Nineteenth Day (7) Childhood Shadow

  When your fantasy becomes reality, then your reality will also make you feel like a fantasy.

  This world suddenly made me feel unreal, the scientific view I built in my first twenty years collapsed instantly, I don't know what's wrong with this world, but that red-clothed female ghost is actually real?

  But how could she be real?

  I've always been escaping, and I've always had a fantasy that I'm in a high fever, seeing illusions, everything I see, hear, and touch is not real. All of this is just the dull imagination of a sick person.

  I held onto this naive idea about my own curse and ending, but suddenly, Wang Aiyu broke through all of that.

  What she said was exactly what I saw.

  The red-clothed female ghost who exists in my world also appears in her world at the same time.

  How can I escape?

  I wanted to continue asking questions, but was pushed by someone. I came back to myself and found it was Xia Ai. Xia Ai pointed outside the door, and I followed her out.

  Xiao Ai said, "Don't mind them anymore, let's go back to our room."

  I was stunned for half a day, turned back to see students still surrounded there, at this time why did Little Ai suddenly let me go?

  Xiao Ai noticed my doubts and said, "I think you seem particularly worried, I'm a bit scared too. This wasn't our business to begin with, why don't we just avoid it?"

  It turned out that Xiaoyi was scared, I nodded, and the two of us returned to my room. Xiaoyi sat down and said, "That red-clothed female ghost is actually a legend in this village, and not many people know about it. If I were to scare people in this village, I would definitely choose the red-clothed female ghost as my starting point, right?"

  Xiao Ai suddenly spoke so rationally, leaving me stunned for half a day. It seemed as if the world had changed again, and Xiao Ai had begun to enlighten me? I hadn't come back to my senses yet, still dazed, and then said, "But I've never seen a red-clothed female ghost before."

  Xiao Ai said, it's just that, having never seen it before, what is there to be afraid of?

  I said no, before I came to this village, before I set foot in these desolate mountains, I saw the red-clothed female ghost.

  Xiao Ai said, didn't you just say you haven't seen it before?

  I said, you didn't understand what I meant. What I mean is that when I had no connection with this desolate village, I never saw the red-clothed female ghost, not even in my mind's eye. But at the moment I established a connection with this desolate village, she appeared in my mind's eye. She couldn't have come out of thin air; at that time, I didn't know anything about the legend of Red Clothes Village.

  Xiao Ai nodded and said, "Have you seen the red-clothed female ghost? I saw her before."

  I said, how is it possible.

  Xiao Ai said, do you still remember when your family hastily moved away that year?

  I said, I only remember moving house.

  Xiao Ai said, do you still remember the details of your move?

  I shook my head and said, at that time I was still young, as if suddenly arrived in another place.

  Xiao Ai said, no, you didn't forget because you were too small, but because you were too afraid to forget.

  Xiao Ai looked at me and said slowly: At that time, we were still young, everyone played together every day, the village was originally full of wild children, and our families didn't care. At that time, you said you wanted to leave, say goodbye to everyone, and everyone was reluctant to part with you. Later, maybe because things were too big, you said to move slowly, we were very happy to play together every day.

  I said, I remember at that time I moved away.

  Xiao Ai said, don't worry, I didn't cheat you, probably when I say it out loud you'll remember.

  I nodded.

  Xiao Ai said that at that time, our favorite places to play were two: one was under the pagoda tree catching cicadas, and the other was catching fish in the Qing River. Do you still remember these?

  I suddenly recalled the scene of us swimming together in the river, but the next moment I felt a severe headache, I covered my head and asked Xia Ai, what happened? Why does my head hurt so much?

  Xiao Ai said, that day we went to the riverbank for a swim, you swam downstream by yourself, everyone was a good swimmer, no one was worried. But suddenly, you struggled on the water's surface, shouting for help. Er Lu Zi had the best swimming skills and the most strength, he rushed over and pulled you up, but you were scared stiff, your face pale, trembling all the time. Afterwards... you said... said that just now you were pulled down by a female ghost wearing a red skirt.

  I let out a cry, and suddenly the scene burst forth in my mind. I was struggling in the water, my foot caught by someone's hand. I looked down to see a woman in red lying in the water, her face pale, one eye staring at me while the other was hidden behind a lock of hair.

  My head hurts even more, I covered my head and said to Xiao Ai, what's next?

  Xiao Ai said, at that time you went home and said so, everyone thought you were scared to death. We were all scolded by our parents, and Er Duzi was beaten because he was the king of children. But you kept having a high fever, kept saying this, repeating it over and over again. The few of us went to see you, but you seemed not to have seen us, just repeating what you said about the red-clothed female ghost. Then the villagers took notice. At that time, someone in the village really did go missing, a new bride, I don't know how she disappeared, anyway it was said that she ran away from her marriage and left wearing a red skirt. You kept saying this over and over again, finally the village sent people to search by the river, and they found the woman's body in that place.

