried about Grandma that I hadn't looked closely.
I'd never expected “Mom” to put on Auntie's clothes and trick me.
After everything I'd been through, this time I didn't panic as I had before.
I turned to face her and asked calmly, “Where's my grandma?”
“Mom” stood in front of the door.
She didn't answer.
She just looked me up and down with interest.
Maybe she was surprised I wasn't screaming in fear.
“Who are you?”
“What do you want with me?”
“I told you.”
“I'm your mother.”
She walked slowly over and stopped in front of me.
Then she reached out to stroke my cheek.
That was when I saw it.
A tiny red spot on the inner side of her right thumb.
I immediately remembered the hospital.
Grandma lifting Mom's right hand and studying it.
Then looking behind her ear.
And sighing, “What a terrible thing...”
I tried to see behind “Mom's” ear too, but she was facing me.
I couldn't get a clear look.
I met her eyes.
If...
“If I accept you as my mother...”
“Will you treat me well?”
“Of course.”
“What mother doesn't love her daughter?”
“As long as you're good and do as you're told.”
“All right.”
“I'm going to my room.”
I turned away and went inside.
I pulled the door nearly shut, deliberately leaving a narrow gap, then hid behind it and peeked out.
“Mom's” footsteps drew closer.
I planned to look behind her ear as she passed.
The footsteps stopped just to the left of my door.
But she still hadn't come into view.
I waited.
One minute.
Two.
Not a sound.
Crouching for so long made my back ache.
I straightened and rubbed my waist.
Then a thought struck me, freezing the blood in my veins.
Why hadn't she gone back to her room?
I bent down again and put my right eye to the gap.
Strange.
Why was everything dark?
I couldn't see the floor or the wall of the hallway anymore.
As though something was pressed right against the other side of the door.
Pressed against the door...?
A chill ran down my spine.
As understanding hit, I looked up.
I recoiled in terror.
...
“Mom” had flattened herself against the door.
She was standing right outside the gap.
What I'd been looking at was her clothing.
When I raised my eyes, I saw her head pressed to the opening too.
One eye.
Watching me through the crack.
“Heh heh...”
Her delighted laughter came from outside.
Then I heard her walking away.
I immediately locked the door, fell onto my bed, and gasped for air.
...
When Grandma and Uncle realized I was missing, they would come here looking for me.
As long as I didn't upset her, all I had to do was wait to be rescued.
But nothing happened the way I hoped.
Ever since I'd been tricked into returning from Uncle's, everything had become strange.
I lost track of time.
The alarm clock beside my bed disappeared.
Outside my window, there was only darkness.
Or a gray, overcast day.
When I looked out, there were no people.
No cars.
Only that gloomy sky.
I put my hand outside.
I couldn't feel even a breath of wind.
“Something's wrong...”
I stood at the window, staring at the gray sky.
Since my return, this whole apartment had felt wrong.
I kept feeling I was on the verge of understanding something.
But I couldn't quite grasp it.
I didn't know how much time had passed.
No one came looking for me.
“Mom” didn't do anything to me either.
She simply ate with me every day.
Apart from that, she didn't speak.