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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 014: Another Dimension (Part Two)
At the sound of that shout, she turned her head to look, and her foot slipped. She fell awkwardly, and in an instant, the fish tank shattered. A triangular piece of glass came crashing down with a sharp sound—everything happened so quickly that I almost thought it was the shout that startled her into falling, causing the glass to slice her throat and kill her!
For a moment, I was stunned, at a loss for what to do. After all, I came from the real world, and everything I saw before me belonged to the past.
While I was lost in thought, a cold, eerie laugh echoed around me, followed by a chilling presence that swept past like a white shadow. I hurriedly chased after it but slipped again, nearly falling. Hearing voices and footsteps at the door, I quickly retreated.
If I rushed over there, would they think I was the one who killed someone?
Fearful, I backed into the bathroom. With nowhere to hide, I jumped into the bathtub. Just as I landed, someone grabbed me forcefully. I struggled violently and shouted, “It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!”
“Qi, are you alright?” The voice asking was my grandfather.
I was stunned; just moments ago—I was completely bewildered.
I was at a loss for words.
“Little Sparrow, you didn’t meet a beautiful girl in the water and start playing love games with her, did you...?”
Seeing my pale face, my grandfather scowled and scolded Fatty, “Nonsense! Go get a bowl of water.”
Fatty rolled out of the room while I coughed incessantly, expelling quite a bit of water.
My throat hurt from coughing.
“Qi! What were you doing in the water? Didn’t I tell you not to get too close to it?” My grandfather said as he patted my back while scolding me harshly.
“Did you tell me not to get close to water?” Was it my poor memory or his? I couldn’t shake the feeling that he never actually told me not to go near water. Ever since then, I envied Fatty for being able to live carefree and play around while I was kept under strict watch by my grandfather, forbidden from enjoying myself in the water and always forced to do things I didn’t like.
But every time, Grandpa was there by my side, always lifting me up just when I was on the verge of breaking down in fear.
Once I had caught my breath, Grandpa began to question me about what had just happened.
"What did you see in the water?"
"A woman. She’s dead... and there was an invisible aura of malevolence." I felt exhausted and puzzled. The Fatty was about my age, so why was it only me who encountered these strange occurrences? Why was I the only one able to experience Mediumship in the water?
"Such sins..." Grandpa sighed heavily and waved his hand at Fatty, who had brought in water. "Who told you to bring water in here? Isn’t there enough water already?"
Fatty looked stunned, and I was taken aback as well.
Just a moment ago, Grandpa had definitely called him to fetch water, but now he hadn’t asked him to bring any. It seemed that Grandpa's age was really catching up with him.
Fatty stepped outside, and Grandpa said, "Change your clothes; I have something for you to do."
"Okay."
I walked into the room, my mind still replaying the moment I witnessed that woman fall and slide down through the glass at such a rapid speed that it pierced her neck. At this thought, I swayed slightly and quickly leaned against the wall, closing my eyes for a moment.
Every time after Mediumship, my body felt weaker, and I needed quiet rest to regain my strength.
It was a close call; if I hadn't returned to the Bathtub, would I have died? Would I have been trapped in another dimension with Ji Xiaoying?
Ji Xiaoying, what on earth are you? What happened around you that caused your death to be so tragic?
As I changed clothes, I could hear Grandpa on the phone through the thin walls. It sounded like he was discussing whether or not they needed an Ice Coffin. After changing, I stepped out, and Grandpa informed me, "There’s work to be done regarding that woman. The Station has determined it was an accidental death, and the family is requesting a quick Cremation for burial."
When someone dies, it's like a light being extinguished; the deceased are gone, and they must be laid to rest. This is essential.
I couldn't shake off a sense of unease when I first heard about the cremation of Ji Xiaoying.
Previously, during the mediumship session, my body had felt weak, and my grandfather hadn't had the chance to tell me about that matter before he hurriedly took the fat man to the funeral home. They were there to chant spells for the deceased ahead of time, and I wasn't sure if there would be a second round of cleansing and makeup before the body could be placed in the furnace for cremation.
