''《THE WHITE TOWEL》''
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[[Start]]
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''In the past:''
On a sunny afternoon, fix-year-old Amy was playing in her cozy yard. Her neatly trimmed short hair swayed gently in the breeze, and she was always content.
However, her contentment shifted when she noticed the neighbor's older sister's long hair glistening in the sunlight. This sight ignited a desire deep within Amy; she longed to have silky, flowing locks like hers.
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She wished that her own hair would grow just as long as the neighbor's sister's in the future.
Amy was captivated by the elegance and grace embodied by long hair, envisioning a more confident and graceful version of herself. Filled with anticipation, she ran to her grandmother, her eyes brimming with dreams of the future, and said:
"Grandma, I want to grow my hair long too."
Grandma smiled gently, her expression full of understanding and support. In that moment, the seed of longing for long hair was firmly planted in Amy's heart.
She had [[never questioned|had never questioned why she liked long hair over short]] why she liked long hair over short. All she knew was that she craved to have such a long hair.
[[10 years later|in her future.]]
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Amy walks into the baby room, a realm that is her entire world when she was younger. The walls are adorned with elegant wallpaper, and several long-haired dolls lay on the baby crib. Except one doll, she has short hair and wears a black dress, very Ghost Festival style.
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Her gaze wanders around the room, finally settling on a small table where a few white cloth are placed, clearly intended for using. Delighted, she walks over, picks up some, and begins planning how to make it into a cute rabbit.
[[Head back]]
Amy gently pushes open the basement door, and the hinges emit a loud creaking sound. As soon as she steps in, a chill immediately rises from the floor, as if the basement is an isolated, icy realm. The light is pale and dim, barely illuminating a few steps ahead, while the rest of the space is swallowed by thick darkness, blurring the edges of objects.
The air is filled with a musty smell, mixed with the scent of yellowed old books and long-uncleaned dust. The sounds in the basement seem to be devoured by the heavy air, even Amy's own footsteps become unusually muffled, as if something is closely watching her every move.
When Amy opens a dust-covered cabinet, her gaze is drawn to a white towel inside, seemingly hiding something. Pulling back the towel, she discovers a photo of a girl, but she does not recognize the girl. Just as she decides to take the picture frame and towel upstairs, her movement is just completed when the living room lights suddenly go out, plunging her into darkness. Amy is startled, the frame falls down, and the glass shatters.
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Then, a breeze without wind comes, and she feels the towel being gently lifted by the air. Amy nervously reaches out to find the light switch and turns the light back on. The living room is once again brightly lit, and everything seems to have returned to normal.
Amy decides to...
[[check the window]]
After a moment of hesitation, Grandma spoke,
"Either way, it's time to stop playing. I'm going to put away that mirror soon."
Displeased that her grandmother had restricted her playtime, the little girl ran out of the room, towel in hand, faced with a choice:
[[ Return the towel to its original place]]
[[Grandma, you're so superstitious.]]
AMy asks,
"Who is the little babe in the picture in basement?"
Grandma puzzles,
"What are you talking about? "
When Mom enters the hallway, her gaze immediately falls on the peculiar white towel on Amy's head. She frowns, asking with a mix of confusion and concern, "What is this? Why are you wearing a towel on your head? Take it off right now."
Amy, still wearing the towel, looks up at her mom with a sparkle of defiance in her eyes, replying,
"No! Why do you and Grandma say that?"
Her voice is filled with determination, as if the towel is not just a simple accessory but a precious discovery in her small world.
Mom lets out a deep sigh. She understood too well that her daughter, much like herself, was completely resistant to opinions that diverged sharply from her own. She pondered, could this stubbornness be a trait inherited through their [[genes]]? Or was it a universal characteristic inherent in all children? Faced with this quandary, the mother could only resort to her usual good-natured approach, gently telling her daughter,
"Alright, you can play for a little while longer. We'll need to start getting ready for lunch soon."
Amy ...
[[wants to figure this thing out.|decides to prove it by herself]]
[[pickis up the towel and leaves]]
The night deepens, and everything in the room is bathed in the soft yellow light of the bedside lamp, creating an atmosphere that's both cozy and mysterious.
Usually, at this time, her mother would play some light music to help Amy fall asleep. But today, her mother is already asleep beside her.
Without music tonight, everything falls silent, making the gentle rustling of the wind outside and the sound of the leaves all the more apparent. Amy's senses become unusually sharp, and she starts to notice subtle sounds she hadn't paid attention to before—strange sounds. They seem to emanate from a dark corner on the other side of the room, profound and intriguing. These sounds are not clear speech, but more like murmurs or whispers, both enchanting and unsettling.
The sounds persist, sparking Amy's unease and curiosity. Amy faces two choices:
[[follow the source of the sounds]]
[[ignore and go to sleep]]
Amy, clutching the white towel, returns to the baby room. The air in the room seems to freeze, unnaturally quiet. The dolls lie on the bed in unusual silence, their hollow eyes fixed on the girl as if they are silently saying, "You've finally returned."
"The story mom told is really scary," Amy says with a trembling voice to the dolls, "Do you think it's true? I played with this white towel today, too, but I really don't want to just disappear."
Suddenly, the dolls' smiles twist, as if they can truly understand her words, revealing a sinister and terrifying atmosphere in their grins. This makes the girl feel an inexplicable panic; she doesn't want to stay in the baby room any longer. So, she...
[[covers the dolls with the white towel|night]]
[[put the towel on the chair|night]]
Watching the towel, she unknowingly fell asleep.
About an hour later, she slowly woke up from her sleep. The room's yellow table lamp is off, and the music has stopped, leaving the room in an eerie silence. Suddenly, Amy hears some ''strange breathing sounds''. They're not from her, nor her mother, but emanating from a corner of the room. However, the darkness is too enveloping for her to see anything.
Amy turns her head towards the door, only to find it mysteriously opened at some point, with the faint light from the living room casting ''the shadow of an adult man'' on the wall by the doorway. Amy...
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[[follows the source of the sounds|follow the source of the sounds]]
[[says:"Who are you?"]]
Holding the white towel, Amy falls asleep.
About an hour later, she suddenly wakes up from her sleep. She finds that the white towel have been placed over her body. The room is still bathed in the warm glow of the yellow table lamp, ''but the soft music have stopped''.
Turning towards the door, Amy notices it have been quietly opened at some point, and the silhouette of an adult man is clearly cast on the wall by the doorway, his outline particularly distinct under the warm light.
[[...wakes up her mom]]
[[says:"Who is there?"]]After Amy nervously wakes up her mom, mom groggily opens her eyes, listening to her describe the silhouette at the door.
“Mom, you see The mother glances at the door, then looks around the room, takes a deep breath, and says...
"I didn't see anythiing babe. Maybe don't play with the white towel anymore."
Amy...
[[asks Mom to check out]]
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</script>"Who are you?"
Amy musters the courage to say. But the silhouette remains motionless. Suddenly, Amt seems to notice the silhouette's lips move slightly, but because the soft music is still playing, she can't hear any other sounds. This sends a chill through her entire body.
At this moment, she notices the white towel, which had somehow fallen to the floor not far from the door. The middle of the towel is bulged up, making the entire shape of the towel resemble a small bridge.
Amy swallows hard, she is going to...
[[check the shadow out|check out]]
[[scream]]
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</script>After waking up her mom, Amy watches as her mom groggily opens her eyes. Suddenly, her mom asks, "Why did you bring this towel up here?"