  I swallowed and then said, what's next?

  Xiao Ai said, at that time, I wasn't very clear about what happened either. But it's said that you were entangled by water grass and almost drowned after being entangled. Anyway, you were so scared that you had a high fever all the time. Your parents saw that things weren't going well, so they directly took you to the city for medical treatment, which also meant moving the family ahead of schedule. I think you don't remember any of this, do you?

  It seemed I was suddenly electrocuted, and then the world became much clearer. The female ghost in the water and the clear river water, I struggled in the water, and the fish swam frantically beside me.

  Even after all these years have passed, I can still feel that fear.

  I said, why did you suddenly tell me this story?

  Xiao Ai said, I saw that girl just now say the red-clothed female ghost and you seemed to be scared, I'm afraid you'll repeat the nightmare of those years again.

  I said, after all these years I actually don't remember anything at all.

  Xiao Ai said, you're too scared, your brain sealed this memory away to protect you. I think it must have been coming back here that reactivated the memory, and now you've seen the red-clothed female ghost at home too.

  I murmured in response, and then said that after coming over, I saw several hallucinations again, but there was one that absolutely wouldn't be a hallucination.

  Xiao Ai said, what is it?

  I said, when they were having a wild fight in the ancient temple at first, I happened to be led over there by someone. I hid behind a statue, that statue really existed and was exactly like what Wang Aiyu said. It absolutely wasn't a statue, but also not a living person. I bumped into her leg, it felt like a mummy. Today she came here and even entered Wang Aiyu's room, maybe last night Siyu saw the extra person who was actually her.

  Xiao Ai looked at me and said, "Maybe everything is just your illusion."

  I said, hallucinations can't be seen by two people at the same time.

  Xiao Ai said, or perhaps it wasn't a red-clothed female ghost at all, maybe she was just someone in disguise.

  What makes you think so?

  Xiao Ai said, I think killing people is not something that ghosts and gods do. People's private hearts are too heavy, their desires are too strong, where would evil spirits have the chance to kill? If killing people wasn't against the law, probably everyone would go and kill. They come here looking for an excuse, a legend, if they can't find one, it becomes an unsolved case.

  I'm saying, but there really are ghosts here, otherwise why would you go to an ancient temple to get married? Have you forgotten?

  Xiao Ai was stunned for a moment, then said, "Right! I was also confused at that time." What day is it today?

  Suddenly, I heard the sound of ticking in my ears, and the clock in my mind was spinning rapidly. I muttered to myself, today is the sixth day, tomorrow will be the seventh day.

  Xiao Ai said, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly lose your voice?

  I shook my head and forced a smile, saying "I'm fine, everyone outside has left, why don't you go back and rest too?"

  Xiao Ai nodded and touched my arm, whispering softly, don't be afraid, it's been so many years since everything happened.

  I saw Xiao Ai out the door and watched as the university students returned to their rooms with serious faces. The door to Wang Aiyu's room was wide open, so I walked over to her doorway and took a look inside. Hou Mingyu was sitting on the edge of Wang Aiyu's bed, his hands and feet also bound to the bed, the two of them sat facing each other.

  What happened?

  I saw Siyao going out to fetch water, so I quietly called her back. Siyao said that Hou Mingyu is a scoundrel who has ruined Er Ya. Er Ya was too scared and didn't dare stay in that room anymore. But we also didn't dare let him out, after all this matter was too strange. Er Ya asked Hou Mingyu to accompany him, but Hou Mingyu raised his hand to hit someone, so everyone got angry and tied him up on the bed watching Er Ya. The door is wide open, if anything happens, just let them shout for help.

  I hummed in agreement, and as it turned out, this method was also a solution.

  I returned to my room and carefully calculated the time. I really didn't miscalculate, today is the sixth day, it's been six days since I brought Xia Ai back from the ancient temple.

  I am extremely afraid, what I'm afraid of is not the sixth day, but the seventh day.

  Tomorrow everything will have an outcome. I may lose Xiaoyi tomorrow, lose the warmth she brought to me in my last moments of life, and lose all of this.

  If this is an illusion, I wish I could escape from it.

  If this is true, I wish I could bring Xiaoyu back.

  If this is the end, I hope I can be with Xiaoyi, hand in hand, walking towards the final moment.

  At that time, she died happily in my twenty-fifth year, and I never had tomorrow.

  A countdown began in his mind.

  Drip drop.

  Drip drop.

  A shrill cry echoed through the air from that woman.

  Seven days back soul.

  Wait for me!