Lying in bed, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so I decided to sit up. I positioned myself at the counter, watching the vehicles and crowds passing by on the street. It was rush hour, with children bouncing along the street after school, none of them giving a second glance at Ma Wu Funeral Home.
What caught my attention most were the barbecue stalls and snack shops on the street.
Groups of children crowded into grocery stores, snack shops, and barbecue stalls.
As I watched these kids, I inexplicably thought about foreseeing death.
I couldn't help but stand up from behind the counter and walk towards them, hoping to spot that girl among them. If luck was on my side, perhaps I would see her.
"Hey, Sparrow, what are you looking at?" someone called out to me. I turned to see Uncle Zhang from the Honor Guard; he was the drummer. His skin was dark, and he wore a silly grin. Despite his soft-spoken demeanor and humble appearance, when he played the suona, his cheeks puffed up round as he produced an incredible sound.
"Not looking at anything. Where are you going, Uncle?"
"Your grandfather asked us to play a tune for that girl."
"Oh."
"Isn't she being buried tomorrow? Why today?"
"Your grandfather believes today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow; the host family has money."
"Oh." The host family indeed had money; their lavish decorations were evident—even that chandelier must have cost hundreds of thousands! Reflecting on everything I'd seen in the bathtub before felt surreal yet oddly real.
Uncle Zhang took his team away, and seeing that the children were dispersing to head home, I turned back towards the shop.
Just as I was turning back to the store, two girls walked towards me.
One of them looked familiar, with big eyes and fair skin, resembling a Cartoon Doll.
I froze; wasn't she the girl who asked me for water?
"Hi, do you remember me?"
The girl was startled but quickly regained her composure. "I've heard about you from Xiuxian."
At that moment, I felt a sense of foreboding. My grandfather had spoken of death, yet this girl appeared lively and carefree. Was he just being alarmist, trying to create a fuss over nothing?
While I hesitated, the other girl eyed me warily and whispered to the Cartoon Doll girl.
I recognized this girl; her grandmother had passed away, and we had helped with the aftermath. Her name was Xiuxian. She glanced at me fearfully and said, "Yin Yin, let's go. My mom can't talk to him; he has Evil Energy."
The girl's name was Yin Yin? I didn't know her until I came to the Funeral Home. If it weren't for my grandfather's ominous predictions, I wouldn't have bothered to chase after a girl just to chat.
I called out as I ran after them, "Yin Yin, wait a moment!"
"What do you want, Brother Qi?" I took a closer look at Yin Yin; she seemed clouded by darkness despite her age. How could someone so young carry such a heavy burden?
"I don't want anything; I just want... to talk to you more."
"Yin Yin, we need to go."
I wanted to follow behind Yin Yin and escort her home, but I hesitated. I couldn't tell what Xiuxian was thinking; she seemed frightened and pulled Yin Yin along as they started to run.
"Don't be afraid; I'll protect you both."
I ran quickly, but the two girls ran even faster.
Following behind them wasn't a good idea; they might think I had some ulterior motive. After all, abducting underage girls is a crime. I had to abandon the thought of catching up to send them home. Just as I turned around, a pair of hands reached out, and a foul smell wafted toward me, making my throat churn. I barely held back as I heard his mumbling words: "Give me something to eat, I'm so hungry."
Recently, several dirty-looking young beggars had appeared on the streets. Just a few days ago, one of them pretended to be disabled, lying on the scorching ground to elicit sympathy and money from passersby, only to be exposed by the traffic police on the spot.
"I don't have any food for you. There are plenty of jobs available everywhere; why not go work instead?" I snapped back and strode toward the Funeral Home.
The sign for Ma Wu Funeral Home was particularly eye-catching; I could see it from a distance, along with the wreaths hanging nearby.
After walking a few steps, something struck me, and I turned around to look. The beggar had disappeared in an instant, running away quickly.
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