Amy stammers, unable to articulate a response. Her mom probes further, "Where's the shadow?"
Amy points towards the door.
Her mom looks over and says, "Baby, I don't see any shadow."
Then, she soothingly pats Amy's head, trying to calm her down. Amy...
[[asks Mom to check out]]
Amy bravely says,
"Who's there?"
But the silhouette remains motionless. Suddenly, Amy seems to see the lips of the silhouette move, and she thinks she hears a voice say,
"It's me."
This sends a chill through her entire body. Amy clutches her blanket tightly, but accidentally touches the white towel. During the day, the towel feels comfortable and soft, but now it feels dry, wrinkled, and hard. The little girl... She feels trapped in a nightmare, unable to escape.
In the darkness, she tries to retreat, but finds herself unable to move. An invisible force seems to hold her in place, trapping her in this nightmare. Panic sweeps over her, and she struggles against this unseen obstacle, her breath coming in short and ragged gasps.
Just then, the silhouette begins to move, its form twisting and contorting in the darkness. The air is thick with oppressive fear, and the dark tendrils reach out towards her, enveloping her in a chilling embrace. Amy...
[[try to grab the white towel]]
[[scream]]
"Mom says,
"I've already told you, I didn't see anything."
As her mother's words hang in the air, Amy's gaze shifts back to the slowly moving shadow. It seems to possess its own consciousness, gliding from the doorway and eventually coming to a rest on the inner wall. Under the dim light, the shadow becomes more defined, its contours oddly distorted.
Noticing the terrified expression on Amy's face, her mother turns to look at the wall as well.
Despite her efforts to discern what Amy is seeing, she can only gaze at the empty corner in confusion. The room falls into an eerie silence, filled only with their breathing and the occasional sound of wind from outside.
As doubt begins to fill her, the mother starts to [[question her own perception]]. She whispers to her daughter:
"Let's sleep in my arms, everything will be alright when we wake up."
Amy nods, clinging tightly to her mother as they walk back to the bed. She [[pretends to sleep|pretend to sleep, squint her eyes again]]...
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</script>Summoning courage, she sits up in bed. Just as she is about to investigate, the shadow slowly glides from the doorway to the interior wall...
Just as tears are on the brink of spilling from Amy's eyes, her mother gently taps her from behind.
"What are you looking at?" she asks softly.
Amy turns around, intending to point to the chilling shadow on the wall, only to find it has vanished without a trace. However, her finger involuntarily points to ''a white towel''.
"Don't scare yourself in the middle of the night. Go back to bed, and everything will be alright by morning," her mother consoles her with a voice that is both warm and reassuring.
Hesitating for a moment, Amy goes to the bed. But she just [[|pretends to sleep|pretend to sleep, squint her eyes again]].
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</script>Amy looks around and notices that the first drawer under the large wardrobe is open. She walks over and gently closes it, catching a glimpse of something white inside. But she does not think much of it. She is ready to follow her mom back to the living room, but she isn't about to give up her newly acquired long hair.
In the corner, the long-haired dolls on the baby crib lay quietly, as if waiting for the little girl to return and continue their unfinished game.
Carrying the white towel into the living room, her mother sees her and says, "Don't wear it like that, it's not a good omen." This reminds her mother of her own memories, reminiscing about past actions that has led to unfortunate consequences—those ill-omened deeds and the shadows they cast. [[Reviewing the mother's memories]].
Amy interrupts her mom's reminiscing, saying,
"I don't believe in that."
Mom sighs and says,
"In our Chinese culture, white is the traditional color of mourning, symbolizing loss and grief. A white towel acts as a bridge between the world of the living and the dead. It might attract spirits who are unwilling to leave this world," Mom asks, "Do you want to know about an ancient legend behind this?"
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Amy says...
[["Only if I can eat two moon cakes!"|Yes]]
[["Nooo" She covers her ears.|No I don't believe this]]
Despite Amy's promise to stop playing, it seems an indescribable magic irresistibly draws her to the towel. She simply can't let go of the idea of having "long hair" of her own.
So, Amy sneaks off with the white towel to the smallest bedroom.
The guest room is decorated in a simple and elegant style, with furniture primarily in white. She admires herself in the mirror, using the towel to simulate the effect of flowing long hair. She turns around, the towel fluttering with the breeze, her heart filled with joy.
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Just then, her grandmother walks into the room and immediately shows a look of concern upon seeing her actions. She asks, "Where did you find this towel?" With a hint of urgency in her voice, she says, "Stop playing like that, covering your head with a white towel is a bad omen."
Amy is confused and says,
[[Why?]]
[[Grandma, you're so superstitious.]]
"Okay, okay",
Mom continues,
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“In an ancient village, a secret strictly forbidden was hidden. A white towel, once belonging to a reclusive witch who used it to perform dark rituals to summon the souls of the dead, was concealed in an ancient chest after her death. This chest was buried in the deepest part of the village to prevent its use.
As time passed, the story of the witch turned into a legend, and the existence of the white towel was gradually forgotten. Until one day, a very curious young man named John discovered this ancient secret and decided to dig up the ancient chest on a stormy night, open it, and retrieve the white towel.
Disbelieving in curses, he decided to cover his head with the white towel on that night, attempting to challenge the ancient taboo. However, the moment he did so, his surroundings fell eerily silent, and the air filled with an indescribable chill. Then, he began to hear whispers, as if countless voices were softly speaking into his ear, their voices gradually becoming shrill and terrifying.
John wanted to remove the towel, but he found himself unable to move, as if an invisible force had pinned him in place. He saw blurry figures appearing in his vision, which slowly became clear, and to his horror, he realized these figures were those who had died in the village, their eyes hollow, faces twisted, reaching out to him... The next day, John disappeared from the town and was never seen again...
Hey Amy, are you still listening?”
Amy rubbed her eyes and said,
"Is the story over?
[[I'll gonna put the towel back"| Return the towel to its original place]]
[[Can we eat moon cake now?"|decides to prove it by herself]]Amy shakes her head, saying firmly,
"No, I don't believe in those stories." Her voice is filled with youthful defiance and curiosity about reality.
Mom looks at her with a smile, slightly disappointed but respectful of her daughter's wishes. She gently says,
"Alright, if you don't want to hear it, then we won't talk about this topic anymore. However, remember, even if you don't believe in these legends, you should respect them because they are part of our culture."
Even though Amy is skeptical of the legends mentioned by her mom, her curiosity is sparked in another way. She decides to explore the world in her own way.
[[continue]]Amy decides to venture out of her home on a clear night, armed with a flashlight, to explore the village she lives in, hoping to find some evidence of the connection between white objects and the spirit world.
Her goal is to uncover the truth behind the village's ancient legends, proving her skepticism correct. she decides to go to...
[[ancient shrine]]
[[a hayfield dotted with scarecrows|the cemetery]]
Heading towards the hayfield dotted with scarecrows, the distant figures stand silently as Amy runs towards the area.
She notices a small black dot in the open pale blue sky that gradually enlarges—it's a meteorite heading straight for her.
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"This must be the end of the world," she thinks to herself.
The black meteorite grows larger and closer, and then, suddenly, her vision is engulfed in darkness...
[[I'm dying?|maintains a cautious distance]]As the little girl explored the abandoned mansion, her heart raced with each step, filled with a mix of curiosity and slight fear of the unknown. She noticed scattered white items throughout the rooms, including white handkerchiefs and porcelain, which seemed to be somehow connected to the legends mentioned by the elders at home. She...
