Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
These were clear and pure eyes, looking at me with curiosity, dispelling the fear in my heart.
I crouched down to examine the girl before me. She was almost entirely wrapped in white clothing and a mask, with only her eyes exposed.
I asked, "Is your name Tong Tong?"
The girl shyly nodded.
My heart was filled with too many questions about her.
"Have you always stayed in this room? Why don't you go outside?"
Tong Tong focused on my face, as if she were examining me with her innocent eyes. I met her gaze, wanting her to feel my love and care.
It seemed I had successfully gained the girl's trust, as she softly answered my question, "I can't go outside. I'm afraid of the light."
I was taken aback and turned to look at Jiang Ping in surprise.
Jiang Ping nodded slightly, his face filled with compassion and helplessness, and began to tell me about Tong Tong:
From the day she was born, this girl had suffered from a strange illness. She lacked the most basic resistance to light; any intensity of sunlight or overly bright artificial light would harm her skin. Therefore, during the day, she could only be confined at home, with all the doors and windows covered by thick curtains.
Moonlight and candlelight were less harmful to her, so she could only engage in limited activities at night. Even then, she had to wear a white mask to protect her delicate skin.
Her daily routine was completely opposite to that of a normal person. During the day, she slept in a dark room; at night, she would wake up to study and play. Her mother would also take her out for walks, which were her happiest moments.
...
I listened quietly, unwilling to believe that such a tragic thing could happen to such a lovely girl, yet I had to accept this reality.
This was the reason the girl was kept locked in the house all day.
This was why the girl looked so pale.
This was why I couldn't see her during the day...
But was this all there was to the truth I was seeking? There were still too many unanswered questions.
I gently wrapped my arms around the girl's slender arm and asked, “Tong Tong, have you seen your aunt? A couple of afternoons ago, you were standing behind that window?”
Tong Tong looked at me seriously for a moment before shaking her head.
“That’s impossible,” Jiang Ping interjected. “The curtains in this room are drawn tightly during the day; you couldn’t possibly see her from outside.”
“But I really did see her… Tong Tong, don’t you remember? Think carefully.”
I carried the girl over to the window. Since it was a pitch-black rainy night outside, the curtains were not drawn at that moment.
"You were standing behind the window at that time, right in this position. Auntie was on the balcony next door..." Suddenly, I froze, my eyes widening in disbelief!
From the window where I currently stood, I couldn't see any balcony next door at all!
"Impossible, how could it be gone...?" I murmured, opening the window and leaning out despite the falling raindrops, eager to see for myself.
What I saw only deepened my confusion. There was indeed a balcony, but it wasn't next door. Between the balcony and my window, there was another room.
No! This wasn't the window I had seen from the balcony, nor was it the room where the girl had been!
I pulled back into the room, slowly shaking my head as I said, "Strange... it seems that Tong Tong should have been in the room next door."
"Next door? You mean to the west?" Jiang Ping seemed puzzled by what I was saying. "But that's your house!"
"No, our home is just a One Bedroom One Living Room; there are no rooms without balconies," I replied, equally confused.
Jiang Ping shook his head firmly. "That's impossible! All the units in this building are Two Bedrooms and One Living Room; they have the same layout and structure."
I stood there in a daze, a cold sweat seeping from every pore of my body.
Comment 0 Comment Count