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墨書 Inktalez
The village was small, with only about twenty or thirty households, and the situation was much the same as in A Yong's family—there wasn't a single young adult around. Not one.
Standing at the entrance were only children and the elderly, their expressions varied as they stared at me as if I were a performing monkey. Of course, I was that monkey, and A Yong was the one putting on the show.
What struck me as even stranger was that typically, when neighbors encountered each other, they would at least exchange greetings or engage in small talk. But in this village, it felt like everyone had lost their voices; they simply watched A Yong and me with smiles. More accurately, they were looking at me and smiling.
Feeling uncomfortable under their gaze, I pulled A Yong closer and said, “A Yong, let’s head back. I’m feeling a bit tired.”
A Yong seemed reluctant at first but thought for a moment before he agreed to walk back.
Once we returned to A Yong's house, He Granny prepared a room for me downstairs. Lying on the soft bed, I couldn’t help but want to discuss my doubts with Fo Gua, but no matter how hard I searched my mind, I couldn’t find anything.
A sudden chill ran through me; I had been careless. Who knows when this fellow had already burrowed into my body?
With no one speaking, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier...
In a hazy state, I seemed to hear muffled sobs, like someone was whimpering with something stuffed in their mouth.
Then I caught snippets of conversation, the voices low and pressed down.
“Mom, do we really... have to...”
“That’s only natural... when you run into trouble...”
...
...
The voices were intermittent and hard to make out. My sleep was extremely restless; by the time I woke up, my head felt heavy and muddled, as if someone had poured a lump of dough into it. Looking through the glass window, I saw that night had fallen, and a blurry face reflected back at me in the glass.
I was startled, and when I focused again, I realized it was my own reflection. I couldn't help but laugh at myself for being overly tense, which had probably led to my nervousness.
When I pushed open the door, I found that only two wall lamps were lit in the living room. He Granny and her grandson were huddled together watching television, their expressions intensely focused. The flickering light from the TV cast strange colors on their faces.
Both of them wore blank expressions, resembling a pair of wax figures sitting on the sofa.
From my vantage point, I could see their profiles clearly, and I suddenly noticed that He Yong bore a striking resemblance to He Granny.
Before I could recover from my shock, I was interrupted by a blinding glare from the incandescent light. He Granny smiled and said, “Awake now? Sit for a moment; I'll heat up the dishes, and then we can eat.”
I felt it would be rude to just take advantage of their hospitality, so I followed her into the kitchen to lend a hand. “Grandma, you’re too kind. If I sleep until midnight, wouldn’t you and A Yong go without dinner? Just save me a little.”
He Granny chuckled, “It’s fine. Nowadays, we don’t do much physical labor, so we don’t get hungry as quickly.”
Curiously, I asked, “Really? Is there no farming in the village anymore?”
He Granny nodded. “There’s no labor force in the village. Are we supposed to rely on this bunch of old folks and kids to farm?”
I thought about it and realized she was right; nowadays, working outside brought in money much faster than farming.
The kitchen was small, roughly four or five square meters. It had modern cooking appliances. In one corner stood a large plastic barrel, about half a person tall. The light shone on it, making it seem like something was floating inside.
After He Granny heated up the dishes, she noticed I was staring at the plastic barrel and explained, “That’s where we keep the vegetable oil for cooking.”
I secretly mocked myself for being so suspicious.
After dinner, we watched some television before heading back to our rooms to rest. A Yong's room was upstairs while He Granny's room was next to mine. I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was eight thirty-three.
As soon as I returned to my room, drowsiness washed over me again, and I found myself yawning repeatedly. I figured it must have been because my afternoon nap wasn’t deep enough that I felt sleepy so early at just past eight.
I couldn't care less about my meditation practice; I simply collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.
In that half-dreaming state, strange sounds began to emerge. First, there was the ticking of a second hand, followed by whispers, and then a soft sobbing…
As I struggled to get up, I realized it felt as though a thousand-pound stone was pressing down on me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move.
Then came the sound of a door lock being turned. My bleary eyes opened slightly, and I seemed to see two figures standing at the foot of my bed—one tall and one short.
They wore strange smiles, gazing at me as if I were a delicacy, their eyes filled with a sinister glint.
That night…
I kept having the same dream over and over again, yet I couldn't wake up. Even though I recited mantras in my mind, it was futile.
When the rooster crowed at dawn, I finally managed to wake up, only to find my entire body aching as if I had just fought a battle. This sleep had been more exhausting than any fight.
As soon as I stepped outside, the aroma of noodles wafted through the air. “Grandma, why are you up so early?”
“Old age means less sleep. Why don’t you sleep a bit longer? Oh dear, Ling Feng. Why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell?” Granny He quickly placed her hand on my forehead to check my temperature. “You’re not running a fever. Is it that you’re not used to staying in a strange place?”
I had initially planned to leave today; after all, it wasn't right for me to stay in someone else's home without any relatives around. But now, I felt utterly drained of energy—at this rate, even a child could push me over.
I barely ate anything for breakfast before retreating back to my room to sleep again. Struggling against the drowsiness, I began to realize something was off. I had rarely been sick throughout my life. How could I suddenly fall ill?
Yet Granny He and I had shared meals at the same table; there was no reason for me to be the only one affected.
My mind felt like a tangled mess as I drifted off into another hazy sleep.
In this dream, not only did I hear sounds again, but I also vaguely saw shadows. The surroundings were pitch black, as if I were in some cave or enclosed space. Following the sound of sobbing, I moved forward.
A crackling sound echoed, as if a dry branch had been stepped on. When I looked down, I was startled to see numerous bones scattered beneath my feet, appearing to be human remains.
The thing I had stepped on was not a branch at all, but a severed leg bone.
In the corner, I noticed several young people bound and gagged, their eyes filled with tears as they looked at me, pleading for help…
I jolted upright in bed, gasping for breath. The events of the dream felt both real and unreal, lingering in my mind like those sorrowful eyes.
What has happened to me…?
And where exactly is this place?
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