[[pick sup the white handkerchief]]
[[is too scard and runs back home]]“Wake up, come sleep in the bed with me," she hears softly.
Awakening, Amy finds herself lying on her grandmother's lounge chair. Surrounding her is a blanket of tranquility, with the night shrouded in a hazy glow. A soft blanket envelops her body, providing warmth and comfort. Slightly dazed, remnants of her dream linger in her mind.
"It was a dream," she thinks.
[[get ready for bed|head home]]As night falls, the rooms in Grandma's house are bathed in a quiet and warm atmosphere. Amy and her mom get ready for bed, lying down with only a table lamp casting a soft, warm yellow glow in the room. She decided not to tell Mom about what she did today because she was afraid that if she did, Mom would definitely scold her.
As gentle music begins to play softly, Amy close her eyes and slowly drift into sleep. At that moment, she notices the white towel strangely appearing on the sofa in the room. She decides to either:
[[take the towel back to bed]]
[[observe the towel]]
But just as she reached out to grab the white handkerchief, a blurry shadow flickered at the edge of her vision. The girl froze, her fear intensifying in an instant. Looking around, in the dim light, she saw the shadow gently swaying on the opposite wall of the room, its shape indistinct but undeniably present.
Taking a deep breath, she summoned her courage, picked up the handkerchief, while keeping a close eye on the continuously swaying shadow. She began to wonder if this shadow was indeed one of the souls her mother had mentioned, possibly drawn by the white items. Just then, the shadow slowly moved towards the girl's direction...
to be continued..About an hour later, Amy slowly wake up from her sleep.
The room is still immersed in the warm glow of the yellow table lamp, with only the sound of soft music playing.
Turning over towards the door, she noticed that it had quietly opened at some moment. On the wall by the doorway, the silhouette of an adult man was cast by the warm light, exceptionally clear. This silhouette revealed his side profile, with his head slightly tilted downwards as if he was gazing intently at a specific point in the room. One of his arms hung naturally, while the other arm pointed towards a spot inside the room. Following the direction of his finger, the little girl looked... it was the white towel！
Amy decides to...
[[wake up mom|...wakes up Mom]]
[[say:"Who are you?"|says:"Who are you?"]]
"Mama, look..." Amy whispers in a mix of surprise and confusion, pointing at the towel on the couch. "Isn't that... didn't we put it back in the drawer?"
Turning around at her daughter's behest, the mother indeed sees the white towel. Her brow furrows slightly, a sense of uncertainty filling her. After all, she had watched her daughter put the towel back into its original drawer and had even closed the drawer herself.
"Perhaps... Grandma took out another towel and forgot to put it back. Baby, let's get you to bed," the mother tries to soothe her daughter. Before falling asleep, she occasionally glances at the white towel lying silently beside her, eventually drifting into slumber unknowingly.
About an hour later, she slowly awakens from her sleep. The room's yellow table lamp is off, and the music has stopped, leaving the room in an eerie silence. Suddenly, Amy hears some ''strange breathing sounds''. They're not from her, nor her mother, but emanating from a corner of the room. However, the darkness is too enveloping for her to see anything.
Amy turns her head towards the door, only to find it mysteriously opened at some point, with the faint light from the living room casting ''the shadow of an adult man'' on the wall by the doorway. Amy...
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[[...wakes up Mom]]
[[follows the source of the sounds|follow the source of the sounds]]
Initially, Amy thinks her grandmother's words are nothing but nonsense.
However, a thought quickly emerges in her heart: What if her grandmother is telling the truth? This consideration fills her with unease and curiosity. Thus, she resolves to verify everything herself.
On a clear night, armed with a flashlight, Amy sets out to explore the village she calls home, in hopes of finding some evidence of the connection between white objects and the spirit world. Her goal is to uncover the truth behind the village's ancient legends, to prove her skepticism correct.
She decides to go to...
[[ancient shrine]]
[[the cemetery]]
10 Years Later:
A burst of rapid honking pierces through the thin curtains from outside, shattering the calm of the early morning and waking'' 16-year-old ''Amy. She rubs her eyes, slightly dazed. Then, her mother’s voice, like a spring breeze, wafts up from downstairs with a hint of urgency: "It's already 10 o'clock, get up quickly! Today, we're going to help grandma decorate the house for the Ghost Festival."
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Today is [[the Ghost Festival]], the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, in 1989. Each year at this time, she and her mother go to her grandmother’s house to spend this traditional festival with her grandma and grandpa.
She quickly dresses and goes downstairs, where she sees her mother has already started decorating the house. In the center of the living room, her mother carefully hangs strings of bright lanterns that sway gently in the autumn breeze, as if telling ancient tales. By the window, there are pots of peanuts and mooncakes wrapped in colorful paper, and next to them is a carefully placed white rabbit toy. Rabbits symbolize reunion and happiness in the Mid-Autumn tradition.
"Where is my [[black chiffon dress?]] I want to wear today."
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Writer's thoughts:
According to theories by psychologists like Erikson, children seek to form their own identities, including gender identity, during different stages of development. Could having long hair give this little girl a stronger identification with her feminine identity?
So, is it biological genetics that makes the little girl choose long hair, or is the preference for long hair her own autonomous choice?
Fortunately, we come here to hear stories, not to answer these questions.
[[back to the reality|Start]](enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 34, 0,#7f19e6,0.521,(hsl:0,0,0,0.7),1,#e619e5)))
The mother's memories took her back to those carefree days of childhood, when she and her friends were engrossed in a legendary game called "Shadow Hunting." The game's rules were simple: as night fell, they would shine flashlights into corners, attempting to capture any shadows that might be lurking in the darkness. They believed that capturing the most shadows would grant them a special power. Although it was just a childish fancy, the game carried an air of mystery and ill omen in their hearts.
One night, the game lasted later than usual. On her way home, the silence under the moonlight felt unsettlingly eerie. As she hastened her steps, eager to return to the warmth of her home, she heard a series of strange sounds—like whispers or distant calls, their source indiscernible in the night breeze.
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That night, she tossed and turned in bed, sleep eluding her. Just when she felt almost overwhelmed by unease and fear, a crisp cracking sound suddenly pierced the silence. The next morning, to her astonishment, she discovered that the jade pendant she always wore around her neck had inexplicably shattered.
That pendant was her talisman.
Her elders later told her that the jade might have protected her to some extent, shielding her from a disaster that could have befallen her that night. Since then, the mother never partook in any such games again。.
[[Exit from the memory|"Why is it not good?"]](enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 34, 0,#7f19e6,0.521,(hsl:0,0,0,0.7),1,#e619e5)))
Writer's thoughts:
The essence of genetic inheritance is the process by which organisms pass on hereditary information from one generation to the next through DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)...
I know this is not what you want to hear now. But have you ever considered that genes are like a program, coding for your behaviors, preferences, and even what you think are your passions?
[[What are you talking about? I want to go back|Grandma, you're so superstitious.]]
Amy carefully makes her way through the quiet village, every step taken with utmost care, lest she disturb the slumbering spirits. As she nears the shrine, the air around her seems to grow colder, and the beam of her flashlight appears all the more solitary in the darkness.
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Upon reaching the shrine, she finds that the moonlight is shining directly on a large white stone, which emits a strange glow. There before her is a massive white stone. Beside the stone, she also discovers a small wooden box partially buried in the ground. She prepares to inspect...
[[the white stone]]
[[the wooden box]]
When Amy touches the large white stone, it suddenly begins to deform, instantly transforming into a massive white wave, and then she finds herself floating in water. Everything around her becomes blurred, with only the glowing waves standing out distinctly in the darkness.
Suddenly, she sees a white towel floating on the surface of the sea. She desperately wants to grab it, but the more she struggles, the faster she sinks. She fights hard to break free but finds herself slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea...
[[...]]
She discovers a small wooden box partially buried in the ground. Carefully opening the box, she is surprised to find it contains some ancient objects that appear to be ritual tools, along with a piece of...
white towel.
As she is engrossed in these discoveries, she feels a breeze blowing by, seemingly carrying a whisper with it. She looks up at the moon and suddenly feels a strange sense of connection, as if she has established some sort of link with this ancient world.
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Suddenly, the white towel is lifted by the wind and begins to flutter, then the girl watches as it slowly disappears into the air. With that, she finds her body slowly vanishing, about to disappear from this world...
[[...]]“Wake up, come sleep in the bed with me," AAmy hears softly.
Awakening, she finds herself lying on her grandmother's lounge chair. Surrounding her is a blanket of tranquility, with the night shrouded in a hazy glow. A soft blanket envelops her body, providing warmth and comfort. Slightly dazed, remnants of her dream linger in her mind.
"It was a dream," she thinks.
She shakes her head, attempting to fully awaken, and slowly sits up to gaze at the peaceful night scenery around her, suddenly realizing it is all just a dream.
Amy follows her mother back to the room. As gentle music begins to play softly, the little girl, with sleepy eyes, lies on her side in bed.
At that moment, she opens her eyes and notices the white towel strangely appearing on the sofa in the room. She decides to either:
[[take the towel back to bed]]
[[observe the towel]](enchant:?page,(bg:(gradient: 34, 0,#7f19e6,0.521,(hsl:0,0,0,0.7),1,#e619e5)))
Mom is thinking:
At this moment, the phrase 'seeing is believing' feels so distant. My daughter and I stand in the same space, yet it seems we inhabit two entirely different worlds. Can I truly rely on my eyes? How do we define 'reality'? After all, what we see through our own eyes is ultimately subjective, isn't it?
[[back to the reality|asks Mom to check out]]
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</script>While Amy clings tightly to her mom, fear keeps her eyes wide open. Her focus remains on the shadow as it gradually spreads.
Suddenly, the shadow starts to grow, creeping outward. It consumes the couch, the framed pictures on the wall, and the lamp by the bed. This isn't merely a disappearance from sight; it feels as though the shadow is devouring space itself.
"What are you?" Amy asks in terror.
"''Casey'',"
she hears an echo from the darkness. Casey? Who is Casey? Amy has no idea who this name belongs to or what to do next.
Every object, every bit of light, vanishes under the dark onslaught as if it never existed. Amy watches in horror as the shadow slowly approaches her mother. She wants to scream but finds she can't make a sound. The shadow slowly engulfs her mother.
Mom...
In that moment, Amy feels an unprecedented loneliness. As the shadow keeps spreading, eventually engulfing Amy completely...
[[....]]
''8:30PM''
"What's wrong? Having a nightmare?" Mom pats her gently, and Amy wakes up, finding herself lying in bed with beads of sweat on her forehead.
Before her is the familiar room, filled with a sense of safety and warmth. She lifts her head and sees her mom standing by the bed, wearing a concerned expression.
Amy's emotions gradually calm down. She shivers as she hugs her mom and tells her about the terrifying dream she just had. Mom softly comforts her, saying that everything is okay now, and she's safe lying in her own bed.
Taking a deep breath, Amy slowly regains her composure. She realizes that everything was just a dream. Although it filled her with fear and despair, now it's all over.
[[10:30PM|But inside, she has no intention of stopping right away.]]She failed..
[[try again]]She failed again..
[[try again]]
[[scream]]
10:13PM
[[......]]
Suddenly there's no sound, no space, and no time.
It doesn't feel like the world has abandoned her—it's as if there is no world at all.
[[.....]]
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Everything is so quiet until a burst of rapid honking pierces through the thin curtains from outside, waking Amy from her deep slumber. She opens her eyes to find herself drenched in sweat. Then, her mother's voice, like a spring breeze, wafts up from downstairs with a hint of urgency: "It's already 10 o'clock, get up quickly! Today, we're going to help grandma decorate the house for the Mid-Autumn Festival."
What?
Amy's heart tightens, and she quickly jumps out of bed, feeling a mix of confusion and surprise. Wasn't the Mid-Autumn Festival yesterday? But, wait, mom is here! Her family is here!
Amy bursts out of her room and runs to the living room, where she sees her dear mother. "I think we should place the mooncakes and these rabbit toys here," her mother is discussing with grandma. Everything seems so ordinary; it turns out that everything before was indeed just a dream!
"Mom!" Amy runs over and hugs her mother's waist tightly. "Oh, good morning, my little sleepyhead, come help us decorate," her mother says while pointing to the mooncakes and a rabbit toy. The toy's ear is about to fall off because the thread is loose...
Wait!
There is an identical rabbit toy in her dream. The dream, maybe, was not just a dream. But what she experienced last night was so exaggerated that even she couldn't distinguish between reality and imagination.
Noticing Amy's pale face, her mother asks, "What's wrong?"
Amy's heart tightens again. She decides to [[tell her mom everything|Ask about the shadow]].
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After Amy tells her mom everything, her mother displays a worried expression.
"You must have dreamed it, sweetie. You slept alone last night; I wasn't at grandma's house. " her mother replies, frowning slightly.
An indescribable feeling rises up her spine, like cold water flowing through her, causing her to breathe faster involuntarily. She knows she wasn't sleepwalking. All the experience she went through last night, are all too clear in her memory, as vivid as the sound of her mother's voice, as familiar as every corner of her grandmother's house.
This plunges her into a strange contemplation: Is this moment the dream? Yet everything now feels so real, her mother so tangibly present before her, how could she confuse dream with reality?
“Amy?" Mom asks.
Amy says:[["I had a nightmare"]].
"I suppose so, Mom. I...I had a very real dream," Amy's voice was soft and weary, as if her soul was still entangled on the fringes of that terrible dream, struggling to break free. Her eyes still harbored a trace of unshed fear, yet at the same time, she cautiously masked it, unwilling to burden her mother with undue worry.
Turning around, Amy gazed out the window where the sunlight was radiant, and all of life seemed peaceful and beautiful. This contrast between the warmth of the day and the horrors of the night was stark, as if they belonged to two different realms. The serene scene seeped into her heart, easing the tension and unrest that lurked within.
Suddenly, the name "Casey" silently slid through her consciousness, and she murmured it almost to herself. "What did you say?" Her mother's surprise at the utterance made Amy realize that the name might not be just a figment of her imagination. "Mom, [[do you know Casey]]?"
Amy hurries to the balcony, where she finds her grandmother basking in the warm sunlight. Without beating around the bush, she asks directly,
"Grandma, do we have any more white paper at home? Mom and I want to use it to make lanterns for the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Grandma smiles, her eyes filled with love, and gently replies,
"Ha, our Amy still loves white, in the basement, dear. I remember there's some white paper in the drawer of that old bookshelf. You can go and check."
"Grandma, did you just say I like white?"
Amy responds in confusion, as she had been afraid of the color white... or a white scarf. Grandma's voice carries a warm nostalgia,
"Amy, don't you remember? When you were little, you particularly loved white. You always said white reminded you of the winter snowflakes, and you loved making snow angels when the snow was thick. Around the age of four, you even had your mother send me a white washcloth, telling me it could wash away my troubles every morning and let me face the new day with a pure heart."
Amy is stunned; what now scares her was once so beloved in her childhood. But speaking of the baasement, it reminds her that there was a baby picture in it. She...
[[ask about the picture]]
[[go to the basement]]Amy resolved to open the drawer. Her fingers trembled lightly as she slowly pulled it open, instantly shocked by the neatly arranged white towels inside. Among these towels, a white envelope lay, wrapped with a black silk ribbon in such a delicate manner, resembling a thoughtfully packaged gift. Amy's fingers, almost as if drawn by an unseen force, touched the black ribbon and gently untied it. With a mix of anticipation and a slew of questions, she carefully opened the envelope.
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Is Casey... Amy's sister? How come Amy has never heard about any of this before? Driven by a mix of astonishment and curiosity, Amy decides it's time to unravel the secrets hidden behind this letter. She is determined to ask...
[[grandma]]The room is enveloped in the quiet of the night, disturbed only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall.
In the soft moonlight seeping through the curtains, a shadowy figure begins to materialize on the right side of the wall. The moon's gentle glow outlines the shadow—a clear forehead, deep and enigmatic eyes, a slightly protruding nose, and a defined jawline. Lips, parted ever so slightly, emit a mysterious allure. The figure appears to be clad in a jacket over a shirt, its contours sharp yet fluid.
This night, however, the presence of the shadow does not elicit fear in Amy. Her attention is drawn to an object on the sofa—a gift, a purple chiffon dress, the very item she had been unable to locate. Confusion clouds her thoughts as she struggles to comprehend its sudden appearance.
Amy asks...
[[''Why is my dress here?"]]
[["Why did you stole my dress?"]]
Sensing her confusion, the shadow speaks in a composed tone, "Yesterday, your fear dominated your thoughts. In "fear," you couldn't find "happiness," so even though this purple skirt was right in front of you, you couldn't perceive it."
the shadow continues:" Yesterday, you regarded me with fear, thus I became your fear. But today, as you discovered love and warmth within the white towel, I no longer scary to you."
Amy frowns, attempting to grasp the situation.
"Then who are you?"
she asks, her voice tinged with deep confusion. The shadow responds slowly, "In essence, I am nobody but a projection from within you. If you fear me, it is because you fear yourself."
Although Amy finds the words perplexing, the shadow begins to fade away, leaving behind an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
[[fall asleep]]
[[go to sleep]]A burst of rapid honking pierced through the thin curtains from outside, waking Amy from her dream.
Amy wakes up and finds herself in an empty room, blinking in confusion. A question arises in her mind: What day is it today? "Amy, come downstairs," her mother's call echoes from below. She descends the stairs slowly, asking in puzzlement, "Mom, is today the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
"Are you so interested in the Mid-Autumn Festival? Didn't we celebrate it yesterday? Speaking of which, don't forget to give the white face towel and card you want to give to Grandma," her mother replies.
"What white towel?" Amy asks, puzzled.
"The one you bought for Grandma a couple of days ago. At first, I thought you weren't planning to come back to celebrate with her, but you did in the end. You can still give the gift to Grandma," her mother insists.
"Isn't that a gift I gave Grandma when I was very young?" Amy asks, confused.
Her mother's response is firm,
"What are you talking about? This is your first time giving a gift to Grandma."
-ENDAmy turns to check the windows, thinking one might not have been closed properly to let the wind in. However, she finds them all tightly shut, none open.
She quickly leaves the basement, arriving upstairs in the hallway, only to realize she's still holding the white towel. Sunlight filters through a window, making the towel seem beautiful. She even entertains a peculiar thought - if the towel were used as hair, she could have beautiful long hair.
Gently spreading the towel, she places it on her head, softly adjusting it as if donning an exquisite wig. Amy gently sways her head, feeling the towel flutter with her movements, as natural as real hair. "Amy, what's that on your head?" her grandmother asks with curiosity and concern.
Feeling a bit shy, Amy replies,
"It's a towel I found in the basement. I think it's special, just like beautiful long hair."
"Don't wear it on your head, it's not very auspicious," grandmother advises.
Amy say...
[[Why?]]
[["Who is the little babe in the picture in basement?"|Grandma, you're so superstitious.]]
A burst of rapid honking pierced through the thin curtains from outside, waking Amy from her dream.
Amy wakes up and finds herself in an empty room, blinking in confusion. A question arises in her mind: What day is it today? "Amy, come downstairs," her mother's call echoes from below. She descends the stairs slowly, asking in puzzlement, "Mom, is today the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
"Are you so interested in the Mid-Autumn Festival? We celebrated it yesterday. Today we're gpoing to a camping trip!"
Everything finally returns to calm. The world begins to function normally again, Amy thinks.
"Let's get ready to leave," Grandma urged.
Amy, filled with excitement and joy, hugs her mom tightly. "Awww, my Amy, Mommy loves you too. We need to get ready to go out. Quickly put on your purple dress, we're going out for breakfast and then off to camping."
Mom, as the head of the family, took charge of checking everything to make sure they were prepared. Once everyone was ready, she locked the door. Suddenly, the room quieted down, and every corner of the house seemed to start breathing. In a certain cupboard, there lay a white towel.
Do you want to play with it?
-END-TBD-TBD''Chapter 2''
[[Enter|Chapter 2]]
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</script>In the dead of night, shadows and silence dominate the room, a calm night seemingly hiding secrets unknown. Amy and her mother are curled up in bed, while the moonlight from the star-dense night sky outside shines through the window, casting a pale light into every corner of the room. On such a tranquil night, an unusual phenomenon quietly breaks the room's original peace.
Amy turns her head, her gaze inadvertently drawn to the sofa on the other side of the room. Unexpectedly, a white towel is placed on the sofa. Under the dim moonlight, the white towel is strikingly noticeable, lying there quietly as if it has its own life, waiting for the start of some mysterious ritual. The towel seems to shimmer with an ominous light, involuntarily bringing to mind dark legends
Amy feels a surge of inexplicable fear; instinctively, she senses that this towel is no ordinary item but conceals some unknown power. Amy decides to ...
[[tell her mom]]
[[ignore and go to sleep]]
Deciding to pursue the source of the mysterious whispers,Amy, clad in white pajamas, walked through the familiar yet unfamiliar hallway.
Every corner of the house seems to hold a story that night, and the hallway seems to stretch endlessly, as if leading to another world.
As Amy approaches, a faint light spilled out from a crack in a door she has never noticed before. This door, usually blending seamlessly with the wall, is now slightly ajar, emitting a faint glow. Amy seems to have never seen this door before.
Amy takks a deep breath and [[pushes it open...|pushed it open...]]The door gently opens, making no sound at all. It looks like a small museum dedicated to preserving family history, with the floor made of highly reflective mahogany. The dark, patterned wallpaper is densely hung with ancient portraits, each seeming to stare menacingly at Amy, the "outsider." In the center of the room is a beautifully carved wooden table scattered with various items—old books, yellowed letters, and some odd objects whose purposes and origins are momentarily beyond Amy's recognition. Her gaze shifts to a corner of the room, where there stands a tall, standing mirror. Its frame is made of complex wood carvings, displaying a bronze-like sheen, with a pair of lifelike stone lions on top, gazing forward as if guarding the mirror's secrets.
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As Amy curiously approaches the mirror, she catches sight, in its reflection, of an ancient clock hanging on the wall, the sole source of sound in the room. The clock hangs, its wooden frame exuding a rich, deep red hue as if crafted from aged mahogany. The frame is square-shaped, adorned with two exquisite red agates, one above and one below. The numerals and markings on the clock face are also in red, and the tips of the pointer shine from the friction of time... Wait... the pointer... they're moving counterclockwise.
In this moment, should Amy further investigate [[the clock]] or turn back to examine [[the mirror]]?
Amy feels a wave of unease washing over her as she senses an eerie aura emanating from the clock. Instinctively wanting to leave, she discovers her feet seem rooted to the spot by an invisible force, rendering her immobile. Attempting to turn and exit, it's as if she's shackled in place by an unseen power. Then, she notices the clock on the wall; its hands have ceased to move. Time in this room, at this moment, has stopped.
Suddenly, Amy spots a window in the room, a feature she hadn't noticed before. The view outside the window begins to shift rapidly, alternating between day and night in a continuous loop.
After four cycles, time settles at a moment when Amy was five years old. It's daytime, and in the room appears a 5-year-old Amy crying in her mother's arms, with a girl who looks to be about 12 or 13 years old standing beside them.
Amy attempts to move but without success. She decides to continue [[observing the room]].
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</script>Amy cautiously reaches out her hand to touch the mirror's surface. As her fingertips make contact, she feels a strange force emanating from the mirror, as if the entire world is suddenly turning upside down. The surroundings shift into black and white tones, while the world within the mirror remains vividly colorful. Turning to look at the black and white clock in the room, she notices the hands rotating slowly, yet without any discernible pattern, losing all sense of time. A foreboding sense of dread envelops her as she realizes she is trapped within the mirror.
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Anxiety spreads through her as Amy attempts to pound on the mirror, only to find no response from the outside world. Her heart races as she surveys the black and white room. Fear shadows her every move as she notices a pristine white towel hanging above each figure on the walls. And on the table at the room's center lies a piece of white fur. Approaching cautiously, Amy discovers a note resting on the towel.
With trembling hands, she picks it up, reading the chilling message: "We like long hair." Amy's consciousness begins to blur, shrouded in a haze that blurs the lines between [[reality and illusion]].
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In moments of lonely desperation, she begins to reminisce about her life—the warmth of her family, the joyous moments. But these memories feel like fleeting phantoms, consumed by the darkness that surrounds her. Lost in the darkness, she struggles to find even a glimmer of hope.
Yet, on the brink of despair, a faint light suddenly flickers, breaking the silence of the black and white world. It is a dim light, originating from a distant corner, barely visible, but it sparks a glimmer of hope within Amy.
She walks resolutely towards the light, and the image of her mother appears before her. Her mother, caring for Amy when she was young. A young Amy sits in a chair, her mother behind her, combing Amy's hair, saying, "When you grow up, Amy, you'll have beautiful long hair."... Amy realizes this is an illusion, but she can't help but runs to her mother.
However, no matter how hard she runs, the distance between them remains the same.
Amy decides to call out...
[[her mother's name]]
[[her younger self]]
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</script>She struggled towards the direction of the light, her heart racing as the light gradually faded away, and Amy saw her mother. A surge of excitement filled her. "Mom!" Amy called out, but her mother seemed not to hear or respond.
In an instant, the scene before Amy began to shift, and she saw herself as a child sitting in front of her. Young Amy sat in a chair, her mother behind her, gently brushing her hair and saying, "Dear Amy, when you grow up, you'll have beautiful long hair."
Amy yearned to reach her mother, running with all her might, trying to shorten the distance between them. However, no matter how hard she tried, the image of her mother remained out of reach, and the distance remained unchanged.
"Mom!" Amy cried out repeatedly, her voice filled with urgency and longing. Just as she was about to collapse from exhaustion, she summoned the last of her strength, reaching out her right hand in an attempt to touch her mother. At that moment, her mother turned her head, her expression solemn.
Just as Amy was about to [[fall]], her mother reached out and caught her..."Amy!" Amy calls out to her younger self.
Young Amy slowly turns her head and says angrily, "Mom is mine, not yours, Amy. You're just a substitute, like how that white towel substitutes for the long hair you desire. You love long hair so much, but do you know what Mom sacrifices to buy those pretty hair clips for you?"
Faced with such questioning, Amy feels confused. She doesn't understand what the other is saying. "What are you talking about?" She can't comprehend the other's words at all.
Just then, young Amy tightly holds Mom's hand and walks away into the distance, leaving Amy standing there like a forgotten ghost of time. She wants to scream out loud, to beg Mom not to leave, but she is horrified to find that she can't make a sound. Her throat feels as though it is gripped tightly by invisible hands, unable to utter a single sound.
As Mom and her younger self gradually fade away, Amy feels the entire world sinking suddenly. The space around her begins to distort and blur until finally, she finds herself engulfed by the black and white photographs in the room, and she begins to [[fall]]...</style>
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"Your sister said she likes long hair like yours. Would you be willing to braid your hair for her in the future?" Mom asked.
"Of course,, I'm willing to give her all of my long hair." Casey smiled.
[[... ...]]
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"Casey!"
[[.....]]</style>
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Amy decides to continue observing the room. There is an illusion appears in front of her. Five-year-old Amy is crying incessantly in her mother's arms, repeatedly clamoring for her sister's long hair. The mother tries to soothe her, saying, "Amy, your hair is beautiful too. How about Mommy buys you some pretty hair clips?"
The girl beside them speaks up, "Mom, let me go. You stay home and take care of Amy."
The mother nods, "Be safe, Casey. Just head over to the nearby Whole Foods."
The girl named Casey heads out, leaving Amy engulfed in confusion. She suddenly realizes with surprise that the girl is also referred to as "Mom"? Meanwhile, the mother in the room continues to comfort the young Amy as the sunlight outside transitions from the heat of noon to the gentle glow of evening.
Suddenly, the mother receives a phone call.
"Casey..."
The room instantly returns to its original state before beginning to distort and deform. Walls start sprouting bizarre cells that wriggle like living creatures, converging towards the center of the ceiling. Amy struggles to break free but remains immobilized. Portraits on the wall fall one by one, piling onto Amy, leaving her [[gasping for air]]...
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</script>Amy finds herself engulfed in darkness.
She continues to try to breathe, uncertain if she is still capable of doing so.
It seems like only her [[thoughts]] remain active. Casey... Casey... such a familiar name...
In the end, as her breathing slows to a halt, so does her stream of consciousness.
[[.....]]Amy doesn't heed the words of her grandmother and mother. She takes a step forward, entering another room to continue her game. Picking up a white towel, she gently places it atop her head as if she now possesses a long, flowing mane. Closing her eyes, she imagines herself as a beautiful princess with hair billowing in the wind.
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On the table in the room, she discovers a hair clip shaped like a rabbit doll. Excitedly, she clips it into her hair, as if this small accessory could add more realism to her fantasy. Standing in front of the mirror, she admires the hair clip on her head, feeling immensely pleased with herself.
Now deeply immersed in her game, she even forgets that today is the day she's supposed to help her grandmother decorate for the holiday.
[[Time is flying]]10:30PM
[[...|But inside, she has no intention of stopping right away.]]Her mother's reaction to the question was subtle yet revealing—a moment of surprise followed by evasive glances, as if the name had touched a deep, hidden secret. After a pause of three seconds, her mother's voice carried a hint of hesitation,
"Where did you hear that?"
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This counter-question did not clarify Amy's confusion but added a layer of mystery instead.
"Is there really such a person?"
Amy's puzzlement deepened. Clearly, her mother was caught off guard by this sudden question and wasn't prepared for such a conversation.
At this juncture, her mother seemed to find an opportunity to change the subject, "I don't know sweet heaart.. So for the Mid-Autumn Festival, I'm planning to do makeup for Grandma, and then we can celebrate together. Can you help? We need to clean Grandma's face first, then I'll do the makeup. Can you find a white towel?" This abrupt request made Amy realize her mother was deliberately avoiding the topic.
But, the white towel... A flicker of confusion crossed Amy's mind; she knew where to find the white towels but also sensed that now might not be the best time to probe further.
"Amy, what are you thinking about? Do you know where the white towels are? Do you want to [[get one]], or you can [[call Grandma over]] for makeup, and I'll get the towel."
"I can go get that white towel,"
Amy tells herself, sensing it as a calling. She needs to uncover the mysteries behind it all on her own.
She stands at the doorway to the baby room, gently pushing the door halfway open. Hesitating at the doorway for a moment, memories of finding the white towel in this very room the day before linger in her mind. Finally, mustering up courage and taking a deep breath, Amy slowly pushes the door open.
She realizes she has never truly scrutinized this space before. The room is impeccably tidy, with the wooden floor nearly dust-free, evidently maintained daily with great care. The tranquility of the room makes her own breathing distinctly audible. The dolls on the bed look as lively as ever, seemingly smiling at Amy, including the short hair doll. She can't help but wonder if these dolls can sense that they had met yesterday.
The white towel... is exactly where she remembers it, lying quietly on the chair. Sunlight streams through the window beside the chair, illuminating every corner of the room. Amy's gaze follows the slanted beams of light, eventually settling on the ''half-open drawer. ''That drawer, slightly ajar just as it was yesterday. Could it be that everything that happened yesterday was real?
Amy wants to [[ask these dolls]], or just [[open the drawer|Open the drawer]] to see what's in it.
Amy decides to seek out her grandmother. She is not going to ask grandmother to make up; instead, she's driven by a more pressing question that needs answering—who is Casey, exactly?
Walking through the familiar corridors of her home, Amy steps onto the balcony. There, her grandmother sits quietly, seemingly wiping away tears. Sensing something amiss, Amy rushes forward, concern etching her features.
"Grandma, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Amy asks tentatively, her voice laced with worry.
Startled by Amy's sudden appearance, her grandmother quickly dabs at the tears in her eyes, attempting to put on a brave face. Her voice, though trembling slightly, responds with warmth,
"Amy, I'm alright, darling. What brings you to me?"
Amy musters her courage, locking eyes with her grandmother: "I found out about Casey, Grandma. Who is she?"
This question takes her grandmother by surprise, stirring emotions that had settled long ago.
"How did you know..." her grandmother's voice is deep, laden with years of sorrow and a sadness that's hard to detect.
"Ah, it's been so long since I've heard that name..." Her voice gradually lowers, trembling slightly as she is enveloped [[in memories]].
Her gaze meets the unmoving dolls surrounding her, and inexplicably, Amy feels a strange connection.
"Do you know who Casey is?" she ventures. T
he dolls remain unmoved, their silence as complete as before. Amy can't help but laugh at herself for actually questioning a doll, finding the situation utterly absurd.
Yet, as she reaches to open a nearby drawer for clues, a faint voice catches her attention:
"You've finally come to me."
Surprised, Amy whirls around, her eyes landing on a short-haired doll dressed in a black dress.
"I tried speaking to you yesterday, but you didn't hear me. I didn’t mind much, though; after all, it wasn't the first time I attempted to communicate with you."
Amy realizes that the dolls aren't actually speaking; their voices seem to be transmitting directly into her mind.
"What's your name?" the doll inquires.
"I'm Amy," she responds. The doll gazes at her for a moment before saying,
"There's a card in the drawer. Take it and ask your [[grandma]] the question you have in mind."Amy holds the greeting card tightly as she hurries to the balcony, where her grandmother is sitting quietly.
"Grandma, who wrote this card? Who is Casey?" Amy asks, out of breath. A look of surprise crosses her grandmother's face.
"Where did you find this?" she asks, her eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions, seemingly avoiding something. Undeterred, Amy continues to press, "I've asked Mom before, but she didn't tell me. Grandma, can you tell me who Casey is? Is she my sister?"
With a sigh, her grandmother's eyes fill with a mix of helplessness and deep nostalgia.
"Ah, it's been so long since I've heard that name..." Her voice gradually lowers, trembling slightly as she is enveloped [[in memories]].Amy's family is very traditional and places great importance on the Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival. This festival is actually a time for honoring ancestors and spirits. People prepare various offerings such as fruits, pastries, and alcoholic beverages to be presented to their ancestors and the spirits. Additionally, they create white cloth dolls to hang on the walls and burn joss paper as part of the rituals.
People also have the opportunity to purchase items like clothes and money to provide for the needs of the spirits, ensuring that their departed relatives in the afterlife are well taken care of. Just imagine, during this time, spirits emerge from the dim realms of the underworld to join the living in their festivities.
Shh, keep it down; on this day, it's said that spirits might be able to hear people talking.
[[return|in her future.]]"Casey, the family's eldest daughter, was once the pride of the household. She had beautiful long hair that everyone envied, was well-behaved, academically excellent, and beloved by all. During the Ghost Festival one year, you had desperately wanted long, beautiful hair like your sister's, crying incessantly. To pacify you, your mother decided to go out and buy hair clips.
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However, to keep your mother from being distracted by festival preparations, Casey offered to go out in her place. No one could have anticipated that this would be a permanent goodbye. Hours later, the family received devastating news: Casey had been hit by a bus on her way to a doll store, the impact sending her into a nearby toy shop, where she died..."
[[...|grandmother]]As the grandmother's voice grows softer, tears uncontrollably begin to stream down her face. She reveals how, in those days of grief, the mother bore her sorrow in silence, secretly crying every day with Amy on her back, choosing not to share this heartache with Amy to spare her the pain and the guilt.
The greeting card, as it turned out, was a gift from Casey to her grandmother on that Ghost Festival, along with many white towels, indicating her future role in taking care of her grandmother.
At this moment, Amy is realizing she truly has a sister. The visions she has seen the night before might not have been mere illusions. Since touched those white towels yesterday, everything around her seems unusually different. Amy feels a certain connection to Casey.
“Can you put the card back? I don't want your mom see this." Grandmother said.
Amy prepares to...
[[talk to her mother first]]
[[put the card back]]Amy decides to placecard back in the babyroom. She doesn't want her mom to see the card and feel sad all over again. However, Amy can't shake off the nagging thought: What message does Casey want to convey to her on this special day?
Her goes back to the baby room, where the dolls quietly gaze at Amy. Unlike before, they do not wear their usual cheerful smiles.
Wait, are the dolls really not smiling anymore, or do they just appear to be smile-less? Amy's heart begins to race. She wants to quickly put the card back in the drawer and leave the room as fast as she can. Just then, her eyes inadvertently sweep over the calendar on the wall—1995, the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month.
What? 1995? That couldn't be right; it's supposed to be 1989.
"It seems she hasn't remembered yet," a voice whispers gently yet eerily through the air.
"She has forgotten why she came here," the voice, soft and sinister, seems to emanate from the dolls.
"Should we remind her?" Indeed, the voices are coming from the dolls.
The dolls are not really talking; it's as if their voices are being transmitted directly into her mind.
"What are you talking about?" she asks tentatively.
"You can finally hear us," replies a doll in a black dress with short hair.
"You..." Before Amy can recover from her shock, the short-haired doll continues, "Do you want to know the truth? Do you want to understand why all this is happening?"
Amy faces a significant choice—should she delve deeper into this unsettling [[truth]], or dismiss it all as a hallucination and [[run to find her mom]]?
Amy rushes towards her mom, her face a complex tapestry of urgency.
"Mom, I know who Casey is now, Mom," she says, trying to capture her mother's attention.
Yet, her mother seems not to hear, lost in her own world. At this moment, her mother is carefully arranging a photo of a departed loved one on the table, tenderly touching the photograph as if to softly communicate with the past. She is preparing to pay tribute to a loved one who has passed away.
Amy's gaze is drawn to the photo her mother is handling. She moves closer, and in the photo is a little girl with familiar eyes—the girl is her.
Suddenly, Amy notices the doll with short hair appearing in front of her, sitting on the table. "Did you know?" the doll says.
[[“It's not true!"|truth]]
"Do you remember your name?" the doll with short hair asks softly, her voice carrying a mysterious and profound tone.
"You are actually Casey, not Amy."
The air seems to freeze. What? What was this doll talking about? Amy's mind suddenly become a whirlwind of confusion, her memories blurring as if nothing was real... Perhaps, none of it had ever been real.
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"You are Casey, the girl who passed away," the doll continues. "You once had long, beautiful hair that you adored. You loved dolls, dreaming of owning all the dolls with long hair. On the Ghost Festival of 1989, your grandmother bought you a doll with short hair, dressed in a black dress... Yes, that's me. But you didn't like me. You were very unhappy, crying and complaining to your grandmother, asking why she bought a doll with short hair.
Your mother hadn't anticipated such a strong reaction from you and tried to comfort you by saying, 'Shall we go to the doll shop and exchange it for one with long hair?' Soon after, you went out, holding the short-haired doll, wanting nothing more than to exchange it immediately. The moment you saw the doll shop, you ran towards it hastily...
Unexpectedly, a bus was coming right towards you..."
[["You're lying! I am Amy!"]]
[[try hard to recall...]]
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</script>Amy is about to leave. "Are you sure you want to leave? If you go, tomorrow you'll still return to today. You'll always be trapped in today." The doll said.
Amy...
[[know the truth|truth]]
[[leave now]]Amy rushes back from the baby room to the living room. Her mom is preparing ritual items.
“Mom, the doll, the doll spoke to me!”
Amy looks at her mom, frightened and very anxious.
Yet, her mother seems not to hear, lost in her own world. At this moment, her mother is carefully arranging a photo of a departed loved one on the table, tenderly touching the photograph as if to softly communicate with the past. She is preparing to pay tribute to a loved one who has passed away.
Amy's gaze is drawn to the photo her mother is handling. She moves closer, and in the photo is a little girl with familiar eyes—the girl is her.
Suddenly, Amy notices the doll with short hair appearing in front of her, sitting on the table. "Did you know?" the doll says.
[[“It's not true!"|truth]]
"You're lying! I'm Amy!" The little girl refuses to believe such absurd words. How could she possibly accept this ludicrous claim?
"I am Amy," the short-haired doll says,
"My name is Amy, and I wear this black dress as a doll prepared for the Ghost Festival. And you, Casey, you came into this world on the Ghost Festival but have forgotten why you're here. You've wandered into bedrooms, studies and basement. Do you think these were just fantasies you saw? No, you created these fantasies, and you were afraid of yourself.
You're always worried you're not the girl with long hair, so you've always been searching for long hair. You refuse to leave this house, to accept the truth, so you remain stuck in this day. You've stayed here five times. This is the sixth."
[["Yes, that's right."|try hard to recall...]]
[["You're lying!"]]
Amy digs deep into her memory. She feels dizzy, as time and space seem to lose their meaning in this moment. Amy (or is it Casey?) stands at the crossroads of two worlds, struggling to find herself. Yes, that's right. Casey remembers now. Amy is the name of the shrot hair doll.
Casey is herself.
She vividly recalls the moment the bus hit her. That moment, that second, lasted so long. Not just a feeling of length, but an actual prolongation; she could feel the bus approaching her, 5 meters, 3 meters, 1 meter... hitting her, propelling her into the doll store.
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Casey ended up in a doll display. She looked around at the dolls beside her, thinking she has become one. But her past tantrums and dissatisfaction turned her into what she least wanted to be—a short-haired doll.
Fortunately, her black dress is still with her, allowing her to continue observing the Ghost Festival.
[[End Scene]]"Where is my black chiffon dress? I want to wear today."
The black dress is the one Amy wears every year for the Ghost Festival.
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“Didn't I give it to you yesterday? Where did you put it?'”Mom asks.
“You didn’t give it to me, Mom", while Amy is talking, she notices that the rabbit toy's ear is about to fall off because the thread is loose. She thinks to herself that she could get some white cloth to fix the damaged white rabbit toy.
She needs to find some white cloth; she plans to look for it in the study, where her father keeps his office supplies, or in the babe room where they keep all the materials for creative projects.
[[Baby Room|The living room]]
[[Basement|The smallest bedroom]]
The day after the Ghost Festival.
Mom is packing up to return to her own home. Just before leaving, she turns to Grandma, softly saying,
"Could you bring me Amy?"
Grandma pauses for a moment, her expression turning thoughtful and cautious before she carefully speaks:
"My dear, wherever you go, you always carry this short-haired doll named Amy with you. But you do know, she's not your daughter, right?"
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''-END SCENE-''
[[Restart the story|Untitled Passage]]As she is about to head back to the living room, her eyes inadvertently sweep over a chair, on which hangs a particularly beautiful white towel. The towel is soft to the touch, and as sunlight slants through the window and falls upon it, it seems to emit a gentle glow.
Subconsciously, Amy picks up the towel and drapes it over her head, feeling as if she now possesses "beautiful long hair." She can't help but start twirling around, initiating a date with the long-haired princess dolls on the baby crib.
As Amy is lost in this delightful fantasy, her mother happens to pass by the room and sees this scene. Gently, her mother reminds her, "Sweetheart, please take off the towel and don't forget to close the drawer you opened." Amy...
[[looks for the drawer|"Why is it not good?"]]
[[carrys the white towel to the living room|"Okay, I'll stop playing."]]Amy still can't believe what she's hearing, her emotions swirling in turmoil.
"You're lying! I was just talking to Grandma," she counters.
The short-haired doll responds calmly,
"Grandma has never spoken to you. In reality, you've been conversing with other dolls, mistaking them for Grandma and Mom."
Shocked, Amy insists,
"That's impossible. Grandma even told me about Casey..."
With gentle clarity, the short-haired doll reveals,
"Casey is you. You've always held these memories; it's just that your heart has been reluctant to acknowledge them."
[[try hard to recall...]]